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this begs the question of whether your gear reviews are advertorial space
Advertorial would assume that products only appear if they pay for the pleasure. That's not something that we do. Products appear if they're interesting and we can get hold of them easily.
There's a lot to be said for the making and converting your own lights idea, but we don't have the time to do that ourselves and there's far better info on that kind of thing on the forum or the internet at large, for those who are interested, so we don't tend to cover it. Besides, it's all out of date after a week in the world of LEDs.
Advertorial would assume that products only appear if they pay for the pleasure. That's not something that we do.
Hmm, Benji's holiday in Jamaica article, though not strictly a product, springs to mind 😕
At Christmas I wanted to get my wife a handbag like her friends. It cost £800 so I didn't buy.Now I know what I am looking at you can't believe the amount of ladies that come in my shop with £500 plus bags. On a recent journey on the train at rush hour 95% of people had an iPhone 4.
There's still a lot of money out there.
More likely it proves what warped priorities our society has developed.
I don't subscribe STW for reviews as I buy next to nothing 🙂 - enjoyed the 'Bike Porn' featurettes though.
If I wanted 0-10 scales and 10 riser handlebars 'faced off' I'd buy WMB. Which I do when I'm bored at a station, but generally I'd rather read something (shame Mike F has had to call it a day).
There will always be cynical people who think mags / websites only survive by companies offering incentives for reviewing their products.
And there will always be people who swear it doesn't happen.
EDIT : I'm on the fence for this - I reckon *some* backhanded dealing does go on, especially when dealing with a large influential supplier (who could stop 70% of your new spangly kit arriving...)
not knocking too hard but you have the same issues as all the other websites/ magazines
Advertorial would assume that products only appear if they pay for the pleasure.
OK what is another way of describing rehashing the marketting blurb and spec sheet for a piece of kit that you don't get a payment for?
😉Products appear if they're interesting and [s]we can get hold of them easily.[/s] if people send them to us, unless you are a man in a shed then we'll ignore you
There's a lot to be said for the making and converting your own lights idea, but we don't have the time to do that ourselves
you don't commission content from freelancers?
and there's far better info on that kind of thing on the forum or the internet at large, for those who are interested, so we don't tend to cover it.
the the internat is full of stuff, I thought journalism was all about separating the wheat from the chaff
Besides, it's all out of date after a week in the world of LEDs.
so all the kit you tested which must be using 6 months old tech is old hat?
There will always be cynical people who think mags / websites only survive by companies offering incentives for reviewing their products.And there will always be people who swear it doesn't happen.
EDIT : I'm on the fence for this - I reckon *some* backhanded dealing does go on, especially when dealing with a large influential supplier (who could stop 70% of your new spangly kit arriving...)
some years ago I was a regular product tester / writer for a sports magazine in another industry (extreme sports)
I was sent product from a very respected USA brand, and gave an honest review (product fell to bits in very short time frame, under normal conditions)
both I and the editor were then threatened with legal action for slandering the brand / product, and editor forced to sign a legally binding agreement that I would never be allowed to test any of their products ever again
That... Above.. Has never happened and will never happen at Singletrack... I absolutely PROMISE, on my watch here at Singletrack.
A magazine is only as good as the integrity of its owners/editors and I guarantee you that we will never allow a third party company to lean on us to dictate how or who we decide should write for us. The money just isn't so important to Chipps and I that this would ever be an issue.
Perhaps unbelievably we actually enjoy what we do enough to consider the integrity of the work to be an intrinsic part of why we do it.
There's a lot to be said for the making and converting your own lights idea, but we don't have the time to do that ourselves
Still got Chipp's "make your own lights" issue of Mountain Bike World somewhere - I made a set and they were pretty good apart from the super heavy lead acid battery I was using.
Mark, I'm pleased to say that I believe you but that's what makes me struggle to understand why the kind of comment that's been picked up on (the hundred quid one) gets published when it's blatently wrong and it's not the first time I've seen similar in the mag though I'll admit that I can't recall exactly on what.
clubber - MemberMark, I'm pleased to say that I believe you but that's what makes me struggle to understand why the kind of comment that's been picked up on (the hundred quid one) gets published when it's blatantly wrong
I'm of the same opinion which is why I found the deviation from previous reviews a bit odd!
Chipps
Troutie - I think there's been some emailing between you and Matt/Mark about lights recently, though I might be wrong, but anyway if there's a current model you'd like us to review, then get in touch with me and we'll get one in in time for 24 hour season.
I have emailed you a couple of times over the last couple of weeks and had no reply
just wondering if you have replied ??
Hello Mr Trout,
I've not seen an email from you at my normal email address. - chipps@ etc - are you sure you've been emailing me? Or Mark or Matt instead?
I can't find one in the last couple of years.
Can you try again and I'll keep an eye open.
After ten years of being poor I may come into money soon. Problem is that I'll be abroad working where I probably won't be riding.
So, in my own way I created a light for evening fun. It wasn't lightweight. We nicknamed it, "The Beast".
Small SLR Camera Bag - found in the bins out back
Security alarm battery (of the lead acid, almost motorcycle battery size) - £14
Car tow bar fitment - £4 from a car parts shop
50w Ceiling fitting halogen bulb and holder - £4
Switch £2
Cable - stripped off a lamp in the bins out back
Light Bar clamp from old broken light - found in spare parts bin
I rode into town to meet some mates with the camera bag strapped to my top tube, swinging back and forth and ****ting me on the kneecaps. I knew I had to sort that out later. We turned off the road going down a dimly lit sustrans route and set off. My mates had their road legal basic lights on and I flicked the switch on my light and we discovered the runner coming straight towards us. He looked like he was wearing a white morph suit! He screamed in pain! We laughed hysterically as I switched the light off and we passed the runner who was standing there rubbing his eyes and swearing profusely.
When we got out of town into utter darkness on a track we used to race down top speed at night with our diddy road lights I switched my light on and it got boring. Honestly, it really was, the edge was gone, no fun to be had. We decided to go off the track and up a steep hill looking down onto a field as large as a football pitch. I turned my light on and 2/3rds the pitch lit up. We shrieked in hysterics for a bit before heading off back to town and split up to go our own way home.
I did try a 20 or 25w bulb in the front later, but I discovered the plastic section of the tow bar fitment was starting to melt with the heat of the bulbs and I guess after a couple of bulbs in a row broke from riding over bumps leaving me lightless midride I put it on my shelf and never really got it out to play with anymore. Well, apart from the some thieving bar stewards came for my bike and the cops raced round after my shed alarm went off, jumping over fences with their dog and I brought my light out to demonstrate to the cop with his huge expensive handheld thing that mine was 2-3x brighter 🙂
Keep on with the expensive parts reviews, they make me make do and ride more.