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It's great having dark mode as an option. Somewhat spoilt by the huge white image down the right hand side of the screen though. Could we have some way of removing those background images?
Agreed. I've now set page to zoom to 110%
Yes.
Plus multiple pop up ads splattered over it. (closed 5 just to reply to you)
It's our punishment for not bowing to extortion. They don't care.
I'd imagine tons of free member's just don't even bother to contribute because of it. And a big reason for much less forum content it mainly now being dull repetitive threads from the same fairly small bunch of older full members.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot
Yeh I'm getting the floating adverts thing too (had to scroll this window right to the top of the page to miss the adverts for No7 perfume or something - great targetted adverts for a 46 year old mountain biker). Currently got 4 floating adverts on the page... I'd actually be tempted to subscribe but I assume its still a clusterfk.
Oh and none of the links were working on the forum summary page - had to go to the menu bar and select Bike Forum from the dropdown.
Oh and ~10 seconds to post the above reply. How am I meant to do any work if replies on here are taking so long to post 😀
Oh and none of the links were working on the forum summary page - had to go to the menu bar and select Bike Forum from the dropdown.
figured it out - theres like a ghost of the floating ads. Sometimes theres nothing there but the page acts as if they are so you need to scroll up or down the page enough so the links appear from behind the ghost ad (thats not actually visible). Same with clicking into the reply box...
We have the invisible posts again
I've got a Jet 2 column ad that is right over the Topics list, so I can't actually read what the topic is.
"Fortunately" there's not a lot of activity so I know what most are from the first few and last few letters!
I get the same (but Sigma Sports) - ad covers all but the top two or three topics
I'd imagine tons of free member's just don't even bother to contribute because of it. And a big reason for much less forum content it mainly now being dull repetitive threads from the same fairly small bunch of older full members.
This +1
I clicked on a link to the alpkit story this morning and I think it must be a year at least since I in any way regularly contributed.
I understand the managements opinion that they believe the website is the product and people either pay for it by looking at adds, or a subscription which is their preference as it's far more profitable.
But a lot of the threads have been up on the first page for days / weeks without a reply. They used to disappear by lunchtime if they didn't get any engagement. At some point surely the free members contribution IS the product they were selling? Every other platform works that way. Even facebook has a subscription now so you can watch the free members cat videos add-free.
I tried to start a new thread earlier and gave up because between the random floating ads and auto-playing videos I couldn’t type a short paragraph on my phone without it going weird. And I’m a full member so I don’t know why ads are even there?!
I always liked forums but as a MTBing community this one feels on the way out, the technical issues plus the ageing demographic (I was one of the younger ones here in 2010 - and I’m still one of the younger ones) means there’s just not enough happening here…
What they said. This place feels like it's on it's arse.
The forum used to keep me entertained all day when I should be working but the horrible user experience is driving people away.
I'm a full member and I still have to use content blockers so I'm not bothered by ads. Even without ads it's a clunky, ugly mess full of formatting errors and barely visible text.
At some point you need to make the forum tolerable just to increase activity and keep it alive.
What they said. This place feels like it's on it's arse.
The forum used to keep me entertained all day when I should be working but the horrible user experience is driving people away.
I'm a full member and I still have to use content blockers so I'm not bothered by ads. Even without ads it's a clunky, ugly mess full of formatting errors and barely visible text.
At some point you need to make the forum tolerable just to increase activity and keep it alive.
Echoing that too (as I've had to scroll this window so its half hanging off the top of the page because I've got adverts covering where I'd normally type and the top inch of my screen is the only ad-free space I can see).
I'm a long time member of the forum, a one time paid, but why the hell would I contribute money to this mess? I've actually got 3 cases on my screen right now of adverts covering up other adverts. A No7 advert covering a ST advert (if thats what it is) for Destinations. A Haven ad covering something which I can't even see what its advertising and the unknown ad being further obscured by a TNT Sports banner at the bottom. Hilariously crap.
Oh, so I was writing a reply and it’s refreshed and I’ve lost it… I renewed with digital only but it’s such a mess that I didn’t complete checking out so I’ve been seeing what free members see - no wonder posts are way down, it’s almost unusable.
The magazine never felt that aimed towards me - I liked how Dirt got excited about riding bikes downhill fast, through gear reviews, race reports and so on. That’s what I like to do even if I’m not that good at it. Singletrack now seems to barely tolerate the gear and mostly wants to talk about going on holiday with your bike or pootling about looking at views. I guess “younger” riders who want to attempt to shred their local trails in between parenting and working aren’t their target audience at all. Oh well…
I guess “younger” riders who want to attempt to shred their local trails in between parenting and working aren’t their target audience at all. Oh well…
The audience who are interested in bike packing in outer mongolia is far larger.
I don't think there's a viable commercial audience in either, or both, of those.
Oh, so I was writing a reply and it’s refreshed and I’ve lost it… I renewed with digital only but it’s such a mess that I didn’t complete checking out so I’ve been seeing what free members see - no wonder posts are way down, it’s almost unusable.
The magazine never felt that aimed towards me - I liked how Dirt got excited about riding bikes downhill fast, through gear reviews, race reports and so on. That’s what I like to do even if I’m not that good at it. Singletrack now seems to barely tolerate the gear and mostly wants to talk about going on holiday with your bike or pootling about looking at views. I guess “younger” riders who want to attempt to shred their local trails in between parenting and working aren’t their target audience at all. Oh well…
yep, chiefgrooveguru, almost unusable - the forum is dire on loading speed and why oh why does a thread open to page 1 even when clicking an email "new reply" link - it's not great programming sadly. I did recently renew digital which was a bit of a jackanory as it wanted to backdate me and thus give me 6 months or so (more dodgy programming,hey I bet it ain't easy), I paid up mainly cos I've known Chipps since the early 90's and I'd be sad to e walk away from my old friend "Singletrack mag". it’s a while, though, since I ceased my printed mag sub due to content not being "for me".
And yep, I loved Dirt Mag too, Steve Jones' reviews especially were always worth reading, such enthusiasm - & yeah - going on holiday with your bike or pootling about looking at views" isn't of much interest, I agree.
There are occasionally some reviews I find useful (although the subsections are a bit limited, eg no "clothing"!), tyres by Ben can be interesting, for example, but there's only one since 2024 and I'mm niot a Forecaster type.
it's not looking good overall from my POV. I just had a look and, to be fair, there are a few reasonably interesting reviews, but only one that got me reading. Also, are the review pictures a bit silly at times? I know lots of journo folk don't like being photographed, but Monty Python poses are getting a bit old.
Oh dear, I seem like Mr Grumpy today
Rest in peace. The best MTB mag of all time.
I've got every single issue in my parents loft. Unless they've binned them.
I've really tried with STW but it's just rambling on wheels. I'm not that old and beardy yet. When I am old enough I hope I'm still ripping Pleney laps in my chrome lens goggles like it's 2004.
This forum used to be invaluable. That's why I've been here so long and pay up every year. It would be a such a shame to kill it off.
I am having the floating adds and auto playing videos problem as well.
Oh, so I was writing a reply and it’s refreshed and I’ve lost it… I renewed with digital only but it’s such a mess that I didn’t complete checking out so I’ve been seeing what free members see - no wonder posts are way down, it’s almost unusable.
When I tried to renew a few months ago, it failed in such a manner, I am now waiting for a sign of actual technical competence before I am willing to attempt to sign up again. It doesn't matter how well intentioned the site owners are, when the site feels and behaves like a cheap scam site, potential paying customers are not going to put their payment details in.
There are ways of making the site usable even if you're not a subscriber, I would almost certainly be banned if I was to tell you how.
Although being banned wouldn't bother me now like it would have at one time.
Rest in peace. The best MTB mag of all time.
I've got every single issue in my parents loft. Unless they've binned them.
I've really tried with STW but it's just rambling on wheels. I'm not that old and beardy yet. When I am old enough I hope I'm still ripping Pleney laps in my chrome lens goggles like it's 2004.
This forum used to be invaluable. That's why I've been here so long and pay up every year. It would be a such a shame to kill it off.
yep Dirt = BOAT, I gathered all mine (pretty much the lot) boxed em up and took em round to Steve Jones. I felt he was entitled. who knows, though, they might have been used as firelighters.
At risk of a pile on, I can’t help but agree with some of the posters above. There seems to be a complete dearth of fun now here. There is enough misery in the world and this place did used to be pretty funny, and lighthearted. Something seems to have changed, and some contributors and lots of members now seem to be trying too hard to be achingly cool, and with that any sort of fun is gone.
I was a paid member, but the mag content isn’t for me, too many bags attached to the bikes type articles and pointless pieces (a contemplation of soil springs to mind, I mean, really?). Reviews now seem few and far between with the latest batch just regurgitated from days gone by or no actual review against other products in that class. All this led me to cancel the sub and be a free member.
Unfortunately, the forum also feels more hostile, and you can almost guarantee that a perfectly reasonable OP will attract the wrath of at least one of the same old crowd of big hitters spoiling for an argument or just being deliberately, or maybe not deliberately, sanctimonious.
I’m curious what the investment will bring to the site, and will consider subscribing again if it starts to appeal and not take itself too seriously.
can't view the Where to Live thread but can view random others
I've got the same issue, had it since end of last week. No change at all. Is anyone even looking at the issue?The adverts have gotten stupid.
Three different computers, same (up to date) version of chrome on W11 (3x) and Edge on W11 as well on two of them.
Bloody stupid advert taking up much of LH side
Bloody stupid advert taking up much of LH side
Think it's meant to sit in that blank space further to the left...easy enough update?
Same with the one on the right that's blocking the advert underneath it
Damnit, it was fixed for an hour before i left work. Now back home and it's back where it was (same computer, same Chrome build).
Adverts still there.... even worse than earlier.... unusable!
Yeah, sorry folks - ads blocking all of the thread titles and 85% ish of the left hand side when trying to read threads.
I typed up a long reply which timed out.
In summary before this one fails. One word. Broken. Actually two. Absolutely broken.
Such as shame. Used to love this forum but now lucky if I remember it's here every month or so. Even deleted my shortcut as used to be the most clicked button.
Edit - this took 5 mins from clicking submit to popping up. Three words absolutely totally broken.
I’ve been a member for years, well before The Great Hack, and was a paid up member for the last few years. Decided not to renew my membership this month due to all of the above plus for some reason the Alpkit thread closure and subsequent reopening annoyed me. It seemed like the contributions on the existing thread were totally discounted/negated by the powers that be.
Sorry about the Ads issues folks, it is being investigated
seemed like the contributions on the existing thread were totally discounted/negated by the powers that be.
Yeah, that was an error not malice.
A major effort required today to be able to click on this "The New Forum". Had to try and disable neighbouring ad to be able to do so. What a nonsense.
I know it wasn’t malice, but it’s an error that’s happened several times over the last few months…
I really want to support STW but I shouldn’t have to pay to be a beta tester.
The audience who are interested in bike packing in outer mongolia is far larger more affluent and attractive to advertisers.
FIFY
It's hard to say what made DIRT so awesome, because lets face it, it was equally awful as it was awesome at times! The random font colour choices, the layouts that left you searching for the next column on the page, the to be continued next months that just never happened.
I think it just felt like Steve Jones had always just got in from a ride (or interviewing someone, maybe in a pub) and typed everything whilst still full of adrenaline.
You read every article, and even in winter you'd be itching to get out the door halfway though.
Some threads take an age to open and reply to. Ukraine is one, but that's understable with four years of content, Syria is another, but is only four pages.
Others are much quicker
Why is it taking 60 seconds plus to open any thread? (android Chrome). Is this normal? Feels like I am back on dial up....
It's 100% the ads