Where has all the new bike news gone

Hi

Looking around the interweb it would appear that many many new bikes have been released this week for example new bikes from Giant, Liv, Raaw, Rocky Mountain, and Forbidden. Yet there has been a stony silence on any of these on this site. Is there a reason why?

I would have though new bike releases would be the bread and butter of a MTB website and a great way of driving additional traffic as well as keeping users uptodate. As it is other websites are getting the traffic and no doubt revenue streams associated with additional clicks.

I haven’t really looked but are these new new bikes or last years bikes but half a degree slacker and in a different colour?

If it’s the latter then personally I don’t mind this kind of ‘news’ not filling up the feed.

Benji normally does a round up of all the weeks releases called ‘NBD’, can’t remember when that comes out.

Yet there has been a stony silence on any of these on this site. Is there a reason why?

No need to get all Woodward and Bernstein, it’s not a conspiracy.

Surely you can tell STW is much lower resourced than certain other bike sites?

I would have though new bike releases would be the bread and butter of a MTB website and a great way of driving additional traffic as well as keeping users uptodate

So you are suggesting that STW should taking the marketing garbage of each new bike release and repost it as their own ‘insight’ to the model?

Not STW , but most online reviews on YT or general web are just re gurge of the marketing trollocks put out by the bike brands. So of absolutely no use what so ever.

A new bike can not be properly reviewed in the space of a week, yep you could give it a ride out on comment on that, but not a decent review. partly the reason why I would never buy a brand new to market car or bike as I want to see real reviews.

I am not conviced how impartial any magazine can be reviewing bikes. Who is going to keep sending you their latest bike if you dont saying its amazing, or review the latest Santa Cruz £10k bike against a Decathlon bike of £3k and find little real world difference.

When I first joined STW, this time of year was really exciting for a gear nerd- they would publish new bike or component details, in their own words almost every day. STW even got the odd scoop.

It’s not that site anymore. In fairness, kit has never been the point of STW – they never give real conclusions to their bike reviews with a rating just a kind of obscure personality, the people testing aren’t the same calibre of rider as those from other sites. It’s about old dudes having a nice time on bikes. Which is fine.

So you are suggesting that STW should taking the marketing garbage of each new bike release and repost it as their own ‘insight’ to the model?

Seems to work for the Trash Free Trails or Save Our Winterholidays* articles.

 the people testing aren’t the same calibre of rider as those from other sites.  It’s about old dudes having a nice time on bikes.

Lesson 1 in how to damn with faint praise.

😀

*what are they called? Save Our Winters? Save Our Snow?

So you are suggesting that STW should taking the marketing garbage of each new bike release and repost it as their own ‘insight’ to the model?

No. I just thought all the new bikes might be of interest to a bike magazine. I realise that they are behind YouTubers for actual bikes to review these days. It was more a sad reflection of how, on the busiest week this year for new bikes, far away from interest in mountain biking the magazine is moving in especially in these economically challenging times

Pretty much all our staff have been or are on holiday. Using up annual leave while they can over Easter.

I’m down for a virtual press launch on Monday at 8am. Pray for me.

When I first joined STW, this time of year was really exciting for a gear nerd- they would publish new bike or component details, in their own words almost every day. STW even got the odd scoop.

I think, but could be wrong, that both the regularity of ‘new model for this year’ is reducing and the budget to advertise said bike. Or even have a fleet that can be loaned to journalists to review for a few weeks…

I’m down for a virtual press launch on Monday at 8am. Pray for me.

There has to be an article just on that experience, surely?

You’ve genuinely got me wondering what it’s like.  Is it just like a big work Teams meeting?  What is the etiquette?  Cameras on or cameras off?  Unofficial dress code that belies how seriously you are taking this particular product?

Is there one particular old person who has at least half a dozen pointless comments masquerading as questions for each and every new bit of kit?  And the one person who is an oblivious eye roller and insists on sitting as close to the camera as possible?

I’m far more interested in knowing these things that what shade of green the new Giant Trance is available in this year.

Sea otter this weekend I think, seems sensible to lump all the new stuff together in one article.

Many companies have warehouses full of last year’s stuff though so maybe there won’t be as much new stuff as usual

I read STW for the reviews by journos who’ve ridden the bikes and I don’t need a review by a racer, I’m quite happy with journos who rides bikes for fun like me. If I want to know what the latest bikes are I’ll go to the manufacturers’ web sites and read the hype. It’s far from urgent anyhow, I won’t be buying any of the bikes until they’re last year’s model and 30% off anyhow.

In fact I may well be keeping my current bike a long time as I’m a short arse who rides tight nadgery trails and rather fond of the 27.5 format conspicuously absent from many current ranges. The latest 29ers I’ve tried handle a lot better than those from a few years back but they still feel like a lot of bike.

Hannah is leaving for Sea Otter this weekend.

Agreed, I’d take unreviewed bike launch news over the republished copy/paste sponsored announcement from a USA based bike rack company who’s product isn’t relevant in any way to the UK market, or any market outside of North America, to which I assume is largely irrelevant to stw subscribers/readership

I’d think that if you don’t report it, people will just go get that info from PB, vital, bikerumor etc and I assume eventually you loose traffic, and you need that traffic to convert sponsored article clicks to cash surely?

Someone at stw review a modern Scott Endorphin

Hold it to ransom from whichever CEO is acting up.

To be fair, I don’t really see STW as a news-orientated site. When it does do ‘news’, it’s often a sort of structureless regurgitated splurge of press release, video and randomness. Take the Fox GRIP damper launch story that’s currently on the front page for example,. I think it’s just a low priority.

Similarly, the review of the Caliber Line T3 might actually make more sense if it started by telling you what the Calibre Line T3 actually is – ‘a budget hardtail with a 140mm fork  and 27.5″ wheels sold by xxxx and aimed at entry level riders’ or whatever. I only found the fork travel by checking the specs which re right at the end.

This is pretty basic stuff and, arguably, what a sub-editor should be flagging up as an issue. T o be fair though, this is also par for the course for specialist journalism where many of the writers are enthusiasts without any specific journalistic training.

I know this alll sounds very critical, but these are small but basic things that could help to make the site significantly better imho etc, but what do I know.

Only 60% of our traffic is UK based.
30% comes from North America.

Also 23% of all traffic is from women.

None of that is obvious from looking at the forum, but there is some method behind the madness at least 🙂

I’m not sure what gender has to do with reporting the release of new bikes and components.

I understand it’s hard to compete with other websites and YouTube who get sent the product pre release so can give some ride impressions on release date. I guess the question is why STW doesn’t get the same pre release product to test

I think his point is it’s not just about old men having a nice time on bikes. It’s also about old women having a nice time on bikes.

I’m keen on everyone having a great time on bikes. I still don’t see what that has got to do with publishing news on new bikes

Also 23% of all traffic is from women.

Women? Riding bikes! Don’t we have laws against that sort of thing?

The reviews are essentially qualitative for the group tests they pick 3 good options and talk about what their differences are, so you can think what would suit you best.

That being said, you need to know what you are looking for a bit in these situations.

I like that the off road cc reviews call a spade a spade. Their Onza Porcupine tyre review for instance.

Mike Kazimir will say if he thinks something is rubbish, but I don’t ride anything, or anywhere like he does, so limited use.

The reviews are essentially qualitative for the group tests they pick 3 good options and talk about what their differences are, so you can think what would suit you best…..

Yeah but reviews aren’t what’s being questioned here, it’s the lack of coverage of new product. Nobody with any sense expects a review of a brand new bike released from embargo that day, but it’s often useful to know what is being released.

I think, but could be wrong, that both the regularity of ‘new model for this year’ is reducing

Yeah,. you’re wrong. After a few very quiet years new stuff is starting to be released again now that the issues of the last few years have been mainly sorted. Maybe it’s not on the same level as pre-Covid, but brands are still keen to get dealers, distributors and journos out to see the shiny stuff.

I guess the question is why STW doesn’t get the same pre release product to test

Well, we do. But of the last month or so we’ve been engaged in other areas and over the last few weeks most of us have been on holiday. I had 3 weeks off in March.

re the stats I posted. If I was making any kind of point beyond just providing info and context for conclusions to be drawn or inferred, it was that as an outside observer you can imagine that it’s all just Brits on here or all just men. But the hidden reality is that the audience for Singletrack is much more diverse both geographically and demographically than things may seem. I think the only safe conclusion you could make as an observer is that it’s mostly British men who post on the site. But the cohort of actual posters is maybe around 5% of the entire audience.