Changes to the layout poll

John C.

As a complete technophobe just keep it simple , I quite like things as they are but can see what you are trying to do and it all sounds good, as long as I can still find things.

robbarker

The proposal makes perfect sense and will make the forum a much better one for regulars and new posters looking for help.

magliaceleste

skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:

Generally it's an improvement but I'd be strongly in favour of keeping Sportives seperate as it is now a type of 'competitive' event that doesn't fit into 'amateur race' - they aren't races and it doesn't 'feel' right in amateur race - but isn't some nebulous 'riding'. What I would do is call it 'Challenge Riding' so it can include sportives, audax, charity rides etc.

I'd keep 'know how' in one place too.

I agree.

robbarker

To add to my comment - there is a definite need to sepaerate Road Gear and Knowhow into maintenance and buying advice topics. The maintenance topic in Commuting should be chopped once this is done, so the useful wrenching threads are all in one place and not duplictaed.

The mountainbike workshop topic could arguably stay as there is a lot of MTB-specific stuff i..e suspension and brakes, which have little crossover to road stuff.

I don't read campaign or soapbox, dure to the high propellerhead density, but as long as they have somewhere to argue amongst themselves that's not cakestop I don't mind.

whyamihere

The idea behind the Commuting Workshop section is that the Road section has a relatively high level of assumed knowledge, that people who don't ride as a hobby may not have. The Commuting workshop is more for those people who would have "A strange clicky noise from that bit that the pedals are on" rather than an "Intermittent tick from r/h BB cup on Shimano 105".

richa

My thrupence...

> Get rid of the aged stickies.
> Leave Sportive in the title (it was added to stop sportivre posts being split between 'Road Rides' & 'Racing'.
> Merge Cycling+ Office, Procycling Office & Triathlon+ into one. Maybe call it 'Cycling+, Procycling & Triathlon+ Office. They only get a douzen posts a month, no need for a separate for each.

leighz

simplify it....

a lot

eg.

FAQs
Beginners
Racing
Cake Stop
Technical
C+/Procycling Office (whatever that is)
Classifieds

vermooten

Needs a 'time trial' section which is NOT the same as triathlon, which we all know includes running and swiiming.

The other TT forums / fora aren't so good, there's a real gap that bikeradar could fill here. Hmmm I suppose it could fit into 'amateur racing' though.

OffTheBackAdam

Chuck Triathlete out of road, give it its own section like MTB has, or do a combined "Our Magazines" sub forum.
Trim all these stickies.
How about a specific forum , "LA Doping Threads"?

Blonde

Eddy S wrote:

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

And why has Track got it's own Board?

For exactly the same reason why folks have been asking for an amateur road race section.

Track should have a seperate board as it is a sepearte discipline, just like MTB, BMX etc, but I never understood why it's in the Road section. Many I know at the track sessions don't even own a road bike, or any other kind of bike and never ride on the road, or anywhere else outdoors, at all.

Track should not necessarily be in a "Race" section either though, because most people at the track training sessions I go to don't race on the track. I have never raced on road or track and I didn't take up track cycling in order to race either (although as it happens, I am going to give it a go soon). If the Track board had been in the Race section I probably wouldn't have seen it.

Red Rock

Blonde wrote:

Eddy S wrote:

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

And why has Track got it's own Board?

For exactly the same reason why folks have been asking for an amateur road race section.

Track should have a seperate board as it is a sepearte discipline, just like MTB, BMX etc, but I never understood why it's in the Road section. Many I know at the track sessions don't even own a road bike, or any other kind of bike and never ride on the road, or anywhere else outdoors, at all.

Track should not necessarily be in a "Race" section either though, because most people at the track training sessions I go to don't race on the track. I have never raced on road or track and I didn't take up track cycling in order to race either (although as it happens, I am going to give it a go soon). If the Track board had been in the Race section I probably wouldn't have seen it.

I agree.

The whole forum needs to be simpler and easier to navigate. Can't we have a menu at the side of the page like this:

BIKERADAR OFFICE
BikeRadar Live
Discuss website
FAQs
CAKE STOP
COMMUTING
Commuting General
The Workshop
FAMILY & KIDS
Family & Kids General
HEALTH, FITNESS & TRAINING
MOUNTAIN BIKE
FAQs
The MBUK Office
The WMB Office
MTB Beginners
MTB Buying Advice
MTB General
MTB Workshop & Tech
MTB Rides
Cross-country
Downhill
Freeride
Jumping
Street
Trials
Racing
Routes
Women
The WMB Arms
ROAD
FAQs
Cycling Plus Office
Procycling Office
Race
Beginners
Gear & Know-how
Sportives & Rides
Tour & Expedition
Special Interests
SOAPBOX & CAMPAIGN
TRACK
TRIATHLON
Triathlon Plus
READERS' ADS

And you need to get some faster servers too.

mclarent

I think the changes suggested are good, especially the buying guide / workshop split, but I don't think they go far enough. My suggestions are (sorry for repeats, please treat as +1s ):

Merge all the magazine forums into one top level category called something like "magazine offices", with sub categories for each mag - if you really need the extra publicity by having that there (which I would imagine the banner ads already get you) you could always post a "this week in <insert magazine>" thread.

Merge the "social" forums at top level (cakestop, soap box, audax - only kidding!! )

Create new top level category for workshops. Keep "buying advice" as sub-categories in each section

New top level section for Triathlon with appropriate sub-cats ("where to buy armbands" etc)

Change the name of "Special Interests" - sounds a bit kinky to me.

ugo.santalucia

That should hopefully sort the men from the boys and confine the "fashion riders" in a shopping section of their own...

I agree... the road gear and know how section is currently littered of threads about colour matching and "must have" fashion items. The new Workshop might become an interesting section