Forum Updates and Feedback

[Ann M.]

That would be the most logical, @mrgold35 , just depends on what's required programming and budgetwise .

 

[Admin]

Okay, as a first step I've updated the "Introduce Yourself" section to "Introductions & Bike Garage" because I think the two topics sort of blend together nicely. It's fun to learn about the person and their bike and some are more willing to share about their bikes than their location, ride preferences and lifestyle so there's something here for everyone. It also cuts down on the fragmentation of the site (so many links!!!) and might have the potential to put a face with a bike so to speak

Thanks again for your input @mrgold35, I'm open to further separation of this section or modification but feel this is a good place to begin. As always, I'm open to feedback

 

[Ann M.]

Court, just saw your post pop up on my phone. Thanks! I think a lot of our ebike community will enjoy the opportunity to build their identity here around the ebike that inspires them to ride .

 

[bob armani]

@Court, I like the simpler, cleaner layout suggestions. George's new topics idea and vincent's suggestion about news rings for me too. We have a lot of members from around the world who could add international ebike news. If you check out Jason Kraft on LinkedIn, he posts international and US news about electric bikes in the Electric Bicycle Industry group (he's the moderator there too).

There will be potential overlap issues with the Forums as you lay them out now, since some fat tire bikes are also mountain bikes are also commuter bikes. Some folks like the styling or feel of a mountain bike but use it and write about it as a commuter. Not sure how to address that; will have to watch as things change.

Maintenance or Ebike Repairs (to choose a newer label) together with parts & accessories should be called out. I currently spend a lot of time writing about how to fix stuff on ebikes but it's scattered in a bunch of bike forums so fewer people see the resources linked to or see the general repair or regular maintenance material.

The Guides are helpful education and overviews; I link to them regularly. Would like to see some updates to a couple of older ones like the Big & Tall Guide and the companion Small/Light Ebike Guide to include references to some of the newer brands or bike styles. Same for the Kits.

Incorporating links to specific brand forums alongside the Reviews is intriguing. I do know that a lot of people write comments after viewing or reading your Reviews but don't make their way to the Forum, so those links could drive more traffic here.

What is 'Trail Head' a name for General Discussion?

I'd like to see a specific area that discusses where folks commute and the issues they deal with to do that commute or where they go to do a weekend ride. This would be a great opportunity to see more pics (and read more of EddieJ's great adventures )
Having a lot of visuals included in this area along within the Repairs/Parts/Accessories section helps visitors to the Forum digest or better understand material. I try to include images or links to images & videos to support repair knowledge; written word alone doesn't always get the job done.

Don't know how the moderators at UK Pedelecs manages their Off Topic section but it is a fun read (could get out of hand!)

Ann- I agree with your comment 'We have a lot of members from around the world who could add international ebike news.' I am always finding the European versions of ebikes very interesting as well. ie: KTM and Felt series of ebikes not yet available in the US . The KTM bikes especially, are extremely sharp in appearance compared to the current US models. I spoke to Federico Zapata from KTM Industries and he indicated that those bikes have not been manufactured for the US and it will be sometime before they are shipped out of Austria to the US. There is a 108 page catalog on their website if anyone has any curiosities about their European versions. The styling is magnificent IMHO. Thanks for all your hard work and contributions to this site!

 

[_AleX_]

Someone needs to re-evaluate the "by brand" subsection in this forum. If you divide it by so many brands and there's 1-4 discussions in there with a grand total of 40 posts, you know you're doing something wrong. It's way too fragmented to be a useful split. Most of what could be there is discussed elsewhere. It makes topics hard to find and some of the topics there would be better served by just being here in "general" or somewhere else. Difficult to browse, find and come across information. There can be interesting information there, but without prior knowledge of the exact brand it's not something you might stumble upon.

Also, I know this is not the place for it, but your video reviews are entirely way too long. No one has time for a 20 minutes youtube video that repeats the same thing over and over again and filmed from a first person hand-held view. I started watching a few but loose interest quickly and can't bring myself to watch them, even though it might be quite interesting. The last one is almost half an hour. Brevity is king on youtube. It's a good thing there is the write-up. You might want to consider a short version, or something slightly more produced/scripted. 5 min. max.

 

[tomjasz]

Someone needs to re-evaluate the "by brand" subsection in this forum. If you divide it by so many brands and there's 1-4 discussions in there with a grand total of 40 posts, you know you're doing something wrong. It's way too fragmented to be a useful split. Most of what could be there is discussed elsewhere. It makes topics hard to find and some of the topics there would be better served by just being here in "general" or somewhere else. Difficult to browse, find and come across information. There can be interesting information there, but without prior knowledge of the exact brand it's not something you might stumble upon.

Also, I know this is not the place for it, but your video reviews are entirely way too long. No one has time for a 20 minutes youtube video that repeats the same thing over and over again and filmed from a first person hand-held view. I started watching a few but loose interest quickly and can't bring myself to watch them, even though it might be quite interesting. The last one is almost half an hour. Brevity is king on youtube. It's a good thing there is the write-up. You might want to consider a short version, or something slightly more produced/scripted. 5 min. max.

Garnering support from manufacturers and shops has to be difficult. Typically I watch the review I'm interested in and use the fast forward or reverse video, and use the written reviews. I like it the way it is, and use the video technology to shorten the watch time. Vendors and builders want good reviews, and who among us has more than a few bikes under consideration once budget and type are sorted? I do see your point but like the way it is.

 

[bob armani]

Someone needs to re-evaluate the "by brand" subsection in this forum. If you divide it by so many brands and there's 1-4 discussions in there with a grand total of 40 posts, you know you're doing something wrong. It's way too fragmented to be a useful split. Most of what could be there is discussed elsewhere. It makes topics hard to find and some of the topics there would be better served by just being here in "general" or somewhere else. Difficult to browse, find and come across information. There can be interesting information there, but without prior knowledge of the exact brand it's not something you might stumble upon.

Also, I know this is not the place for it, but your video reviews are entirely way too long. No one has time for a 20 minutes youtube video that repeats the same thing over and over again and filmed from a first person hand-held view. I started watching a few but loose interest quickly and can't bring myself to watch them, even though it might be quite interesting. The last one is almost half an hour. Brevity is king on youtube. It's a good thing there is the write-up. You might want to consider a short version, or something slightly more produced/scripted. 5 min. max.

Alex-I enjoy Courts videos in their entirety. Perhaps you may want to skip to the end to see what his thoughts are and his final comments. They can get a little long winded at times, however, a complete breakdown is useful in making informed decisions when making a sizable purchase for an $$$ ebike IMHO

 

[Al P]

I am also in favor of leaving the video format alone. My initial views on Court's videos were that they were all-encompassing, well-thought out and done in an instructive and friendly manner. My views have not changed.

 

[bob armani]

I am also in favor of leaving the video format alone. My initial views on Court's videos were that they were all-encompassing, well-thought out and done in an instructive and friendly manner. My views have not changed.

Totally agree and well said. Court does this for a reason to give all of the intricate details that one may miss when doing their own research. I myself like to go over every component before purchase for friends and family also. Quality is very important when purchasing any bike to ensure maximum safety while riding! I like the fact that he is also big on safety as well!

 

[_AleX_]

Alex-I enjoy Courts videos in their entirety. Perhaps you may want to skip to the end to see what his thoughts are and his final comments. They can get a little long winded at times, however, a complete breakdown is useful in making informed decisions when making a sizable purchase for an $$$ ebike IMHO

I never get to the end. Maybe he could announce in the beginning that there will be a summary at the end, or put the timestamp in the description. I'm all for making informed decisions, but at this stage I'm in early information gathering. An e-bike purchase might be a long way out as in my particular situation now is not the time (work-related). That might change. So right now I'm not pinned down to any particular bike or just a couple of options, everything is interesting. That said, if I wanted to see a video for let's say even only ten bikes, I'd be a full +-200 minutes in.

Also, I don't need re-explained every time what a bicycle is like. Many people are new to the "e" part of e-bikes, not new to bikes. I'm pretty sure you could make a very concise, very informative video about the standout features in about five minutes without ditching any important information.

Anyway, to each their own I'm glad he has a loyal audience that appreciates the current format. I'll stick to reading and the forum.

 

[emco5]

Court:
Your eBike videos are the best on the net, don’t change them. The hands-on details tactfully seasoned by your extensive experience database, and your quality camera work, are worthwhile and appreciated. Often, the videos provide info that might be missed by Joe Consumer on a personal test ride. Combined with your written reports they are an A+ resource.

 

[Admin]

Thanks @emco5 that means a lot, I really apply myself with this work and it's a mix of adventure, creativity and grinding (to get all of the details) but it's worthwhile to hear from real people like you who have found it useful

 

[Admin]

Thanks for reaching back out via the forums. My contact form on the site has had some issues and must not have sent properly (I believe the issues are resolved now). You can email me and the folks at Teo using [email protected] and yeah, I'd be open to reviewing the product.

In the meantime, I created a new forum section for you at http://electricbikereview.com/forums/forum/teo-electrique/ and moved the post you were talking about so everything is in one spot

Cheers,
Court

 

[Admin]

Thanks, you too @america94 !

 

[irenewg13]

[update] I've enacted many of the changes discussed in this thread, feel free to chime in if you've got further suggestions! Thanks again for all of the great input

Hey guys and gals, I appreciate your involvement with EBR in the community and want to share my thoughts on some updates and get your feedback

I'm a huge fan of the UK Pedelecs forums and Grin owned Endless Sphere. In recent months (and really years) I think the EBR space has become a bit overwhelming with so many brand sections. I designed it this way to align with EBR eventually with content from the forums being shown in a sidebar widget on the site in each respective brand area. We're on the brink of making that happen but I've realized I could put brands in a sub category here and that would keep the homepage MUCH cleaner.

Pasted below is an updated list of sections including some new names. Some of this imitates the other ebike forums and my plan includes renaming the community to "forums" since people seem to get that more... I get emails occasional from people asking if the site has forums and I'm like "yeah! The community XD" so hopefully this helps. Anyway, I value your input on what additional forums to add AND whether for sale used and for sale new makes sense? It could be a place for company's like Crazy Lennys, Propel, Performance Bikes etc. to post without distracting other threads. This has been a difficult balance to strike... I strive to limit my own ads here and pay over a thousand dollars of my own money each month on host and moderate this space. It feels bad to go to all of that effort then possibly alienate the paying advertisers while promoting show rooming indirectly and gouging prices. On the flip side, the world is a marketplace and last-season models, used stuff and promotions do have their place. How should this be handled? As always, THANK YOU ALL for making my dream of sharing ebikes, connecting people and promoting healthy living a reality by spending time here and supporting EBR. And thank you @Ann M. for all of your contribution as a super mod.

>> Welcome to the Community
Introduce Yourself
Electric Bike Laws
Forum Rules & Etiquette

>> Electric Bike Forums
General Discussion
Help Choosing an Ebike
Ride Reports and Journals
Maintenance Tips
Events, Activities and Shows
Off Topic Discussion

>> Electric Ride Forums
General Discussion
Electric Kick Scooters
Electric Skateboards

>> Brand Specific Forums
- active
- active
- other brands
— less active
— less active

>> Sales, Promotions and Offers
- Used Items for Sale, By Owner
- Used Items / Parts Wanted
- New Items for Sale, Promotions

Ditto: UK and Endless Sphere... I was just at that site.

 

[scrambler]

Don't know if others are experiencing that, but on Microsoft Edge, the forum pages frequently refresh all white, no way to get them to display.

 

[Admin]

Don't know if others are experiencing that, but on Microsoft Edge, the forum pages frequently refresh all white, no way to get them to display.

Interesting, thanks for the head's up! We are working on a stability update that might fix this. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I don't know if it's just me but recently, all my posts are not cataloged in the "New Posts" page anymore. I felt like I'm excommunicated.
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/find-new/25518922/posts

 

[Admin]

Hmm, thanks for the head's up @Mark Peralta. Maybe it just doesn't show you your own posts? I just visited the new posts page you linked to and saw your name for the third post. Screenshot attached below, does this help?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

You're right Court, it's weird that I don't see my own posts listed in the "New Posts" page.