State of the Rivendell Bicycle Works Owner's Bunch Mailing List ============================ February 2009 - #8 ============================
It seems as though the list has hit a pretty good tempo of late. It's nice to continue seeing a broader set of names adding their comments and questions to the conversation, and bringing new thoughts and ideas to the discussions. Obviously, some of the upswing has a bit to do with the winter conditions of the northern hemisphere, which has many of us enjoying significantly less cycling miles than we would like. A few extra hours inside, another email or two, and all of a sudden, we're spiking the traffic over one thousand emails a month for two months in a row. It's gratifying to see everyone continuing to be polite and respectful on this list. As I've said before, this time of year brings out the cabin fever, and on other lists, some less than honorable behavior. Thanks to everyone who has continued to make this list a positive place. One thing I think we could be a little more mindful of would be the focus of this list. It is important as we grow to honor the relatively narrow focus, even though it's tempting to have more general topics discussed here. Clearly, it's a bit of an imperfect border. I guess the corollary to that is that the topics begin to swing a bit more broadly in follow up posts. A slight tangent of a slight tangent from a slight tangent and all of a sudden, we're talking about muffin recipes. (Well, we haven't yet, but I don't want to pick on any specific thread...) If it's a strong and viable topic that isn't really part of the Subject of the original post, it's not a bad idea to start a new post (don't just rename it as it will still thread with the original). As I've said before, letting discussions end as they creep toward more general topics, not having to have the last comment (or needing to "win" the argument) and, above all, maintaining the respect for one another within the group is what makes this list special. And as always, thanks again for contributing to or simply enjoying the discussions. ============================ Projects and Features ============================ Despite the dire reports of the economy, there have actually been quite a few new items popping up on the Rivendell Bicycle Works website, bringing with it the optimism of spring - many of which have been discussed or noted on the group. The new Sam Hillborne and Betty Foy, a new line of saddlebags, a few clothing odds and ends (like the cool wool cap I got). Just because of a bunch of stuff with work, I haven't had a chance to finish too much in the way of feautres and upgrades. However, I did push a tiny raft onto the swirling tides of Facebook by creating the "Rivendell Bicycle Owners Bunch on Facebook" http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=127003115064 Now, I'm not pushing Facebook* at all, and in no way do I see it as a replacement for this group. But, since (finally) signing up a few months ago for unrelated-to-bicycle reasons, I've bumped into quite a few folks there. It seemed like it might be a useful platform for coordinating rides in specific areas or for more quick-pinging type of communications. Cyclotourist has been using Flickr in a similar manner for the SoCal RBW Riders, which (IMO) has a good deal of the same functionality with the added benefit of much, much better photo sharing/interface. http://flickr.com/groups/1007...@n22/ *In fact, I've more or less stayed away. You can search about previous issues with private user information, internal viruses, etc. Of course, some of that's life in the online world, but it's worth being aware of. ============================ More General Topics (Reminders from Previous Issues) ============================ - Broader technical questions and non-Riv stuff are well covered by the iBob list, the 650B list and others hosted by alex wetmore on bikelist.org - http://www.bikelist.org - This is also where you can find the pre-March '07 archives to the RBW list. Peter White runs the "Bicycle Lifestyle" google group, which is here - http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle - Resources get put onto the RBW-Owners-Bunch pages here: http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/web Most are either mirrored or enhanced here: http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw - The Official RBW Gallery is on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/groups/rivendell Of course, my feelings get hurt if you don't send photos to the Current Classics (or other) Galleries ;^) http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc - Our FAQ continues to exist! The FAQ has one Q which was A'd enough. http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/web/rbw-group-requests - Posts from new members (or old members changing their email) are moderated. So, it means that if someone joins, their first messages will have to get my (or an acting list admin's) OK before being sent to everyone. If you want to bypass this or speed it up a bit, send me an email so I know you aren't a spammer. - Posts to the list are by default distributed to everyone. That means if you wish to make a private comment, you need to change the "TO:" information. It's also easy to make that mistake, so please don't jump on folks who do so. - Bug reports for the Rivendell Bicycle Works website - http://rivbike.com - should be sent to rbw-feedb...@610systems.com You should include the browser, system and specific issue in the email. ============================ Statistics & Housekeeping ============================ List began: March 26, 2007 Members: 857 (Up from 789 on 11/12/08) Activity: Medium activity (Unchanged) January 2009 was our highest traffic month so far, with 1279 posts. Our first month with more than 1000 posts was December, 2008. In addition to email delivery, the list can be viewed via the web at - http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch or http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbwlist If you wish to turn off or restart email delivery, change to digest mode, update your profile or make other changes, simply log in at the page above and make the changes you desire. Unsubscribing is as easy as an email. But, don't send it to the group or to me - All posts (including this SOTL message) contain a footer with the appropriate address. The Rivendell Owners Bunch list is "dedicated to the discussion of Rivendell Bicycles and products, you don't need to own one - just an interest in RBW designs is enough to join in. Ride reports encouraged, as is a respectful, supportive and polite tone in all posts. This group is not endorsed by Rivendell Bicycle Works." As stated, this list is a discussion of things Rivendellian in nature and is not associated with Rivendell Bicycle Works or its employees and staff. If you have specific questions for Rivendell Bicycle Works regarding customer service or other issues, you should contact them directly. ============================ Ending Note ============================ I'd be more than happy to continue the discussion on any of the topics mentioned above, but in the interest of clarity, it might make sense to either email me directly or to create a new topic thread specific to your comment. Thanks again for your contributions and enjoyment of the list. Your list admin, -- Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
