As we make our way out of the winter, I know every one is getting excited about spring riding. Even in the parts of the world where they have real winters, things are looking good.
Over the past few weeks, mostly related to enthusiasm for riding, there seems to have been a steady increase in the amount of topics not related to the focus of this group. It's not to the point where it's a problem, but given the size of this bunch and the tendency towards entropy, I thought it might be a good moment to articulate it. This group has continued to grow steadily. We're now north of 2,300 membersand last month there were in excess of 2,000 posts. As I've written before, 1,000 members was a big milestone, and more than twice that is a bit mind-boggling. So, I have to start by thanking everyone who has continued to make this a positive and interesting discussion. I especially thank those who have been regular in sharing, answering and hanging out here since we threw the doors open. One of the basic underpinnings of this group is to define ourselves by what we are, rather than what we are not. As an example, I don't think that Rivendell has ever said they are "anti-racing". Rather, they emphasize the things they enjoy - riding bicycles where ever they can under any conditions, camping under the stars, being comfortable - in short, just enjoying the ride. That way, you don't have to have an argument about racing vs. comfort. You can have a discussion about what is great about either. And to say it very plainly, this list is about discussion. I've mentioned before one of the ways I think about this list - as a public house where ideas are easily shared between those who have arrived, everyone is present because they want to be, and passing through the doors means that "baggage" is left outside. It takes the agreement of all to make that work. The wonderful thing is that by and large, that continues to be the case. The quality of discussions remain high. The slight downside is that because of the level of discourse, it periodically gets distracted. That's a very natural condition - after all, when you are with folks who have good ideas and thoughts, who manage to state them clearly and in ways that are optimistic and well-thought-through, you want to seek their opinions on other topics as well. The caution flag I'd like to raise is that the very narrowness of this list is what gives rise to that high quality. It's important to remember that if you are tagging your post "OT" or "Off Topic", then it doesn't belong on this list. General questions are best posted to more general lists. Just by staying on topic, we're going to generate a fair amount of traffic. One of the hallmarks of this list has been a very high signal to noise ratio. It's solid information from the people using and thinking about the items. And we've gotten to know one another pretty well, generated real, live get-togethers among the members. As the photos from recent regional rides, there's a lot to cover just within the stated topic of this group. All good stuff. No... GREAT stuff. Take a new friend riding this month, and make sure they finish with a big smile. Tone is a critical issue. My view is simple: life is too short. If you can't stay positive or at least polite, it's time to put down the keyboard and take a break. We all get enough guff in our everyday existence that we don't need to add to it here. As I've said before, disagreement is expected. There's no way we will all come to the same conclusion about anything, and I think it would be a more boring world if we did. But, here, under this roof, we agree to disagree with respect for one another. To finish, I'll repeat what I said in the last full-length SOTLR (wow, was it really 2010?) - it is important as we grow to honor the relatively narrow focus of this group, even though it's tempting to have more general topics discussed here. Clearly, it's a bit of an imperfect border, but one which we've largely maintained. 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. As always, thanks again for contributing to or simply enjoying the discussions. - Jim Jim Edgar / Cyclofiend.com / List Admin -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
