Yep
Can we trust magazine reviews?
- Thread starter arawa
- Start date
Yep
- Thread starter
- #34
They were one of the magazines I wrote to without response.
miPbiP
E*POWAH Master
is that where you do all your best work?
I don’t trust paid reviewers of any sort. Forums like this are far better
Yes, but I find it comes in ones and twos
That needs two emoticons!
I decided that I could no longer trust the majority of youtube reviewers of emtb. There are a few gems that appear to be unbiased; trail talk MTB and emtb videos. There are many others of course, but they aren't necessarily regular reviewers. Anything done by EMBN I can always see the ulterior motive of the topic usually in specialized's favor, but more and more to other manufacturer's too. I still watch them, because sometimes they divulge something useful. Although associated gmbn seem to be less sponsor biased, or at least more up front.
KeithR
Well-known member
They're reviewing the bike, not the company: why would you expect them to respond to a beef about Haibike - even if they could in any meaningful sense, which is really unlikely?
No.
I used to review cameras. The magazines I wrote for made it clear that for every con you had to have two pros. It was contractual.
Ive tested shit camera’s and the reviews came out glowing. In group tests the camera tied to the biggest ad budget would win.
Most products are good now, and for the most part similar. But every now and then we’d see something very new and special and the editor would sit for days wondering how to give a review that was positive without upsetting the people who paid his salary.
I trust my own experiences.
I used to review cameras. The magazines I wrote for made it clear that for every con you had to have two pros. It was contractual.
Ive tested shit camera’s and the reviews came out glowing. In group tests the camera tied to the biggest ad budget would win.
Most products are good now, and for the most part similar. But every now and then we’d see something very new and special and the editor would sit for days wondering how to give a review that was positive without upsetting the people who paid his salary.
I trust my own experiences.
Tim1023
Well-known member
Not in the slightest bit surprising, but still really depressing.
Interestingly, here in Germany, companies are required to provide references to employees. The whole employment system revolves around them. But the companies are only allowed to say positive things, so the whole gameis about being able to read coded messages through how you phrase things or what you leave out. For example "very sociable" means a bit of an alcoholic.
- Thread starter
- #43
I had just paid £5500 for an eMTB that was (rightly) lauded in the media. However, immediately after delivery my bike was off the road for about 3 months because it needed a new controller that was unavailable and then there was a sensor failure that again made the bike unusable. Other owners were experiencing similar problems so I suggest it was both a bike issue as well as a company support matter of interest to potential purchasers.
Haibike, both UK and Germany, did not reply to complaints or provide any information to me or the LBS about parts availability or software issues. I had hoped the magazines would be interested in this situation and their interest would clear the logjam. Not so, and perhaps it was naïve of me to expect this when they were carrying full page adverts for the brand.
Now the problems have been sorted and I understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Flyon I am very happy with my purchase as I have reported on this board.
After all the time I spent reading pornographic magazines as a young man, I now feel cheated and violated ..Every magazine printed, of any genre, should be forced to print "This Magazine is a 100% paid Advertorial, thanks for your £4.50 on top".
The internet, YouTube etc just takes this mistrust to another level.
I dont think you can, I treat them more like a presentation. I've had a peek behind the curtain (with cars) once or twice and a few things become apparent.
- Often they don't get much time with the products.
- what they are reviewing might not be what is being sold..
- killed with kindness and its hard to be unbiased.
- Its the case they have an English degree vs an in-depth understanding of the subject matter.
- Climb on the hype train (where's all my 26/24 Downhillers at)
I doubt any of them intend to mislead you, but they aren't going rip apart a bike or do an exposé of shenanigans of some bike company. They also need to differentiate their reviews so often there's a need to exaggerate improvements or nuances. Which leads too rosy reviews.
The inverse is true of forums. You'll always see more criticism and negatives. Having been in CS there always going to be a % who are: impossible to please, those which any problem is the end of the world (guilty), those that have been burnt and forever bitter about it (guilty), fan boi etc. Along with those that have questions, issues and problems looking for guidance. Which what makes up a lot of forums activity.
Also I know having sued one company myself very serious problems tend to be kept quite. I kept completely quite about it on any social media for fear of damaging my case or being counter sued (even after I won and they settled). I did warn people away in private, but forums name shame rule are there just as much to protect users as companies.
Maybe there is a niche for consumer champion e/mtb channel who'll (tactfully) take up grievances on behalf of current consumers.
My main bug bear is you can't buy what's reviewed (never seen in mentioned other than with the stilus), thats not the fault of the reviewers but they need to address availability. Paper launches were a thing in PC video cards years back. What was shown couldn't be bought or only in tiny numbers. Their was a backlash websites and reviewers took the consumers side and the practice died down.
- Often they don't get much time with the products.
- what they are reviewing might not be what is being sold..
- killed with kindness and its hard to be unbiased.
- Its the case they have an English degree vs an in-depth understanding of the subject matter.
- Climb on the hype train (where's all my 26/24 Downhillers at
)I doubt any of them intend to mislead you, but they aren't going rip apart a bike or do an exposé of shenanigans of some bike company. They also need to differentiate their reviews so often there's a need to exaggerate improvements or nuances. Which leads too rosy reviews.
The inverse is true of forums. You'll always see more criticism and negatives. Having been in CS there always going to be a % who are: impossible to please, those which any problem is the end of the world (guilty), those that have been burnt and forever bitter about it (guilty), fan boi etc. Along with those that have questions, issues and problems looking for guidance. Which what makes up a lot of forums activity.
Also I know having sued one company myself very serious problems tend to be kept quite. I kept completely quite about it on any social media for fear of damaging my case or being counter sued (even after I won and they settled). I did warn people away in private, but forums name shame rule are there just as much to protect users as companies.
Maybe there is a niche for consumer champion e/mtb channel who'll (tactfully) take up grievances on behalf of current consumers.
My main bug bear is you can't buy what's reviewed (never seen in mentioned other than with the stilus), thats not the fault of the reviewers but they need to address availability. Paper launches were a thing in PC video cards years back. What was shown couldn't be bought or only in tiny numbers. Their was a backlash websites and reviewers took the consumers side and the practice died down.
Beekeeper
🍯Honey Monster🍯
EMBN:- There is no such thing as a good review or a bad review. One review is not necessarily better than another....... they are just “Different” ?
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
What about things like "MTB of the year". They have said good things in the past about every contender, but they have to pick one out that is best. Occasionally, they pick one that is noticeably a complete outsider. I'm thinking of the Mondraker a few years ago after it launched its bike with what was called "forward geometry" (super long reach and a super short stem). The bike was priced at half its top competitors and it still won. "The bike was consistently the one the testers reached for". This set a trend for longer reach and shorter stems.
Or maybe they just bunged all the testers some readies to say what they said? I think not, it would get out, especially if the bike was a bag of spanners.
Anyway, whenever I have bought a 5* bike of the year, I have never been disappointed.
Or maybe they just bunged all the testers some readies to say what they said? I think not, it would get out, especially if the bike was a bag of spanners.
Anyway, whenever I have bought a 5* bike of the year, I have never been disappointed.
Surprise surprise, the latest EMBN video
"Is The Motor More Important Than An E Bike's Geometry?". Now, straight away my cynical mind screams "SPECIALIZED!" Of course they went geometry over motor; they didn't mention that most bikes now have awesome geometry, but whatever
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Now I understand how zimmerframe could feel violated
Doug Stampfer
Well-known member
I only trust the reviews that say nice things about the stuff I've already paid a lot of money for. If they dis my stuff then they are just haters.?
You weren't that exotic chick with matching upstairs and downstairs beards in "readers wives" were you ?
Do you have image boosting conversations like that with your bees ??
Like to your favourite bumble bee "It's ok Buzz Light-Hair, they're not necessarily better than you, they're just Different"
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