I’ve been a member of your respectable forum for over eight years and today I made my 10 000th post – this one, and so I thought I’d take this opportunity to reflect on my time here.
Coming back from a 3.5 year stint in London in 2008 I really wanted to get a sweet fixie like all the courier dudes were riding. I bought a Kona Paddywagon and never looked back. Curiousity got the better of me and I started to explore the world of fixed gear bike kultcha via the internet. I chanced upon a local group of fixie nerds under the fixed.org.au banner, and after lurking for a while decided to lift my self-ban on social media and sign up.
Since then I’ve gained an invaluable bank of knowledge, both in bikes and life, and hopefully I’ve shared some along the way. I’ve ridden alleycats and spent full days in the saddle. I’ve met some amazing people, many I now consider friends, bound by our love for this two wheeled machine. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and are always up for a laugh, and I think that’s something we should hold on to – I don’t get the same sense of community over at BNA, for example.
Many have come and go, and that’s cool, perhaps one day I’ll drift away from the forum, but I think anyone who spends a reasonable amount of time here becomes one of the family (#foamafia). Right now I’m not going anywhere.
Happy 10k Lyndon, always like reading your posts and thanks for holding the fixed gear bike of the year comp. I still regret not having enough time to stay have a chat that time you graciously helped me out with my first decent wheel set. That really got me started in the world of fixed gear, and have never looked back.
Still waiting for that brewery ride to Bendigo. Bendigo on the Hop is in two weeks. Jus’ sayin’ (though you’d wanna ride here the day before, to maximise sweet hop sampling time)
This has been raised a few times over the years, and we mods have been pretty vigilant in trying to keep language and attitudes as inclusive as possible. There’s been some judicious wielding of the ban hammer from time-to-time. There are a few active females but they’re definitely a minority.
I dunno what the answer is. We’ve always had ladies come along on Sydney rides for as long as I’ve been involved, and I know a bunch of females who have signed up and frequented the boards for a while. I don’t feel like the forums are excessively blokey (unless you count shitty dad jokes) but the ladies just don’t hang around.
not to dive down a rabbit hole and detract from Lyndon’s swell post, and I’m loathe to speak for her, I know Steph likes the community & enjoys the interactions she has - however she has expressed a desire for an easier to use (and more mobile friendly) interface.
We’ve also discussed the low representation of gender other than male - also don’t have an answer there.
