Which forums you visit depends on what information you are looking for. There are forums for everything and anything. In addition, each forum has it's only personality. Here are the pro's/con's of the forums I visit. This is strictly my opinion. These are in order of most visited to least.
1. Beginner Triathlete
The forums title says it all. This is my most frequent forum when it comes to my triathlon racing.
Pro's:
Endless information for both new and seasoned triathlete
Closely moderated so threads don't get out of hand
Training plans and articles regarding triathlons
Extremely useful answers to any question you may have
Decent classified section
Con's
Gear review section is weak
Don't EVER mention 'flip turns'
Forum lacks sense of humor. So much so they have special font for jokes/sarcasim
2. MTBR.com
Mountain Bike Reviews website, thus it's geared towards mountain biking.
Pro's:
Endless information both within the forums and outside
Rarely have I seen a thread get hostile
Debates seem to go well (SRAM vs. Shimano, 26er vs. 29er, etc)
Excellent racing section
Knowledgeable members
Ask a question and you will get useful answers
Decent 'hot deals' section
Con's:
Not much luck with the classified section
Sometimes takes awhile to get an answer
A ton of sub-forums, thus can be over-whelming.
3. Slowtwitch
Triathlon related forum
Pro's:
Endless information both within the forums and outside
Simple design
Great classified section (purchased tri bike, wheels, etc from that section)
Some pro's frequent the forums
Helpful answers to questions
Very useful and informative newsletter
Con's:
There seems to be a rift between Slowtwitch and Beginner Triathlete
Some members have 'elitist' attitudes.
Threads can go down hill quickly (see above)
Simple design can result in surfing many pages
3. Road Bike Review
Related to MTBR. Geared toward road bikes.
Pro's:
Endless information both within the forums and outside
Rarely have I seen a thread get hostile
Haven't really run into any 'elitist' attitudes
Debates seem to go well
Decent racing section
Knowledgeable members
Ask a question and you will get useful answers
Decent 'hot deals' section
Con's:
Not much luck with the classified section
Sometimes takes awhile to get an answer
A ton of sub-forums, thus can be over-whelming.
The members don't seem to care for triathletes
4. MMBA
Michigan Mountain Bike Association. Technically not a member since I was banned by the moderators of the forum, thus banned from the entire non-profit organization. The leadership claims that the forum is separate from the association, but being banned from forums means no participation in advocacy, volunteering, etc. since the only access to those areas are via the forum. Therefore, the moderators of the forums have more power than the actual leadership of the organization. My rating below is strictly for the forum not the association.
Pro's:
Excellent trail information
Excellent race series
Decent classified section
Active 'Advocacy' section
Racing sub-forum is okay
Con's:
One of the most negative attitude forums I know of. I actually have a better image of MMBA since being banned from the forums
Dominated by trolls. Thus best to just use the forum as a source for information
Don't ask a question or even participate in threads. The trolls will jump all over you for anything and everything
Forum is more of a liability than an asset to the MMBA
Some of the sub-forums are useless due to lack of participation
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