The deteriorating classifieds culture

[Nick]

16 minutes ago, Hairy said:

Was it origionally created to be a commerce platform, or did it grow into one?

Good thing we codified the lore recently: https://bikehub.co.za/news/20-years-of-bike-hub/

[shaper]

11 minutes ago, Scott roy said:

I was referring to dealers or users making use of the platform to make a living rather than the actual bikehub owners. 

Registered dealers have to pay to sell https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/dealer-and-retail-sales and private sellers do not https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/sell-on-bike-hub.

Whether you like it or not, bikehub is now for classifieds that happens to have a community.  You could argue that bikehub owners are using you, me and everyone else in the community to legitimize the classifieds as people see a community and feel more comfortable buying or selling here.

Irrespective, dealers have the right to be here, they are registered and pay the bikehub owners accordingly to make a living!

Edited Tuesday at 12:30 PM by shaper

[MORNE]

14 minutes ago, Nick said:

Good thing we codified the lore recently: https://bikehub.co.za/news/20-years-of-bike-hub/

 

8 minutes ago, shaper said:

Registered dealers have to pay to sell https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/dealer-and-retail-sales and private sellers do not https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/sell-on-bike-hub.

Whether you like it or not, bikehub is now for classifieds that happens to have a community.  You could argue that bikehub owners are using you, me and everyone else in the community to legitimize the classifieds as people see a community and feel more comfortable buying or selling here.

Irrespective, dealers have the right to be here, they are registered and pay the bikehub owners accordingly to make a living!

No issue with them either. But one can argue that if this all didn't grow from a forum with its community and earned the trust you mentioned, it could possibly have been nothing more than another gumtree or junkmail. The rapport and trust came before the trade…and yes, because classifieds has been established for more than a decade now, the forums seem secondary, especially to ‘day traders’

But as per the lore linked above, let’s not forget where it all came from! 
 

i’m just here to praating k@k and sell some stuff to fellow forum peasants every now and then. I have a real job😅

[Nick]

36 minutes ago, shaper said:

Whether you like it or not, bikehub is now for classifieds that happens to have a community.  You could argue that bikehub owners are using you, me and everyone else in the community to legitimize the classifieds as people see a community and feel more comfortable buying or selling here.

Our analysis of user behaviour reveals two distinct communities. The Classifieds community is highly active, playing a crucial role in regulating fraud and curbing bad behaviour. While their efforts may not directly boost post counts or reputation, we engage directly with their reports and queries daily.

This doesn’t diminish the value of the forum community in any way. Rather, it highlights different user types contributing in different ways. For instance, we regularly push newbies to the knowledge in the Forums to answer their questions about getting into the sport, what bike to buy, new to races, etc.

[shaper]

10 minutes ago, MORNE said:

 

No issue with them either. But one can argue that if this all didn't grow from a forum with its community and earned the trust you mentioned, it could possibly have been nothing more than another gumtree or junkmail. The rapport and trust came before the trade…and yes, because classifieds has been established for more than a decade now, the forums seem secondary, especially to ‘day traders’

But as per the lore linked above, let’s not forget where it all came from! 
 

i’m just here to praating k@k and sell some stuff to fellow forum peasants every now and then. I have a real job😅

You have been here long enough to know that the original community is no longer, it left the building not long after the great bikehub crash and a lot of the long standing members hardly contribute to the community as the sole was ripped out when NCR topics etc were removed and it transitioned to  classifieds, with a limited community involvement.

Whilst I have not been here as long as some, I have been long enough to see the change, not only in the bikehub site, but the community as well as the "deteriorating classified culture", and many of the older hubbers have moved on and have limited or to no involvement in the community with the change.  Many do not post as much as they use to, myself included.

All I am pointing out, if someone has beef with dealers being here on a selling site which happens to have a community, they need to compare apples with apples and see that dealers are ALLOWED here and have to pay to for that privilege, whereas individuals don't.

Likewise, I pop in now and again looking for something I need, or selling something, and occasionally talk *** 😉

[Scott roy]

44 minutes ago, shaper said:

Registered dealers have to pay to sell https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/dealer-and-retail-sales and private sellers do not https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/sell-on-bike-hub.

Whether you like it or not, bikehub is now for classifieds that happens to have a community.  You could argue that bikehub owners are using you, me and everyone else in the community to legitimize the classifieds as people see a community and feel more comfortable buying or selling here.

Irrespective, dealers have the right to be here, they are registered and pay the bikehub owners accordingly to make a living!

I’m aware, merely more irritated by the disdain for the forums 

[Mamil]

I've bought and sold things on the forums without a problem since 2016 (I started cycling in 2014). Probably about 20 deals in that time - I don't see a deterioration. 

I also think the forum is generally a lot better since the NCR topics were ditched. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Yup, most of the k@kpraat has now moved onto whatsapp groups instead of the forum. Rather sad actually. I find myself enjoying the Wilddog Adventure biking forum a lot more as the topics are more varied and engaging. The target market there also appears to be a lot more mature (read old toppies) and experienced.

[MORNE]

1 minute ago, Mamil said:

I've bought and sold things on the forums without a problem since 2016 (I started cycling in 2014). Probably about 20 deals in that time - I don't see a deterioration. 

I also think the forum is generally a lot better since the NCR topics were ditched. 

Though i did participate in some NCR topics…i have to agree. Some of those were a bit….toasty, especially on fridays😅

[NoirBiker01]

10 hours ago, MORNE said:

Some people eventually come to the realisation that they are asking too much and start dropping asking price. I’ve watched items fall by ~40% eventually before they sell. On the other hand there are a few hubbers with items that have been on here for literally 12 months+ at exactly the same price. i thought 12 months ago you were asking too much. Now it’s not only a year older, I still think you are asking too much, AND now I also think it is worth less than what I thought a year ago😅

I had a meh buying experience recently, although the sale was not directly from bike hub but the ad was through bikehub. The bike had an initial price advertised, a week later the price was around R4k less, so naturally I sprung in on the sale as it was a bike I really loved. The price for what the bike is, was honestly a bargain bar the fairly old and proprietary Trek suspension. So I pay for the bike and fetch it on a Sunday, big mistake I made was not to check if all the components were as advertised on the pictures and condition report. Dropper replaced for an old seatpost, saddle replaced with what I can say a very old and not well taken Spez one. At first I thought hey maybe that's the reason why the price dropped significantly but this was never mentioned to me during the sale and also I never asked. A day later I make an enquiry about it and would have to wait for almost 3 weeks before it could get sorted. At least they admitted to their mistake if you will, but my point was there was no communication that please note the price dropped and certain components are no longer on the bike.

[117]

Dang... some proper clangers getting dropped here, the silencing type.

I like this place 

[Spinnekop]

16 hours ago, shaper said:

You have been here long enough to know that the original community is no longer, it left the building not long after the great bikehub crash and a lot of the long standing members hardly contribute to the community as the sole was ripped out when NCR topics etc were removed and it transitioned to  classifieds, with a limited community involvement.

Whilst I have not been here as long as some, I have been long enough to see the change, not only in the bikehub site, but the community as well as the "deteriorating classified culture", and many of the older hubbers have moved on and have limited or to no involvement in the community with the change.  Many do not post as much as they use to, myself included.

All I am pointing out, if someone has beef with dealers being here on a selling site which happens to have a community, they need to compare apples with apples and see that dealers are ALLOWED here and have to pay to for that privilege, whereas individuals don't.

Likewise, I pop in now and again looking for something I need, or selling something, and occasionally talk *** 😉

This.
I could not have said it better.

 

[Shebeen]

19 hours ago, ChrisF said:

I was about to point out that the owners of the Bike Hub have made it clear over the last few years that the "forum" is not a profitable entity.  It is on the classifieds where they make the business model work.

Indeed, times have changed. From the mid 2000s for a decade you could generate decent ad revenue from page counts that actually was enough to pay the bills. This has changed, so the platform moved with the times.

The forum originally paid the bills, and the classifieds was a place where you could get trusted advice. The alternative was gumtree/cape ads type newspaper.

That landscape has also changed and there are many alternative channels, BUT this is probably still the most trustworthy platform to trade in bikes online. 

 

19 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

You make an interesting point.

 

Your "forum" name suggests you are a BUSINESS ... yet it shows you are a MEMBER.  Uhmmm ... so many questions .....

Like any marketplace, you will attract some sharks. I fact checked this, and @ace cycles is registered as a business so is paying to play here and keeping the light on (just like that voluntary yellow thing on my profile also goes a teeny weeny way too). You can look through the numbers but probably one of the better dealers out there.

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/profile/716-ace-cycles

  

On 2/15/2025 at 7:39 PM, ACE Cycles said:

Truth, talking **** all day dont pay the bills

Classified and forums could be 2 different websites 

Now, I don't like this attitude either but that's the way things are to him. Different people will see the platform(s) in different ways, and it can't be everything for everyone. The wheeler dealers have swooped in and will snap up the relative bargain prices on stuff that we used to find here. They found a gap in the market, but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth if they aren't adding much value to the ecosystem.

For the businesses who use the platform to generate significant revenue for the time they put in, forum commenters seem to be a hassle. Maybe Ace Cycles will see the point from the side of a commenter, maybe he doesn't care. The fact that he's actually commenting on the thread on classifieds culture while not having any live adverts means it is probably not the case..

Thing is, the way it is currently the two different aspects of the site do complement each other. So we're stuck with each other.

 

[ACE Cycles]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

Indeed, times have changed. From the mid 2000s for a decade you could generate decent ad revenue from page counts that actually was enough to pay the bills. This has changed, so the platform moved with the times.

The forum originally paid the bills, and the classifieds was a place where you could get trusted advice. The alternative was gumtree/cape ads type newspaper.

That landscape has also changed and there are many alternative channels, BUT this is probably still the most trustworthy platform to trade in bikes online. 

 

Like any marketplace, you will attract some sharks. I fact checked this, and @ace cycles is registered as a business so is paying to play here and keeping the light on (just like that voluntary yellow thing on my profile also goes a teeny weeny way too). You can look through the numbers but probably one of the better dealers out there.

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/profile/716-ace-cycles

  

Now, I don't like this attitude either but that's the way things are to him. Different people will see the platform(s) in different ways, and it can't be everything for everyone. The wheeler dealers have swooped in and will snap up the relative bargain prices on stuff that we used to find here. They found a gap in the market, but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth if they aren't adding much value to the ecosystem.

For the businesses who use the platform to generate significant revenue for the time they put in, forum commenters seem to be a hassle. Maybe Ace Cycles will see the point from the side of a commenter, maybe he doesn't care. The fact that he's actually commenting on the thread on classifieds culture while not having any live adverts means it is probably not the case..

Thing is, the way it is currently the two different aspects of the site do complement each other. So we're stuck with each other.

 

True, I moved all my ads to Facebook, before I closed the business for good

 

People can comment on the Facebook, they tend to be more respectful as opposed to someone hiding behind and alias

 

Also easier to see if its a fake or scam account

 

My only gripe with the general forum community is how they trash talk dealers and have endless opinions on the classifieds section, yet they aren't interested in buying. As if pulling an ad apart inflates their egos.

 

I also find it hard to respect an opinion made by someone that wont even sign their name to it

 

The forum community, by my opinion, is shallow and toxic, mainly due to the regular members still holding on to the 2005 golden era of thehub

[Shebeen]

12 minutes ago, ACE Cycles said:

True, I moved all my ads to Facebook, before I closed the business for good

 

People can comment on the Facebook, they tend to be more respectful as opposed to someone hiding behind and alias

 

Also easier to see if its a fake or scam account

 

My only gripe with the general forum community is how they trash talk dealers and have endless opinions on the classifieds section, yet they aren't interested in buying. As if pulling an ad apart inflates their egos.

 

I also find it hard to respect an opinion made by someone that wont even sign their name to it

 

The forum community, by my opinion, is shallow and toxic, mainly due to the regular members still holding on to the 2005 golden era of thehub

ok wow. I would not have considered FB marketplace to be a safer place to do business. Maybe a volume thing but definitely feels like you are going to get scammed more there. My anecdotal evidence currently is from kitesurfing (where there is no bikehub equivalent). Seems to be the go to route for stolen kit, but some legit scams there too.

On the alias thing. I put my actual name onto my profile YEARS ago when I decided that if i wanted to say something I shouldn't hide behind a pseudonym.  I don't think it's something that actually comes up though (ie. I can't see yours if you have it, so you appear behind an alias to me)

 

 

 

 

 

[Spinnekop]

1 hour ago, ACE Cycles said:

My only gripe with the general forum community is how they trash talk dealers and have endless opinions on the classifieds section, yet they aren't interested in buying. As if pulling an ad apart inflates their egos.

The forum community, by my opinion, is shallow and toxic, mainly due to the regular members still holding on to the 2005 golden era of thehub

1)  Pulling a bull**** add apart is what made this place cool. Asking stupid money for an item you can get halfprice new.........
Many people saved a LOT of money not buying crap for stupid prices because seller got called out openly.

2)  The "regulars" are not here anymore.  And yes, I remember fondly about the 2005 era where people HELPED me get my first road bike up and running.  A community stood together and many people helped the less fortunate.  Now its just everyone for himself.  Business.
It that is what makes this place "toxic" then bleh.  
Interesting to me to see a person "Standing by his name" slate a group of potential buyers because they were once the good guys with good intentions.  Just.  WOW.