Is it just me?

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,993
Basildon
Am I starting to suffer dementure? I used to be able to understand what people wrote when they described their problems. Now, nearly every initial post seems to be in some sort of code. No sentences, no full stops, just unrelated cryptic phrases that are (for me) impossible to separate from each other. I'm fed up asking people to explain what they mean.

If they're not like that, I see pages of rambling text about the guy next door's brother's dog that goes for a walk every day at 6:21, when he occasionally chases the ginger cat from no. 14 as being relevant to why his battery won't charge.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,371
16,874
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Am I starting to suffer dementure?
yes, you were supposed to write 'dementia'.
Misspelling is one of its early symptoms.
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,832
2,756
Winchester
In that case I started dementing around 4 years old (maybe 5? I forget ....)
 

Andy-Mat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 26, 2018
2,214
562
78
Am I starting to suffer dementure? I used to be able to understand what people wrote when they described their problems. Now, nearly every initial post seems to be in some sort of code. No sentences, no full stops, just unrelated cryptic phrases that are (for me) impossible to separate from each other. I'm fed up asking people to explain what they mean.

If they're not like that, I see pages of rambling text about the guy next door's brother's dog that goes for a walk every day at 6:21, when he occasionally chases the ginger cat from no. 14 as being relevant to why his battery won't charge.
You are not alone!
Questions without pictures, or only very unclear pictures, with no arrows pointing to the problem area(s).
I never had a crystal ball........which is what many here appear to think we have!
Though, in a way its "par for the course" I suspect, as I as an old engineer, will usually manage to fix most problems on my bike with at worst, quick look on YouTube. Plus I have a large collection of tools gathered over the last 60 years!
Anyone buying an e-bike, should either fix it themselves, or pay a bike shop to do it! But it appears that there are a large number who fall between the two possibilities, people who cannot fix really simple problems on a car for example...
Rant over!
Andy
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,918
8,533
61
West Sx RH
Some do ramble on a bit.
Not getting the full story is the worst bit, like a couple posts bemoaning the seller of their bike and how crap it was and not working etc,etc.
On both occasions OP's omitted reason for faults, one bike was allowed to fall over so component/s were damaged and another not so along ago was left out in standing rain for hours with the battery left to the elements.
 
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RossG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2019
1,628
1,646
One thing's for sure e bike sales are really on the up, and when I walk around town I reckon one in every five bikes are electric. Therefore it could be said with more bikes on the road it figures they'll be more problems, so more and more posts made by people that wouldn't normally post on a forum.
Sometimes they will ramble on about things unconnected because they don't really know where to start, or perhaps they just want to let off steam. We have to also take into account it could be English may not be the poster's first language.
 
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vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,993
Basildon
One thing's for sure e bike sales are really on the up, and when I walk around town I reckon one in every five bikes are electric. Therefore it could be said with more bikes on the road it figures they'll be more problems, so more and more posts made by people that wouldn't normally post on a forum.
Sometimes they will ramble on about things unconnected because they don't really know where to start, or perhaps they just want to let off steam. We have to also take into account it could be English may not be the poster's first language.
I can understand the occasional one, but I reckon it's 4 out of 5 of the recent cries for help that I looked at were for me incomprehensible. Look at the one about the Cyclamatic to see what I mean. Please translate if you can!
 
D

Deleted member 25121

Guest
One thing's for sure e bike sales are really on the up, and when I walk around town I reckon one in every five bikes are electric. Therefore it could be said with more bikes on the road it figures they'll be more problems, so more and more posts made by people that wouldn't normally post on a forum.
Sometimes they will ramble on about things unconnected because they don't really know where to start, or perhaps they just want to let off steam. We have to also take into account it could be English may not be the poster's first language.
Very true. It used to be that people buying an ebike were fairly switched on to the technologies involved but as ebikes become increasingly commonplace that will be less so.
On top of that is the tendency to drop punctuation, have no care for spelling, use TLAs without knowing what they even mean and being unable to think logically.
And it will only get worse! We're doomed, we're all doomed!!!
 

JPGiant

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 3, 2017
364
167
West Yorkshire
Am I starting to suffer dementure? I used to be able to understand what people wrote when they described their problems. Now, nearly every initial post seems to be in some sort of code. No sentences, no full stops, just unrelated cryptic phrases that are (for me) impossible to separate from each other. I'm fed up asking people to explain what they mean.

If they're not like that, I see pages of rambling text about the guy next door's brother's dog that goes for a walk every day at 6:21, when he occasionally chases the ginger cat from no. 14 as being relevant to why his battery won't charge.
Agree 100%.
Maybe a spelling and grammar test should be brought in before a new post or reply can be submitted.
 
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Gringo

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 18, 2013
1,346
842
Northampton
Forget “E” bikes and all the technical difficulties they may bring with them. As a member of a social cycling group, I’m amazed at the lack of knowledge about the most basic things from fixing a puncture to changing through the gears to suit conditions.
On a recent ride, I saw a rider repeatedly slowing until stopped and then walking steeper hills. They didn’t understand the benefits of changing gears :confused: even when the rest of the group tried to explain, they still stayed in the same gear for the rest of the ride :eek: Oh I should also say they have been riding for years.
 

VillageIdiotDan

Pedelecer
Apr 28, 2019
37
16
Forget “E” bikes and all the technical difficulties they may bring with them. As a member of a social cycling group, I’m amazed at the lack of knowledge about the most basic things from fixing a puncture to changing through the gears to suit conditions.
On a recent ride, I saw a rider repeatedly slowing until stopped and then walking steeper hills. They didn’t understand the benefits of changing gears :confused: even when the rest of the group tried to explain, they still stayed in the same gear for the rest of the ride :eek: Oh I should also say they have been riding for years.
I'm dumb founded by this, it makes no sense. I ride occasionally with a friend who gets to the top of a steep hill and proudly declares he's still in his middle cog on the front - I try to explain cadence and knee damage etc but he just thinks he's a better cyclist by not using his lower gears where I have. :)
 
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