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"Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap"
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We knew that already, but this is an interesting read. It popped up in my twitter feed today.


It is entitled " Confessions of a Bike Reviewer: Why I Lied for 39 Years."

https://tomdemerly.com/...i-lied-for-39-years/



Suffer Well.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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inb4 bikesportsmichigan is brought up.

My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [leegoocrap] [ In reply to ]
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That's an SEO goldmine.

He rubs me the wrong way with the passage about Google search. As a digital marketing professional, I can attest the power of doing SEO properly (or improperly, for that matter). It's not rocket science, but it's certainly not "huckster-ism."

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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Of course. It's like that in any industry relying on media reviews to drum up sales. Gaming reviews in particular being in hot water lately. A rave! 9.5 out of 10 stars! (Ads from that publisher featuring prominently in that publication!) Meanwhile the real users are universally deriding the game for anything from bugs and crashes to repetitive gameplay to being not fun.

If you want to buy something, skip the media reviews, do a google search for random user's blogs, or find a forum and see what real people think. Companies have apparently realized this, so there are more and more shills in popular forums and more fake blogs. They get shut out by the rest of the people there. For now.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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"They’re assumed to be impartial- expert opinions..."

Not by anyone I know.






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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [trail] [ In reply to ]
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trail wrote:
"They’re assumed to be impartial- expert opinions..."

Not by anyone I know.





Exactly. You gotta learn how this all works, unless you want to get taken advantage of by every huckster that comes shambling along.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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I particularly enjoyed the very last line of the whole article. Funny stuff!
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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well, i think it's prescient, because i've been seriously considering for some time having tom write some product pieces for us. there is a colorful and somewhat chequered past, there but by the grace of god go (went) i.

tom has several things going for him: he's been around for the entire arc of the technological part of triathlon (which i consider started in 1987); he knows how to write; he knows product; and he currently works in a retail setting. that last thing strikes me as a huge asset for tech editorials; most tech editors really don't know how a product works or is received by consumers because they don't live in that world.

between our connecticut road shows and our NY and NJ road shows i spent the week teaching a F.I.S.T. bike fit workshop at GURU's headquarters. at that show was a principal of the shop tom is at. we got to talking, and that's when i formed the thought.

if you see tom's byline you'll know we struck a deal.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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I remember he took a lot of heat for trashing the Litespeed Blade in a review. Wonder if he was lying on that one.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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There's not a pink enough font to show how shocked I am that Tom lied.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Interesting. After reading the article, I went to the ST front page expecting to see it posted there was well.

Suffer Well.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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You should have gotten dcrainmaker on board about 10 years ago and had an entire product review component to your site. The credibility of your site as impartial observer of all things swim/bike/run in combination with the review diligence of a dcrainmaker would have made for a very powerful partnership. dcrainmaker amazingly has single-handedly become the de facto product reviewer of all products swim, bike, run related and his name has become its own brand. Maybe Tom can make up lost ground, but dcrainmaker's got a decade head start on you.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [kny] [ In reply to ]
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shoulda woulda coulda. we had him for awhile but he outgrew us. you are probably right. but tom, ifhe writes for us, will not write microelectronics. we have a good guy for that, tony vienneau. what's tougher to find is somebody who REALLY understands how bike and bike parts work.

what tom just wrote on his blog was a surprise to me. and tom is kind of a loose cannon on things unrelated to tri and he and i would have to come to see eye to eye on how a slowtwitch contributor comports himself. it's not that i have a right to tell somebody what to do on his own time, rather that it's better to not start than to start and have something end soon or badly.

tom is johnny football. big talent. but with a colorful off-the-court persona.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Hindsight does tend to clarify things. There's a lot of stocks I would have bought (or sold) 10 years ago if I had such hindsight.

10 years ago when I first started seeing dcrainmaker's reviews and his step-by-step unpackaging, all I could think was "this guy is a lunatic and what a waste of his time". How wrong was I.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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Hello jmh and All,

I always enjoy reading what Tom writes ... true or false ... I like his style.

Consumers are so bombarded with advertising hyperbole they automatically only believe about 10% of what is thrown at them .... Tom's article above included .... and as he says ..... paraphrased ..... the mark is complicit in getting taken in a scam ....

I was getting pitched the other day at the gas station by a miniature TV screen and speaker while pumping gas. There is no escaping ... advertising is on my phone .... all over this page as I write ..... on print material ..... and we tune it out and become almost unaware of it .... and what we do notice we automatically discount about 90% ..... except when we want to believe ...

Great scene in Jerry McGuire when the sports agent gives a speech at the office about how he is going to do the 'right thing' and his friends in the office take bets on whether he will be fired by noon.

"When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent with the only athlete who stays with him."

.

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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How do you know if someone is telling the truth when they just admit they lie all the time?
LOL.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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NordicSkier wrote:
How do you know if someone is telling the truth when they just admit they lie all the time?
LOL.

Star Trek has you covered:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzVxsYzXI_Y
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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Years ago I enjoyed reading Tom's posts, and others. I miss that era of the forum back when it was the "peaceful tribe" ;)
Last edited by: TJ56: Apr 29, 16 13:24
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [kny] [ In reply to ]
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Great, but no trigger warnings please, we're adults and can handle it ;-)

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [kny] [ In reply to ]
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kny wrote:
You should have gotten dcrainmaker on board about 10 years ago and had an entire product review component to your site. The credibility of your site as impartial observer of all things swim/bike/run in combination with the review diligence of a dcrainmaker would have made for a very powerful partnership. dcrainmaker amazingly has single-handedly become the de facto product reviewer of all products swim, bike, run related and his name has become its own brand. Maybe Tom can make up lost ground, but dcrainmaker's got a decade head start on you.

x 2

Though I liked Tom's reviews over the years. They were well written and he had a good bit of knowledge from both a "racer" and insider.

____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [jmh] [ In reply to ]
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People go on and on about bike reviews, but Tom is right, most of them are highly biased.

Ounce you get to a certain base point in the quality of a bike frame, and how it "performs" - the quality and the actual air pressure in the tires, will have a greater impact on how the frame feels when you ride it!


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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This was a good read. I've been sifting through the latest batch of VeloNews reviews for their 'buyers guide' and have been thoroughly underwhelmed by a lot of their reviews. Tom does well to highlight James Huang at Cyclingtips - his stuff I really do enjoy.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [kny] [ In reply to ]
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kny wrote:
You should have gotten dcrainmaker on board about 10 years ago and had an entire product review component to your site. The credibility of your site as impartial observer of all things swim/bike/run in combination with the review diligence of a dcrainmaker would have made for a very powerful partnership. dcrainmaker amazingly has single-handedly become the de facto product reviewer of all products swim, bike, run related and his name has become its own brand. Maybe Tom can make up lost ground, but dcrainmaker's got a decade head start on you.


I tried... Not quite 10 years ago. But I think before he was quite the force he is today. With that said, if I could re-do any decision from a decade ago, it would unquestionably be related to selling/not selling/buying stock...



"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Tom still writes reviews at his "home"-thetrishop.
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Re: "Author Tom Demerly has written a bunch of crap" [kny] [ In reply to ]
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kny wrote:
The credibility of your site as impartial observer of all things swim/bike/run


It's funny when people on the internet think there is something such as an impartial observer. It's kind of nice, like meeting a kid who sincerely believes in santa clause :-)

There are a lot of sites/channels that review products, Ray's is the best, but make up your own mind. I would take knowledgeable over the hope of impartial any day.
Last edited by: chris948: Apr 30, 16 18:51
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