
It’s hard to believe, but the Bike Noob blog is two years old today. This calls for a celebration. What do you think of the new look?
Not only a new look, but a new address as well. From now on, we’re simply Bikenoob.com. If you’ve bookmarked bikenoob.wordpress.com, that’s fine — you’ll be redirected. But why not enter the new address, and bookmark the site again?
The Bike Noob name has always drawn comment from friends and readers. Usually, it’s something like, “Hey, you’re not a noob anymore. Time to change the name of the blog.”
Believe me, I’ve considered that.
But I’m not going to change.
Bike Noob is my brand. It gets a lot of recognition from bikers locally and from people in some of the oddest places who run across it. I could change the name, but haven’t come up with anything that has the impact of Bike Noob.
However, over the two years I’ve been writing here, the focus of the blog has been evolving.
It started as a personal journal of a new road biker’s introduction to the sport. It chronicled early long training rides, joining a bike club, falling with clipless pedals — in short, the kinds of things other new bikers might be interested in reading about.
But as I’ve gained experience on the bike, I’ve been branching out and writing on other topics, even including some bike advocacy every now and then, more posts about riding safely, and in general, focusing on how to make road biking more enjoyable.
Besides, as the subhead says — I’m always learning something new. It’s not just me — many of us are noobs. This blog has a lot of loyal readers who are experienced cyclists, but come here for a variety of reasons — information, story-telling style, humor, whatever. I’m grateful that you have latched onto the blog and are staying with it.
For me, Bike Noob is an enjoyable hobby. When I started this, I never imagined it would last two years. But I keep going because every once in awhile, a blog post captures the imagination of readers, and triggers a flurry of commenting and emails. What a kick!
I’m also extremely gratified that two professional journalists have joined the Bike Noob fold as guest posters. Both Jeff Hemmel and Don Blount add different voices to the blog, and the information and stories they share have been an important contribution to the blog’s success.
How do I measure success? My page views are up over a year ago, from about 700 per week to 1,700 per week. Readers are sticking around a little longer, and reading more than one post during a visit. I seem to have regular readers in all 50 United States, and in many countries. Among these is a cadre of loyal readers who check in regularly and add their viewpoints in the comments. In turn, I pay attention to a whole raft of other bike blogs, by reading their RSS feeds.
My learning curve on the bike has been smoothed out by the wonderful feedback I get from readers. Many of you have urged me to keep delivering information that newer bikers can use, and I’m pleased that more experienced bikers seem to enjoy adding their knowledge to the conversation via the comments.
So, there you go. I admit it: I’m not a noob anymore. But as long as I keep learning new things about my favorite pastime, I think the Bike Noob moniker is appropriate.
Never thought this would happen — but the Bike Noob blog is one year old today. I started the blog on a whim. Since I teach in a mass communication program, I figured I’d better have some hands-on experience with new media. The blog is one of several things I’ve tried.
Here’s a minor milestone for the Bike Noob blog — there’s a new King of All Posts. “