Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

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Bike Noob Enters the Terrible Twos

02.18.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 15 Comments

The Terrible Twos

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.

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Categories // Blogging, Odds 'n ends Tags // blog

Happy Birthday to Bike Noob!

02.17.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

babybirthdayNever 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.

I called the blog Bike Noob because at the time I started it, I had been engaged in “serious” road cycling for less than six months. I realized I was constantly learning new things, and often feeling like a doofus because a lot of those things are common knowledge among experienced bikers. I figured other bikers must be in the same boat, and through the blog, we could share common experiences.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the results of this modest venture. I average over 700 page views a week, and recently it’s been higher than that. Hardly major blog status, but at least I feel that I’m not blogging to an empty room. To those of you who have commented on my posts, you’re the folks who have kept this blog going. I love hearing from you, and I get a kick out of having become virtual friends with more than a few of you.

It has been somewhat bemusing to see what kinds of posts draw the most interest. Right now, it’s the debate over using C02 cartridges or a pump, followed closely by a post called “Numb toe home remedy.” The home remedy was where I slashed the side of my shoe to ease pressure on my toe. Didn’t work. Stop reading that post. It won’t help you.

Now that the Amgen Tour of California is in full swing, a lot of folks are revisiting “Those bike team names” from last July, during the Tour de France. I might have to update that; some new teams are riding the Tour this year, and some unfamiliar US domestic teams are in the Tour of California.

The biggest, and most gratifying surprise this blog has brought me is the number of readers I have from outside the United States. The UK and Australia check in every day with more than a dozen visits each. I can always count on seeing visitors from India and South Africa every morning. Lately, Bike Noob has been getting views from someone in Roubaix, France. Now there’s a biking city!

I’ve also had visitors from countries that are off our biking radar. Places like Bhutan, Myanmar, and Samoa have turned up in my SiteMeter stats. In all, there have been page views from 97 different countries. The most recent was Uganda, just last week. Thank you all for looking.

So, now that I’ve been around for a year, should I still call this blog Bike Noob? By most measures, I’m not a noob anymore. But every so often (see last post) I still manage to noobify myself. And I still think the focus of this blog should be on newer bikers. What do you think? As always, your comments are welcomed and valued.

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Categories // Blogging Tags // blog, Blogging

CO2 — A new top post

12.30.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

co2Here’s a minor milestone for the Bike Noob blog — there’s a new King of All Posts. “CO2 cartridges or a pump?” from July 29, 2008 has overtaken “Smoked by an Old Guy” from April 16.

“CO2” has racked up 1,082 page views, passing Smoked’s total of 1,078. Both posts got a little added push after I created the Favorite Posts tab at the top of the blog, but lately, I’ve watched CO2’s visits jump by as much as 30 a day to rapidly close the gap.

“Smoked By An Old Guy” has some sentimental value for me, because it was this post that made this blog catch on. Kent Peterson, the author of the popular “Kent’s Bike Blog,” spotlighted this story on his blog, and my daily number of page views surged. So once again, thanks Kent.

I appreciate the attention both posts continue to get, and I wonder: Are there still some unresolved issues about using CO2 cartridges as opposed to pumps? Let me know — I’m interested in what you have to say on the matter, and I’ll be happy to update everyone on where the sentiment lies.

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Categories // Accessories, Blogging, Maintenance, Rides, training Tags // Accessories, blog, CO2, flat tire, pumps, Smoked

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