crazyguyonabike site

[RecumbentRide]

I think we need to be careful how we label people especially when it's unsolicited and not all that important. Simon, I'm not going to argue the toss on this it's simply not worth it so let's just park it.

There is no need for an apology and there are no hard feelings.

[Navrig]

I think we need to be careful how we label people especially when it's unsolicited and not all that important. Simon, I'm not going to argue the toss on this it's simply not worth it so let's just park it.

There is no need for an apology and there are no hard feelings.

You called him out incorrectly. It was Matt who said he used it anyway NOT Simon.

Simon said he used some of the Journals (by others) for information and that some had disappeared.

Quite agree. It's my go-to site for touring info and I've contributed 6+ tours.
I've also had some err... exchanges of views with the owner. On balance I decided to stay and contribute a modest amount of ££.

I decided our conflicting political views weren't a deal breaker.
He appears totally up-front about his personal life and issues and is intent on keeping the site going without ads or outside assistance.
Fingers crossed he doesn't meet a bus.

I think we need to be careful about reading posts before commenting and criticising.

[MelW]

We used CGOAB back in the day and donated to the custodian Neil. Unfortunately earlier this year I unwittingly 'liked' a comment in response to a thread started by Neil about the current status of the site and it's uncertain future owing to cashflow problems. This comment my husband also liked suggested Neil should seek out independent help to help him manage and even grow the website to give himself some 'breathing space'. This person also suggested Neil could consider selling it to relieve his seemingly increasingly dire financial situation. This person was trying to be constructive, was not rude in anyway as far as we could make out.

A short time later we got a rather obnoxious email from Neil indicating that he had BANNED us in indefinitely for liking this comment and that we had not donated in several years which we were quite upset about as both myself and my husband have always been keen advocates for CGOAB telling many other cyclists about the site. We were considering donating again reading of Neils recent woes but a considerably larger amount owing to Neils apparently poor financial position as told by him earlier this year. We value the journals and information that other cyclists have taken the time to provide for others planning rides and tours as well as entertainment and escapism to areas of the world that most including us will likely never cycle in let alone ride to.

My husband was really angry, but I persuaded him not to reply when angry to Neil's really quite churlish and ungrateful email immediately, but to wait and think about it. As far as we know we NEVER did anything to antagonise Neil, we didn't get involved with the squabbling that so often seemed to occur on threads that Neil created, moderated and used as his own platform to spread his personal opinions on his site. He seemed to alienate a lot of people and not really appreciate or understand that by doing so this may well affect his cashflow and indeed the success and future of CGOAB.

It was such a shock to us being banned, but we have got over it now. We have since checked out Cycleblaze that was repeatedly mentioned by Neil and others following our 'banning' by him, so Neil himself precipitated this. Before we weren't interested loyal to CGOAB all the way. We have found Cycleblaze to be very informative as well and although it doesn't have quite the depth and scope of journals and other cycling related information the CGOAB has it is still worth signing up to and supporting.

We think that often Neil cuts off his nose to spite his face. It seems he doesn't get out of his house much as he feels so committed to running CGOAB. It seems to have become a millstone around his neck. Crikey his cats and all his other problems he broadcasts on CGOAB, but it's the cycling journals we were interested in and we wrote two short ones in the many years we frequented it. But not now.

Tbh CGOAB has been left behind as most cycling info we now get is from Youtube. There are so so many excellent people who have created excellent channels. I guess Neil failed to move with the times. He should have launched a CGOAB Youtube channel to run alongside complimenting the journals but I don't really think he was at all interested, stuck firmly in the 1980s early 1990s. The world has moved on. Neil seems to have become more and more erratic in his thinking and one could be forgiven he is just one coffee break away from losing it altogether.

If indeed his financial situation is as bad as he regularly maintains then something will have to give. Racking up huge credit card debt to keep the site afloat is not a good financial strategy, nor to secure it or your own future.

Maybe CGOAB would be more secure and have a more positive future in some one else's hands. Who knows? We don't really care anymore after the email he sent us. I persuaded my husband to just let it go. We haven't visited the site since and doubt we will again. We removed our two journals.

Shame. I hope all those remaining journals that Neil is curating are do remain secure and are not lost as there were many fabulous ones. It is such a great resource. It is ultimately the authors of these that made CGOAB what it was.

[mattheus]

Tbh CGOAB has been left behind as most cycling info we now get is from Youtube. There are so so many excellent people who have created excellent channels. I guess Neil failed to move with the times. He should have launched a CGOAB Youtube channel to run alongside complimenting the journals but I don't really think he was at all interested, stuck firmly in the 1980s early 1990s. The world has moved on.

[my bold]

You may well find useful content on Youtube*, but it's a mistake to think that everyone has moved on from other "old-fashioned" web content.
The world still buys vinyl records, physical newspapers etc
Journalers and readers have used CGOAB for 24 years since the 1990s

[not disagreeing with the rest of your post, BTW ! ]

*personally I find very little on there of use. In fact I'd say very little that is watchable. Would prefer a good words+photos journal any day

[Navrig]

I have one journal on CGOAB which I had stumbled upon whilst planning my first long tour. I thought it was great and ended up using it, coupled with a FB Group, to create a journal and share my progress over 3 months in Europe. I loaded lots of photos and regularly shared links to my journal on CGOAB on FB feed.

Out of the blue I recently got the funding email and, because I appreciated the website so much, I sent 50USD. I got a thank you and exchanged pleasant emails as I described earlier in this thread.

Then I saw a reference to Cycleblaze so I decided to have an explore. Compared to CGOAB it has a more modern look and the functionality seems to be similar although it's achieved in a different fashion. @MelW captures it precisely with the "stuck firmly in the 1980s early 1990s" comparison. Cycleblaze doesn't handle GPX files in such an easy way as CGOAB. I posted a few things in the Cycleblaze Forum and was given warm welcomes and help. There was a passing comment from someone suggesting that other journals could be transferred into Cycleblaze. The CGOAB "forum" function is hidden away and is very cumbersome to use.

After a day or so playing with Cycleblaze I asked about the transfer of a journal making no commitment but I did comment that I liked the feel of Cycleblaze.

This evening I received a Paypal email returning 50USD to my CC and then an email from Neil saying that following my comments on Cycleblaze he was returning my donation. He had archived my journal and provided a download link. He asked that I let him know when I had completed the download and he would close my account.

My donation was for the journal already hosted, not for future stuff and I hadn't reached a conclusion on my next trip journal. It's so sad that someone has this attitude but I suspect it will result in the complete demise of CGOAB which is a shame as he has a lot of interesting, and potentially useful, information there.

Looks like I am moving to Cycleblaze!

[matt2matt2002]

Hi Simon, I'm happy to apologise, although I'm not sure what for, since I'm not pee d off with you and recall several exchanges between us when you were helpful. I respect your opinion.
Let's all stay buddies.

For every minute you are angry, you loose 60 seconds of happiness.

[bohrsatom]

Although I don't read Crazyguy journals all that often any more, discovering the site was one of the things that got me hooked on cycle touring. I particularly remember reading a journal from an American couple who rode home to the US from Japan. Their journey was tough and for some stretches it didn't seem like they enjoyed themselves much, but their trip inspired me to take a slightly less punishing 4-month tour of my own.

That journal is now over 10 years old and things have moved on a lot since then. If anything things have become more fragmented: there's a lot more cycle touring content on Youtube, some of it excellently put together; people share snippets of their trips on Instagram/Facebook; others talk about their travels on one of several different cycle touring podcasts; some even self-publish books of their trips on Amazon. I think the vast majority go on trips and only share their experiences with their friends and family.

[RecumbentRide]

Tbh CGOAB has been left behind as most cycling info we now get is from Youtube. There are so so many excellent people who have created excellent channels. I guess Neil failed to move with the times. He should have launched a CGOAB Youtube channel to run alongside complimenting the journals but I don't really think he was at all interested, stuck firmly in the 1980s early 1990s. The world has moved on.

[my bold]

You may well find useful content on Youtube*, but it's a mistake to think that everyone has moved on from other "old-fashioned" web content.
The world still buys vinyl records, physical newspapers etc
Journalers and readers have used CGOAB for 24 years since the 1990s

[not disagreeing with the rest of your post, BTW ! ]

*personally I find very little on there of use. In fact I'd say very little that is watchable. Would prefer a good words+photos journal any day

I'd agree with you and there is a lot more noise on YT as it's often (not always) financially motivated by people who are trying to finance their activities. Seeing the drone footage is great as they cycle along but then you've got to realise it can be very manipulated and between drones, cameras, mics, multiple chargers it's all getting a bit away from the spirit of touring/journaling.