wikipedia for bikes

[Inigo Montoya]

hi,
i'm quite a nooby regarding retro bikes but very interested in the topic. got in touch with it when i started to think about how to "pimp" my old specialized stumpjumper with parts that i couldn't afford BITDs. infos for parts from that time are spread all over the web. but what is definitely missing is a real bike WIKI.
what is a wiki?
"A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily." - Wikipedia
you get the best impresson when you visit http://en.wikipedia.org.
there are some websites that provide us with valuable information like
(websites)
http://www.bikepro.net/
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/
http://www.bike-alog.com/
http://www.fa-technik.adfc.de/Hersteller/Shimano/
http://www.mtb-kataloge.de/
http://sheldonbrown.com/
(forums)
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/
http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=46
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39
and many more...
the disadvantage of the classic websites is that they are afaik dependent on one person or a small group of people to mantain/expand the content.
for the forums that does not apply. a lot of people are participateing with their knowledge. but the knowledge evolves from discussion and is not properly setup to act as a almanac.
thats why i propose a wiki.
the main advantage of such a system is, that it is community driven. everyone can participate. it can be expanded quite easily and there are several wiki software systems that are totally free.
so what do you think?
btw. i would be willing to participate with money for the hosting and possibly time for mentaining/setting up the system.

 

[orange71]

we do have a bit of a wiki going on with weight weeneies section etc

 

[Mr. Zero]

I'm on board. However, I think it's worth considering whether a standalone bike wiki is the best avenue or if integrating that knowledge base into an established project like Wikipedia might not be a better route? Although the breadth of knowledge at RetroBike is vast and the passion deep utilizing Wikipedia for this purpose could serve to attract contributions from knowledgeable folks who have not yet found us here as well as benefit from a well established methodology for contribution and review. Wikipedia shouldn't cost us anything and there's also the technical advantage of greater data backup and redundancy of a large project like Wikipedia versus what might be provided by a smaller hosting company.

 

[orange71]

I went to start a retrobike wikipedia entry a few months ago but couldn't think of what to say

 

[development_cycle]

Sounds like a great idea, count me in

 

[Inigo Montoya]

I'm on board. However, I think it's worth considering whether a standalone bike wiki is the best avenue or if integrating that knowledge base into an established project like Wikipedia might not be a better route? Although the breadth of knowledge at RetroBike is vast and the passion deep utilizing Wikipedia for this purpose could serve to attract contributions from knowledgeable folks who have not yet found us here as well as benefit from a well established methodology for contribution and review. Wikipedia shouldn't cost us anything and there's also the technical advantage of greater data backup and redundancy of a large project like Wikipedia versus what might be provided by a smaller hosting company.

your absolutely right. its the better option to give wikipedia a try first. if it fails for some reason a separate retro bike wikipedia could still be initiated.
i will try to add some infos on stuff i know of in the next days and let you know in this thread.

 

[FirstFlight]

If anyone is an expert and wants to write up a history of their favorite brand, we will be happy to post it. We are setting up the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and History (MOMBAT) and will be setting up the historic mountain bike stuff there (mombat.org). There are a couple of test pages up at the site but nothing too exciting yet. After we get through the holidays, I plan on spending a little more time on it.

 

[David Gibson]

wiki and museum

I am all for FirstFlights plan. Having seen his collection in the flesh (so to say) I think that's the best place to start.

 

[Crell]

I like the wiki idea - one of the things I suggested back on the survey. We all have our own "pet brands" we can wax lyrical about.

 

[user7307]

I have been thinking about setting up a bicycle component database where users can submit info, pictures, trivia and specifications of components. Much more streamlined than MTBR review section and much more fun to browse around, think imdb but with more pictures and more hints for users to contribute.

It wont be a wiki so all info has to be approved by an admin. I would fear that this would lead to a lot of work in the evening so I am not so keen on this idea anymore. Another downer is traffic since there is going to be lots of images (that is what attracts users) but I think the site would be bought off me fairly quick once traffic starts to roll in.