Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

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horizon
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Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by horizon »

This is a recent Guardian article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... city-bikes

Scroll down to the Roberts. AFAIK, a Roberts frame alone is £1250, not the whole bike. Is that not a really silly mistake or have I missed something?

But more to the point, they say this:

A good place to start is Roberts of Croydon where Chas Roberts, the proprietor, will create you a timeless beauty. Expensive, but it'll last a lifetime

Actually that's also silly. It isn't expensive because it will last a lifetime (lots of cheaper frames will do that) but because it's a good frame. Even more to the point, the bike as such won't last a lifetime, only the frame will. Nearly everything else will need to be replaced, some bits quite soon and many bits over and over again. The saddle, handlebar tape, the whole drive train, tyres, rims, BB, hubs - and that's not even allowing for the inevitable upgradings. Even the frame will need a paint job at some point.

Finally, to describe the Roberts Audax as a city bike is IMV breathtakingly silly.

So: is the Guardian silly?
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Ant
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by Ant »

YES it is, or rather many of it's writers are lazy and sloppy and do not research topics sufficiently rigorously and as such the papers' opinions on more weighty matters tend to be sniffily dismissed by "snobs" who value good journalism.

Still better than the Times though! :D
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by al_yrpal »

I agree its always been a very silly newspaper. Now with a miniscule circulation.

Al
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reohn2
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by reohn2 »

horizon wrote:So: is the Guardian silly?

In this case yes,I don't read "news"papers so I can't say if everything in the Gaurdian is silly though.


horizon wrote:..........Scroll down to the Roberts. AFAIK, a Roberts frame alone is £1250, not the whole bike. Is that not a really silly mistake or have I missed something?.................


Have you seen this thread:- viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76670
Last edited by reohn2 on 16 Jun 2013, 5:49pm, edited 1 time in total.
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CREPELLO
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by CREPELLO »

The churnalist in question is Martin Love, the Observer's motoring correspondent :roll: :roll: :roll:

Once or twice a year he'll review some posh bike (often badged by a car builder) and completely mis-describe some function. It's very obvious he doesn't ride.

On the other hand, I think the Guardian's regular cycling correspondents do a fair job at promoting cycling.
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by Audax67 »

Ant wrote:YES it is, or rather many of it's writers are lazy and sloppy and do not research topics sufficiently rigorously and as such the papers' opinions on more weighty matters tend to be sniffily dismissed by "snobs" who value good journalism.

Still better than the Times though! :D


They're having a hard time sniffing at Prism, though. Well done Grauniad there.
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horizon
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by horizon »

CREPELLO wrote:The churnalist in question is Martin Love, the Observer's motoring correspondent :roll: :roll: :roll:

Once or twice a year he'll review some posh bike (often badged by a car builder) and completely mis-describe some function. It's very obvious he doesn't ride.

On the other hand, I think the Guardian's regular cycling correspondents do a fair job at promoting cycling.


It looks like this explains it - thanks crepello. The worst thing is that there really wasn't even a single useful bike in the line-up - it was all for posers (nothing wrong with that, just don't head it up as a list of good city bikes).
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Richard Fairhurst
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

Ant wrote:YES it is, or rather many of it's writers are lazy and sloppy

its

(sorry, couldn't resist :lol: )
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andymiller
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by andymiller »

If it drums up a bit of business for Roberts well good.

And it seems to have provided something for people in need of something to hurrumph about with something to hurrumph about. So it can't be all bad.
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horizon
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by horizon »

andymiller wrote:And it seems to have provided something for people in need of something to hurrumph about with something to hurrumph about. So it can't be all bad.


There was a certain amount of hurrumph about it but it also got me thinking about the way these sentences such as "last a lifetime" are bandied about. Roberts might have a busy Monday morning fielding calls from hopeful buyers though. I'm no expert either but the journalist wouldn't have made the mistake about the frame price of he really knew his stuff.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Brucey
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by Brucey »

for those of you who can't be ..ed to read the offending 'article' here's a taster..

the Grauniad wrote:As cars become ever more homogenous, cyclists have taken it upon themselves to fill our streets with colour. Stop at any junction and you'll see a two-wheeled cavalcade, from moustached tweedy types on butcher bikes and Lycra loons on carbon racers to dreadlocked urban warriors on skip-find frames covered in stickers. Here are seven very different bikes for the budding hipster. They're all high-quality with an emphasis on design, because that's the way we roll…


etc etc....

pass the sick bucket, eh....

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7_lives_left
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by 7_lives_left »

Martin Love has form. He seems to be a bit of an idiot and/or lazy.

But don't tar the rest of the Grauniad journalists with the same brush.

Audax67 wrote:
Ant wrote:YES it is, or rather many of it's writers are lazy and sloppy and do not research topics sufficiently rigorously and as such the papers' opinions on more weighty matters tend to be sniffily dismissed by "snobs" who value good journalism.

Still better than the Times though! :D


They're having a hard time sniffing at Prism, though. Well done Grauniad there.


Indeed. and they also made things quite uncomfortable for some current and ex News International employees, Police and Polititians with the phone hacking. How is Rebekah Brooks's case progressing?
AndyA
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by AndyA »

Nah, the Guardian has it right, tourers are the new fixies. Total hipster mobiles :D

The UK appears to have gone mad for two of my favorite things, ale and bikes. Good times
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by danfoto »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:its

(sorry, couldn't resist :lol: )


Ahem. You missed the opportunity to correct papers'

(sorry, couldn't resist :lol: )
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Edwards
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Re: Silly Guardian - have they got it wrong about Roberts?

Post by Edwards »

Yes it was a mistake. I just checked The Roberts Website and the price is £1295 for the Frameset.

Personally living in a large city I found that an Audax bike was the best all round solution for what was needed.
I do not need to carry large loads from shops as I use the Motto Give us this day our daily (fresh) bread and other stuff.
I felt that the speed and comfort was a good compromise.

The reason for the past tense was the frame was bent to the left by a car, just over a year ago.
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