James Huang is Heading to Substack

[benb]

Originally Posted by Angryasian

rides that should take two hours but actually take four because seemingly every editor has to get that perfect "sprinting in the drops" action shot gets old quick.

I hadn't thought of this but I utterly understand it from past lives:

- General photography fatigue, cycling photos is just a flavor of this, and photography for work is way way less fun than photography for fun

- Motorcycle group rides where smokers had to stop seemingly every 30 minutes to smoke. Inevitably one of them would be Mr. Macho and the stories were amusing at first and then got tiring.

- Cycling group rides where you start questioning why the overwhelmingly kid-free group wants to stop for a 3rd-ish coffee and pastry on a century-ish ride when you've gotta get home cause you have a family.

Anything can get old when you turn it into your job!

[pdonk]

With the exception of James outbidding me ebay years ago on a dekerf ti stem, I have enjoyed his work and will be looking at his substack over the coming month or so and deciding if I am going to subscribe.

[julian3141]

Originally Posted by benb

I hadn't thought of this but I utterly understand it from past lives:

- General photography fatigue, cycling photos is just a flavor of this, and photography for work is way way less fun than photography for fun

- Motorcycle group rides where smokers had to stop seemingly every 30 minutes to smoke. Inevitably one of them would be Mr. Macho and the stories were amusing at first and then got tiring.

- Cycling group rides where you start questioning why the overwhelmingly kid-free group wants to stop for a 3rd-ish coffee and pastry on a century-ish ride when you've gotta get home cause you have a family.

Anything can get old when you turn it into your job!

I used to be a chef at very fancy restaurants, I always had truffles when in season, and got to taste the finest wines in the world, I would literally spread foie gras on my morning bagel. And leaving the kitchen was the greatest choice I ever made. People are often shocked that I don't miss the perks of the job. I totally get what James is talking about. Fly me to Italy for a bike release once that sounds awesome but by the 50th time, I'm sure it gets very old.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by marciero

DC Rainmaker is an example of that. Bias is always unavoidable but ideally there is transparency so the reader can weigh any potential conflict of interest- for example if the reviewer is paid consultant, was flown to Europe all expenses, etc.

He also makes money through affiliate links and has ads on his site, so you can read into these reviews whatever bias you want to.

There's a time and place for cynicism in product reviews, but I would say let the works speak for itself and save that for the ones that definitely deserve it - like whatever empty shell Outside turned into.

[benb]

Originally Posted by .RJ

There's a time and place for cynicism in product reviews, but I would say let the works speak for itself and save that for the ones that definitely deserve it - like whatever empty shell Outside turned into.

Outside is kind of that perfect example of "I know it when I see it".

[Onno]

Since James is now participating, I just want to give a shout out to the high quality of his writing! It's concise, elegant, and fun to read. In contrast (as an example), I can rarely get through a Cyclingnews piece because of the wordiness, grammatical errors, sloppy diction, purple prose, etc. That's a place in very bad need of a good editor. Full disclosure: I'm an English professor....

[pdxharth]

As a high school English teacher myself, I give this comment two thumbs up!

Originally Posted by Onno

Since James is now participating, I just want to give a shout out to the high quality of his writing! It's concise, elegant, and fun to read. In contrast (as an example), I can rarely get through a Cyclingnews piece because of the wordiness, grammatical errors, sloppy diction, purple prose, etc. That's a place in very bad need of a good editor. Full disclosure: I'm an English professor....

[marciero]

Originally Posted by .RJ

He also makes money through affiliate links and has ads on his site, so you can read into these reviews whatever bias you want to.

There's a time and place for cynicism in product reviews, but I would say let the works speak for itself and save that for the ones that definitely deserve it - like whatever empty shell Outside turned into.

Totally agree, and didnt mean to sound cynical, if I did. All that is acceptable, but transparency goes a long way to maintaining integrity. In other realms for example, it is standard practice to state any *potential* conflicts of interest. The existence of these does not necessarily invalidate results.

[Angryasian]

Originally Posted by marciero

Totally agree, and didnt mean to sound cynical, if I did. All that is acceptable, but transparency goes a long way to maintaining integrity. In other realms for example, it is standard practice to state any *potential* conflicts of interest. The existence of these does not necessarily invalidate results.

I certainly pledge to do my best here, but as always, anyone can reach out to me directly if they ever have questions about anything.

Just to be clear, n-1 is my only gig: no behind-the-curtain projects, no consulting work, no side hustles. At least not for any sort of compensation, anyway. Brands ask my opinions and advice on stuff all the time, but I (perhaps foolishly?) give that out for free.

[LegendRider]

Originally Posted by Angryasian

I certainly pledge to do my best here, but as always, anyone can reach out to me directly if they ever have questions about anything.

Just to be clear, n-1 is my only gig: no behind-the-curtain projects, no consulting work, no side hustles. At least not for any sort of compensation, anyway. Brands ask my opinions and advice on stuff all the time, but I (perhaps foolishly?) give that out for free.

Can you share any stories of a brand making a significant change to a product based on your feedback?

[Xrslug]

Originally Posted by Angryasian

I certainly pledge to do my best here, but as always, anyone can reach out to me directly if they ever have questions about anything.

Just to be clear, n-1 is my only gig: no behind-the-curtain projects, no consulting work, no side hustles. At least not for any sort of compensation, anyway. Brands ask my opinions and advice on stuff all the time, but I (perhaps foolishly?) give that out for free.

Hi James — Appreciate you jumping in to the thread and as I mentioned earlier, I’ve valued your writing and reviews in the past and I’m glad to give n-1 a try. I’m curious given your engineering background and experience if you’ve ever been tempted to work in the industry, maybe for a smaller player doing more creative things, and if not, why? Thanks!

[Angryasian]

Hmm, you’re definitely exercising my memory here.

I know there have been several, but one that comes to mind is the lever blade length on first-gen SRAM DoubleTap levers. Made it clear that I thought they were too short, but I’d imagine others expressed similar opinions.

[robertbb]

I just want to say:

1. Glad to have you back James!
2. In your hiatus, a new SQL Database admin joined our team called... wait for it... James Huang. I almost fell off my chair when I joined the first Teams meeting. Imagine my disappointment* ;-)

*No DBA's were harmed in the typing of this message.

Sincerely,
A big fan of your work

[Angryasian]

Originally Posted by Xrslug

Hi James — Appreciate you jumping in to the thread and as I mentioned earlier, I’ve valued your writing and reviews in the past and I’m glad to give n-1 a try. I’m curious given your engineering background and experience if you’ve ever been tempted to work in the industry, maybe for a smaller player doing more creative things, and if not, why? Thanks!

Definitely have thought about it. But even looking back at my teenage years, I've never been one to align myself with a single group or organization or whatever. In a similar vein, I don't think I could comfortably toss my eggs into a single brand basket now. Just doesn't feel right. Not sure I can completely explain why.

[litcrazy]

James, do you feel like you have a special niche that means brands are okay with you being candid?
It seems like other sites definitely sway position such that it seems they choose to say nothing at all rather than say something negative. Their version of integrity is to omit negative reviews rather than speak disingenuously.
Your approach feels akin to the push to publish negative results in science.