I don't think you're full of shit. I do think Bike is, though. That site triggers me. Since we're talking about reviewing, I'm going to quote a few things so we can all write better by counterexample.
Means Whatever You Want It to Mean:
_"Front and rear suspension had a controlled, adult feel; this is a grown up's bike. It's not a poppy jalopy."_
_"blurs the lines between the all-mountain and trail bike categories but doesn't let go of its endurance-racing roots."_
We Only Compare to Bikes Direct:
_"Sixty-eight-point-five degrees felt slacker than its nominal designation."_
_"but it puts up with them better than one would expect"_
If It's Better, It's Good Value:
_Testers agreed \\\[the $8000 bike\\\] was a good value. ... Just five years ago, \\\[similar bikes\\\] often hovered around $10,000, and none were \\\[as\\\] capable ... _
It Has No Weaknesses:
_"A true all-rounder in every sense, \\\[bike\\\] does everything well"_
_"each tester lauded \\\[bike's\\\] well-rounded manners and equal-opportunity capability--the \\\[bike\\\] did everything well._
It's Good For Everyone:
_"It's ideal for aggressive trail and all-mountain riders who love jump lines as much as natural tech and all-day epics."_
_"could be ideal for a trail-minded rider seeking optimized climbing efficiency and plenty of travel to smooth out a wide variety of terrain."_
All Downsides Must Have Upsides:
_The \\\[bike\\\] doesn't have adjustable geometry, but the bike was so agreeable everywhere that nobody mentioned missing it._
Didn't Say If It Actually Worked:
_
"The effects of \\\[innovation\\\] were most evident in the chunky rocks on the inaptly named Flow trail ..." \\\[paragraph ends\\\]
_
This is all from the 2018 Bible. It's actually an improvement, the previous versions were straight-up ad copy.
Anyway, to return to your point: the best you can do is convey whether it's good value to you, with enough detail so we'll know where you're coming from. I think trying to gauge value for a 'typical' reader is a fool's errand.
June 5, 2018, 10:42 a.m. - Alex D
I don't think you're full of shit. I do think Bike is, though. That site triggers me. Since we're talking about reviewing, I'm going to quote a few things so we can all write better by counterexample. Means Whatever You Want It to Mean: _"Front and rear suspension had a controlled, adult feel; this is a grown up's bike. It's not a poppy jalopy."_ _"blurs the lines between the all-mountain and trail bike categories but doesn't let go of its endurance-racing roots."_ We Only Compare to Bikes Direct: _"Sixty-eight-point-five degrees felt slacker than its nominal designation."_ _"but it puts up with them better than one would expect"_ If It's Better, It's Good Value: _Testers agreed \\\[the $8000 bike\\\] was a good value. ... Just five years ago, \\\[similar bikes\\\] often hovered around $10,000, and none were \\\[as\\\] capable ... _ It Has No Weaknesses: _"A true all-rounder in every sense, \\\[bike\\\] does everything well"_ _"each tester lauded \\\[bike's\\\] well-rounded manners and equal-opportunity capability--the \\\[bike\\\] did everything well._ It's Good For Everyone: _"It's ideal for aggressive trail and all-mountain riders who love jump lines as much as natural tech and all-day epics."_ _"could be ideal for a trail-minded rider seeking optimized climbing efficiency and plenty of travel to smooth out a wide variety of terrain."_ All Downsides Must Have Upsides: _The \\\[bike\\\] doesn't have adjustable geometry, but the bike was so agreeable everywhere that nobody mentioned missing it._ Didn't Say If It Actually Worked: _ "The effects of \\\[innovation\\\] were most evident in the chunky rocks on the inaptly named Flow trail ..." \\\[paragraph ends\\\] _ This is all from the 2018 Bible. It's actually an improvement, the previous versions were straight-up ad copy. Anyway, to return to your point: the best you can do is convey whether it's good value to you, with enough detail so we'll know where you're coming from. I think trying to gauge value for a 'typical' reader is a fool's errand.