March 10/98 17:20 pm - Website News

Posted by Editor on 03/10/98
 

Site Update

You will have noticed many changes going on in the site over the past few weeks. We thought it might be a good idea to give you an update as to what has changed since we instituted the new design.

• Daily News Database
  • We had some initial problems with the database (our poor server couldn't handle the volume of traffic while simultaneously performing dynamic searches). We fixed that problem last week, and now it is humming along nicely. Most of our readers only go to Daily News for the latest postings, and don't realize how powerful a resource the database can be. Every single posting from May 1997 is indexed within the database, and you can search for news, results and information by date, event, rider, etc. So, if you want to find out how, say, Chrissy Redden did in all of the World Cup races she entered last year, then enter Chrissy Redden World Cup for your search, and Voila!.
    
    You may find that older postings are not formatted quite as nicely as newer stuff - we are gradually working on this as we find them (you can get around reading through unformatted postings to find the particular piece of data that you are looking for by doing a Find command (most Browsers can do this) within the particular posting you are interested in). You may also find occasionally that a link within a posting no longer works (especially if it is linking to an external site) - sorry, not much we can do about that one.
• Buyer's Guide
  • We now have a complete and searchable database for 1998 bike models up and running. If you want to find out what is available for under $2000 in an 18 inch full suspension bike with Shimano LX derailleurs and a Rock Shox Indy fork, have at it (there are 3 that meet this criteria, by the way∑). If you don't want go online all the time to use the Buyer's Guide, we will e-mail a copy to you (PC or Mac) for $20 - contact us for details.
• Calendars
  • We now have complete Road, Track and Mountain Bike calendars at the International, National and Provincial levels (Provincial complete except for the Maritimes and Newfoundland - they are coming). Just go to the Calendars section and open the appropriate link. They are as up-to-date as possible; please let us know if any information is incorrect.
• Dealers
  • Want to know where you can buy Canadian Cyclist? (We really appreciated it when you do∑) Go to the Dealers section for an up-to-date list of bicycle dealers that carry CC. (Dealers: if you want to carry CC, contact us)

Now that these projects are under control, here's what you can expect to see changing over the next week or so:

• Touring
  • We are about to embark upon a major expansion of the Touring section. In addition to adding a bunch more tours from around Canada, we will be building a Directory of Tour Operators (tour operators should contact us for details). Eventually, we hope to have touring calendars posted (in a similar format to the racing ones), however, we are still work with the associations to get this information.
• Reviews
  • We will be updating our Product Reviews on a more regular basis from now on. You can expect to see reviews on the latest bikes, components and accessories changing every few weeks throughout the season. We will also provide brief ongoing reports on products we are testing.
• Mountain Bike World Championships Website
  • We are now starting to receive regular updates of information from both the UCI and Gestev (the organizer of the `98 Mountain Bike Worlds in Mont Ste Anne, Quebec), so you should see a regular flow of information appearing on this site. We will be doing major updates to the Worlds website over the course of the next week, so check back here regularly.
• Links
  • We will be completely revamping the Links area, making it easier for you to search out links to other cycling sites. Please continue to send us your links to other sites by filling out the Link Submission Form on the Links page.

Of course, while all of these changes are going on we will still be providing our coverage of the Canadian and world cycling scenes, and the Forums will continue offer it's mixture of fact and humour. The Classifieds will also continue to provide an area for private bike and parts sales. You can help us by e-mailing news and information to us about events and activities in your area.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please contact us.

 

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