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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to questions about RoadBikeRider.com issues and the operation of this road cycling website. If you have a
concern not addressed here or would like to make a
comment or suggestion, please write to
feedback@roadbikerider.com.
What is RBR Publishing Company?
It's the legal name of
our corporation dba RoadBikeRider.com. In fact, RBR is short for
RoadBikeRider. Incredibly creative, huh?
RBR
Publishing Company has 4 components: this
public website, our members-only Premium Site,
our biweekly
newsletter, and our
eBook publishing division.
RBR's editor, publisher and owner is Ed Pavelka. Read more on the
About Us page.
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What is the PREMIUM
SITE?
RBR's Premium
Site has more than 280 web pages of
exclusive road cycling information. We've done our best to make it the
internet's No. 1 source of "how to" advice -- an online reference
center, if you will, for riding better and getting more fun and fitness from road cycling.
Premium
Site access is by paid membership. There are two options: 1 month for
$9.99 or 1 year for $24.99. The annual benefits include an automatic
15% discount on every eBook, eArticle or other product purchased in the RBR
eBookstore during the membership year. The 1-month
membership comes with all benefits except the 15% discount.
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What is RBR's privacy policy?
Our promise to you: RBR Publishing Company,
dba RoadBikeRider.com, will never sell, rent, trade or
provide your name or address to any other company for any reason. Period.
You won't receive any unwanted
marketing material (spam) from us. Yes, our newsletter and website will promote
the cycling products we and other companies sell, but you won't find any
unexpected RBR pitches clogging your inbox.
If you place an order for
an eBook, eArticle, Premium
Site
membership or other product through our website, rest assured that our security complies with
strict industry standards. Your personal information and credit card numbers are
encrypted. Transaction processing is performed by a leading e-commerce institution.
If you subscribe to our RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter
and wish to cancel for any reason, we will automatically remove your
e-mail address without a hassle. Simply send a blank e-mail to
leave@roadbikerider.com from the
address where you receive the newsletter. Unsubscribe instructions also appear in each newsletter. We'll miss you, but you won't hear from us again.
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How do I get an RBR account?
You probably already have one. RBR has made an
account for everyone who has subscribed to the
newsletter or purchased a Premium
Site
membership or product from the eBookstore since December 2003. To find out if an account exists for you,
login with your
subscription e-mail address or the address you used for your most recent
purchase. Your default password is your last name, unless you've changed to
a different word.
Note: The e-mail address used
for the most recent purchase is the one we have in our sales records. Therefore, an address will work for the login even if it
has become
"dead" or you don't use it anymore. (You can change your account
e-mail address once you've logged in.) However, only current
subscription addresses are recognized.
You do not need an account to make a
purchase. If you're a first-time customer who doesn't subscribe to
the newsletter, an account will automatically be created as your purchase is completed. Then you
can go to your account to
download
the eBook or eArticle you've purchased.
More info about RBR
accounts.
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How can I change
my RBR account information?
Login with your
e-mail address and last name (unless you've selected a different password). Remember, the e-mail address must be the one
you used when making your most recent purchase or the one at which you are
receiving the RBR newsletter. Those are the addresses we have in
our database. So for customers, an e-mail address will work for the login even if
it has become "dead" or you no longer use it.
Once you are logged in, you can change any of
your RBR account information, your newsletter subscription information or
your Premium
Site
membership information. If your account lists an old e-mail address, it's a
good idea to update it with your new one. You may also wish to make sure
your e-mail address is consistent throughout the system.
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Why aren't all
my purchases shown in my RBR account?
This happens if you have inadvertently created 2
or more RBR accounts. Some purchases will be shown in one account, others in
another.
Why does this happen? Because different people
may have identical names, the RBR system uses e-mail addresses to
establish accounts. So if you make a purchase using one e-mail address and
later make a purchase using a different e-mail address, you will have 2
separate accounts with different products in each.
To prevent multiple accounts from being created,
use the same e-mail address whenever making a purchase at RBR. If you want
to change your account e-mail address for any reason, you can do it through
our account
management page.
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What is an eBook?
The word eBook is shorthand for "electronic
book." When you open an eBook and view it on your computer monitor, the pages
look like those of a paper book.
An eBook
is a terrific value because you download it directly from our server. You avoid paying for shipping and
handling, as well as the costs of traditional printing.
eBooks are fast,
too. As soon as your order is complete, you can click to your personal
RBR account page. On it
you'll see download buttons for your new purchase as well as all
previous purchases. We allow additional downloads so you can upgrade to
new editions without cost or replace an eBook for any reason.
You already know
how an eBook works if you subscribed to the
RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter and
downloaded
your free copy of 29 Pro Cycling Secrets for
Roadies.
You can save an
eBook to your hard drive and read it on your computer. This lets you take advantage
of bookmarks, navigational hyperlinks in the text and the "find" function to
instantly locate words or terms of interest. You can also
print an eBook to make a hard copy.
RBR eBooks are in Adobe PDF format. To open and read
an eBook, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is a free application available from
the
Adobe
website. More than 200 million copies are in use. In fact, it's probably already installed on your computer.
The standard Acrobat Reader is what you want, not the Acrobat eBook
Reader.
If you're
unfamiliar with downloading an eBook or using Acrobat Reader, don't worry
-- it's easy. Just click to see our
tips.
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What is an eArticle?
The word eArticle is shorthand for "electronic
article." When you open an eArticle and view it on your computer monitor, the pages
look like those of a paper article.
An
eArticle is a terrific value because you download it directly from our server.
There is no shipping cost or delay.
As soon as your order is complete, you can
click to your personal
RBR account page. On it
you'll see download buttons for your new purchase as well as all
previous purchases. We allow additional downloads so you can upgrade to
new editions without cost or replace an eArticle for any reason.
You can save an
eArticle to your hard drive and read it on your computer. This lets you take advantage
of Adobe Acrobat's "find" function to
instantly locate words or terms of interest. You can also
print an eArticle to make a hard copy.
RBR
eArticles are in Adobe PDF format. To open and read
an eArticle, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Acrobat Reader is a free application available from
the
Adobe
website. More than 200 million copies are in use. In fact, it's
probably already installed on your computer.
The standard Acrobat Reader is what you want, not the Acrobat eBook
Reader.
If you're
unfamiliar with downloading an eBook or using Acrobat Reader, don't worry
-- it's easy. Just click to see our
tips.
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How do I download an
eBook or eArticle I buy?
As you complete your purchase, the final screen
thanks you for your order and shows you a big blinking button that looks
like this:
Go to download By clicking
it, you'll be taken to your RBR account. On
that page you'll see the e-publication(s) you just purchased and the easy
1-2-3 steps to perform the download.
At RBR we provide 5 copies of each eBook or
eArticle you buy. You can use these downloads to
upgrade to newer editions without charge even if there is a price
increase. You can easily replace copies if you change
computers, suffer a hard drive crash or have any other need.
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My
e-publication didn't download. Now what?
Don't panic! Nothing works perfectly all the
time on the internet, as we're reminded every so often.
Send an e-mail to
customerservice@roadbikerider.com to let us know you're having
difficulty. You get 5 copies of each eBook or eArticle you buy, but we don't
want you using them all to get a single successful download.
If you write,
please put "download problem" in the subject line. In the message, explain what happened.
Be sure to include the name of the eBook or eArticle you are writing about.
Sometimes the problem is that the download is
successful but then you can't find the eBook or eArticle. Remember to choose
SAVE before starting the download, and then direct it to a place on your
hard drive you can recall. The "my documents" folder is a good one, or you
might want to create an "RBR downloads" folder for this and future purchases
from us.
If you e-mail, we'll help you as soon as we read your message.
But if you don't hear from us inside of 12 hours, please resend. Thanks in advance for your patience.
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What's
the password required to save the e-pub I bought?
No RBR eBook or
eArticle is password protected. They are standard Adobe PDF documents
and can be saved to your hard drive using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
If you have an Apple computer, the password request is because you are
viewing the PDF with Apple Preview. If you use Acrobat Reader instead,
all should be well. If your computer doesn't have Acrobat Reader
installed, you can a
free download from Adobe.
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Why won't my e-publication
open and display correctly?
This is a rare
problem, and the solutions are simple.
First, you may be trying to open the eBook or
eArticle with your
word processing program. Won't work! You need to open it with Adobe Acrobat
Reader (already on most computers) or the full Adobe Acrobat program if you have
that.
Second, if you have an ancient version of Adobe
Acrobat Reader, an e-publication still won't open properly. You need to replace the old
Reader with a newer version.
The good news is
that Acrobat Reader is free from the Adobe website. Go to the page by
clicking this icon:
Be sure to delete
your old version of Acrobat Reader before you get the new one. It's the
regular Acrobat Reader you want, not the one called Acrobat eBook
Reader.
The bad news is
that the download can take as long as an hour, depending on your internet
connection. But it can happen in the background as you do other work on your
computer. Or better yet, go for a ride!
Once you have
an up-to-date version of Acrobat Reader installed, all RBR eBooks, eArticles and any other PDF documents will open
and read just fine.
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Can I print an eBook or
eArticle?
Sure! RBR e-publication customers are welcome to print
a copy for their personal use. Here are three methods:
Tip! Set your printer to "draft" mode
(lowest quality) to save ink and time. Print a test page first to be sure you
like the result.
-
Print the
e-pub, then take the pages to a
full-service copy center to have them bound. There are several binding
choices. This costs about $5.
-
E-mail the
e-pub PDF file to a
full-service copy center for printing and binding. The price varies
depending on number of pages, whether printing is in color or B&W, the
binding style and delivery method.
FedEx Office is a national chain of full-service
copy centers that will print and/or bind electronic files such as eBooks.
Click for a store locator and to read about ordering services online.
Similar work is done by office-supplies stores such as Staples and OfficeMax,
as well as by independent printers.
Note:
If a commercial outfit balks at printing your copy of our copyrighted
e-publications,
please let us know at
customerservice@roadbikerider.com. We'll be happy to e-mail permission to you or
the printer (be sure to provide the establishment's e-mail address).
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How can I
change my newsletter subscription address?
Subscription management takes place in your
RBR account.
Click here to
login and then you can:
-
Change your newsletter subscription address
-
Change your newsletter subscription password
-
Change the newsletter format between plain text
and rich text (HTML)
-
Unsubscribe from the newsletter (the
unsubscribed address cannot be used to re-subscribe in the future)
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Why won't the shopping cart
work for me?
If you find that a shopping cart page won't
change, reverts when you click to proceed or won't display a dollar figure
for your purchase at checkout, blame it on . . . the cookie monster!
Your browser is limiting "cookies" too tightly.
Cookies are used by RBR and many other internet sites to temporarily store
data from one page to the next.
By reducing your browser's Privacy setting to "medium" or "medium high," our
shopping cart should work fine and you'll still have significant privacy
protection. For example, if you're using Internet Explorer for your browser,
you can loosen your cookie setting by going to Tools → Internet Options →
Privacy.
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Why won't my credit card be accepted?
Credit card payments at RBR are processed by an
international company used by hundreds of online merchants. Unfortunately,
rejections are out of our control. If the payment processor doesn't like
something about the card information you entered, RBR is told there is a
payment failure but not the reason why.
Assuming your card is valid and all of the
information you entered is correct -- card number, expiration date, CVV
security code (found on back of most cards) -- please try your purchase
again after you've had occasion to turn off and restart your computer. That
will clear the cache of old information and give your order a fresh start.
Or, you could try a different credit card.
We understand it's frustrating, and we hope your
order can be completed.
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Can I mail, fax
or phone my order?
No, sorry, these methods were discontinued because of so little customer
use. It seems that almost no one mistrusts
buying online through RBR's encrypted order form and secure transaction gateway, which has safely processed
tens of thousands of purchases. Use your major credit card to pay for your eBook or
eArticle order online
and you'll also enjoy instant delivery via your RBR account.
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Can I give gift
certificates for RBR products?
Yes, it's easy and your friends will appreciate
receiving some of the best "how to" information and advice in road cycling. Gift
certificates can be used for Premium
Site
memberships too. For full details, please click here.
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Can I advertise with RBR?
Absolutely! We love it when that happens.
We offer classified-style advertising in our
biweekly newsletter e-mailed to 63,000+ road cycling enthusiasts around the
world (but primarily in North America).
For no extra cost, commercial ads also appear
24/7on the Classified Ads page at
RoadBikeRider.com while they're in the newsletter. We're happy to
include a hotlinked company logo or product photo on this page, in effect turning a text
ad into a display ad much like a banner. See full details and an ad order
form.
Bonus! Commercial
ads live forever at RBR because we keep them in every newsletter archived on
the public site or the
Premium
Site.
Individuals can place a $5
Roadie Ad to sell a
personal item.
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Would RBR publish my cycling
book or article?
We'd certainly like to consider it, but be
warned that we're fussy about content and quality. Realize, too, that
RBR is an eBook- and eArticle-only publisher -- no paper products.
Why? Six good reasons.
For RBR authors, eBooks
and eArticles are
published without any upfront costs, and royalties are much greater than
with printed products. See our information page for
authors.
If you have an authoritative, well-written
manuscript that helps cyclists ride better and find more fitness and
achievement on
their road bikes, we'd love to hear from you. Write to
publisher@roadbikerider.com.
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Is RoadBikeRider.com a site for racers?
Yes, we're sure that competitors will
find advice that helps them perform better.
No, it's certainly not only for
racers. Far from it. Our
RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter, articles
and eBooks are geared to all riders who want to get closer to their potential
in whatever facet of road riding they like best.
Whether or not you compete, if you want to
ride more like a skilled athlete we'll help you make the progress you crave.
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Why do you use examples of pro riders?
Roadies who are good enough to race for a
living are the best bike riders in the world. There's a lot that the rest of
us can learn from them and from their coaches.
During years of
writing for Bicycling
and
VeloNews, RBR's Ed Pavelka and Fred Matheny watched, met and even rode with some
of the best road racers in the U.S. and abroad. Most of these men and
women are approachable and not reluctant to share their secrets for success
(well, maybe not every secret).
Their exploits and advice often translate well for those of us who can't
compete at their level but still want to be skilled riders.
Enjoy the pro anecdotes and learn from them.
Don't feel disconnected or intimidated. We're all trying to improve as
roadies. There's no better teacher than the advice and exploits of our
sport's best athletes.
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Do you have something against mountain biking?
Nothing at all.
Most of us at RBR ride mountain bikes too. But we'll admit to being a
tad annoyed by the way off-road cycling overwhelmed road cycling during the
late 1980s and '90s. We blame it on Madison Avenue and rampant faddism more
than anything else.
RoadBikeRider.com
was created in 2001 not because of
any dislike for mountain biking, but because of love for road riding. Instead of just wishing there was more support for
roadies, RBR provided it then and continues today.
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Where's the
glitz?
The what?
RBR values content way ahead of fashion. But despite the lack of bells & whistles, we hope our pages aren't
exactly drab. Our goal is for them to be totally functional.
Gratuitous pictures and graphics make pages
slow to load and confusing to read. Pages with things that flash, scroll and
wiggle are downright annoying, at least to us. We know you've seen numerous
sites (including some cycling sites) that seem to think glitz is the name of
the game. We decided to favor simplicity and readability -- not that we have
the techy know-how to be very fancy anyway!
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Why do some website things look
out of whack? Our website is
designed with MS FrontPage, so it looks pretty darn clean if your
browser is MS Internet Explorer (especially the newer versions).
It's supposed to look good for users of Firefox and other non-MS
browsers, too, but some page layouts just don't seem to translate
perfectly. Sorry. We hope it doesn't bug you too much.
Fortunately, the RBR shopping cart works well with
almost every version of every browser. Only a tiny number of difficulties have
come to light, and in most cases it's merely a cookie problem, which is
explained here.
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Why all the
free stuff?
Our
philosophy is that no one should have to pay to become a better rider.
We
remember how hard it was for us to find helpful "how to" information when we started
riding in the early 1970s. We're now sharing what we've learned during more than
35 years in the sport.
Our free eBook,
29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies,
gives newcomers to RBR a good deal of expert advice right off the bat.
It's our way of catching people's attention, creating a buzz and showing
everyone the
quality of our work.
Our free
RoadBikeRider.com
Newsletter is the best way for us to regularly touch base (every
other Thursday) with more than 63,000 riders who share our passion for road
cycling.
Our
public website (you're on it now) has expert info to help roadies grow in the
sport.
Bottom
line: We want cyclists to come to RoadBikeRider.com in
droves, appreciate what we provide without cost or obligation, and spread the word to their friends who
ride. Of course, we do
need to make a living, so keep reading!
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How do
you profit from this?
Aha, you're on to us! As much fun as all of
this is, it has to generate enough revenue to buy bikes and groceries and pay
operating costs. That's
where our eBookstore,
Classified Ads and
Premium
Site
come in.
We
are publishing the most helpful, on-target, "how to" eBooks and eArticles
for roadies available anywhere. RBR co-founder Fred "Coach Fred" Matheny
has written
several of our e-publications. Others come from coaches and experts in various cycling
specialties.
Thanks to electronic publishing's low
production costs, eBooks can be written on narrow, niche topics that no
traditional hardcopy publisher would dare touch. You're the beneficiary if
you want targeted "how to" advice for improving your cycling performance.
RBR
eBooks and eArticles are marketed here
on the website and in the
RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter. Obviously, the more site traffic
and subscribers we have, the more exposure and sales our e-publications enjoy.
Classified Ads
add revenue, too. They're win-win because individuals or businesses that
place ads are able to reach an audience of dedicated roadies, a hard target
to hit -- except at RoadBikeRider.com. As a newsletter subscriber,
you get to see pitches for rides, tours, cycling clothing, new road-oriented products
-- and even sale prices
on gear you need.
Our
Premium
Site
provides 10 exclusive benefits to members, who can join for a month or a
year with 24/7 access. We've designed the Site to be a research center for
expert "how to" road cycling advice. It contains more than 280 searchable, info-packed
web pages and it's home to Roadie Rap, our member forum. There's also a
searchable archive of every advice-filled RBR newsletter we published
from No. 1 on
July 5, 2001 through No. 374 on Dec. 18, 2008. The
archive continues here on the public site, but only
Premium
Site
members have access to all those back issues.
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