STICKY Major Ride of the Year (ROTY) Giveaway Announcement

[Chris]

Get ready for the December 2022 Ride of the Year (ROTY) contest!

This year we are officially turning December into the ROTY contest as opposed to the Ride of the Month. What this means is that starting in December we will take the winners of the ROTM contest from the past 11 months (January 2022 through November 2022) and members will be allowed to vote on their favorite photo.

The 1st place winner of the ROTY contest will win a free Vanco big brake kit compliments of @mrblaine.

The 2nd place winner will receive a heat treated Currie tie rod or a $100 Visa gift card.

There are a few restrictions:

1. You cannot accept the prizes if you have any intention of not running the parts. So if you win 1st place and either already have a big brake kit or don’t plan to run it, you will have to forego the brake kit and instead you’ll receive a $500 Visa gift card. The same goes for second place as well. If you win and have no intention of running the tie rod you will receive a $100 gift card instead.
   
   
2. In addition, if the 1st place winner chooses the big brake kit, they will be required to make a new thread on the forum within 8 weeks of receiving the kit (barring weather restrictions). That thread should include their impressions of the brake kit. In other words, if you win the brake kit you are going to be required to write your review / impressions of the kit.
   
   
3. The photos will not be accepted if post processing (meaning Photoshop or any other photo editing program) is obvious and we will defer to the final judgement of a few chosen experts to make that decision. New photos are not requited, but you can’t use the one(s) you previously won with.

I would encourage any of you who are really wanting a big brake kit to get out there and start taking some amazing photos.

 

[RINC]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner !

 

[rasband]

This is a great idea, excited to see what pictures we get. Also those prizes are really impeccable. Will this turn into a ROTY theme too?

 

[Zorba]

Its like the "Quarter Quell"!!

 

[Chris]

This is a great idea, excited to see what pictures we get. Also those prizes are really impeccable. Will this turn into a ROTY theme too?

It will have to turn into a theme and an ultra special profile banner 😉

 

[MountaineerTom]

That’s pretty cool. 👍🏼

 

[sab]

Awesome - thanks for putting this together Chris and Mr. Blaine! I'm not a guy who takes non-technical-use photos (which I regret now, later in life), but I do enjoy looking at all the great shots posted!

 

[toximus]

The 2nd place winner will receive a heat treated Currie tie rod or a $100 Visa gift card.

This is the entire Currie steering kit or Black Magic Brakes awesome heat treated 4340 tierod linkage upgrade?

 

[mrblaine]

This is the entire Currie steering kit or Black Magic Brakes awesome heat treated 4340 tierod linkage upgrade?

It is the heat treated 4340 Tie rod that I make with the heavy duty clamps. It fits the OG Currie Currectlynk and the current Rock Jock 4x4 Currectlynk. Or put another way, it has the same threaded ends which accept the Currie/Rock Jock tie rod ends.

 

[Thunderhead]

 

[flyinfish]

Thanks to MrBlaine & Chris for the chance to win some awesome prizes!

 

[psrivats]

Very nice of you @mrblaine to offer the BBK for winner. It'll be good December.

 

[Mike_H]

So... This isn't a capstone for the past years ROTM winners (i.e. past winners resubmit their pictures for the best of the year) but it's for past winners to submit another picture?

 

[toximus]

Does this mean @mrblaine is the Easter bunny and Santa Claus? I knew it!

 

[psrivats]

Does this mean @mrblaine is the Easter bunny and Santa Claus? I knew it!

He knows when you are naughty and he knows when you are nice

 

[Mark_Donohue]

Get ready for the December 2022 Ride of the Year (ROTY) contest!

This year we are officially turning December into the ROTY contest as opposed to the Ride of the Month. What this means is that starting in December we will take the winners of the ROTM contest from the past 11 months (January 2022 through November 2022) and members will be allowed to vote on their favorite photo.

The 1st place winner of the ROTY contest will win a free Vanco big brake kit compliments of @mrblaine.

The 2nd place winner will receive a heat treated Currie tie rod or a $100 Visa gift card.

There are a few restrictions:

1. You cannot accept the prizes if you have any intention of not running the parts. So if you win 1st place and either already have a big brake kit or don’t plan to run it, you will have to forego the brake kit and instead you’ll receive a $500 Visa gift card. The same goes for second place as well. If you win and have no intention of running the tie rod you will receive a $100 gift card instead.
   
   
2. In addition, if the 1st place winner chooses the big brake kit, they will be required to make a new thread on the forum within 8 weeks of receiving the kit (barring weather restrictions). That thread should include their impressions of the brake kit. In other words, if you win the brake kit you are going to be required to write your review / impressions of the kit.
   
   
3. The photos will not be accepted if post processing (meaning Photoshop or any other photo editing program) is obvious and we will defer to the final judgement of a few chosen experts to make that decision. New photos are not requited, but you can’t use the one(s) you previously won with.

I would encourage any of you who are really wanting a big brake kit to get out there and start taking some amazing photos.

Wow! Talk about generous. Thank you both!

 

[NJW]

The photos will not be accepted if post processing (meaning Photoshop or any other photo editing program) is obvious and we will defer to the final judgement of a few chosen experts to make that decision. New photos are not requited, but you can’t use the one(s) you previously won with.

Question regarding this^

I shoot all my photos in RAW, pretty standard practice to get the most detail out of an image. Those photos therefore require “post processing”. My background is commercial architectural photography.

RAW files are just that: the raw data that the sensor collects. All of it. There is too much data to show an acceptable image without further work being done – the only question is whether the camera or the photographer does the further work.

A RAW file will show a flat, low contrast, uninspiring image by default. A JPEG simply lets the camera, or phone, do the work for them. It boosts the saturation and contrast. It applies sharpening. It throws away all the information it doesn’t need and gives the photographer a ready-to-use, edited file.

All photos are processed. Whether it’s done by a human utilizing software, or in camera, based on auto settings.

Just asking for clarification on the rules here.

In the standard ROTM posts, we see that Photoshop is acceptable for cleaning up a photo, what I would assume “post processing” would fall under.

Or we talking about instagram filters or something like that?

 

[NJW]

Also, this contest is rad! The generosity here is awesome.

 

[Apparition]

Question regarding this^

I shoot all my photos in RAW, pretty standard practice to get the most detail out of an image. Those photos therefore require “post processing”. My background is commercial architectural photography.

RAW files are just that: the raw data that the sensor collects. All of it. There is too much data to show an acceptable image without further work being done – the only question is whether the camera or the photographer does the further work.

A RAW file will show a flat, low contrast, uninspiring image by default. A JPEG simply lets the camera, or phone, do the work for them. It boosts the saturation and contrast. It applies sharpening. It throws away all the information it doesn’t need and gives the photographer a ready-to-use, edited file.

All photos are processed. Whether it’s done by a human utilizing software, or in camera, based on auto settings.

Just asking for clarification on the rules here.

In the standard ROTM posts, we see that Photoshop is acceptable for cleaning up a photo, what I would assume “post processing” would fall under.

Or we talking about instagram filters or something like that?

You should post an example

 

[NJW]

Here's an example:

You should post an example

RAW - intentionally shot flat, so you can control the amount of contrast, sharpness, saturation, etc...

My Processed Shot: (Lightroom)

Here's an iPhone shot for example - auto processed to give reference. This is how our phones (which typically do a great job - like here). For me, I don't like the ultra saturated blue skies that Apple pumps out. To me, that looks more unrealistic than the edited RAW photo's. But I guess it all comes down to a mater of opinion. I've seen ROTM photos where the sunset was ultra saturated due to someone hitting that saturation slider ultra heavy.