Field Notes: How We Review (Without Reviewing)
No one wants three thousand words of marketing jargon. No one wants SEO-baited rankings. And no one should have to rely on a score from a reviewer whose future access depends on being “nice enough.”
So we’re doing things a little differently:
At ROVIKA, we don’t rank kit. Riders have different priorities, different terrain, and different riding styles - pretending there’s a universal “best” helps no one. We want to help guide you to the right kit for you.
Field Notes stays simple:
- We tell you a bit about the product and our personal impressions.
- We give you reasons to buy.
- We give you reasons not to buy.
You decide what matters for your ride.
A “reason not to buy” doesn’t make something a bad product - it usually means it won’t suit everyone. That’s okay. Good kit isn’t universal. Anyone who rides knows that.
Because... and here’s the important part:
If a product makes it into Field Notes, we trust you won’t be disappointed if you buy it.
If it’s on ROVIKA, it passed the same test we use ourselves: Would we spend our own money on it?
If not, it simply doesn’t appear - we don’t waste time on negative reviews. We curate by omission.
Field Notes is written in the spirit of a mountain guide - honest, experienced, and here to help you pick a good line, not dictate your ride.
ROVIKA has extensive and diverse cycling experience in the team; it’s a prerequisite for working here. Every piece is written by riders who’ve used kit for years, broken plenty of it, fixed the rest, and genuinely love this stuff.
Field Notes will feature our not-review reviews, alongside stories, thoughts, observations, and anything else we find interesting from the world of riding.
That’s Field Notes.
And yes... you can add comments.
