For a California trip, what kind of shoes you recommend

[PeteJack]

I'm intrigued. What would the bot be trying to accomplish?

[staehpj1]

I'm intrigued. What would the bot be trying to accomplish?

It is weird, but we have had a string of them here.  First post bringing up very old topic, usually followed by another new account replying with a reply.  There is always a link.  Often the links and comments are pretty irrelevant to touring.

For example this one is from HikingInsights and nothing in the text of the message really applies to touring.  It sounds like an AI created response to the mention of hiking boots. Then a link to a site hawking hiking boots.  In the past it would often be a two post two user process, but not always.

Why?

To send traffic to their sites for profit?  To generally be a menace?  To act out some greivance with this site or the touring community?  As an experiment in generating AI bot messages?  Out of some sick sense of humor?

I would guess probably at least two of those reasons were the case.  Possibly most or all of them.

[Westinghouse]

 Stiff-soled shoes are what you need. The PCBR is hilly, and wait till you get to Legget, California. It's all steep switchbacks up, and a thrilling long freewheel down. Check your brakes. Grinding uphill is where you feel the big difference between athletic shoes and cycling shoes. There are many steep horseshoe bends, and there is "the hill." You have seven devils road. It is up and down like a roller coaster.