Web forums as sites of knowledge production in socio-technical innovation: the case of the 29-inch wheel in the mountain bike sector

This article analyses the role of end-users in socio-technical innovation processes, focusing specifically on their contribution to knowledge production in relation to the introduction of the 29-inch bike wheel size in the early 2000s. Prior research in user studies has emphasized the growing importance of user involvement in innovation, particularly the active part users play in designing technical artifacts and the ways industries capitalize on their insights. Expanding on this literature, this article examines the ways end-users employ web forums to shape and integrate these innovations into their everyday practices and cultural understanding by means of an active discursive domestication process. Via a detailed analysis of discussions between mountain bike enthusiasts on two web forums (one in Austria and one in Italy) between 2006 - when the new wheel size entered the European market - and 2014 - when it became a widespread standard - this study explores the symbolic negotiation users engaged in and the way they redefined the meaning of technology in their community. The findings highlight web forums as essential spaces for negotiating technological innovations and reshaping discourses around both technology and its users.