Terms of Service

These terms of service govern the use of the vrame platform, available at vrame.cc, including all associated pages and features.

The provider is Jörn Heilmann, Richardstraße 18, 44137 Dortmund, Germany. Full provider details are in the imprint.

By registering an account or using the platform, you accept these terms. Conflicting terms proposed by users do not apply.

vrame is a community platform where bikes go head to head in duels. Users upload photos of their bikes, and everyone votes on which one they like better. A Glicko-2 rating turns those votes into a ranking.

Using the platform is currently free of charge. There is no entitlement to availability, to any particular feature, or to any particular position in the ranking.

vrame is a private hobby project. Features may be changed, extended or discontinued at any time. We will give advance notice of significant restrictions where that is reasonable and possible.

Duel results reflect the community's subjective taste. They say nothing about the quality, value or safety of a bike.

You do not need an account to vote, though the number of votes without signing in is limited. You do need an account to upload your own bikes.

You must be at least 16 years old to register. An account can be created with an email address and password, or via Strava login.

Keep your credentials confidential and do not share them. You are responsible for everything done through your account.

One account per person. Multiple accounts used to influence voting are not permitted.

The information in your profile must be accurate. You must not impersonate anyone else.

All photos, texts and other content you upload remain yours. vrame makes no ownership claim to them.

By uploading, you confirm that you hold the necessary rights to the content. This covers copyright in the photos as well as the personality rights of anyone depicted. Do not upload images you found on the internet.

You grant vrame a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to your content, unlimited in territory. This licence serves solely to operate and display the platform: showing your bikes in duels, in the ranking, on profile and detail pages, and in the preview images generated automatically when links are shared on social networks.

The licence ends when you delete the content or your account. Links and preview images already shared by third parties, and copies held in technical backups, may persist for some time beyond that.

The same applies to comments you write under a bike: the text remains yours, and the usage right described above is limited to displaying it on the bike’s detail page for signed-in users. It ends as soon as the comment is deleted.

We do not pass your content to third parties for advertising purposes, and we do not sell your photos.

vrame depends on people treating each other decently. The following content and behaviour is not permitted:

• content that infringes third-party rights, in particular copyright, trade mark and personality rights
• insulting, discriminatory, violent, pornographic or otherwise unlawful content
• photos that do not show bikes, as well as advertising, spam and automated bulk uploads
• uploading photos of other people without their consent
• harassing other users, including through profile texts or linked accounts
• attempts to disrupt or overload the technical infrastructure, or to access data without authorisation
• advertising, links and spam in comments; comments consist of text and emoji only, HTML and links are technically not permitted
• harassment in comments, targeted mentions ("@") used to pressure individuals, and rallying several people against one person
• publishing other people’s personal data such as names, addresses or phone numbers in comments
• impersonating someone else, as well as automatically generated comments

The rating is only worth as much as the honesty of the votes behind it. Any deliberate manipulation of voting is prohibited.

This includes in particular creating or using multiple accounts, automated voting via scripts or bots, circumventing the vote limit for signed-out visitors, and coordinated voting intended to favour or disadvantage a particular bike.

To protect against manipulation we use technical measures, including a vote limit for signed-out visitors, protection against voting on your own bikes, and a hashed value derived from the IP address. Details are set out in the privacy policy.

Where there is reasonable suspicion of manipulation, we may remove the votes concerned, correct ratings and suspend accounts.

You can delete your account at any time and without giving reasons, in the settings. Deleting it removes your bikes, photos and profile data.

We may remove content and suspend or permanently delete accounts where these terms are breached. For minor breaches we will point the problem out first, where that is possible and reasonable.

For serious breaches, in particular unlawful content or systematic manipulation of voting, suspension may take effect without prior notice.

We may discontinue the platform giving 30 days' notice. In that case you will have the opportunity to save your content beforehand.

The quickest way to report a bike is in the app itself: every bike's detail page carries a button with a flag icon. It is only shown when you are signed in – anonymous reports were switched off because they were abused. Clicking it opens a dialog where you pick one of the given reasons: inappropriate content, stolen bike, spam or other. The report reaches us automatically.

A report consists of that reason alone; there is no free-text field. If you want to tell us more – for instance the frame number and circumstances of a stolen bike – write to support@vrame.cc as well and name the bike concerned.

Use the same address if you do not have an account, or if the problem concerns something other than a bike, such as a profile text or a linked account. In that case, please describe as precisely as you can what the problem is and why you believe it breaches the rules.

Comments are reported the same way: every comment has a menu containing a "Report" entry. This also requires being signed in. The available reasons are inappropriate content, spam or other - the "stolen" reason does not apply here, as it refers to bikes. We review these reports too and remove the comment if a violation is confirmed.

Independently of the reporting function, the owner of a bike may delete any comment on their own bike at any time and without giving a reason.

We review every report. Where a breach is confirmed, we remove the content or take the bike out of duels and the ranking.

All vrame features are currently free of charge. There are no subscriptions and no payment obligations.

Should paid features be offered in future, the following applies: they will be clearly identified as such, the price including all taxes will be shown before you commit, and a contract will only come about through your express confirmation. Features that are free today will not become chargeable retroactively.

For any paid contract, you as a consumer have a 14-day right of withdrawal without giving reasons. Full details, including withdrawal instructions and a model withdrawal form, will be provided before the contract is concluded.

For digital content supplied immediately, the right of withdrawal only lapses once you have expressly consented to immediate performance and confirmed that you understand it lapses as a result.

vrame may contain links to bike retailers, manufacturers or workshops. These may be commission links, meaning we receive a payment if a purchase is made. This costs you nothing extra.

Such links are identified as advertising or commission links. They have no influence on duels, ratings or ranking positions.

If content is ever published in return for payment, we will clearly identify it as advertising.

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, and for damage arising from injury to life, body or health.

For ordinary negligence we are liable only where a material contractual obligation is breached, meaning one whose fulfilment makes proper use possible in the first place and on whose observance you may regularly rely. In that case liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract.

Any further liability is excluded. Liability under the German Product Liability Act is unaffected.

vrame is run as a hobby project. No particular level of availability is guaranteed; maintenance, faults and outages are possible. We give no warranty that your content will be preserved indefinitely, so please keep your own copies of photos that matter to you.

We may change these terms, for instance when new features are added or the legal position changes.

We will notify registered users of significant changes at least 30 days before they take effect, by email or by a prominent notice on the platform.

If you do not agree to a change, you can delete your account before it takes effect. If you continue using the platform afterwards, the amended terms are deemed accepted. We will point this out separately in the notification.

German law applies. If you are a consumer habitually resident in another country, the mandatory consumer protection provisions of that country remain unaffected.

Should any provision of these terms be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions is unaffected.