I'm active on two other forums bikeforums.net and bicyclegroup.com.

BF is a good place to go and "chat", find out information but the site is sooooo large, it's a nightmare. Posts easily get lost. A number of TE folks also post at BF.

BCG is a small, family-like forum. It's "bike centric" although threads sometimes gets off track. I think its an excellent place for a newbie or anyone to go. You would be treated with respect. Rudeness is not tolerated (much). I've met alot of the BCG folks at Interbike last year, a very nice group of people. Give BCG a looksee. Most likely questions will be politely and expertly answered.