I only have one very minor issue with the new forum:
It would be nice if the pages buttons were also present on the top of the page on the mobile version, so you don't have to scroll excessively.
Otherwise, I like it. Visually, it's much more pleasing in spite of the continued purpleness, especially on the mobile version.
The addition of the like buttons seems a bit like a gimmick and not absolutely necessary but I don't see it doing anything bad for the site either, and it's a bit fun.
But I must say it's a bit scandalous that the moderators can like their own posts, as is evident by the fact that Red Rick is second on the like scoreboard only trailing another admin
https://forum.cyclingnews.com/members/?key=highest_reaction_score