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So I listen to an ungodly amount of Propagandhi these days. But I've noticed they're a band that keeps on giving. Supporting Caste has most definitely changed my life, no second thoughts about that. I like knowing that music can still do that to me, because I haven't felt anything like this since Bad Religion. Not saying that they faded from my radar, because they kick me in the face daily and The Process of Belief will remain one of my top 5 fav albums of all time. Hmm life is good, work is good. just chuggin' along I suppose. Getting way more out of riding my bike then I ever thought i could. Even more so than the days when i was a punk kid rippin' up the streets on my bmx bike. I guess i kinda found a spiritual side to it, call me a hippy but its what I'm goin' threw and I'm into it 1000%. As long as I have sweet tunes, good vibes, a sweet bike, and a something to stretch I'm happy. Talk about cuttin down to the bare essentials. I dig it, Oh and also fuck you Kristen Roland, i hate your guts =] thats all.
p.s. please don't anyone ever end up like this fella, if he had a good life soundtrack and sweet set of wheels to pedal, im pretty sure he wouldn't have ended up with this hatebreed mustache.
Sitting here with nothing to do at night gives my mind way to much time to think in a negative manner. I'm realizing that I do have the worst luck with females, I cannot catch a break with them what so ever. I am aware that I don't NEED a female in my life to make me happy. Me being happy is entirely up to me and how I look and treat things. Although it would be nice to have someone to talk to daily about what's going down in my head. May be complete random complaining bullshit just like what I'm typing now, but having someone that will listen and not just think your lame is hard to come across. Now I do know that I've been the source of a few prior relationships going south, but there's no way I can be held responsible for all of them. I don't know, maybe I can be, whatever. I guess a constant stream of contact is a vital must for me in a relationship. No communication for even a couple days makes me doubtful and negative. It is something i have to work on, and I intend on it. I'm just lonely, which does not add anything good to what I have going on haha. I do not even know what my mental state would be like if i didn't have a constant blare of music flowing into my ears. As cliche as it may sound, music and all things instrumental have become a huge part of my life. Truly the source I can always go to and reassure my sanity. Well I'm done ranting and complaining I do believe.
Also check out the band Propagandhi, they have a new album Supporting Caste, its nothing short of amazing. Seems to be the thing I listen to most this past week.
So the first thing I woke up to this morning was myself throwing up all over my carpet. Pretty rad right? The thing is I'm not even sick, I think whatever dream I was having was the most wretched thing ever. Enough to cause me to throw up on my somewhat nice carpet haha. Any who, its been a couple days since I've posted. I was super duper late to work at hot topic yesterday due to a schedule mix up. Boy am I glad that my managers are the nicest people ever and don't hold grudges. Im currently piecing together my bike with all new stuff until I have enough parts for two completes then selling one. Seems like the best thing to do, considering I have to much laying around, and none of the stuff is cheap. time to turn in back into pocket cash. Currently I'm running a Volume Cutter V3, but I would really enjoy riding the 1st generation. It has a snazzy lookin machined cut out in the headtube, i dig it way hard. So it seems like I've been lacing a new rim every other day, BUT I think i have found the deep-v's I'm going to stick with, I purchased 2 burl painted velocity deep-v outers. They're the most beautiful things ever. laced with black spokes to my black profile hubs, its gonna look pretty fucking tits I think. Im gonna go ahead and rant a little bit about how much I hate living here, and the fact that this place feels like its burying me alive. I live in a shit hole pretty much, and it was cool to me at first. But now realizing that its just a bunch of wasties that hang out everywhere I fucking go, its starting to become a real drag. Not only do I have a very small amount of friends, but I don't feel I can really let loose. I just ride my bike around, in search of something but i don't know what. Sometimes i just wish riding back to California was as easy as going across town. But thats not the case at all, its 1000 miles away. Maybe moving here was a mistake, I mean I do have my life on track and I'm doing good, but at what expense? my sanity, my happiness. Its a fucked thing to think about, me trading money for who I am, not fly at all. SO fuck,
So sitting here late nights at about this time, the thought of having to get up for work really bums me out. Working two jobs, one of which I do not like very much to chug along in this dumb fucking money driven society. I understand that this country along with the rest of the planet rely on some form of currency. Its just a real drag knowing that regular Joe's such as myself along with countless others work jobs that they cannot stand to pay the bills. Some days I just wanna drop everything, say fuck it and bail on this cash driven life i have recently grown to live. Knowing that if I don't bust my ass everyday that I can't have the things I like and even provide for myself. I wish things were just a whole lot simpler and could barter with shoe laces, thumb tacks, and other household goods haha. I may sound entirely like a piece of yuppy scum right now, but fuck it, oh well, i do not care. At times when I step out into the world, I just want to burn it to the mother fucking ground. no 21 year old young man should feel that way for his surroundings, especially when they're as beautiful as mine. Thats all for this post, I have Jesse waitin on aim.
So in this day and age of trend setters and followers its no surprise that kids flock by the hundreds to the sport of fixed gear bicycles. What most do not know about jumping into it is that they're putting themselves in a potentially hazardous and even deadly environment. Most just wanna be a hardass and bomb down hills with no brakes, and doing so with very little experience. its just really annoying that i see kids everyday pedaling around on their fixies with they're fucking chrome bags and sugino track hats knowing that they do it for the trend, not because they actually enjoy riding. Fixed gears are bike riding in its rawest form, everything chopped, cut down, and bare. No need for fancy multi geared hubs, derailers, or even brakes. Your safety and well being is 100% relied on yourself and your ability to control your bike. I see little trend fucks who can't back pedal to stop for shit, or even round a corner without catching they're pedals on the ground. Pretty basic skill that anyone on a fixed should have, but no these kids do not. I guess once people see the mass amount of injury that can occur through this sport, it will start to weed out the fakes, and only the rad guys and girls who ride them for fun will remain. Thats my rant haha I'm done
So for my first blog post I've decided to do a product review for a couple of parts that I've been using on my fixed gear lately. Those parts are the Odyssey PC pedals and Profile 32h fixed hub set.
I'll start with the pedals. Odyssey, a brand that has always been ahead in part making and innovation has produced and released a set of plastic pedals. Now i know what your thinking as soon as i say plastic, that they're either gonna not be grippy enough or that they're gonna fall apart. Well let me tell you these pedals were built with abuse in mind. A SUPER hard poly blend plastic is used for the body mold and the same spindle used in the Jim C pedals. They slide on anything fast, real fast. So if your a fan of pedal slides and what not they are definitely for you. The only downside that i do see in these pedals, are the life of the body and the lack of grip adjustment. Over all i would suggest them to anyone in search of a strong, fast, grippy pedal, and you can pick them up for about $14. which is a far far cry from any decent aluminum pedal you'll find on the market.
Ok so i was REALLY REALLY excited about getting these hubs. Not only do they come in way rad colors, but Profile has always produced the best hubs in my opinion. The hub shells are machined from 6061 aluminum and come in 28 or 32 hole drilled flanges with a one piece machined lockring, internally threaded holes for bolt axles, and 4 bearings in the rear hub and 2 in the front. They look pretty spiffy when you bolt them onto your dropout. So the second i had these laced up and on my bike i was fucking stoked to go out and bomb on them. Within the first to blocks however my rear wheel came loose and started rubbing due to the axle bolt system built into the hub. After tightening it down quite a bit with an 8mm allen and cheater bar i thought i'd be set. BUT 3 blocks later the same problem happened again, i was flustered to say the least. The axle bolts that come stock with the hubs are just not big enough to hold the kind of torque that i was dishing out i guess. So a quick trip to the shop to snag a new set of bolts was the only thing i could think would fix it, and it did. Profile sells an aftermarket set of bolts for the hub very similar to the "hop up" kit they make for their race cranks. Flush washer/bolt system with a much larger flange and 10mm allen slot. Slapped them in the hub and tightened them as much as i could, and presto, no more loose wheel. This problem never happened with the front hub, so you can save yourself $10 unless you want to match. I also should note that these hubs ride smoother and faster than any I've ever pedaled. Don't let the shotty bolt system steer you away from these jewels. Profile parts are pretty costly, and this hubset was no different unfortunately, ringing in at a whopping $249 just for the set. If you do have the cash i suggest getting them because you'll never have to purchase another hubset in the existence of your bike. 
