Podcast Malfunction

As silly as it may sound, I spend quite a bit of time listening to podcast. I guess it started a few years ago when I was doing a lot of traveling. Long hours on planes or in cars made me realise you can only listen to music for so long.

One of the first really good interview style podcast I found was Issue Oriented.

ISSUE ORIENTED is a podcast and website for thoughtful people with good taste in music. From across punk, hardcore, indie, metal and beyond, host Ronen Kauffman invites some of the culture industry’s most compelling personalities to have meaningful discussions on real topics. Unlike most podcasts, ISSUE ORIENTED is neither boring nor a waste of your time.

It's been put on hold for a few years but the old interviews are still great to listen too. They feature some of my personal favorite bands and people. H2O, SOIA, John Joesph, Chamberlain and Others.

A new found station of podcasts getting heavy rotation on my iphone is Mountain Bike Radio.

Mountain Bike Radio is THE voice of mountain biking. Mountain Bike Radio is a network of mountain biking podcasts and online radio shows, based at the edge of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Foothills, that is the place for all mountain bike talk. We discuss racing, current events, and anything in the mountain biking world. From the average joe to the top pro and from short track to multiday adventures, we aim to bring the world of mountain biking to you. It's mountain bike talk from mountain bikers, for mountain bikers.

  

I must admit my favorite show on the station has to be 'Just Ridding Along' 

As a former bike shop wrench I can fully appreciate the strong opinions and snarky comments they tend to make. It's just a few good friends answering questions from tuning shocks to the 'fat bike' trend. If it doesn't make you smile or laugh. Maybe you just don't get what being an angry bike shop wrench is all about.

with programs on racing and training to nutrition and fat bikes the offer something for everyone. Heck you might even learn a thing or two.

How can you not like a 'pop' cover of a Cro-Mags classic

 

Mean Season

I guess we have been paying for the dry spring we had last year. While the temperatures have been pretty mild this winter. We have been ridding a constant roller coaster of rain, snow, warm temps, freeze, rain etc

Thus, making off road ridding and even gravel a slim opportunity in normal daylight hours. Perhaps, that is what inspired me to get a set of rollers to play with this winter. It has helped break up the indoor cycling boredom a bit. I have been taking advantage of the gym at work as well. I may look lost in a weight room, that is for sure. However, strengthening my weak left knee has been most of my focus.

Along with"training' I have been getting all my ducks in a row and doing service on the quiver of bikes and picking up some parts for the coming season. One of the projects i need to tackle is doing a fluid swap on my Shimano brakes. Not really a big undertaking, just one that I'm not sure is necessary. I seem to do a fluid swap on my Magura Marta's once a year, not because they say I should. More so because I've swapped frames etc. So for what some Shimano Mineral Oil cost it's cheap insurance for future flawless braking.
Well that is what I'm telling myself anyway.

So how do you know when to bleed your brakes? 

As a very general rule, one should replace the fluid in their brakes at least once per year, even if you don't notice any degradation in performance. If you ride more than average, or spend a lot of your saddle time in a bike park banging out laps on the char lift, you may want to do a bleed more often. A quick check of the fluid by leveling the lever so it's parallel to the ground and removing the reservoir cap will allow you to see if the mineral oil in the system is cloudy or dark with contamination. Keep in mind that some mineral oil is darker than others, but if it looks hazy or you spot any floating bits, it is time to perform a bleed. Likewise, a spongy feel at the lever, excessive lever pull, or brakes that pump up (meaning the bite point changes when they get hot during use) all mean that it is time.

As a semi-extension of my last post...

 To acquire a bleed kit and some fluids for my big S brakes.

I went with a new start up company I had heard some good things about. 

To acquire a bleed kit and some fluids for my big S brakes.

 

With free shipping when you spend 10 bucks and every major manufacture taken care of. It's one stop shopping for brake and most suspension fluids as well as bleed kits. My pre 2012 Shimano bleed kit set me back fifteen bucks, arrived quick and the components look quality. I haven't had a chance to run it through the paces of a full bleed. That said, I think it should do the job just fine and the prices the have on genuine Magura, Shimano and Maxima fluids has made me a customer already. 

If you need fluids or bleed kits check them out.

Do Something

I've always been drawn to things on the fringe. Hells Angels, Punk Rock, Skateboards... The list is endless. I have been told I have a fascination with those sorts of things, maybe that is why I prefer small companies a bunch. Granted it's not a hard and fast rule of mine. However, when possible I love having something made from a niche market or in a DIY fashion. Over the last year I have been turned onto a few companies like this. Small businesses that do one or two things but extremely well. Since our biggest sponsors are our own checkbooks. I really like finding something at a reasonable price and that works well. Here are some of the Deathwish Riders favorites in that category.

 

CHOMPER BODY

Chomper Body makes products for people who love to play sports and strive to incorporate the healthiest possible choices for their active lifestyle. We use ingredients that are pure and simple. Ingredients that promote health and are good for your skin like moisturizing nut butters, lubricating oils and healing essential oils. Left out are potentially harmful ingredients – things that clog pores and pollute the body. And although our products won't save your life or your soul, they will provide hours of comfort and peace of mind for anyone passionate about living a healthier life.

I really enjoy both Muscle Butters and the Ballocks chamois cream. I haven't got to use my Crash ointment yet...Knock on wood. ~ k.rider. 

BBG BASHGUARDS

Are made in Portland, Oregon USA.
This is a light weight but strong bashguard that is designed to replace the big ring on your mountain or cyclocross cranks or you can cover the big ring. All bashguards are made from the same 5000 series 1/8 inch thick aluminum (except the superlights which are 1/16 inch thick) and are all anodized and laser etched for durability. It works great for single speeds, cross country and all mountain riding. 
This product has been tested over boulders and rocks for over seven years now and we have not been able to bend or break one yet. 

I use the standard MTB guard on the 'Chrimson Ghost' rigid single speed, just for added no chain drop protection. Great product, which is also cheap and light. ~ k.rider

BACKCOUNTRY RESEARCH

What we offer is an alternative cycling accessory designed to carry the essentials for race day repairs and backcountry excursions. Made from top-shelf materials with intensive attention to detail, there is no more secure, durable, and reliable way to keep your tube, tire levers, CO2, or multi-tool handy and ready to use in a matter of seconds. With multiple mounting options, our straps can easily adjust to hold as much or as little as you need to carry, anywhere on your bike. They are incredibly easy to swap from one bike to another, yet so reasonably priced that you can buy one for each arrow in your quiver.

Saddle bags are now obsolete. Bulky and clumsy, their mounting design can offer limited access to its contents when strapped to your seat rails. No more broken or fouled zippers, wadding your gear into cramped spaces, or jingling multi-tools and spare links wearing holes in your tubes.

Put that electrical tape back in your toolbox, give your old toe straps to a starving hipster, and toss that saddle scrotum in the trash. Our straps will hold with the tenacity of a honey badger while swaddling your setup like a loving mother.

j.rider hipped me to these fine folks and I'm now a super fan. I have Awesome Straps on all my bikes, TulBags in my jersey pockets and even a FonBag for the texting/talking device. ~ k.rider

Support the small guy... Do Something, Do Something and TRY!

 

Eagles Become Vultures

One of the main thing that unites all of the deathriders is a love of music. All of us have played in multiple bands and been record collectors since we began buying them. To say that music is a constant inspiration for the deathriders is an understatment. I have spent most of my adult life following the Hardcore and Metal scene and trying to make my own small mark on it. 

One of the people I have admired and respected through the years is Jacob Bannon. That should come as no surprise to some of you as Jacob is the man behind our teams inspiration...Deathwish Records. He reminds me a lotof myself in his demeanor and creativity on and off the stage. 

Have a look into who and what inspired us

J.Bannon Interview

It's Just Not Everything...

Lets be honest our content here has been lacking as of late. So I figured I'd set you up with another place to waste some time out there in the cube farms. It also occurred to me when hanging out with m.rider recently... He might have a doppleganger out in the cycling world.

{this man on the far upper left  corner...none other than the unprofessional cyclist himeself}

Those who know m.rider what do ya think? Am i crazy?

I enjoy the ramblings of the angry bike messenger/unpro cyclist so much that I'm stoked to ride with his doppleganger. If you don't know the beauty that is dicky... Find out what you've been missing.

Bad Idea Racing

since we can't seem to go a post without some kind of musical fodder.

Another old stl hardcore kid who likes bikes

Family Tree

While it may be hard to find folks who meet our strict guidelines to wear the mark of Death... Okay, wait who am I kidding our selection criteria is more about a bunch of things not even related to cycling. That being said the pack in black will be adding a new man to the fold this year. Currently living in the 618... 'm.rider' as he shall be named... goes back quite aways in St. louis cycling and even better than that, St. Louis Hard Core.

m.rider and I met in our teens, and have attended many a girls private school dance and countless punk rock shows. He's had his own college radio show and hair almost as long as j.riders. I know his record collection to be large and his love for Quicksand strong. He may have been in the 'Youth Crew' but the man makes a mean Gin and Tonic now. It's with that grand introduction he is now part of the family tree.

I'm excited to have the opportunity to help get him back out on the bike and maybe to a few events.

Welcome to the Family
k.rider

Testing....Testing...Testing....

No.... we aren't dead, not yet anyway. Lets just say sometimes life has a way of derailing even the best intentions. The first week of July saw k.rider pay in blood to the MTB gods and I haven't really returned to form yet. Thus, ending my comeback season a little short. All wasn't too bad in hindsight, it kept me from burning out and gave me plenty of time to plan my attack in '13... Since it's my favorite number, i'm hoping for good things next year. I promise to return things to more regular posts etc.

In the mean time enjoy this...