pre birthday awesomeness!

Youngblood's hyped on his new skate deck. The good people at Nixon made it extra sweet with JP Walker’s stepchild snowboards graphic on the base. Plus the deck showed up one day before the tike’s birthday, awesome!

UNION Force Bindings – a somewhat unbaised test

So today I threw on a pair of Union Force bindings on my deck to see what all the hype is about. Yep, I have had a pair of Union’s in the past, but they were first year Force samples which had some sticky ratchets, so i wasn't really backin em.

The setup
Board - Stepchild 158 Powder Sucks
Bindings – Union Force m/l
Boots – Burton Jeremy Jones size 10

To ensure that my test was on point, I mounted up the binders on my trusty Stepchild Powder Sucks deck as I have been ridding this thing all season, and I am super comfortable with the way the board rides.

I usually ride Burton bindings, so the first thing I noticed was that the bindings do take a little time to setup the first time, as pretty much everything is adjustable. Take your time and chill, and you’ll find you can get em set perfectly to your boots.

Strapping in, the first thing you will notice is the straps; super comfy, without being overly soft or huge + the capstrap is easily the best I have ever used. The baseplate is not as cush as it is on the Burton Triad that I usually ride, but at the same time its nothing that would convince me against buying them. The ratchets should also be mentioned, as they are strong and super easy to get in and out of. just a couple o clicks and your in super solid, awesome

I was a little caught off by the zero forward lean in the highbacks. This is probably due to the built in forward lean that Burton bindings come with, so it’s no knock to Union – I just wasn’t used to riding actual zero forward lean. Keep in mind that I hate forward lean, so it actually wasn’t a bad thing.

Riding the bindings for the day, the response reminded me of a Burton Cartel, (albeit with a waay different highback and less forward lean) or a slightly stiffer Burton Mission – I know its wack to compare, but what can you do.

The only thing that bugged me about these bindings was when I was buckling in. I usually strap in standing up, and when pushing the ankle strap out of the way found that it would fall behind the binding, so I would have to reach back and grab it. (please see pic for what I mean) Yeah I know I’m being a bit of a bitch, but I am sure you could put a little thing in the strap to make it not fall all the way back.

maybe my guts too big, but reachin for that ankle strap was tougher than it looks

Overall, I would say the Union Force is a solid binding and a killer option to the endless binding options out there. The straps, ratchets and response is amazing, and the aesthetics are awesome. Seriously, I would probably buy these things just because they look so cool; plus they remind me of the Forum Green pro binding from back in the day. Additionally, the people at C3 are doing good things for snowboarding, so feel good in supporting those that support you. And I’m not kissin any freebee ass here, I paid retail for these things, bitches!

"but it's my new bike!" we don't give a fu*#

Johnny boy got inspired from the motorcycle show & started the chop on his new nightster, bravo dude.

i would love the dealership folks to see this picture, "sir, i think you may be voiding your warranty!"

love at first sight

i love this bike. everything about it, the paint, the stance, the style. thankyou sucker punch sally's now i have to start saving

Best/ Worst of o nine - vol 2 - food -

It's no secret that I live to eat; and with so many amazing choices for food in this beautiful city it was tough to pick my favourite spot for the year. that being said, i chose the following as they had the biggest/best "i gotta tell so and so about this place, it's awesome" - consistency and quality of food. Anyway, enough chit chat, here's my choice for best eating spot in 09; and as an added feature best burger or 09

Best – Dinesty – now if dim sum is not your thing, you’ll hate this place. But if you dig on serious eats with amazing flavors, Dinesty in Richmond is the spot. Sure, the service isn’t the greatest, and the place is always packed – but if you can deal with it, you’ll thank me in the end. Order up the spicy tomato and beef, some shaomai and get down to business. After one visit you’ll discover why we call this place the “crack shack”

ohh, look at that.
Best Burger – sophies cosmic cafe - while my boy’s at the Vera’s in Surrey have turned out some bangers, Sophie’s Cosmic Café still wins for burger of the year. check out my past review for more

Overrated – Fat Burger – the first time I went to this place I was seriously let down; basic burger that’s supposed to taste like heaven, but rather than a feeling of elation, the burger left me feeling like Michael Douglas in falling down, screwed over. The first time around, I though it may have been a one off; but then I went back again to give it another chance only to discover that the fat isn't all that.

just give the man a good burger, is that too much to ask?

star wars X adidas! i loves you vol 2

yeah, this ad is everywhere on the interweb but i still had to hype it as well. Nan sent it over to me and i freaked when i heard the imperial march break beat mix. sick!

Best/ Worst of o nine - vol 1 - movies -

I was gonna put my whole best/worst of 2009 list together, but it'll just take too long, so decided to break it up into parts.
Part One - Movies
Best Movie – District 9, seriously – check out my review here to see why
Worst Movie – Transformers 2 – c’mon, this was one of the worst movies ever. Sure seeing Megan Fox run around all sweaty is entertaining, but it was just too much cheese for me. Air brushing a motorcycle while chattin on the phone about breaking up with your boyfriend, gimme a break. Straight cheese

yeah, i know she's seriously good looking. but after 2 hours i was over it

busted!

One of the things I love about living in Vancouver is that it never gets overly cold, yeah it rains a lot. But the fact that you can take your bike out for a rip on January 3rd and not freeze to death is too good. So to make the most of the weather, I went through the checklist of things I would need to make the ride ultra sweet:
Gloves – check
Helmet – check
Balaclava – check
Jacket – check
Insurance – didn’t check
15 minutes into the ride I get pulled over (by 2 cop cars) and get reminded that my insurance had expired = the bike gets parked on the side of the road until a tow truck can pick it up. Luckily the police lady chose to cut me a break and didn’t give me the $600 ticket for no insurance.

Good times!