I got a new stereo player for my Jeep, 7" LED display with all the bells and whistles. I called the dealers and installers in the area and they were all busy till next week. I couldn't just stare at it all weekend, so I watched a few YouTube videos and installed it myself Outside of a small gash that's hard to notice near the window controls, its a solid job. Ripping out your dash is a scary though, since its held in with 4 screws and a bunch of plastic tabs.

People always complain about good things when they don't understand how to use it or can't afford it.

I really like how the latex tubes feel, and they're more comfortable and seemed to me that their pliancy improved handling and cornering a bit. I did flat on my second ride using them but the sidewall tear would've taken out a butyl tube all the same.

You can get em for like $13 on amazon.

Just like you complain all the time about your expensive bikes?

in my experience latex tubes flat less frequently than butyl tubes if inflated to the proper psi. i've always though that the drawback of using latex tubes for everyday use were 1) that i had to inflate tires before every ride (not a big deal) and 2) buying a bunch of them at $13 - 15/tube vs. $4 - $5/tube seemed spendy for a throwaway component.

I am included in "people"

edit: in my defense my expensive frame is defective and being warrantied!

If latex buys me a few watts than I'm all over it.

One thing I learned from triathlon is the aggregation of marginal gains works. Every little advantage isn't noticeable or important, but bunched together they become an advantage.

The bigger problem guys tend to run into is that I have a special crystal talisman that negates the aggregation of marginal gains. It renders the advantage of something like latex tubes to be nil. It's much cheaper also that the combination of all those parts and pieces.

What's wada's stance on talismen?

Or boy toys?

Young gsb is pretty ripped. Jersey Shore hasn't recovered from his departure.

Value is in the eye of the beholder. It's like asking "What's the best...".

I'm going back to latex tubes after a stint with light butyl, with the caveat that I primarily race on tubulars. These are for training and some racing, like when I have to fly to the venue. They do ride much nicer than butyl at a given pressure. They will compliment the wide wheels and tires nicely. FYI Ribble has Vittoria 25mm RVC latex tubes on sale for $8.66 each. I just bought a half dozen.

The main reason I switched was that I could not find latex tubes with long stems or RVC at the time, so I bought a case of butyl which lasted quite a while.

I'm going to latex tubes for my "light" (they're around 1550g, so not real light) clincher wheels this season. I do plan on actually racing tubulars at least some of the time, but I figured I would give them a shot for when I'm clinchers. Which could be anywhere from occasionally to most of the time. Every little bit helps.

apartment hunting is the wurst

For now, summer sublet, or September?

Lemme sit you down and tell you about trying to buy a house.

Nah man, I hear you. If you're looking for something this spring and you like Allston/Brighton, I know a place you could check out .

sometimes you need a lot of bread to make it work

*and mustard

I would not enjoy that right now, the market is not in the favor of the renter... at least not here.

my lease is up in june. really trying to find a studio as I think I'd be a lot happier living alone. but so many places are out of my budget. considering moving further out of the city, closer to work to find something reasonable but not sure if i'd miss being close to the city (not that i really go out much). i really wanted to stay at my current place but my roommate flipped out at the landlord over something stupid and now they won't let us renew, lol.

^
Bummer. I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago when I broke up with my gf and moved out of her place.

I opted for something in a less fun area, but close to work (2.5 miles!). Even still, I end up paying about 31% of my monthly income on the rent for my 1-bedroom apartment, which doesn't leave me with a lot of money to spend after I take care of the bills (student loan payment, auto insurance, utilities, blah blah).

Having said that, living by yourself is expensive, but totally worth it if you can afford it. I am a social person by nature and don't enjoy spending recreational time alone (unless I'm riding of course), so it took some getting used to for me. Fortunately, I have a girlfriend that I spend a lot of time with and another hobby (playing Jazz) that keeps me occupied. These days, I cherish the time I spend alone in my apartment.

It's so nice to have everything clean and organized just the way I like. I've never had a problem getting along with roommates, but living by yourself and having everything your way adds a deeper level of relaxation and peacefulness than can be obtained with roommates.

Living alone was awesome, and while obviously it's great living with my wife, there are advantages that we both sometimes miss - she had her own place as well when we started going out. It did take some getting used to. But it's much harder in the Boston area. I was in Nashville when I had my own place, and I had a two bedroom apartment for literally half of what we're paying on a 1-bed now. That was unusually cheap even for Nashville, but still.

Moving further out will help a bit with rent, but demand is high everywhere. If you stay where you are now, you might be stuck with a studio. Not necessarily the end of the world if you don't have a ton of stuff, but it is nice to have separate rooms.

i've mostly been looking at studios. honestly, anything more than >$1350 or so would be too much for me, so it's tough

Yeah, I said that but heck you probably have to get a studio even in Watertown or something. I remember seeing some studios for maybe $1000-1200, but I wasn't looking in your neck of the woods, that's in Allston/Brighton.

so nobody likes the joke about "wurst"...

If you don't live in civilization, why don't you look for a job in the midwest instead?


Yeah, this. If mikey lives in the boonies he's going to turn into an even bigger hermit.

Watertown/malden/charlestown are good options.