Profile Racing Fixed Hubs: 'Strong Enough For Fixed Freestyle'

Keeping my eye on the blogs and forums, I've recently noticed that more and more people talking about Profile Racing's new fixed hubs. Now I don't claim to know anything about the BMX scene but based on my limited research, it seems that Profile Racing is for BMX what Phil Wood is for the fixed gear, especially ever since Phil Wood's legendary BMX hubs are apparently sold only per special order anymore.

Basically, high-end hubs and other selected parts, all good lookin', probably super-reliable, and made in the good ol' US of A by a small-ish company who's been in the business for a long time. Today when 97% of all bike components seem to be made in Taiwan, this is kinda special.  

Or, is this just another BMX company jumping on the fixed gear bandwagon? There are plenty of those too but none them seem to have been very successful. 

Well, who cares because Profile Racing seems to be serious in what they're doing, there's a new website for their Fixed Gear venture and a 'Fixed Flow Team' of sponsored riders, guys known from Bootleg Sessions mainly, Keo, John Prolly, Tom LaMarche, SuperTed, Dustin Klein and so on. The best team any company has, because no other company (outside of the Japan) seems even to have a team, yet. 

But what about the hubs then?

"Profile Fixed Hubs are strong enough for fixed freestyle, light enough for the velodrome, and stylish enough to ride to the bar."

They look damn sturdy but are apparently much lighter than what you would expect (front 230g/rear 270g). Sealed bearings, of course. The axle nuts are the recessed hex bolt kind that thread into the hollow axle, just like in Phils. Standard choice of 28/32/36 holes. Fixed/free for now but soon also in fixed/fixed, and besides the normal 120mm width, you can get them also as 110mm or 130mm. And yes, they come in a number of lovely anodized colors. 

Only thing which I'm wondering about is the 44mm chainline but that extra 2mm probably doesn't make such a big difference anyway.

So are these hubs really the new Phils for the fixed gear tricks / freestyle generation? I don't know, time will show that, but I admit they look pretty damn convincing. Now If only I could afford them to try them out.