bmxmom
Mar 15 2007, 05:42 PM
good times timo
2FRESH
Mar 15 2007, 05:57 PM
We did a trip to the canoe shack the other day to enjoy the sun for a change and as you can guess, took some photos..

This is Kapo, the mighty "guard dog" on our way to the shack passing the dry dock keeper's house/property. Not much aggressive huh? As far back as i can remember Kapo is the third dog the owner has had. The first was called Rekku Raakalainen for "Rekku the Barbarian". Kapo could be translated into "Captain" what he truly is.

I've created my own motto that the quicker you get rid of any ice, the sooner the summer will arrive. Here just obliterating the evil ice with an iron bar. This is pure aggro! GRRRRR!!

Some scenery from the shack.

Artistic view of the power lines.

We found an old mirror from one of the trash cans at the shack. The mirror was beat up. The back of it with thick card board had water damage and the layers of paint on the frame had crackled, nails keeping the back in place were rusty etc. Just the kind of item you normally woldn't pay much attention, but leave it on the bin.
On the back we found some writing that we couldn't read at first, but soon found out there was the year "1956" written with pencil and words "VIISKULMA - SAUNA" with a name "ERKKI SALMELA" ..whoever he is/was.
So with this information we came to the conclusion that the mirror's been in some sauna's dressing room at Viiskulma area which is nearby downtown in one of the buildings, an area which has mostly old buildings from the early 1900's, 20s 30s etc. I am always fascinated finding old stuff like this, cause it's a frozen moment in time from many years ago, when TV was black and white, when men wore hats and movies were a bit "funny". I'm keepin it as is cause that's the real beauty of it, all browned up, crackled with its silvering on the glass just rippling off in pieces and an old piece of gray string for hanging it on the wall. If only we could see some of the images it has reflected back. Atleast now there's one for the collection.

"Ok, you can stop taking them photos of me thru the mirror alright."

A forgotten/hidden piece of mosaic at the sides on an entrance of one of the old hospitals. This has once been an entrance to the hospital but has been since transformed into a wall with windows with small trees in fornt covering two old art pieces. Shame to the no-brainers who are responsible for covering them.
There's plenty of sort of melancholic symbolism in these figures, i haven't quite got yet the "message" of what's going on in there. Obviously there's a man and a woman with child on the left so this is the "young couple". The man has some wheat, oat (or rye for rye bread to go with sausage soup!!) in his arms like like hed just came home from the acres. He's looking to the other side with fearful eyes, is there a good reason for it? Now the woman holds a nice blue flower but doesn' seem any more happy and she's looking at the baby more less strangely. Almost as if she's going to scare the living crap out of the child at any time. The child on the other hand seems well built for his age judging by the bulky back of his, and has a white hair and no clothes on. Why? Both of the "parents" wear slippers which are extremely bad choice for northern winter. Also, the "parents" seem to be about 3 meters tall, which by the way, is an average height for us scandinavians. The older we get, the taller we grow. So now you know.

The right side of the entrance with the "older couple". I've been scratching my head trying to figure out what on earth the man is holding in his hand?? Is that a pipe of some sort or what symbolising that all old men smoke pipe? Or, is it a hearing aid ..device? The woman seems to be holding a flute but why isn't she playing it then and why does the man look like he could care less, or doesn't he? Does the man have the hearing aid BECAUSE the "wife's" been playing too much of the flute with high volume and now he's half deaf?
I'm slowly starting to realize now why these pieces are hidden, because nobody understands them or there's too much room for vague interpretations. But they're brilliant pieces of art, none the less that should be out in front where everybody sees them!
Thanks for your time, good nite.
-Timo
Kurt.
Mar 16 2007, 01:31 AM
Great pics Timo - I'm pleased the weather is picking up.
Your new pink highlights look great on your bike too. Nice bit of dye work.
Bizarre northern european artwork - look a bit like they're 50's style. The hidden symbolism escapes me I'm afraid...
Daniel W
Mar 16 2007, 05:41 AM
Great update as usual Timo.
For the last picture I got a half-serious guess. I think he is s doctor and she is a midwife. She’s holding a yard-stick for measuring the baby and he is holding a funnel-shape listening device, that some times I still used
today . And the two little butterflies are children approaching (pink for girl and blue for boy).
My guess woluld be it’s from the 30’s. You know when the hospital was built Timo?
2FRESH
Mar 17 2007, 03:33 AM
Daniel, makes perfect sense with the stick yard, ehm yard stick and the funnel. Good job interpreting the symbolism & facts! I should've figured that out cause it's quite obvious theme for - a hospital.
That mosaic piece was made by finnish artist Eino Kauria (1903 -1997) in 1935, so i'd assume that's the year the hospital was built. I am amazed there isn't any indication anywhere over the internet about the Kivelä hospital with that particular mosaic piece.
2FRESH
Mar 17 2007, 07:18 AM
Photos again -been taking a lot of them in the past week. I guess it's the spring.
While i was shooting the pics of the chrome GT i realized once again how simple, everyday things can sometimes make you very happy. Especially if you're experiencing the tougher times in your life.
This is my idea of bliss. Nothing fancy or spectacular, just few favorite magazines, a cup of hot chocolate mixed with instant coffee and milk. Add a warm, late afternoon moment with glittering yellow sunshine at the shack and you're all set.
[ March 17, 2007, 09:21 AM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
bmxmom
Mar 18 2007, 03:20 AM
mmm hot chocolate... i am having some right now too.
Kurt.
Apr 7 2007, 02:06 AM
Hey Timo,
What's happening with the weather and riding?
Thought I'd add a pic of another Finnish breakfast too!!!
bmxmom
Apr 7 2007, 03:46 AM
since it is breakfast, shouldn't you be having some orange juice with that?
Kurt.
Apr 7 2007, 02:12 PM
LOL Mom! Tried it today. Had a strange effect on me. Think I'll stick to the Weet Bix!!
2FRESH
Apr 10 2007, 01:36 PM
Kurt, haha!! What can i say.. take it easy dude. It's weird to seeing your own post at someone else's post with a photo of your post. Psykodelic experience, especially wieving half of it thru the vodka bottle. lol!
A week ago it was the first riding session in t-shirt but now... it's all cold again. Should warm up towards the weekend though. Thumbs up!
We spent last week at eastern Finland again, at Möhkö. It was still winter up there (600 kilometers north-east from Helsinki), temperature dropped waay below zero every night and it was snowing almost everyday in between some sunshine. Felt as if we had travelled back in time about two months. Anyway, we (me & wife) had great time as usual. Breaking some ice at the river banks with iron bar, hot chocolate, baking traditional Karelian food, sleeping late (in total silence) and just relaxing. Some highlights from the trip:
On our way in the train, in the middle of nowhere.

Logs.

This is what we ate when we arrived. Hot from the oven, traditional Karelian pies made of rye crust with cooked rice inside, usually served with boiled mashed eggs mixed with butter. Best with cold milk. No wonder we finns have high count of heart & blood diseases because of high choloesterol in our traditional foods but couple of these yummies every now then won't hurt anyone.

"Under the bridge".

Exploring the nature in rubber boots.

An early bug.

Most of time during the week, it looked like this. We named this photo "The river of death" because of the black appearance of the lake water, although it's very clean even drinkable when boiled.

Tree horror.
2FRESH
Apr 10 2007, 01:49 PM
Pile of traditional "Vatruska's" which are made of potato based dough with cooked rise/mushrooms inside them.

Yours truly goofing around with a hat.

There's nothing like cup of hot chocolate outdoors.

Scenery, the old river boat "Manta" turned-into-café.

Oinassalmi bridge. It was freezing and soon after we got back, the weather turned into a blizzard.

Spending time in the snow with wife's two nieces, age 5 & 2.

Heading back home, Joensuu trainstation scenery.

It's fun to get away every now then, but it's also great to come back home.
-Timo
Kurt.
Apr 10 2007, 02:33 PM
Hey great pics Timo. The only snow we get here in Tasmania is on the mountains in mid-late Winter - looks cooold there!
Was that "river of death" frozen or running?
[ April 10, 2007, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Kurt. ]
2FRESH
Apr 10 2007, 02:42 PM
It was running, slooow. That's why it was creepy.
bmxmom
Apr 11 2007, 01:34 AM
speaking of creepy... what the heck were you doing to that tree in the "tree horror" pic?
bmxmom
Apr 11 2007, 01:44 AM
hey what else is in those vatruskas? they sound good.
Jarvi
Apr 11 2007, 05:56 AM
Great photos once again and I'm with bmxmom. What were you doing in the tree?
Just to show you what it is like in the bottom half of the world, here's a photo from a ride today. Hope it doesn't make 2fresh 2jealous. It was taken just near the Port Melbourne pier. A 2 hour ride along the beach was a great way to spend the morning followed by lunch consisting of fish and chips. Sorry, forgot to take a photo of the food.
bmxmom
Apr 11 2007, 06:54 AM
what?! no food pics!
bmxmom
Apr 11 2007, 06:58 AM
oh and whatever questionable activity timo has going there looks like it would get the tree huggers round these parts up in arms or maybe branches...
2FRESH
Apr 11 2007, 10:37 AM
Okay, lol! it seems the "tree horror" pic got more attention than it really deserved. For the record, i was just climbing the thing (nothing creepy going on) with sketchy grip on them size 45 rubber boots. You know, as a born urban city boy i am always fascinated climbing a tree. Even at 33.
Jarvi, don't worry, i'm not jealous ..yet, lol. But if you would've showed that pic three months ago... The comforting thing is, those warm and sunny days are just around the corner for us too, in fact this weekend should be the warmest so far and it's getting better all the time! Hey did you know your screen name Jarvi is very close to a finnish word "Järvi" for "lake". Cool huh?
Dani, about the vatruskas, here's the how-to:
TRADITIONAL KARELIAN "VATRUSKAS"Crust:ca. 800 grams potatos
1 desiliter wheat flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
Filling: 5 desiliters of cooked rice
1 desiliter melt butter/margarin
½ teaspoon of salt
Mix the smelt butter/margarin and salt with the cooked rice.
Alternatively, if you want to make real old school, traditional vintage vatruskas use barley flake (with mushrooms) filling instead of rice. Way back when these pies were first invented, there was no rice available. People used whatever was available locally, very basic ingredients like mushrooms etc. There's probaly as many variation of the vatruska as there's people making them. It's like pizza, you can add (almost) anything you want.
Preparation:Boil the potatos and mash them. Let them chill out.
Add flour, egg and salt to form a dough. Cut the dough into about 14 to 15 pieces and tap them flat and round about 4" diameter across.
Put some of the filling in the middle and fold the cust over to form a "half moon". Carefully seal the edge of the pie using fingers.
Bake in 250 degrees (Celsius) for ~15 minutes (or until the surface is nice and brown). Finally, brush with smelt butter for looks and taste. Serve hot/warm.
Yours truly making Karelian rye crust pies (not vatruskas) under strict supervision.

-T
[ April 11, 2007, 12:39 PM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
2FRESH
Apr 12 2007, 01:47 AM
From time to time i bump into english words that are written exactly like some of the finnish words but obviously, with completely different meaning.
Few examples.
To give "kudos" say for a well built bike or whatever is cool. Giving "kudos" here in finland you could be in a hospital somewhere in the skin disease dept. donating living human tissue, which in it's own right is "cool" too.
Another one of my favorite trans-words is "alas" when someone is sort of "regretting" something. Here "alas" means you're laying down and object on to a surface or that you are "on your way down" to somewhere ("alas") say, to the basement or first floor, in an elevator going down etc.
Pave, has nothing to do with pavement either cause it's just a common nickname for a finnish man's name "Paavo".
Translating english bike/parts names into finnish is always good fun cause it stretches the word twice, sometimes even three times longer than the original and, they commonly sound very, very stupid in finnish. Examples, here's how some most the common bike models would look when written in finnish. Some/most of them make absolutely no sense, just different words laid out where some of them are very funny indeed.
GT Pro Freestyle Tour Team = "Ammatilais vapaatyylikiertue joukko" (nonsense)
General Osborn Pro = "kenraali Osborn, Ammattilainen" (general Osborn from the military ..and he's a pro by the way)
Skyway Street Beat = "Taivastie, Kadun Syke" (words)
Skyway Street Styler = "Taivastie, Katu Tyylittelijä" (words)
Skyway Street Scene = "Taivastie, Katunäkymä" (words)
Ozone Method:Air/Method:One = "Otsooni Ilmatyyli/Otsooni Ensimmäinen tyyli" (completely dilusional names, just words)
Peregrine High Performance B1 = "Pöllö/Haukka Korkealaatuinen B1" (words, completely out of context)
GT Vertigo = "huimaus" or "korkeanpaikan kammo"
Hutch Trick Star = "Lipasto, Temppu Tähti" (sounds like a name for a male/female porn star or a very suggestive name for every day furniture)
Boss Competition Freestyler = "Johtaja Kilpailu vapaatyylittelijä" (CEO who's lost his grip of managing the employees)
General Hustler Pro = "Kenraali Katupoika/Katudiileri, Ammattilainen" (he's a Hustler and, he's a pro)
General Blood Pro = "kenraali Veri Ammattilainen" (warped boss of red cross at the blood donations dept)
Standard Shorty = "Vakio, Pätkä" (words)
Basic (bikes) Small Town Hick = "Perus Pyörät, Pienen kaupungin hikka" (imagine a small town where everyone has a hick-up at the same time)
Parts etc.
Odyssey Flying Wedge bars= "Seikkailu Lentävä Kiila tanko" (...LOL! Oh my god... i am cracking up here while writing these, hahaha!! These names are so far out that it's killing me! When translated, they sound like the guy that came up with these names was a crack head lunatic. Odyssey had some of the most dilusional names, especially when translated)
Odyssey System 2001 = "Seikkailu Systeemi 2001" (sounds like a video game for kids)
Skyway E-Z bar = "Taivastie Hel-Posti tanko" (playing with letters forming words like "E-Z" for "easy" doesn't work in finnish language at all)
Boss "step ladder" freestyle bars = "johtaja Tikapuun vapaatyylin tanko" (mr. Step Ladder, who's a boss by the way and has invented "a bar", or more like a pole with multiple purposes)
Odyssey Leading Edge (seat) = "Seikkailu, johtava, reuna" (just words)
Odyssey Pitbull = "Seikkailu, Härkä"
Suntour freecoaster = "Aurinkokiertue, vapaalaskija" (ask for these and they will think you're either drunk or insane. Or, maybe you're part of freestyle skiing team and you're currently on Sun Tour, 2007)
ACS Gripper = "Amerikan Pyörä Systeemin tarttuja"
(Tioga etc.) Bear-trap headset = "karhun ansa pääsarja"
(Tioga etc.) Bear-trap Bottom bracket = "karhun ansa ala-sarja" ..if you'd go to a local bike shop asking either the headset or bb with this description, the seller would probably call the men in white coats. "Kid, go to the hunting store across the street. This is a bike shop.". Goes for most other parts described here too. "Excuse me, do you have "Seikkailu Lentävä Kiila" bars or some "Lipasto Korkean-kaliiperin temppu huippu" seats by any chance?" "-Dude, Just say no."
Hutch Hi-caliber Trick Top (seat) = "Lipasto, Korkean-kaliiperin temppu huippu" (words, LOL!)
(Tioga) Crazy chain = "Hullu-ketju" "Hi, what's the craziest chain you got? Well, depends how crazy you want? We have semi-crazy, slightly crazier and totally nuts, which one you'd like?"
More later.
My stomach hurts.
-T
[ April 12, 2007, 04:24 AM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
2FRESH
Apr 14 2007, 02:40 AM
Haha! Well, i always knew i had weird sense of humour laughing at my own jokes and stories but it's all good.
You know, they paved this ball court last fall, i call it the "graveyard flat" cause it's located next to one. This is how it used to look. Painted concrete, great for peg-slides like in this picture but now it's just black asphalt and, i'm not sure really if it's any smoother than before.

Realized today my rear tire is worn out so that the old Kool Stop "Tire Guard" (between the tire bead and tube) is about to pop out in couple spots, not good. I hate riding with mismatch spare tires but i guess i have no choice and i'll wear out the spares cause i want to get rid of them.
Also broke my back the other day -doing what else than- turning heavy rocks for the stone wall/fence, remember that project? Took me a while to get up from bed this morning again, not good. However, i am still determined to go riding today, i'm not going to miss any of the good weather this weekend.
My new top secret bike resto project is coming together bit by bit. For now, i can tell it's gone thru an oxalic acid dip and it's very, very special build for me, maybe THE MOST special out of all bikes i've done so far.
Here's a teaser he he

And another one, woops... wrong pic

..but it's

Later,
-Timo
Kurt.
Apr 14 2007, 03:11 AM
Cool Timo. You crack me up!
bmxmom
Apr 14 2007, 03:29 AM
didn't see your previous post until now. reading through that made me wonder if you have been breathing some fumes and then i saw the next post and that was pretty much confirmed. or maybe you had a day without hot chocolate...
2FRESH
Apr 28 2007, 01:24 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now the time... for some new photos. Skateboarding photos that is.
Went skating yesterday with a friend to the local park ("park" as in trees, grass, flowers, plants and birds) with a shallow pool complex that's empty till early may or so. The first session this spring. We've been meaning to go there in the past few years but never made it in time. Now we did and it was fun! The last time i've been skating there was sometime in the late 80's and i don't have a single photo of me skating there. Now i do thanks to my skatebuddy Jussi who took the pics.
The place is nicknamed "Ankkis" for "Ankkalampi" meaning a pond with ducks. It's a classic/cult skatespot with history from the 80's but now that there's this fancy-*ss concrete skatepark "Micropolis" nearby there's almost noboy skating at the Ankkis anymore except for some longboarders etc. Which is great for old timers like us so atleast we can break our fragile bones in privacy and do all our embarrassing moves we also like call as "tricks". The pools will be filled again with water any day now, usally before the middle of may. So if you want to go there you need to act fast.
Here's some of the highlights from yesterday. I know there are people who also skate and/or have a history in skateboarding so for those and for everybody else, enjoy! We did!

Here's Jussi finishing his signature backside carve/slide.

Here's my version of a frontside slide/carve.

And another one. You got to love the facial expression on both, lol!

Here i'm boosting off a Boneless one. My favorite trick to date.

Jumping in to a tailtap type Boneless on to a stone block snatched somewhere by some skaters. It certainly didn't belong there. Those darn kids, they have no respect, skateboarding inside empty pools and all, jumping like wildmen.. where's this world coming to?

..and landing one.
I must say now my feet hurt after the 5 hour session including cruising around Helsinki coast but it was well worth it!
The top-secret bike project is coming along great. It will be finished in the next few weeks or as soon as i get the handlebar pad to match the numberplate. Oops.. said too much.
The goose says "stay tuned"

-Timo
[ April 28, 2007, 03:29 AM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
COASTY
Apr 28 2007, 02:28 AM
Very cool Timo. I am an old skater myself. Not too good now though. Looks like you guys had a good time. That pond looks like a lot of fun.
Nice goose too! lol
Cheers mate
bmxmom
Apr 28 2007, 05:12 AM
looks like it was a good day in helsinki
2FRESH
Apr 28 2007, 05:29 AM
Indeed, it was an excellent day for both weather and and generally. So far it was the warmest day but it's getting colder towards the 1st of may aka "may day" which is one of those notorious days when finns tend to drink exaggerated amounts of alcohol.
We're probably going to go downtown on that day to watch the tradition of an old fountain with female statue (aka "Havis Amanda") getting her hat at 18:00, just like she does every year. It's like a new year, once it's 6 o clock there's champagne corks flying like fireworks and that's only the beginning.. For any tourists in town it must be one of those days when they're probly thinking "zeesh.. if we would've known.." or maybe not who knows.
T
2FRESH
May 1 2007, 08:08 AM
First of may eve aka labour day and the festivities are behind.
I stayed home all day cause i had fever and stomach flu. Sucked. It's also now as cold as if it's late february!? Traditionally the "summer time" starts from 1st of may.
Today i felt much better so we went out to take couple pedals and see all the people and what's up at downtown after the festivites. Here's some photos.

A typical 1st of may "after the party" scene in Helsinki. Lots of families enjoying the sunny afternoon, hardcore party animals (students) curing their last nite hangover by drinking some more etc. That's high school/university graduates wearing all those white caps.

Looks a lot warmer than it really was. If you look close you can see the statue on top of the man passing by in a gray coat.
On completely another subject, i recently purchased a set of 1pc cranks from german mailorder shop. I got them in a-ok shape but it made me wonder cause this is how they arrived:

The hole was big enough so that the cranks could've easily dropped out of the box during transit. Fortunately they didn't. Now WHEN are people going to learn the basics on how to pack stuff?? We're not talking about rocket science. Unbelievable.
Had to replace the rear tire on my Ground Master rider the other week. Flatland is surprisingly rough on tires. I've always thought the tires are terrible waste of good material. If you stop and think about it, it's always the sidewalls and well over 50-60% of the actual riding surface that's in touch with ground that stays almost intact. So once the riding surface wears down the tire becomes useless. It's crazy.

Click
Here to view glitterin', blingin' 95's if you are bored and/or have too much spare time at work/home reading this.
-Timo
[ May 01, 2007, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
2FRESH
May 10 2007, 02:36 PM
There's one topic name in particular here on worldwide that catches my attention and cracks me up every time i see it. That's the "ebay mooses". Now i know it's about "Moose" but to me that's plain finnish saying "Ebay Moses".
Imagine, "the Moses of ebay", all we're missing is "Ebay Jesus". I'm sure those guys would have 110% positive feedback whether sellers/buyers. No offense.
bmxmom
May 12 2007, 02:29 AM
lol timo!
2FRESH
May 12 2007, 05:47 PM
For my Mother.
-After the rain there's always the sun-

Love your Mom cause She's the only one you will ever have. Happy Mother's day everybody, you too Dani!
-Timo
bmxmom
May 12 2007, 06:02 PM
thanks timo!
2FRESH
May 19 2007, 01:16 AM
New skateboarding photos from yesterday! Went skating again with my buddy Jussi, this has turned into our weekly friday routine by now. We did a huge trip around Helsinki nearby areas including scrap yards and wastelands etc. searching for "cool" stuff, and skating whatever comes our way, lol
At the end of our trip, around 10 PM we found this spot under a bridge with approx 40 degree walls each side. We had a session there just carving and stylin'. Basic stuff really but sometimes less is more (ehm.. in our scale & skills that's pretty much the case every time, lol)

-Timo
bmxmom
May 19 2007, 01:28 AM
so what cool stuff did you score?
2FRESH
May 21 2007, 04:12 AM
woops, double post.
[ May 21, 2007, 06:14 AM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
2FRESH
May 21 2007, 04:13 AM
There was all kinds of "cool" junk but we would've really needed a van to pick something up, afterall we had just our boards and i'd then soon need a warehouse or loft apt for all that stuff. Let's see a yellow "Wide Load" truck sign, a wooden carriage for small boxes/cargo with forged iron gussets, iron wheels etc. made probly in the 40's or 50s that would've easily sold for guessing 100-200 on some antique/2nd hand/collectors shop, now rotting away at the scrapyard. Shame. A broken cassette deck, a squashed amplifier, set of Sonab (of Sweden) hi-fi speakers etc. And the usual bunch of car carcasses, construction site machinery, lonely men driving around alone in their cars looking like mobsters, money laundry, hidden bodies in the trunk etc. LOL
If they're ever building apartments in the area, they really need to clean up the soil.
bmxmom
May 22 2007, 04:41 AM
sounds like a great place to take the kids
2FRESH
May 23 2007, 05:09 PM
Sure.
Time for some new riding photos! This time on my Skyway personal replica, the first new photos in what.. 15 years?! Wow, years fly..
So today i took the first spins on my white Street Beat which was completed in the middle of winter. Last time i did any tricks on it was in 1992 and i always loved how the bike felt. It's lightweight, compact size for flatland and the overallclassic looks are killer! The feeling hasn't gone anywhere, the bike felt just as good today as it did 15 years ago. Talking about flashback nostalgia. My "mission" for this summer is to visit the old bike shop (not in business anymore) and particularly, the underground garage we used to ride and spend so much time at and to take some nostalgic photos there of the bike and if possible some riding shots too. IF i manage to get in that is. Anyway, looking forward to it, there's so many great memories of that place with the bike associated.
But meanwhile here's some of the best new photos from today. Again, i was working with a self timer on the camera, so to get few decent ones, i had to take many many photos. It was sunny and warm, and i think the summer time is here. Finally. Let's play "then & now" for comparison. Atleast I am always fascinated by these, don't know about you guys.
Quick reminder from 1992:

And here we are, back in 2007.

Summer of 1992, Stick-B at Kauniainen train station.

Stick-B, today at the swimming stadium's ball court.

Hang 5'n at THE garage in nov/dec 1992...

..and still rolling in 2007, now that has to be world record in longest rolling hang five ever made, don't you think!

Tall and skinny poser.

Thanks again for dropping in!
-Timo
bmxmom
May 23 2007, 05:55 PM
15 years?!?!?! the poor thing must have been so happy to get out and play
2FRESH
May 24 2007, 11:02 AM
I think so too! It handled sooo nicley.
It felt weird though at first, but i got used to pretty fast as it is quite different than my #1 rider, the Ground Master. Way different angles and measures and beacuse the Street Beat is very lightweight bike as a whole, it responds even to the smallest move very quickly. I haven't weighed it yet, but am guessing it must be atleast 1-2 kilos lighter than the Ground Master.
-T
2FRESH
May 24 2007, 03:59 PM
Oh yeah, the latest addition to the bike. A used Skyway Grabber seat that had slightly warped rails but after some repairing it is almost like new! Missing the ummm... "extender" on the front but who needs it anyway. I might make a handle of some sort under the nose for more comfortable grip but we'll see..
2FRESH
May 25 2007, 03:04 PM
OK. I had spare time, it was nice weather, and i am bored so here's new photos of Skyway and Me again, this time sporting the new "L.A. Rams" cap i found from a construction site the other day (don't worry i washed it even though it was basically brand new). I guess some kids had grabbed it and ditched it, cause it had a tiny hole on the side, exactly where they usually put the alarm tag in the stores and shops. Damn kids.

Infinity rolling or whatever this is called, brain lock this night i guess. Looking focused.

Halfpacking. You know i had to take atleast 20-25 trys before i hit even this close to a good photo. Sometimes i just wish there was ½-minute timer with multiple shots option. See, the Grabber seat is perfect for these and many other tricks too!

Halfpacking #2. Not the best angle really, in fact the worst cause there's no depth in the photo because of the poor posture, but one of those few rare shots that turned ok. Looking focused again.

Now this was tricky. Instead of landscape view i tried portrait and couple shots came out ok. It was difficult to get close enough to the camera AND get the timing right while at it. Honestly it was nearly impossible but eventually i nailed this one. Lurking directly to the camera to see whether there was a flash or not.

Rolling a Backyard one footed. Even though the image got cropped quite a bit i like the posture. Just wishing i had a fish-eye lens one day. Would make things a little easier and open up a whole new world in taking photos.
Now i'm getting more and more used to the "new" rider day by day. During these first rides, there's always something that will come loose no matter how many times you check and double checked everything. When i got home i realized the other rear brake pad was loose, in fact it almost fell off on the way! ..no wonder the brake felt weird and kept funny noise. Beyond that the bike works great but i think i will have to retire the old Peregrine tires if i'm going to ride the this much, they're simply too precious for daily riding these days and therey're almost slicks already when i put them on.
-T
[ May 25, 2007, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: 2FRESH ]
2FRESH
Jun 1 2007, 04:16 PM
Boys and girls, now it's
officially summer!
WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!Summer is cool but how cool exactly is it?
It's so cool that i don't even mind about the hole in my Pumas while f-f-f-f-freestylin'!

It's so cool that i added some old grip tape on to the platform tubes that matches with the brake pads and the front brake cable!

It's so cool that i even added some of it to the forks so that i could do this poorly stretched Windsurfer, just for you guys!

It's so cool that it made me perform these one handed Funky chickens while wearing a cheesy but oh so lovely 80's t-shirt i like to call
"passion - together" saved from a fleamarket!

It's so cool that i didn't mind doing these highly abrasive sliders on my vintage Peregrine tires and with just one hand! One hand! CAn you believe thAt!?

It's so cool that i want to post this photo from 1992 in which i'm doing a no-handed Crackpacker sporting full Hammer leg protection, way too short Hammer shorts, a Pop Swatch, and a Bart Simpson t-shirt saying "peace man" and riding what else than, MY STREET BEAT with custom 71's!

And finally, it's so cool that i'll challenge you to guess where i am in this photo of our "posse" at the bike expo in '92?

Thanks for bearing with me. Now turn off the computer and go ride!
-Timo
Jarvi
Jun 1 2007, 04:35 PM
But Timo it's getting too cold to ride here in Melbourne. Offically the second day of winter here and I'm depressed already. Actually, the rain is a welcome sight after some extreme dry periods so I can't complain too much.
You shouldn't be so critical of your photos. Many people wouldn't even realise you were doing it yourself with a timer. Perhaps you could always added captions like, "Riding by 2FRESH, photo by Timo", just to confuse them. As usual, great photos.
By the way, what is the t-shirt in the last set of photos? Is it a scene from a film or something?
2FRESH
Jun 4 2007, 01:30 PM
Hey Jarvi, sorry to hear about your winter I still claim it's far better than ours!
As for opposite, we're melting here. +27 for tomorrow, clear sky and THAT will be hot in our scale. We, who are used to chilly weather all year around that's toasting hot! There's a saying which describes best the average finnish summer, it goes: "a summer with less snow than usual".
As for the shirt in above pics. Not a screen from any film (that i know of) it's probly just a generic "youth graphics" you know, 80's fashion, Levi's jeans etc. etc.
Had tuff luck in the past days. First, bailed on my Carraro riding too fast to a sharp turn. Knobbies and asphalt = no traction. And as usual, crowd watching. Oh well.
Secondly, crashed today with a road biker. We were pedaling to meet the folks, on our way on a street with bike path, there's a young man and a woman pedaling ahead of us. The woman is pedaling soooo sloooow despite the fancy bike, the guy is on a stripped Bianchi road bike.
After a cross section i decided to pass the woman as she's soooo annoyingly slow and increase my speed. On the other side of the street where there's a bike shop the guy suddenly brakes hard and decides to check out the bike shop, WITHOUT LOOKING TO HIS LEFT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYONE COMING! damn it! I notice this but have too much speed already and not enough time to pass him on the right and KA-Booom!!
..i hit his rear wheel with my front right peg, my bike instantly catapults me forward over the bars but fortunately, i am so used to going over the bars during my flatland riding sessions that as a reflex i jump over the bars unharmed and my bike just stumbles on the ground (Street Beat) by itself.
The guy is not hurt either as he already had put his feet/foot on the ground. I turn around, take few steps back to pick up my bike and to see if there's any damage. None except the Pitbull brake was off-centered. But the guy's Bianchi's rear wheel isn't looking so good.. in fact it is destroyed from the impact due to my front right peg hitting it full speed. I mean the wheel was warped beyond help, there is no way to true the wheel back again after a damage like that.
For a short moment i felt sorry for the guy's wheel, and with slower speed this incident might have been avoided. Luckily no one got hurt, but on the other hand he was the one that decided to brake and turn left in front of me without any notice or even a quick look over his shoulder. The guy was pi55ed i could see that. I didn't say a word, just shook my head in disbelief for being involved in such a stupid stupid incident. The "good" thing is, almost like bad karma, all this took place in front of a bike shop.
We took off, and i was pi55ed aswell for the rest of the journey because of such unnecessary, stupid incident. I have no idea what the guy did after it. I didn't stay there to find out. GOD DAMMIT!! WATCH over your shoulder next time!
What a crap day.
Logging off at 22:31
T
2FRESH
Jun 7 2007, 04:25 PM
It amazes me sometimes what all people throw away..
Picked this baby up today from a garbage load at down town:

Approximately mid-80's Philips TR 3843 "Super Tandem" dual tape boom-box with tuner. Wow. There it was, sitting on the side with broken toilet bowl, some scrapped wires etc. The load was outside an old building which they're renovating, looks like everything "old" finally had to go. What was the saying again.. "One man's garbage - other man's treasure".
It was missing the removable power supply chrod but i went to the local radio/electronics shop and got a new one. It is also missing the original lid for the battery case at the back but that isn't a problem, cause i wasn't expecting it to be perfect either. The box also works with 9V adaptor which is a cool bonus. There's 2-way speakers and fancy titled hi-tech features such as "OTR" for "One Touch Recording" and individual L & R sliders for volume level. And like that wouldn't be enough, there's tone control slider for hi & low and "Spatial Stereo Sound" for that wider stereo experience. On the back there's RCA jacks for getting sound in and out and on the front a full size headphones jack. Oh, and a numeric counter with a reset button. Way cool. Almost TOO cool.
It appears to have come with a shoulder strap too for carrying it around but obviously that's long gone, however it shouldn't be too difficult to make my own.
When we got home i cleaned the tape heads and the capstans and all the dirt & dust from the years gone by and polished that plastic box with some car silicone to get it shiny. I've been wanting an 80's boom-box for long time to play all my cassettes and now i have one.
So, there we were, on our way to celebrate the wife's birthday at the beach with bbQ, passing thru the wednesday afternoon fleamarket with the blaster hanging on my backpack which was already heavy from all the food we had with us.
I must say i wish i would've had some batteries and a tape with LL Cool J's "Can't live without my radio" playing loud while we were pedaling!

-Timo
2FRESH
Jun 9 2007, 09:28 AM
Topic: "Went skateboarding today"
Author: 2FRESH
Replies: Countless, praising
Views: Countless, The most popular thread of VBMX
So, we went skateboarding yesterday. Our "friday session" has become a habbit, a good one. On the road again with Jussi, here's some of the highlights. Don't laugh.

Went to check out the nearby parking building. Man it was dusty, i wonder if it's ev-r been cleaned during it's short history. The wheels appeared to be smokin'!

Speed carve.

Faster than bullet ..almost.

Front and backside turns at the banks.

Jussi with his fancy one footed pro variation.

"oh yeah?" take this, here's Ronnie James Dio at you sucka!

"Artistic" view.

"Do the twist" by the Fat Boys feat. Chubby Checker.
2FRESH
Jun 9 2007, 09:31 AM

Rock n roll at the gas station curbs. Perfect for my skills, or the lack of them.

This is called "I don't know either".
-Timo
bmxmom
Jun 9 2007, 03:14 PM
good stuff timo. you crack me up!
you and kati should come to the rock one of these years
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please
click here.