#tooteveryday — Public Fediverse posts

Slacked on my #TootEveryDay plan, whoops. Here's today's thought:
A lot of people advocate old used bicycles for everyday riding to save money and keep decent bikes out of the dump, but a lot of old bikes (in the USA) are not fit for purpose. The streets are dirty and bumpy and full of clueless drivers. You want something that can take a fat tire for the potholes, wide handlebars for quick control, and upright position so you can see clearly in front without straining your neck. Old road bikes are not this.
The best value for money in commuter and utility bikes has to be hardtail mountain bikes from the early 2000s. Right when disc brakes and 29-inch wheels were becoming the standard for mtb, but geometry was still pretty similar to street bikes.
Swap out the (old, tired, useless) suspension fork for a rigid fork (with plenty of tire clearance) swap the knobbies for 50 mm street tires, swap the bars for something with a little backsweep for wrist comfort.
You get a bike that has a comfortable upright riding position, disc brakes for stopping quickly in traffic, and fat tires for traction and comfort on wet, bumpy, dirty city streets, BUT is less tiring to ride than a pure mtb with energy-sucking suspension and knobby tires. It will also usually have a more practical gear range than most road, hybrid, or city bikes.
And to boot, it will still be decent on green trails and fire roads (non-technical mtb riding). Win-win-win.
Maybe I'm just biased though because I love mine... early model Kona Unit set up with 3×9 gearing, disc brakes, rigid fork, and diy "crazy bars".
#BikeTooter #Cycling #Bike #BikeCommuter

Day 2 of #TootEveryDay #PostEveryDay !!
I've been making slab-constructed mugs lately because I haven't had the spoons to clean up the pottery wheel. Slab pottery is a social activity because you can work at the same table as others and chat with people while working so that's nice sometimes. I also really enjoy the deceptive simplicity of slab construction- it's easy to understand and get started in, very hard to master. Edit: I don't have a slab roller or extruder- the only tools I use are my hands and a sharp wooden stick, so I'm doing this in hard mode- it's fun!
One of my favorite simple decoration techniques: paint contrast-colored slip or underglaze on the veiny side of a leaf and press onto finished but still wet piece. The leaf burns off in the bisque, and then you can apply a translucent glaze to make the texture really pop.
#pottery #CeramicArt