More Bike Skeletons Spotted
No, I am not as yet obessed with dead bicycles, but I could become a sort of tour guide to the city's bike skeletons. Each rusted frame, each wheelless hulk, has as much a story behind it as those shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea, the only difference is that the bike's tale is probably about one person, maybe two, but that makes it all so much more personal. This was somebody's ride, somebody took this machine to work or to the park or went and got the groceries on it, then one day, somebody else stole the seat or the front wheel. That has to be a tough experience, don't you think? You come out of your building, ready to go and your bike's been messed up. What a way to start your morning. I can see the poor rider looking both ways down the street as if to spot the ratbastards in the distance, the wheel under their arm as they run. Then what? Do they touch the frame as if to reasure Ol' Betsey that everything's going to be all right, did they have to go back inside to tell their lover about the theft, or call the cell of the person they were supposed to meet and say they weren't coming, that someone had stolen their wheel. Was there a fight with the roommate who didn't get the chain on right so the thief could get the wheel off? Were there protests of innocence and recriminations?
Maybe just key to the kyptonite lock went missing, along with all the other keys to the apartment, and all the others could be re-made, the top lock, the bottom lock, the key to the front door, all the keys to the office, but not the key to the bike on the sidewalk, so it just got left for people to pick over and step around and watch slowly disappear.
That's what happens to dead bicycles, they slowly disappear. If I was going to be a bike skeleton spotter and guide, I know it would be frustrating work because as soon as you see a good example, almost a work of art like the twisted frame with rusted chain near 8th and 16th, someone spirits it away too. Okay, the super finally gets around to cutting the damned thing off the railing after it's been there two and half years, but I would hate to be the one who tries to take people to see these things and then find out they are gone.
There was a nice yellow one with fenders but no wheels or seat chained outside of Baruch College for the past four months. They took the pedals and bottom bracket about three weeks ago leaving the solid rust chain draped over the bike rack. A couple of days ago, as I was passing by, I saw the building's men working on cutting the rest free. There's just a little oil spot on the sidewalk there now.