Rattled by the Chains of NYC

I was immediately struck by the state of bikes left on the streets of New York.

It became almost startling to see anything remotely new locked up (Toronto's still not so bad as we think). I'd never really noticed the patina of frame-battering, hand-painting worn off, premature aging, the bare metal a blend of buff and rust.
I noted most bikes were dressed with the usual heavy chain I've only sold a few of here in Toronto, the New York Chain, AKA Fahgetabouddit, from Kryptonite. It's kind of chilling to see a frame in the process- or at the end- of being skeletonized. A certain ruthlessness of the urban ecology, if you will, prevails.
Hell, those big chains are a crippling weight; the medium duty chain and padlock I'd brought for my bike was a just tyke, but it must have worked. Long enough, in my case. The Ghost Bike, as he is now dubbed, came back from NYC with quite a few miles added for his working after-life. We'll be seeing more of him in the days to come. For now, here are some of the cycle slaves of New York.




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More to come,my dear velocipedians.
Be sweet to your machines.
D.W.