“Bike Chicago”

Has been an ongoing campaign here for years.

A great idea....except it needs to be tweaked to give bikers safe/convenient places to park their bikes – so as not to get them/or parts of them stolen.

When you walk down here you will see bikes locked to most anything and they are always in a state of undress – missing the front wheel, missing the seat, etc.

The missing parts, I would assume, taken along by the owners to prevent thievery....which, this morning, reminded me of a story.....

Years ago, while commuting home....a member of my posse “Cowboy” was telling us about how he and his family had purchased new bikes over the weekend and that he was going to be saving money, plus exercising at the same time by riding his bike to the train station every day.

He proudly boasted that he had ridden to the station that morning and went on to tell us all about his bike...the brand, the wheels and the nice seat that he purchased separately for it....

That is when we all got quiet and the conversation took a turn...

“Does that seat just snap in and out?” one of us asked.

“Yup.” Cowboy replied.

“Does it lock?” someone else asked.

“No.” he replied.

We watched his facial expression change....

“Do you think someone would steal it?” he inquired.

“YES!” we all said in unison.

As our train pulled into the station...we had our faces pressed against the windows...each of us trying to be the first to get a glimpse of Cowboy’s bike.

And there it was....safely locked up at the bike rack....seatless!

“Son-of-a-Bitch!” he said.

We, of course, being his good friends and all - could not stop laughing.

Our last image of Cowboy that day, which turned out to be his first and last day of riding his bike to the station...was him riding home, silhouetted against the summer sunset....swearing and cursing....all the while pedaling and standing.

hard landing