Rustcycles: Broad & Walnut

I happened upon this little guy on my lunch break the other day, as I was walking near the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets:

Kinda neat actually. Someone removed the shock absorber that connects to the rear seat stays, so the frame looks incredibly disfigured even though it's really only missing one part (here's what the bike should look like). Additionally, if you look closely, you'll see that there's a stray wheel locked to the same bike rack:

Yeesh. Someone did a number on that lock trying to crack it. I'm surprised the wheel is in as good a shape as it is. No way to tell if these were from the same bike, but I highly doubt it. Even though this is a fairly busy intersection, with (likely) 2 separate dismembered bikes on one rack, I DON'T RECOMMEND PARKING HERE!

Nice Rack: Kelly & Ferry

Whoa! 2 Nice Rack posts in a row!

I had to take a trek out to East Falls on Tuesday for work. Our plant in this area lies about 8 miles northwest of my house, approximately 4 times further away than my usual morning commute. Of course, I very easily could have taken a car, but you know me better than that by now...

Despite abundant sunshine, it wasn't the most pleasant day for riding in the early morning hours. I was forced to dress for temperatures in the low-40's Fahrenheit, unaware of just how windy conditions were outside at the time. I guess I should have assumed as much, as I'd be biking along the river for a good portion of the ride. It's always windy there. Always.

With this being the case, a little over halfway to my destination, I was already soaked in sweat from having to pedal aggressively against said wind. As I came up Kelly Drive and made a left in the final mile to head towards our plant, I paused to catch my breath and shed a layer of clothes. I knew I was close, but it had seriously gotten that bad that I couldn't stand it.

It just so happens that the bike-friendly restaurant In Riva sits at this corner, a place I'd stopped at awhile back. They were closed, but it was still a good place to stop for some bike-related scenery, including this neat looking (and highly functional) bike rack:

Wonder how many you could fit there...the decor also features several permanent Rustcycles. You can see one just behind the red rack:

Two for one. A look across the street also provides a nice view of the river and (at this time of the year) some colorful foliage:

Not a bad place to stop, and after shedding my overcoat, the last mile wasn't so bad. The ride home was also really nice with the wind at my back. No pain, no gain, right?

Rustcycles: 16th & South

Just down the street from the Wash Cycle Laundry center city laundromat, I found this unassuming yet extremely intriguing Rustcycle:

So what's the big deal? It's a rusty bike. But look closely, and you can see that it's got two different tires, one of which is definitely not suitable for this sort of frame. The lock is attached to the rear tire and one of the seat stays, but not both, and I'm not sure how (or why) you would do such a thing when locking up. And finally, check out the green pole back and to the right of the bike:

That's an old cable style bike lock that was PAINTED OVER quite some time ago. Not that anyone is really going around with a set of bolt cutters removing old locks, but still...it made me ask, "Really?"

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bikes and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 17th & South

The other day, I was across the street and not too far down the block from our Wash Cycle Laundry laundromat, near 17th & South Streets, when I spotted this somewhat bright Rustcycle hanging off a bike rack:

Literally, hanging. Overall, the frame isn't in bad shape. It just needs everything else.

Rustcycles: Strawberry & Market

In the midst of deliveries on Wednesday morning, I happened upon this guy near 2nd & Market in Old City:

There are various telltale signs that this bike has been here awhile, most notably the rust and the copious amounts of bird droppings on its front tire. Beyond that, the frame is in pretty good shape and it seems like most of the hardware would still be salvageable. The front tire is also potato-chipped, but it's tough to see here.

A side note, this appears near one of my favorite street signs in Philly, a favorite because it's nowhere near the street:

Simple pleasures. I need to come back to this neighborhood for First Friday again some time. It's been too long...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bikes and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 21st & Chestnut

I was riding on a busy stretch of Chestnut Street the other day when I spotted this:

The rear wheel is potato-chipped pretty badly and it's been stripped of its front wheel already, but the frame is actually in decent shape. I've always wondered why more people who've left their bikes abandoned don't come back later to unlock and salvage the remains.

Speaking of locks, I happened to notice this bike is attached with the same lock I own:

So I know my lock will work, which is good news I guess, but I actually hate that thing. It's got an ovular tube as opposed to circular. The simple geometric difference from my Kryptonite (that broke back in April) makes locking and unlocking much more difficult, but I guess that makes it tougher for criminals? Anyway, I'll make do for now.

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bikes and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: Broad & South

Also whilst walking to pick up my new ride on Saturday, I noticed this Rustcycle at the corner of Broad & South:

A sad sight to see at one of Philly's busiest intersections, and that pizza box makes it even worse...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bikes & locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia

Rustcycles: Lawrence & Girard

Lawrence & Girard...sounds kinda like a music duo, no?

On my unexpected excursion yesterday, I spotted a Rustcycle with some flora growing around/in it:

This guy happens to be right next to the bar I used to live above:

All the more reason why I NEVER locked my bike outside when I lived there ;)

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: Broad & Walnut

Hey Rustcycles, it's been awhile. I was walking to lunch today and spotted a dead bike near one of Philly's busiest street corners, just in front of the Center City Wawa:

You can see he's been there awhile, and there's not much left of this poor guy. I hope he's put out of his misery soon. Anyone got a bolt cutter? :P

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: Frankford & Girard

As the weather has turned sharply colder for what is hopefully the final time this early Spring, there haven't been many riding adventures for the latter part of this week. No worries for my blog brain though, as my little saunter up to Fishtown the other day provided me with some bonus writing fodder.

While walking into the Garage, I spotted this tire still locked to the bike rack out front:

It's a Continental Tour Ride, which is a pretty solid tire, and it's still full of air. I have a friend who swears by these tires, so much so that I'm going to buy them for my next set (whenever that may be, likely soon). The wheel is still in pretty good shape to boot, so like I've said several times before...may want to go get the bolt cutters for this one. Haha. Like many stranded bikes or tires, people continue to lock around it, making for some bizarre sights:

Yet another lesson to lock by more than just your rim...not sure if I'm noticing more Rustcycles lately because of the snow melt and they're more visible, or if they've just started becoming more frequent. I could probably conduct a study if I really felt like it.

Rustcycles: Broad & Walnut

Taking a walk on lunch has quickly become one of my favorite things, and on beautiful days, especially so.

There's a large section of bike racks across Broad St. on a diagonal to my office building:

Normally I feature bike racks in a separate column

As I walked past on my brief saunter up to City Hall and back this afternoon, I spotted this abandoned Raleigh frame that's in beautiful condition in the midst of about 30 "healthy" bikes:

I mean, other than the whole "no tires" problem...

The chain is the only thing that's rusty, so this is obviously a very recent addition to the Rustcycle community, most likely from this weekend. Time to get the bolt cutters, eh?

Rustcycles: Broad & Locust

I was on a walk right across the street from my office yesterday when I saw this. I'm sure this old bike frame is rusty, even though I can't see the whole thing...

Kind of fitting that it's rusting away across the street from the old Perch Pub. Sad, too, because I used to love going to that place right after work, and the story behind its demise isn't pretty, either.

The Only Constant is Change

I've written many times on this blog about the changes I see in my neighborhood(s) over time.  I noticed a couple more today.  Changes are not always positive, but usually I write about the ones that are. Interesting...

Today, I took a different route than I usually take to get back to our Thompson Street facility from Olde Kensington.  I'd been avoiding Master Street just west of Broad for quite a while due to construction and unfavorable road conditions.  For whatever reason, I decided to go that route today and saw this:

This is Ingersoll Commons Park.  I have no idea what it was previously (other than a construction site), but seeing this park completed and grass growing was a bright spot in an otherwise gray and gloomy morning.  In the midst of so many ugly cookie cutter condos being built seemingly on every other corner, it's always a pleasure to see some new green space.

After my route, I headed to the office at Broad & Locust.  We moved in here on or about May of last year, and I swear since the day we moved in, this old Schwinn has been left to die on the curb out front: 

It's the green one on the street side of the rack, missing a front tire and rusting away (a Rustcycle, if you will).  People would often lock to it, creating a somewhat messy sight:

And fittingly, a street artist left a rather appropriate commentary on the frame:

I wanted to claim this frame on repeated occasions, either to put it out of its misery, or to see if I could reclaim it.  I never got around to it, and somewhat sadly, today it was gone:

And my bike in its place.  It's a positive to see it removed no doubt, but for some reason I didn't mind seeing it every day.  It kind of became part of the identity of that block in my view.  Or maybe I'm just annoyed that I didn't get to it first.

But hey, onward and upward.

Rustcycles: 11th & Chestnut

I stopped at the wine store on my way home from the office on Monday and spotted this poor fella:

Kinda unexpected.  This block of stores just opened in Center City (where security and surveillance are quite prevalent), and the bike rack is brand new, as you can see.  The rest of the bike's not in bad shape either.

Rustcycles: Fairmount & Uber

I spotted this guy outside one of my favorite coffee shops on Tuesday:

It's kind of surprising to see this, because this is an area of Fairmount Avenue that's pretty well-off. Other than the wheel that's been potato chipped, the frame is actually in really good shape, and I have half a mind to come back here with some bolt cutters to snag it...

The coffee shop in question is Mugshots, who I absolutely love because of their commitment to local and organic food, plus they serve my favorite coffee: Counter Culture. Highly recommend.

Rustcycles: Pennsylvania & Spring Garden

It's been a while since I featured one of these.

I'm surprised they haven't removed this one with the Pope visiting next weekend. It's most definitely within the "Black Zone." I guess there's still time...

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 28th & Girard

Yesterday, I saw this colorful (and adorable) backdrop on this one courtesy of the Girard Veterinary Clinic. This is in Brewerytown, which is definitely not the nicest area, but if the revitalization continues, it has potential to be a neat little neighborhood again. There's something so old-school charming about trolley tracks:

And a distant view of Center City:

I'll be here awhile, so we'll see what happens...

Rustcycles: 10th & Spring Garden - Double Shot

Blame it on my morning haze or whatever, but I've been delivering/picking up from W/N W/N Coffee Bar for almost 3 months and I never noticed these two abandoned bikes until today, each missing at least one tire:

I'm not sure how the bike on the left is still balancing like that. Interestingly, the bike on the right is actually locked to the bike behind it, which is unscathed. For those of you who don't regularly "Facebook" or "Instagram," this is right next to the historic marker that commemorates Milton Hershey's very first candy store that I posted several months ago, making it even more amusing (to me) that I didn't notice this:

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 10th & Arch

I'm catching up on oldies this week before vacation.

I found this one several months ago at a rather busy intersection in Chinatown, just across from the Trocadero Theatre (you can see it in the background). It would be surprising, except that there's an abandoned bicycle on just about every corner, even on the busiest of streets. On a side note, I don't work much in that neighborhood any more (and hence, I don't venture over that way very often either), and I honestly don't miss it.

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.

Rustcycles: 5th & Washington

This is a delayed post, and plenty odd...

Whoever owns this bike actually took the time to remove the rear tire before locking their bike to this electric pole:

Good idea, except they left their seat attached, and some peeps will try to steal anything that's not locked down. I'm not sure if they were trying to steal the tube or just mess with the bike, but it appears that they realized there was no way to remove it without removing the chain (or cutting the tube) and decided to just leave it:

As I said, this one is quite bizarre, but since I took this picture several weeks ago, I have seen a few other attempted tube removals like this...people are strange.

Rustcycles is a series of abandoned bicycles and locks I've stumbled upon throughout Philadelphia.