One of the many found bikes to pass quickly through my hands. I found this bike on the corner of 14th and 1st ave in December of 2008. It had been locked in front of the Y, abandoned and deteriorating, for several months, when one day I saw that the lock had been removed. I took the remains of the bike, somewhat rusted and missing a seat, home on the subway and put it in my basement.
A few months later, a friend's girlfriend needed a bike, so I found some parts and made it rideable again. The seat post and seat were from my parts bin, and the old tires and tubes still had some life in them. I bought some cables and housing for the brakes and left the 3-speed (Shimano 333, I think), as a 1-speed.
I also saved the fenders for a future project. They were in good shape.
I'm kind of glad I did, because as it turned out, this Dunelt once again became an abandoned bicycle. I don't think my friend's girlfriend liked riding her bike in New York City very much, and I absolutely can't blame her. As far as I know, it's now locked in front of someone's house in Greenpoint.
A general comment on these bikes, specifically "women's" bikes that use a rear handbrake with a cable that comes in from the bottom: every one of these I have seen has a lot of dirt and corrosion in the cable. The opening faces up, and over time, moisture gets in there and carries dirt with it. I don't know if there's a solution to this, other than to design a better cable run. Maybe the caliper could go on the chainstays.
Also, a comment on abandoned bikes: I think I understand abandoned bikes. Something goes wrong, or the owner gets tired of riding the bike, and it just stays on the street for a few months. This being someone pops the tires, or the chain gets rusty, or the seat or a wheel gets stolen. Now it's a project. The owner hasn't given up, just put it on the back burner.
I once spoke to a guy whose bike had been on the rack across the street from my house. It was a junky bike locked with a Kryptonite New York Chain. The lock was left facing up, and was completely jammed with dirt. He couldn't open it. However, he still wanted the bike! It did not occur to him that if he ever got that bike off, it would be unrideable. Nor did he seem to mind taking up space with his junk bike. I guess he thought there was enough space for all. That particular rack was once the focus of a huge amount of thought for me, but I have left it behind.
