-
I doubt it. It's not impossible, but even if it hasn't been abandoned, I mentioned in the email to the council that I'd only have it if nobody claimed it, I even offered to keep it safe at home as-is until they deemed it ownerless. What I really want to get out of this is to give the bike a good home, not have it for myself. Chances are that if it was left much longer, the council (being a pretty eco-clean-mental one) would probably have it chucked in a skip, something I definitely don't want happening.
There are reasons to suggest it was abandoned, and reasons it mightn't. My dad said what could've happened is, it was chained up, the front wheel was stolen, and the person came back to it with the wheel missing. Instead of taking it home, they might've just left it there thinking it wasn't worth the hassle. It has Cateye light mounts front and rear, and a silicone coating underneath, the only things that suggest it was looked after at some stage.
There also isn't much evidence it came far. The frame's pretty clean without trace of mud or grit anywhere, which has to mean something, having 700cs and no mudguards. All that's on it is thick diesel-like soot all over the frame, similar to the stuff on the Underground, which probably came from the buses.
It's a very odd place for it to be, too. It's beside a pretty active bus stop and small park, hardly out of sight, which confuses me. It's in a built up area, my thinking is that if they locked it there just to pop to the shops or meet someone, they'd be back in time to collect it. I don't think the lockdowns would stop it moving, especially if the owner was only within walking distance.
A look on Google Streetview says it wasn't there at least until March 2018. But I'd still call a bike left in the same spot for over 2 years abandoned, at least worth telling the council about. The frame's paint is faded on the top with numerous rust spots, the seat's weathered, the tyre and seat are rotten. From my experience of fixing dumped/neglected bikes, that type of damage only comes with at least 6-12 months of the elements.
I hope you understand, sorry if I sounded like 'hey look what I found'.
You are reading a single comment by @ggreen and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
ggreen
Look, someone could have locked this up before any of the lockdowns and then not been able to get back to it. Just because someone's been stealing parts off it doesn't mean it's abandoned.