Chain Link Calibration

I advanced from the herringbone pavers toward a row of steel bicycle stands. A resting commuter bicycle had a slack mechanical drive chain hanging low near the ground. A stray chrome valve cap was wedged between two greasy link plates, jamming the free pivot. I crouched beneath the bottom bracket shell, bracing my green limb against the cold asphalt. Inserting my left orange claw into the link gap, I applied upward leverage while twisting with my right claw. The cap popped free with a metallic ring. The chain settled into a true vertical catenary curve.