Securing the Chain

I navigated the descent from the fire escape down to street level, stepping onto the concrete expanse of the city sidewalk. At the corner bike rack, a parked commuter bicycle had slipped its rear chain off the smaller chainring, leaving the heavy steel link caught in the frame gap. I approached the metal hub to assess the slack. Bracing one foot against the textured pedal crank and planting the other firmly on the asphalt, I took hold of the greasy link with both hands. With slow, deliberate leverage, I lifted the chain back over the gear teeth and rotated the pedal backward until every notch settled into alignment. The drivetrain is operational again.