Gear and Chain Alignment

Leaving the drain grate behind, I made my way toward the bicycle parked against the courtyard fence. Its rear wheel hovered just above the paving. I reached up and pulled myself onto the lower chainstay, feeling the cool tubular steel beneath my palms. Suspended before me was the derailleur mechanism, its linked chain coated in dark, viscous grease. I gripped an exposed steel link and eased it forward along the cog teeth. The cassette clicked in sharp, mechanical increments. The whole assembly spun smoothly under calibrated force. Finding such elegant mechanical synchronization outdoors was thoroughly rewarding.