You ride in the morning. Both tires look fine and you have not squeezed them. Your Hallway Bike is propped against the wall by your front door, keys hanging from its handlebar, the reusable tote you bring to work slung over the seat. The floor lamp in the hallway casts soft yellow light over the … Read more
Your heel does not reach the pedal at the bottom. You notice it every ride. Right now you’re propped against the cinderblock wall outside your apartment door, 5mm Allen key twisted half loose in the seat post clamp, sneakers still dusted with city grit from this morning’s commute where your knee throbbed so badly you … Read more
You lift the back wheel and turn the pedal. The chain jumps. Your palm presses lightly to the bike frame to steady it as you give the pedal a second firmer crank, and the chain catches for half a rotation before popping off a tooth on the rear cassette again. You run a finger along … Read more
You squeeze the lever in the hall. It pulls too far. You’re crouched next to your Hallway Bike, one knee pressed to the scuffed linoleum, and the faint smell of lemon floor cleaner mixes with the rubbery tang of your tire tread. You wiggle the lever a second time to confirm, no sharp catch when … Read more
You are about to wheel the bike out. Neither light has been tried tonight. The glow from the overhead hallway sconce is dim enough that you can’t be sure the amber running light on the fender is even plugged in, and the headlight’s new battery has been sitting idle since you swapped it out three … Read more
The lamp rotates down as soon as you touch it. You were adjusting it to shine on the scuff mark you need to touch up with paint before your landlord drops by tomorrow, and now it lolls forward like a tired head, casting all its light on the scuffed linoleum at your feet instead of … Read more
The cable is through the front wheel. The frame is free. You glance down the empty apartment hallway, a faint clink of a distant apartment door closing making you freeze for half a second before you refocus on the bike propped against the wall by your unit. The cheap U-lock someone left sticking through the … Read more
The white reflector is on the floor under the bike. You bend down to pick it up, fingers brushing the scuffed linoleum of your building’s hallway that always smells faintly of lemon disinfectant and old takeout. The plastic edge is slightly cracked where it hit the ground, no other damage you can spot at a … Read more
It is still daylight. You are in the hallway with the light in your hand. The motion sensor by your front door flickered twice last night when you hauled your groceries in at 11, casting long shadows over the step you stub your toe on every other month. You grabbed this replacement LED flood from … Read more
The bike-lock key is loose in a pocket. The door keys are on a ring. You brush crumpled grocery receipts out of the jacket pocket to get a better grip on the silver bike lock key, the edge of its plastic head digging into your palm as you pull it free. The hallway’s overhead light … Read more
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