Us folks who bike to the train tend to keep an eye on each other, so I must admit some concern over the well-being of a fellow cyclist. See, a bike who goes by the lofty title of “Power-Climber” and shares the rack with my trusty rusty Trek hasn’t moved for a couple weeks.

Around mid October, I noticed that Power-Climber’s owner seemed to work some long hours (come to think of it, I guess that befits a “Power-Climber”). The ride was there when I pulled up to the rack in the morning, and he was there when I got back from a day in the city–locked up, seat taken with the owner. (For what it’s worth, I would not be writing about a neglected bike locked up in a public place if it was a true target for thieves. Wal-Mart sells the Power-Climber new for about $85.)

Then I had a black-tie function that had me out pretty late one night, and when I returned to my home station, Power-Climber was still there. Power-Climber is there in the rain, he’s there in the cold.

Yesterday, I engaged in a bit of spycraft by putting a balled-up bit of tissue on the stem that holds the seat, to see if it was displaced at all over the next 24 hours. It wasn’t touched.

I wonder what happened to Power-Climber’s owner. I remember getting driven to the station by a neighbor once who told me about a guy who was killed on Sept. 11, and how his bike sat locked up at the station for months, no one thinking of the orphaned bike, or knowing quite what to do about it.

I hope Power-Climber’s owner is OK.