May have to argue. When an object is in the way of a tree, the tree has three ways to grow: 1) grow around the object and at times engulfing it item, 2) grow away from the object or in some cases not grow at all. I should take my "photoshop" comment back. Yes, the bike could have been engulf by the tree ONLY if it was hang up there decades ago.
Look at fences, sings, water well faucets that tree grows around them. The tree will grow around them never shifting that object up or pushes it out of its way. There are cases of 100-200 year old trees of walnuts, cottonwood, maple, oak and so on that old musket rifles discovered inside of them Somebody laid that rifle on the tree and left it there. Over decades that tree partly consume or fully consumed that rifle, never being lifted off the ground.
OK, i like a challenge Prove me wrong how that tree lifted that bike off the grown. Go ahead.
And not sure why you post something about the location. I really don't give a dam nor did i ever question it.
Well, taking the statements for fact, the bike was aparently left chained in a fork that used to exist in the tree. Now that there alone explains a good bit, also a possibility that the bike was left in the tree higher than ground-level to begin with.
Also, aparently the bike has been vandalized a few times, and locals have stepped in to restore/repair it on occasion (so that could easily explain the mismatched parts and era being off by a decade or two amongst the restored parts).
Ah, google.
Edit: To add, you all shouldn't be so negative/skeptical today. You're calling "hoax" - what if the kid was having to walk home with his bike from school one day after a freak snow storm came through and deposited a few feet of snow? I know nowadays we spoil our children and keep them inside all day during even the possibility of such a blizzard in the forecast, so it's not even forseable, but almost 100-years ago?.... little bobby probabley started to walk home with his bike, realised it was for the birds, and chained it to the first tree at what was then ontop of the snow at waist-height... just speculation, but an easy couple inocent extra feet up. Such a speculative scenario would also excuse why it got forgotten in the tree (the kid left it there the entire winter, and forgot.... or maybe got a new one for christmas)