Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-16
We Future Of the Bicycle.

The bicycle has suffered somewhat from injr,-
dicious advocacy and headlong praise. It does
not Gas one dealer advertises) "move under the
rider almost by voiition and with hardly any
expenditure Of muscular effort at ALL" it does
not put at naught time and distance on COM
mon roads, 1T will not bring steam into fiisuse
Tor passenger travel and make every man his
own locomotive; it will not even turn the horse
out 70 grass; it does not roll without any lars
ana bumps whatever; it is not perfectly noise
less 1t is not utterly free from habits of fracture
and internal disorders; and many of the things
said of it are romances. On sufficiently good
surfaces it moves almost literally without effort
until the rider is tired; but on rough or soft
roads, and with strong winds ahead. decided
effort is required to propel it. Its one wheel
also conveys the jars of stones and ruts very di-
rect!y to the body. and the only remedy is get
ting used to it." The art OF managing the We
hicle is not the difficult thing it looks but
everybody must train up to it,
Upon the conditions of practice and fairly
good roads the bicycle is q practicable and
practical vehicle. Its apparent paradox of bal
ancing is in strict obedience to. not defiance Of
the law OF gravitation. and when once the YER
teal line from the centre of gravity gets out
side the base nothing topples over more readily;
riding 1t, exactly like walking. is simply an al
ternate falling and recovering. I;s superior
efficiency as compared with walking is also
strictly under physical laws. 1t converts recip-
FOcal into rotary motion. In walking the
weight OF the body is actually lifted at every
step: on the bicycle the body is permanently
supported by the saddle. and the force expended
In lifting is all saved. The movement in " alb ing
ls continuous only in one sense. being broken
every time the foot strikes the ground: the
wheel. on the contrary. has an uninterrupted
motion. The machine has to be carried UP
grade as we'll as the body. but on the down
grade both are borne without eXertion, whereas
grades are no advantage whatever to the
walker. The special heat and fatigue of the
feet. noticeable most I'm warm weather. are also
avoided, and the swifter motion produces q lit
tie breeze for cooling. A stride of one COM
plete movement of the foot per second is brisk
walking; the same movement the wheel
prOpefs it about nine miles per hour.
Seven miles an hour, or at least double a
good walk, are rather slow: eight to
ten are not difficult when the conditions are not
severe and the bicycle multipiies the speed of
walking three times with less expenditure of
power
Upon this fair and exact statement Of its ca
FATALITIES the bicycle can stand, and its develop
ment In use is not mysterious. Naturally, it is
taken up first by young men. but it is an error
to assume it only an instrument for amateur
athletics In this country. as in England its
home, as the bicycle becomes better known il is
utilized by the elders soon as its powers are
recognized. In and around Boston, where II is
clusiveiy. and this is becoming true in other To-
calities- At first, the riding is itself the end
sought. and the satisfactions and physical bene-
hts therefr6m are ample justification for seeking
that end But the stTfctest utility is reached
when. having to 90 somewhere. one chooses the
bicycle as the efficient instrument for going.
rms practical use grows naturally after the fact
is known that the pedal propulsion can he eff
ect!veiy turned into rotary movement in this
way. That good roads are SO essential is proba-
bly, no disadvantage, and no retardation of
bicycle using beyond what is expedient to pre-
vent its being everdone. On The contrary. the
influence Of the bicycle upon read construction
IS growing, as young men who learn its use
take their places in active life. and an educa-
tional force on this subject is greatly needed. II
is sometimes said that that thing will answer
for very smooth roads; but there is no real Oh
stacle except ignorance. in the way of having
all roads good The majority do not know
what good road is. and their horses-whO do
know and could explain the differences in
foads-are debarred from speaking. Expert
mental knowledge, procured by becoming at
once rider and horse, will gradually dispel this
ignorance and make advocates of the sound
economy which demands good roads. To do
this will be one of the most valuable offices of
the bicyle in America.