Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-11-20
ON THE LOFrF WHEEL.
Ihe Pleasures aud Benefits obtained - The
Cost of = Bicyoie aud How to
Learn Ride a..

teftain ineSperienced, iil'auNlseu persons
have caused the impression to get abroad
that "cycling" is unheslthful eNercise one
may learn any day from men who never
straddled a W heel that IL il injurious to ride
one. why 1t IL Injurious they are not pre-.
pared specifically to say, but in general
way IL is their opinion that wheeling does
that for q man, and-well, anyway ihey
they think IL is not precisely the thius
Now, that is about the sum and substance o'
their objections The way to meet them Is To
putto the obiector the question, " Did you ever
ride wheel?' Ten to one he never did ana
never will. Not every boy and man has the
courage to get on one, but those who have
are happy, healthy lot The fact Is, there is
no exercise at once more healthy and pleas.
urable than "cycliug.' Everybody cup"
In wheeling affairs now SAYS "cycling.D /!
may be overdone, it is overdone, as young
men with what are called "bicycle backs"
attest. They are pitiaOle objects, truly, but
they must not be considered types OF the
class that follows wheeling for exercise and
diversion. A bicycle back is Just about a.
bad as editorial stCop The one comes
from leaning over the handle bars of the
wheel, the other from leaning over n desk.
The former no more indicates a good wheel
man than the latter good editor, and any
man with the least regard for his lungs,
shoulders and chest development Will
scrupuously avoid both.
This is not dissertation ON the art oi cy-
cling: It Is an effort to correct the misimpres
sion limited Mt in the foregoing observations
Many a crank would not be half so cranky 1t
he pedalled a few miles day on the crank OF
wheel. The best sutidote for aweak-sone-
times called an oyerwurk ked-brain IL an
overworked body. When the mind is tired
go forth and tire the body. Let the weary
clerk take a short spin up Riverside Drive
after closing hours aud see how much more
he feels like work next day, 1t beats hang
Ing round the stAge-doors and picking ones
teeth in hotel loUbes-and 1t IS quite rs re-
spectacle Many young men with salaries
ranging from = to $40 a week say they cant
afford a wheel. \ person can afford any
thing tor the sake OF his health and happiness.
Let us see. tirstClass wheel costs any
where from Sll5 To Slt6, good big sum OF
money for 81 A week to contemplate.
horse can be bought for that price, say some,
but there is the horses bOard--S3O a month
and his liability to die-SiI5 At swoOp A
wheel eats not, nor does 1t die, though 1t
wears out in three or four years. There are
| dealers in New York who sell wheels on an
| iustallment plan that need not trlghten the
| most modest buyer. This is the plan Add
| $40 to the list price, pay, cash down, one-hith
| the sum, and the rest in hve months install
| ments. For instance: Lit price Slfu, Plus
| $40 equals Sl5O, divided 10y = equals $50, the
| cash payment The NOR thly payment Will
| be S2L and the purchaser will own his wheel
| in six months or, IL the monthly payment
l II tH hlE IL ulhN De tlhlt sulhiltI by leu EbAl-
| enlnE the time OF tul payment provided,
| however, another = or SlO be added 10 the
| list price. Don't try to Investigate this " list
| price business too closely. With its dis
| counts for cash to dealers and all that, one,
| by prylug too much into details, gets the lu.
preston that he is being cheated, and wants
| to buy of the manufacturer aud save some 80
| or $40. 1.-Two and let 1--we. Somebody must
| retail bicycles.
| Once the possessOr-in part and in prospect
| of a Wh4al learn IN a II
| cisely rs you would 20 at breaking colt Tor
| the saddle. Don't let the steed in either case
| Imagine that you are a bIt afraid OF 1t tllmb
| on its back as it 1t were your accustomed
| seat, and make up your mind to stay there.
OF course, at first you feel a. If, were there a
| chair around, you would like to sit down
| The muscles OF your legs seem to insist upon
| II, and there Is a kind Of slsCkenlng OF the
| walst-band OF your trousers; your stomach
| appeals for a Uracer. All this must be over
| come in the usual way-or by an exercise OF
| will, If you have any will. At any rate
| mount But when mounted don't mistake
| your wheel for a horse, for there is one radi.
| cal difference between the twO--to stand up
| the wheel must go; the horse will do as he
| pleases about that When your wheel stops
| the best thing you can do Is to get OFT, not in
| front, but behind or on one side. This get
| ting cit i'll front u good enough AT Jerome
Park, but 1t has never been done gracefully
| on a wheel
| Once under way you will ind yourself and
| sieed always following your nose. IL you see
| little girl walking in tho road do not dare
| TO look straight at her. NOu'u run over her,
| If you do. OF course, one may look sideways
| as one does at church, but II can not be done
| successfully without practice. Never keep
| your mind ON that wonderful! surprlser, the
| &C. y. \. H. iaecuOusly called the Great
| North American Header. II - the one thing
! you do not want to iind, therefore don't look
| for it. When it comes receive II with a.
great a display OF skill, courage and grace as
you can make. Look out Tor No. l; the
| wheel will take care OF Itself, and perhaps be
inclined to ride on your back bOne-a small
| matter in itself, but discOuraglng II too often
| repeated Persons who are not afraid ofllght-
| ming say that one never sees the Hasn that
| kills him. Old wheeimen will tell you that
| you cannot anticipate the " header" that
| dumps you. The complete realization OF the
| unpleasant fact that you have TAXI en- a"hesder'
| FIRST dawns upon you when you are standing
| upon your head in the middle of a smooth
| road and wondering what could nave done IT.
| III 1t were not for fear Ot unduly exciting
| " Bill' Nye and " BOb' Burdette, one might
| mention that the only thing quicker than a
"header" is the hind leg OF a mule.
After riding Tor two months you Will get
| somewhat tired of the exercise For two or
| three weeks 1t will be abandoned. Then you
| will go at 1t again and find in II all the pleas
| uTe you seek. "ln the gentle, swinging
| motion above the Wheel" says a writer III
| Chambers Journal, there is nothing TO dis
| turb the muscular or nervous system once
accustomed to it; indeed, the motion is at
first tranquilizing, and eventually becomes a
| refreshing stimulus. The man who goes
| through ten hours daily mental fret aud
| worry will in an hour of pleasant road riding
| in the fresh, sweet-sceuted country, throw OF
| all its effects and prepare himself for the
| etfectual accomplishment OF another day s
| brain work"
| In propelling the wheel all the muscles of
| the leg are in actual motion, while IN balanc-
| ing the muscles OF the feet and the promin-
| ent ones OF the thigh and groin are brought
| into play. The wrist and arms are emp ploy ed
IN steering, while the back, neck and throat
muscles are used in pulling up on the handles
In spurL In no other exercise Is the eXer-
ton more thoroughly distributed. And
when II is asserted as fact that one can learn
TO ride in three or four lessons at so cents
apiece, with "header" thrown in free of
charge, the question arises: "Where Is
there more glorious sport ?"
| LOOK UP.