The morning call., 1893-06-19
A WOODEN BICYCLE TRACK.
How the Great Herne Hill Track Is |
Constructed

Within few years there has been con-
siderable change in the material used for
the construction of bicycle tracks. At
Hartford and Springfield, where many new
records are created each year, the track
are chiefly devoted to trottng. When used
for bicycle meets they are heavily rolled
and the dirt surface becomes hard and as
smooth as glass.
Until recent years. says the New York
Sun. Herne Hill course, near London, was
recognized as the fastest bicycle track in the
world. Lately, however. the London
County and Cycling Club decided that
they would experiment with a wooden
track. and have just had one completed.
Cement courses are now in use at Paris.
and there is also one in at Savannah, in
this country, but they do not seem to
he so satisfactory as the wooden track at
Herne Hill. The League of American
Wbeelmen cOnte mplated having a wooden
course at Chicago for the international
races, but they abandoned the idea, fear
Ing that the ex eriment might be failure.
Great care has been exercised in the
construction of the Herne Hill track. The
original path has been picked up and four
longitudinal sleepers, firmly fixed five feet
apart, follow the direction of the course
all around. Across these sleepers are laid
the panels, or sections, OF pitch pine bat
ranel is six feet long and twenty-five feet
wide, the width of the path. Each batteu
is one and half inches wide and enc inch
thick. a space varying between One-eigh IN
inch at the inner edge OF the track at the
curves aud three-eighths inch at the outer
edge exists between the battens. In the
straights this space is uniformly one
fourth Inch right across the track.
The panels or sections are made by run
ming galvanized iron rods through holes in
the sides of the batteus, cork washers being
interposed between the battens TO preserve
the before mentioned spaces. These rods
run through each section loDgitudinally at
intervals of eighteen inches, their ends
being fitted with expansion disk and bolts.
The intervals between the battenS admit
of the wood "breathDg" during variations
of weather and temperature, while the
rods render any distortion of the surface
impossible. a grout of cement loosely fills
up the interstices between the battens.
Experiments have proved that the wood
affords better grip to a rubber tire than
cement or any other surface. When wet
there will be no danger of side slipping
on the new surface, a fact which has been
established by actual tests. The banking
OF the new surface is ample, and is not
confined merely 10 the curves, but prevails
along the straightS as well.
The measurement Of the new path, one
foot from the inside edge, is practically
the same as the original one, namely, three
laps 502 by S57 yards to the mile, or three
and half laps to the mile.
1t was upon this new track that r. A.
Voge lowered Osmond's records from two
to ten miles and rode trial mile in min
utes IA seconds. M. B. Fowler and other
riders nave also showed improved speed
upon the new surface. 1t is argued that
the cost of keeping the wooden track in
repair is Insignificant when compared
with the cinder and cement surfaces.
Both zimmerman and Sanger, the Ameri-
can racing men, pay high compliment to
the new Herne Ii Ii track.