Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-24
HINTS FOR CYCLERs.
Some Suggestions Regarding the Care
Of the Wheel.

Some Suggestions Regarding the Care
of the Wheel.
From the New York Times.
The most common cause for the buck
ling of steel rims and the cracking Of
wooden ones is loose spokes. Spokes be-
come loose without apparent cause Steel
and wood may be never SO well treated in
manufacture. but they cannot be made en-
tirely insensible to natural laws. The best
of material in a wheel will shrink and ex-
pand under changes Of weather. Again,
steel spokes, even those made of hard
est piano wire and "coid swaged." which
means drawn out from the center and butt
ended. will stretch, and will with usage
wear into wood rims where they are fast
ened. When these. things happen and
spokes are slack of their proper tension a
wheel is out of true. After the recent
chcnges Of weather every rider should go
ever his spokes, testing their tension with
his fingers. A good way lis to snap them
as you would harp strings. and notice
whether they give notes of the same key,
or nearly the same. Especially Is such at
tention required on the part of those who
keep their machines in a warm room at
home and let them stand in disuse for
weeks at time.
Truing up a wheel by Tightening the
spokes is piece of fine work. which. as a
rule, should be given to a master hand.
willing to give the care and patience. and
prefer doing 1t themselves, 1T is advised
that they proceed very slowly. After draw
ing up the spoke, which seems necessary,
by turning the nipple at the rim, try the
wheel again. and SO 20 on, retesting the
wheel after Tightening each spoke that is
indicated by the pencil markings. Tighten
very little at a time. Usually a half or
three-quarter turn of the nipple is about
all it Is safe to give. The nipples of some
wheels are made with fiat sides. or Shout
ders, SO that small wrench or a pair Of
pliers can be used for tightening. Where
this is not the case, clamp or key" spe-
cially made to fit the nipple can be bought
of the maker.
Something that is not taught in bicycle
schools and which comparatively few rid
ers have learned to use, is the ankle mo-
ton. 1t Is employed by keeping only the
toes and ball of the foot on the pedal
bending the foot at the instep with ever
revolution. and following the pedal around,
so as to keep a constant pressure on is
The pressure will not be even in every pc-
sition but II should be sufficient to help Lift
the pedal through its backward motion
from the bottom to the top of its periphery.
BY using this ankle motion the muscles IA
the calves will get more exercise, and The
muscles of the thighs will be relieved.
A pump that wheezes and does not
work properly has a washer on the piston
that is dried up or worn out Unscrew the
top of the pump, and put enough oil on
the leather washer to swell 1t.
1t pays to invest in foot pump for
home use, but on, the road the small hand
pumps are most convenient.
Experienced repairers say that the ma
jority of the jobs brought to them can be
attributed to the fact that the owner has
been riding with tires not properly in
fiated. A heavy rider should have much
mere air in his tires than a lighter man,
because the former causes them to flatten
more when riding. Tires pumped very
hard are less likely to puncture than those
which present a broad soft surface OF
contact with the ground, because of being
only partially inflated. In wet weather,
cyclists should have much more care where
they ride than in dry weather. Rubber
cuts much easier when wet. ard rainy day
punctures are plentiful