The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-22
BIKES FOR NEXT YEAR
What the improvements on the New
Wheels Will Be
Tall: With a Prominent Local Manufacturer
on the Product, Styles and Prospects
of the Season of 1896

Manufacturers of bicycles have begun
to devote most Of their time and atten-
ton to the season of 1896. This year is
practically ended, so far as bicycle plan
ming, figuring and calculating are con-
cerned, and the battle of 1896 is about to
begin. And better year than any that
has yet been experienced i'll the bicyc 10
business is expected to begin with the
opening of next spring. More wheels
will be sold, if the makers have made
good calculations, and to prepare for the
expected rush the work of getting them
out has to begin early.
1--WE Will begin in a very short time to
make our wheels for next year. said a
prominent Chicago manufacturer yester-
day. "We have enlarged our factory and
will make more wheels and better wheels
than we have made this year. Nearly ev-
eryone of them is sold already.
I'VE haven't the money for them yet
of course, but 1 mean they have been spo-
ken for By our agents and will be sold
as fast as we can get them out.
"How will your wheels be better than
they are this year?'
''Well. they will be stronger in the first
place and not any heavier. The added
strength will come with the increased
gauge OF the tubing used in the frames.
That is to say, the tubing will have a
greater diameter but will not be as thick.
That will increase the strength without
increase in the weight. And. by the way,
that increase in the size OF tubing will be
about the only material change in the
styles for next year. 1t will be good
one, too, l think. 1t will make more
f,,l f,o than tho I'll
tubing makes. 1t won't look so spindly,
SO fragile, but more substantial. Then
the lines of the frames will tend more to
the parallel and horizontal than they do
now. There won't be much change in
the styles, though. aside from that
what about papsr rims?"
sI've examined the paper rim little
since the Times Herald wrote it up
| while ago. answered the manufactures,
| but doii't knew Just What TO MAKE of
| it. We have used paper rims on three or
| four wheels just to experiment with them.
| The result was not quite satisfactory.
| The thing is not perfected yet, or any,
where near it. When it is perfected.
thought will be a valuable thing tor the
inventor, and good thing for the manu-
fscturer as we'll"
What is the principal advantage of
paper rims?'
THE fact that they have no joints.
| lUat lS one Oh tne SredJ lduits WIN "oou
rims. There is weakness where the
Joint is made"
"will paper stand the weather changes
better than wood?"
mo, I think not. Wood rims aren t
affected by the weather to any extent.
They don't warp rs many people seem to
| think. The makers of the paper rim VIII
have good thing when they get it per
fecteL, but don't think it will be much
| used uext year.
Slightly higher frames may be feat
ure next season, though. We are going
to cnange our models little bit in that
regard, and make %, "a and 26-inch
frames, instead of 81. % snd %. There
may be some other slight changes in the
way of Embellishments, bnt nothing else OF
a material nature. If manufacturer
wanted to he could put fifty new things
about his wheel and still not exhaust the
supply of new patent snaps that are
offered. There isn't another business thai
commands as much of the inventive
genius OF the country right now as does
bicycling. Men. women and children arr
at work trying to get up something new
They seem to think that II they can ge