The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-22
BICYCLE LEGISLATION
mn ~ THE LIGfSLITTRE 70 RI
sTRfCT THLfR SPEED on RofDS.
lie Relative Value OF Horses and the
Modern Machine Good Roads
the Crying Seed.

disturb ihe current Of thought OF the
rural legislator, but when Il bicycle pcne-
trates over the rough roads of his pass
toral section Dire secs a great menace 10
Tho public. and hos himself TO the Lcgis-
laturc and straichtway introduces "a bill
10 suppress them.
Last season iu North Carolina coun-
try representative introduced a bill re-
Quiring whceimCn 10 stop ten yards be-
fore meeting horse and dismOunt. The
bin was amended so as 10 include a
mule. and then an OK, and finally a billy
goat. and SO on. until 80 was made as
thoroughly ridiculous as 10 deserved 10
De- and the rural legislator who had
discovered this terrible menace 10 civil
lization went into his hole and pulled
30 100 after him.
AN IMPRACTICABLE BILL.
Mr.. Graves Of Orange. last week in
troduced a bin I'm the House equally as
impracticabie. one of ITS features be-
ing 70 restrict the speed of bicycles
when meeting horses 10 four miles an
hour.
The matter is one that has been so Of
ten discussed. and is SO thoroughly gov
erned Boy the laws of the land. supported
hy the Supreme Court decisions of nearly
every State in the United states. MS
wen as the Supreme Court Of the United
states. that wheelmen took little note
OF the measure.
None but trick rider. or at least. an
expert whoelman. could ride bicycle
twenty-five yards at the rate Of four
miles am hour without losing his equi-
lbrium.
I make an amendment 20 the bin that
the roads o. Virginia be so improved
that bicycles may pass over them at
any rate of speed.
BICYCLES AND HORSES
Tho value OF horses In Richmond. ac-
cordng TO the State Auditor. is SlGi857.
The value o. bicycles i'm Richmond. by
reliable and liberal estimate. is $685.
This remarkable showing is because the
streets of Richmond and the country
around the city have suitable roadwaye
Tor such vehicles. The value of horses
i'm Virginia have decreased over three
millions of dollars in five years. largely
on account OF the bicycle The amount
of the decrease i'm the value of horses IN
Orange county for instance was 42 500
With such roads as exist around Rich
mond. 20 is fair TO presume that Orange
county would have relative valuation
in bicycles with Richmond
Good roads IS the crying need Of the
day. and the bicycle is the power that
is behind the movement. The only State
which has law restricting bicycles on
country roads is Massachusetts,. and the
speed is ten miles an hour-the ordinary
speed Of "a bicycle for a days travel.
THE NEW CHAIN.
Bicycle makers have agreed for some
time That the next great Improvement Ina
machines would Dee in the chain and the
question has been solved, II is claimed.
hy AN English inventor named Simpson.
The most important feature Of the new
sprocket Is its size. At a glance 10 seems
20 poe nearly twice the ordinary size. II
there were more teeth than ON the or
binary sprOCket the gear of the wheel
would Doe affected. If there We're ten
tteth for instance. the gear of tho
wheel would be J04. assuming that the
forward sprockot had the usual number
81 eighteen. The average wheel Is geareI
TO %. scar of 5o4 would be an ano-
laaly.
LARGER sPROCKET.
The increased size OF this new sprocket
therefore. is the keynote of the Simpson
invention lt permits the chain to re-
volvc about larger radius. thereby in-
crcaslng the driving power Of the chain
~ does this With the exercise OF no more
power on the petals. i'm. fact with the !
same power en- the pedals as As now cX- !
ertcd hy TIE average ridev, he can, with |
she Simpson device. SO 10 is claimed. |
drive his machine harder and faster The |
chain and sprOcket revolving the wheels |
WIKI a greatly increased force, which /
may be multiplied I'm direct proportion 10 |
She strength and skill Of the rider since /
power and speed are interchangeable.
The chain itself lis vastly different from |
those which now give such excellent SER |
vice The links are triangular i'm shape. /
ANA they are SO Joined, 1t is claimed, that |
they Will AFFORD a greater leverage on /
The sprockct. and thia leverage is con- 1
slant and regular through every revolu- /
ton The bicycle mathematcians IN /
England have been busy. many of them. !
trying to prove that Mr.. simpson-who is.
hy the way canny Scotchman--is an
o. sea in his calculations.
PHENOMENAL RECORDS.
Probably the hest way 10 judge is from
the records made on machines fitted with |
the simpson device The time records
claimed FOR The simpson lever chain are.
\ tandem and single have been clicked
10 do a Quarter-mIe ON the road Ia 20 3-5
seconds. and finished az the rate of
nifty miles an hour The best tandem
record with a fylnG start is % seconds,
by Rigby and Johnson. The tandem also
did half-mile in a Is seconds. and the
single IN As seconds. dead A. this dis
lance the best tandem record is 1912
seconds. by Callahan brothers. The best
single record is % 3-5 seconds. by Long
ard Dclmas
This was followed Letter by mile by the
ldhutW lh A.fi ii4Nen lalt IN the even
ms.
CHALLENGE.
When the records claimed for tho Simp-
son chain We're announced so many skep-
tics opened fire that the inventor offered
a challenge FOR 81 90 for six races with
his chain against the ordinary chain
Mr.. Gamage. Of London, accepted the
challenge When II came 10 siguing arr
ticles they couldn't agree as 90 details
Not since the Introduction OF the pneu-
matte fl.e bias Che cycling world been SO
stirred up The first important discovery
in the bicycle was the reimbursement OF
the wheels from the hic-whoCled old
timers 10 the modern safety" This re-
duoed the chances Of injury and increased
ease I'm riding. and therefore put the sport
~ wheeling firmly upon Us feet.
The next great step forward was the
application OF The Pneumatic principle 10
he tire This resulted ia the smashing
,f records, one after another
These two discoveries were indiopon-
'ohic factors in The evolution q this now
worldwide past.mc.
BICYCLE MILLENNIUM.
with the addition Of the new chain II !
ooks as II the bicycle uilleniun. has an
ioubtedly come. y
As 70 punctureleSs tires? Why we need ]
fave no tires at all set Of elliptical ,