New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-18
PART iii.
PAGES RI TO %.
IN THE CYCLING WORLD.
CLUB RUNS PLANNED FOR TO-DAY.

Some of the more important club runs arranged
for to-day as follows:
Riverside Wheelmen, to Rye Beach, Leave cub
house. No. 2s2 West One hundred-and-fourth-st at
3 m
New-York A. c: wheelmen. to Travers Island
Leave wheeiery. West sixtieth-st.. at 1890 a. m.
Gyee SuS Of nrocSyn 10 70 Awsyye
yesterday afternoon. Return to-day.
Pastime A. c. Whee,men, TO Tarrytown Leave
Sixtieih-st. and Avenue a at 10 a m.
NEWBORN Wneemen to sAmityvie: Long Island
ST. and Lenox-ave., at $50 a.
BrCOkyn 81 kaTssTs; to Tarrysown Leave club
Metropolis Wheemen. to City Island Leave cub
house. No JAG West Twenty-fifth-st.. at 9 a. m.
Monarch Whesi I'm to Engewood, n J. Leave
Century Wheelmen. TO Pompton Lake. Leave club
house, No. sSS Eigh:h-ave. at 7:30 a. m.
Kings County Wheelmen, Informal run on Long
: a m.
liberty D whssmsn & NswY0rk to TOtsnvle
Lincoln Wheelmen. Morristown Leave club
house No. IS Market-st, Newark. at 9 a. IN.
Harlem Wheelmen. 10 Asbury Park Left yes,er-
day Return to-day.
Clio Wheelmen. to Jamaica. Long Island. Leave
clubhouse, No. Isl Montceo-ave., Jersey City. at
I a. m.
Asphalt pavement down Hudson-st. and Col
lege Place will not entirely solve the problem of
riding down town to business on a wheel The
man on the sprinkling cart must be placated or
the asphalt will add to the inconvenience and
danger. Riding wet asphalt is a disagree
able business. for the liquid mud is cast up ones
back until a cake is formed. if a snail's pace is
not maintained. Then slips are more common
on wet asphalt than on wet granite. Still an
other difficulty in riding down town is the crowd
Of trucks. A man who took his arst bicycle trip
through crowded streets the other day reached
Dats in, ,,1.tA
hauston. He dismounted every time there
the slightest danger and went slowly all the
way. but the constant watchfulness necessary
entailed a great strain Experience would change
all this but wheeling in streets crowded with
cars and trucks is not likely TO become widely
popular past.me Still number OF men ride 10
and from business daily when the weather is
fair and the band is certain to increase largely
when the West Side asphalt route down town is
laid
The last Side route is in fair shape down TO
Chatham Square. Madison. Park Lexington and
Second ayes. and Irving Place have more or less
asphalt and this material already covers many
OF the streets east of the Bowery. There is good
riding down Forsyth-st. from Houston-st. at
which Second-ave. ends. to D!vision-st which
runs into Chatham Square. Complaint is made.
however. that the streets about here are so
crowded with people. and especially children,
that even slow progress is attended with con-
slant danger OF running over some one.
The telegraph and telephone poles are land
marks which often of great aid to the BIZ
cyclist who is a tour. The lines Of wire usu-
ally skirt the main thoroughfares. and many
journeys between fairly large centres Of popula
ton can be made without danger OF losing the
way, If these poles followed. This advice
may superfuous TO some old cyclists, but
more than one novice has 1oundered into diff
culties because he didn't know about It,
The man who wheels along the Boulevard with
his arms folded usually gives the impression
that he is extremely solicitous that public atten-
ton should be directed TO his skill. But to be
able TO ride hands off, Is no empty &C
complishment. The cycst tends to follow
wabbing course and must put constant pressure
to the handle-bars To approximate straight
line. If he learns to steer with his feet alone ne
will come much nearer running a direct course
than he did before Thus tie labor to be done
by his hands and arms will be lessened, ana
there will be economy in the use OF motive
power Besides long runs a little variety 10
1he movement is lent by riding hands OFT for
occasional stretches.
If riding alone is likely to prove tedious. riding
sn large parties has its drawbacks. The first of
these is the difficulty of getting started at the
appointed time. On century runs promptness can
be secured. but for ordinary excursions there are
always several tardy ones. Even when all ar
rive the flow of conversation may cause a FUR
Their delay unless the captain or some one VINO
acts as such, starts the ball rolling at once or
course the pace must be too slow for the AM
bilious ones while the inferior riders will feel
bound to exert themselves to keep step with the
music Then there will certainly be mishaps TO
tires and other parts Of the mechanism In
some parties feeling Of good nature prompts
all to wait until the injury. If it is not too seri-
Gus. has been repaired. Thus there may be and
sometimes ere delays amounting TO two hours
or more and a set Of fellows who started TO
ride twenty-five miles may not get TO their desti-
nation until five or six hours after the time an
nounced for the start. Everything is accepted
IN good hurnor but there are aways some in the
marty who would have had better time if they
had gone with two three others whose pace
was what they wished. Bicycle riders in general
receive extremely courteous treatment from
drivers on country roads especially at a distance
from New-York. When the way is narrow
yheelman would often have TO dismount If the
driver coming from the opposite direction did not
pull his horse 10 the extreme right. sometimes
farmers will begin TO drive out when the cyclst
is 200 feet away. In some cases 'his extreme
caution is due to a fear tnat the morse VIII shy,
atbonqh bjcvcles are so common everywhere now
that horses have nearly all become accustomed
10 them At intervals. city folk driving IN the
country will be met who think IL a good JOKE 10
leon In the regular track, so that the wheeman
will have 10 steer carefully along the edge OF the
road with the pleasing knowledge mat rut
NAV send him down hill or under Inc morse
hOofs.
A few ve.~- ago wheelmen were so few that
when they met anywhere on the road the mere
fact that they were bicyclists was surcieh' e"-
cuse for starting conversation. Ihis Is chahe
ing now. especially in and near the CITY, ai'hous"
nronor Questions about the road. etc. always
nice, q courteous reply Still the feeling OF ira
,ernttv Is not so strong II was when riders
were not one-tenth numerous as tnes ar ~" w.
Far from the city however, the com1aueship IL
NC consnicuolIs and pleasant salutations pc
tween men going in opposite directions are sne
rule. These are sometimes Varleo py d" "p
propriate remark about the wea'"ei'
preaLdow,s to saddles are likely 10 happen
IN long rides II the injury cannot readily De
rsnaired tho saddle can usually be reinforced py