New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-08

body they would. no doubt be willing to pur-
vey beaker Of man exhilarating fluid in token
OF their appreciation Every year widens the
urban orbit OF the wheelmen. the one drawing
TO close being notable in that expansion, and
TO be marked with a red letter in the calendars
Of the guild.
Talking about the improvements In bicycles
for 1885, bicycle man said that while there
would be no marked changes, and while some
Of the 1896 models would be practically the
same as this years wheel. as far as his own
company was concerned the new wheel would
cost IS more TO manufacture, and though 1t
might not have any better running qualities
than his firms 1895 models, II would be an I'M
provement upon then in several respects. one
thing which used to only small extent
this year and which is likely to be adopted by
many manufacturers next year Is the barrel
hub. To those accustomed to a small hub this
looks ather clumsy at the first glance. but 1t
is averred that 1t has some advantages over
the other and there is one advantage which the
manufacturer appreciates-it is cheaper. An i'm
provement that ought to be generally adopted
is one that will bring the holes for applying
oil as near the bearings possible: If they can
be directly over the bearings. both OF the
wheels and of the crankshaft, so much the bet
ter An oil-hole In the middle OF the hub Is
awkward to get at in the first place and then
when the oil is applied If the machine is not
standing perfectly upright there Is small liken-
hood Of its being evenly distributed to the bear
ings the two sides. If the wheel Is tilted
slightly. il is not an uncommon thing Tor the
oil TO run out side and drip down. while
presumably the bearings on the opposite side
get little or none. 1t seems much better way
to have the oil-hole directly over the ball bear
ings. and some manufacturers have decided TO
adopt this style. An expert on the subject
says that most riders use too much oil; that
two drops are quite sufficient If one is
sure that the oil gets in the right place
ud-guards OF aluminium were used to some
extent this year, but the most popular material
for this purpose wood. Reference Is made
Of course, to the guard on the rear wheel Of
women's bicycles and the frame for the chain
guard. One large concern. 1t is stated on good
authority has decided to adopt aluminium for
this purpose the coming year on account OF its
lightness and because IT will not warp as wood
will. Formerly steel used exclusively. The
improvement in wheel and chain guards In the
last two three years has been marked. one
OF the most noteworthy changes was the sub
stitution Of linen or silk lacng for the gauZe or
wire network formerly used. one company mas
used for two years sort Of open canework
like the seat of chair. No guards are now
placed, as a rule, on front wheels. and mans
wheel with mud-guards is seldom seen, unless
1t is one Of the old style rubber guard mas
met with some favor. and one device proVloes
that a window shade is rolled. These things
however, are more troublesome than useiui
1t Is not often that a man rides when IL is
sufficiently muddy to require guard put II
one is caught In a summer shower 1t doesn't
make much difference IL he does throw some
mud over his wheel and even upon his trousers
and coat.
With a slight increase in the weight or wheels
there will go a slight increase in the weight OF
tires which will give them added duraoility'
One of the popular makes Of tire has received
what a man IN the trade calls black eye TINS
year mainly because the makers of 1t erred on
the side Of lightness In consequence OF TINS
many complaints have been made. and the num-
Der Of tires sent in for repair or replacement
has been enormous This tire has the reputation
OF being remarkably speedy, but while that is a
great advantage on the track the man or woman
who rides for pleasure prefers "A tire that VIII
stand the racket and that can be safely USED
on country roads. Light tires are we'll enough
for park drives and macadamized ROADS put
nine riders out of ten, it is safe to say do not
wish to confne their bicycle trips to roads OF
that order and will now and then, at least. want
to go across country And there Is JUST whele
a tire with good wearing qualities Is needed. Tor
there is not likely TO be a Bicycle OhVer OF
Bicycle Charley" within a mile or TWO In case
OF a mishap Conservative riders would gladly
choose a somewhat heavier tire with a guaIah'see
of greater durability. Whether tire can be
made purcture proof is disputed question.
number Of patents for such tires have been taken
out but somehow they have not been able 10
d!space the standard tires which have won
their way into popular favor. me trouble WIN
the so-called puncture proof tires seems 10 De
loss Of the resiliency which Is necessary quahty
in good tire
II is singular 10 observe how easily some peo-
ple give themselves away" In a Sunday paper
a week ago at least two advertisements were
seen OF bicycles offered for sale which, 1t was
stated had cost 1925 when new. Now. every
bodv who knows anything about bicycles knows
that this was the standard price for the wheels
of 1894 and of course, the advertised wheels
belong to that era. They may be In excellent
condition. but they are not up-to-date pcycles ,
and no one looking for a wheel Of this character
would take the trouble to answer the adver-
tsements
The rain last Monday, followed by sharp
fall in temperature, left some drives In rutted
and uneven condition owing to the freezing of
the surface after being cut up by passing car
rage wheels This the with the East
ern Parkway in BROOKLYN which is much used
nv wheelmen between Bedford-ave. and the Park
Plaza 1t was then that the advantages of the
path provided last summer by the thoughtful
ness Of Park Commissioner Squier for the COM
fort of the wheelmen Of the city were keenly
appreciated The path was dry and smooth. and
on Tuesday 1t used by nearly all the wheel
men and women who were out. Before the path
was opened the Parkway here was frequently
impossible except on the paved space on each
side where the riding is not agreeable. The
path was 1t is believed, first suggested by a
woman rider WHO was made nervous by riding
among the teams the roadway, and Commits
sioncr Squier prompt 10 act on the hint
given AT first the slopes a, the street crossings
were made too steep, but later this defect was
remedied, and the path is now in fairly good
condition 1t would be improved if the tele-
phone or telegraph poles in the middle Of 1t
could be removed. One wheelman says that he
, prefers the road to the path on this boulevard
because when il Is not too crowded he always
gets fine coast from the top Of the hill just east
of the reservoir down to Franklin-ave. While