The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-07-26
NOT so EXPENSIVE AS YACHTING.
But the Man Found That a Cycling out
fit Cost More Than 500.


eff it weren't for the expense, think
I should ride wheel myself, said
Young clubman, into whose ears talk
about bicycling had been dinned all year.
"There S where you make the biggest
mistake of your life, declared one OF
the listeners. "Why, that's the thing
about bicycling-it's so cheap. You
pay 800 for your machine, and that
ends it. You get guarantee for year
and have the cheapest and best fun OF
your life. =
"That's what the fellows said when
they got me to buy that yacht, re-
sponded the first speaker obviously. "It
was only little boat, and they said
that after / paid for her the running ex-
penses would be mere trifie. You know
how that turned out. 1t cost me 81 900
to have the bow remodeled. l had to
get new sails and everything else new.
The skipper robbed me right and left
and ran the yacht on rock up the
sound I was buying things and paying
for things week in and week out, and
what l set out to spend.
"Of course it did," said the friend.
yachting always does. But bicycling
is different You couldn't spend $3.50 on
it all summer if you laid awake nights
studying up schemes to do it, There is
no call to entertain your friends, as
there is when you own a yacht. "
There was a further discussion, and
it wound up in the purchase of bicycle
by the man who wanted to economize.
After all, 800 seemed very little for six
months of fun, and SO he was persuaded
that it would be best to buy special
make Of wheel, at cost of 1926. OF
course he must have bell. but that was
only So, and lantern, and that was s.,
as cheap ones would leak and wouldn't
stay lighted, and cyclometer, which
cost So. Then came stand, at 81. so,
and toe clips, at 81, and lubricating oil
(only 25 cents), and Illuminating oil
(only 40 cents), and graphite "a modest
25 cents), lock and chain ($1.50 was the
figure for these) and pump ($2. 5O).
When it came to clothing, there was
a pretty penny to pay. A handsome suit
cost $25 to make. 1t was so light in color
that mud would ruin it, SO the clubman
before long bought second one for pos
sible rainy weather. This one was $40.
Kangaroo bicycle shoes cost "a, two
pairs of Scotch wooden stockings So,
two wooden shirts 81, and a sweater So.
The young man wanted to go touring,
and So more went for road maps. A
leather luggage carrier, also for trips
out of town, was So. So. One of his tires
sprang leak at the valve and had to be
sent back to the factory, so he bought an
extra one for $3.50 to use meanwhile.
He had one collision, and came off pretty
luckily, the bill for repairs being only
So. so. 1t cost 81 to have two punctures
mended. A watch to be fastened to the
handle bar, with frame, was 81. His
first saddle didn't suit, and a second one
involved the expenditure of another 20.
"Well, how do you like bicycling?"
some one asked the young man who was
economizing.
cts great. l hope to have COM
plete outfit of sundries by next spring if
they don't invent too many new apph-
ances in the meantime. Expensive? Well,
it isn't as cheap as it's cracked up to be,
but it's away behind yachting-several
thousand dollars behind. New York
Tribune