The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-06
BIKE MODELS OF 81
SOME RADICAL CHANGES ARE
PROMISED FOR THE COM
ING SEASON.
EVERYTHING WILL BE NEW.
THIS, AT LEAST, Is THE TALK OF
SEVERAL OF THE MANU-
FACTURERs.
SOME RADICAL CHANGES.
Though the Lines of 1896 VIII Be
Adhered to In Several Impor-
tant Particulars.
EVERYTHING WILL BE NEW.

Nearly all the bicycle manufacturers
claim their 81 models will be new"
or at least a '96 made over" SIX
months ago there was a. general ten
dency to build the 9. wheels similarly
to those Of This season, but all the con-
servative attitude of the whaelnaakers
has passed away, and the best kavwn
wheels have changed radically 80 far
as construction goes, says the Chic ago
Record
Each manufacturer has pored over
his long, list of complaints and sagges-
lions, submitted his troubles to me-
chanicaM experts AMI is now ready to
place the ~Hreal t]l Is upon the mar
ket. The first thing the average manu-
facturer says when asked about 4 81
model is: 1T is lew; new hubs, new
cranks, new shafts. new cork crown,
new systems for setting UP the sea .
post and handle bars Still the lines
and details of '96 will oa adhered to
by almost every maker There is a
slight change in the weight noted
among many of the new wheels, the
tendency being to make them some
what heavier. This is not characterized
as step backward, because it is pc
lieved the wheels are rendered more
suitable for road riding.
SOME OF THE INNOVATIONS.
Inside connections by means of flush
joints are seen almost everywhere and
are proving very satisfactory. There
are also expanders for fastening the
| seat posts and handle bars in place of
the old compression clamp. The MAX
ers have dispensed with the old way
of setting on cranks by means of the
center pin. Now one and two piece
cranks and shafts are used The Co.
lumbia wheel was the first to adopt a
crank of this type. Many '1e the firms
are using the square section crark,
which has been for long ime popular
in England. They are also using a
new type Of hub bearings, known as
disk adjusting. In this the cores are
immovable on the axle. The dish of
the cups is inward, the cups screwing
into the hub ends. Permanent align
ment Of the ball races and a constant
adjustment of the cups are claimed for
this method of construction. The wheels
may be taken entirely from the frame
for replacement of tire or any other
repair md then put back without dis
turbing the adjustment. Another nov
city is the D section tubing which
many firms are using for rear forks
The once popular tire of smooth slip
perry surface is doomed. 1t has almost
wholly disappeared, because attention
is now eentered in the rough-tread tire
Not all the firms are exhibiting their
modelssosome are waiting until the BIZ
cycles are in exhibition trim, and Others
do not intend to complete theirs until
all returns are in, hoping in this way
to profit by the ingenuity Of rival
houses.
The Fowler '97 was one of the first
shown, and is equipped with all the
new ideas the season affords. TIE
tubes are made with the disk adjusting
bearings The hanger is provided with
a bearing of the same kind A sleeve
is threaded at each end and with
shoulder, against which cones sit
The new fork crown, which is made
from tubing, is arched and tubular : he
saddle-post binder is new and If the
internal fastening order. 1t may be
Adjusted by one turn of the bolt mead.
which is situated at the top If the
frame. Ball retainers are fitted through
out, so that a machine may be taken
apart by an experienced rider without
misplacing the balls.
DUST-PROOF BEARINGS.
Makers Of the Waverly wheel have
provided their machines with what
they consider absolutely dust-proof
bearings The tubing they use is the
same size as that of last year. This
firm has made more drop frames than
1t did last year, believing that the
biggest run of the diamond frame for
women has gone by.
Round tubing in the rear forks ana
the use of external joints have been
discarded by the Pope manufacturing
company. The construction of the
crank hanger has also been reversed
The head tubing will measure one and
one-quarter inches, the main frame
one and one-eighth inches, and rear
forks will be seven-eighths inch, D
section tapering rearwardly to five
eighths inch round tubing. Internal
joints will be used.
A. G. Spalding is using the external
joints same as in 60 The lines Of the
frame in the Spalding wheel have been
changed. y The crank hanger is also
changed. by removing one crank the
bearings can be taken from the frame.
Two styles of fork crowns are favored.
One is the same as last year and the
other Is known as the double-plate
crown The roadster is heavier than
that of sc and weighs twenty-sfx
pounds. There is too, a different hup.
but the principle of direct tangent has
been retained.
Interior joints are used throughout
the 97 Monarch, which will be dis
played in about ten days. A new pat
ented device for handle and seat posi-
adjustment will be seen, also %
shaped swaged lower rear forks.
NOVEL HANDLE-BAR DEVICE.
The Adlake is brighter than ever 1t
has entirely new lines of frame, with
q narrow tread, one and one-quarter
inch tubing in the main part of the
frame. There is a new double-fork
crown and novel device for handle-bar
and seat adjustment. A three-piece
crank axle with crank shaft attached
Is introduced.
The Sterling has D-shaped tubing on
the rear forks only, to admit of larger
tires without widening the tread. 1t
has square-shaped cranks, larger
sprockets front and rear. The use of
the arch front bar is continued The
Sterling roadster is about one pound
heavier than last season.
Among the features for g? presented
ID ~