The Portland daily press., 1896-07-04
WHAT A WHEEL COSTS.
Why High Grade Bicycles Sell at
High Prices.
MATERIAL NOT THE ONLY ITEM
OF EXPENSE.

A Great DeaI of Labor That Does Not
show ON the Surface-Costly Machinery
which Often Has to Be Thrown Away.
Almost every day we hear the question,
What makos a bicycle cost so much?
The questioner has probably heard that
the material in bicycle cost s25 or $50,
and fails to understand why dealer
should charge 500. for. the same machine
In finished state, says the New York
Mercury 1t is for his. benefit and that of
thousands of others who have been heard
to ask the same question that the follow
ing explanation has been prepared.
In the arst place 1t must be understood
that the bicycle business is very costly
one to operate, even under favorable con-
ditious, and owing to she improvements
In patterns oach year this cost Is largely
Increased. During the past fifteen years
there has been a continual improvement
in design and the minor details. all of
which meant to the maker complete
change In costly machines and sale at
q low figure of the models of the previous
year.
The bicycle is often compared with the
sewing machine and the typewriter. both
of which havo been greatly reduced in
price during the past two or three years !;
yet to-day the sowing machine or type
writer of the latest pattern is sold at a
high price. In the same line may be
cited the fact that you can buy watch
for So, and, again, you can pay $500 for
a watch Of another kind. Buying bioy-
Gle is like buying eggs. There are good
eggs, eggs of last week and last
year. And 1t takes an experienced per-
son to tell the difference in either.
In the cheaper grades of bicycles of to-
day the material is almost Identical with
that used in the higher-prioed machines,
but workmRnsL =, tests, care and re-
peated inspection are the elements which
increase the cost.
1t must be remen bered that the ma
terial used in high-grade bicycle, al
though very expensive, does not represent
anything near the total cost. An allow
ance must be made for Thousand and
one things that appear on the balance
sheet Of the bicycle mandatory, inolud-
Ing assembling, brazing, trneing, inspec-
ting, enameling. nickeling, finishing,
packing, shipping, advertising, agents
commissions, wear and tear of the ma
chinery, insurance losses, guaranty,
skilled employees wages, office force. roy
oil utr Of
maintenance of plant, interest on invest.
ment, taxes, supplies and accessories.
Probably the most costly material used
in the building of high-grade bicycle is
the tubing. This is of the best quality OF
high carbon steel and in some factories
they go to tho extreme Of using nickel
steel which contains AZ per cent all of
nickel. This steel costs considerably
more to work the stock owing to it's ex.
treme hardness. The nickel has a similar
effect on steel as tarbon especially after
being heated and subjected to cold
draught of air or immersion in oil or wa
Ter. 1t then takes on a temper like high
carbon steel and materially adds to the
strength of the steel which has TO over
come strains from every quarter.
This tubing before it appears in it's
completed state for use in bicycle has
undergone from eighteen to twenty four
different processes in cupping and draw
Ing. After each handling 1t Is necessary
owing to the fact that in drawing thu
metal cold it becomes brittle to anneal OF
soften before doing so again. A tube can
only be operated upon once day owing
to the length of time necessary for the an
healing which makes it a COSTLY procsss
especially as it must be done by skilled
workmen in order to insure success in
the operation. In the various DEPART
ments of tube mill none but the bIphast
grade of mechanics are employed, ths work
being such that it cannot be done by
novicss. After a frame of a bioycle has
been put together inexperienced people
have often asked what there is to such a
casting that would make it expensive
As we have already seen it is not in anv
way casting-not one part of it being
cast metal.
The tubing Is of the highest quality of
steel and in order to shape it into bicv.
Gle frame it is necessary to have the va
rious connections constructed on the
proper angles to fit tho required size of