The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-17
ELECTRIC TANDEM WHEEL.
A Novel Continuance Manufactured
in France.

In these days when all the
worlds awheel, when every man, wo-
man and child is cyclist, and those
In the tolls of this magician live.
sleep, eat, and drink for it, every new
device which simplif1es it's mechanism
or is designed for the comfort of it's
Votaries is eagerly hailed with joy.
We read of a new bicycle intended for
aerial travel; in the window of a bicy-
Gle store in Broadway may be seen
today a contrivance which is destined
for marine travel, and now from Paris
comes the model of a tandem wheel
whose motive power Is electricity. The
illustration gives a very good idea of
It's mechanism and construction.
though to the uninitiated eye it ap-
pears to be very cumbersome con-
trlvance. OF course it will have it's
adherents, and many will extol the
facility with which they can cover the
ground without the usual amount of
muscular eXertion entailed by the or
binary wheel
This new machine is built by Messrs
Auroc and Darracq at the Pre- Saint
Gervaise factory, and is really intend
ed for the use Of the instructors in
the velodromes. It's appearance Gre
ated quite a sensation by the novelty
of its construction and the vast posi-
bihties which its perfection and adop-
ton offer
In every bicycle school at present the
expense of teachers and the outlay for
extra wheels is very great With this
new electric tandem it is proposed to
mount the pupil and instructor on the
same machine, the latter being better
able to guide the beginner and the for
mer acquiring experience and conf
dence at the same time from the feel
Ing of safety engenedered by the close
proximity of the teacher. To any one
who has received instructions the adj
Vantages of this method over the uncer-
tain grasp of the mans hand on ones
saddle are plainly patent
The pupil learns to guide the ma
chine while seated in front, to work the
pedals when occupying the back seat.
The instructors do not regard the new
invention with any great favor, but, as
1t is matter of economy with the pro-
prietors, the latter are very unlikely to
heed their objections. M Baduel. the
director of the Paris and Buffalo velo-
dromes, has definitely decided to sub
stitute the electric tandem for the pres
ent method of instruction, and his ex-
ample Is very apt to be speedily fol-
lowed by other proprietors.
The invention consists in APPLYING
an ordinary electric motor to a tandem
The motor Is reduced to it's smallest
amount of resistance and Is located at
the center of gravity of the machine
and attached by powerful accumula-
tors. Messrs. Auroc and Darracu's ma
chine will run without any prope1ling
power from the riders, but it is better
for them to work the pedals, as it per-
m1tS the speed of the wheel to be reg
ulated in a safer manner and more
comfortably with the wishes of the men
controlling it,
The electric motor weighs twenty Kill
Cgrams and Is of two-horse power: it
is capable of 1900 revolutions In a min
ute, which enormous speed is.regulated
by system of chains and gearings.
In order to deaden the noise these
bronze gearings would necessarily
make, turning with such great swift
ness, one of the cogwheels, the smaller,
is made of copper.
The electric tandem here described
is an ideal wheel for. racers. Messrs.
Pingault and Vasseur, who hold the
records, have attained a speed hitherto
considered impossible. The accumula-
tors are capable of running the ma
chine for an hour After that they
must be recharged.
Until the new progress-which is a
great step in advance-has been thor
oughly perfected the electric tandem
will be confined to the velodromes. As
soon as an electric motor has been
found light enough in weight to be at
tached to an ordinary bicycle and pow
erful enough to run the machine for
several hours, a wide field of touring
will be open to the new invention, and
1t will then become really interesting
to the masses.