Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-11-27
CHEAP BICYCLES.
a French Ingention Which Sellk
for q Quarter.
Il Is Hardly Is to Our American Ma
chine, However II Is Thought II
Stay Affect the Price of Bicycles
the World over.

y business las just been started in
Paris which may affect the price of hi.
cycles ull over the world. Ii undoubt.
eddy will. il the claims made by the
champions of the new undertaking
prove true. Cheap bicycles, SO cheap
taat the mention OF the sum takes ones
breath away, are to be the product OF
:hi3 new business or factory.
Wooden bicycles were offered for sale
in Paris some time ago ut the unheard-
of price of 20 sous each. Henri dc Par
vile. scientific editor of the Journal tlr1
Dehats, WAS musing over this strange
fact. whcL one day he received n letter
informing him that very useful hi.
cycle could he made for two sous, which
are equivalent 10 couple of cents OF
American money. A bicycle for couple
of ccntsi just think Of it.! a few
days Inter Paul Clcrc. the writer of the
letter. showed NJ. dc pnrvillc his two
cent bicycle. 1t was simply composed
of couple of pieces OF wood taken from
an old box and two cents worth of iron.
II was. in other words, II rough spcci-
men of the primitive vclocipcdc. rs in
vented by Baron dc Drais in 1878. The
lbti ~ VI thiS Ntlc
rough wooden framework and two
wooden wheels of equal size.
NJ. Clorc's idea is to place on the mar
kct machines fashioned after this old
model. but with NIL feasible and mex
pensivc Improvements. The machines
will have neither pedals nor intricate
mechanism of any kind. They will be
composed simply Of wooden frame
work. two wooden wheels and a saddle
They will be known. not us bicycles,
but as celPrcts.
1t is not expected that the cclcrcts
will superscdc the regular bicycles. but
IT is considered certain that thousands
who cannot afford to buy bicycles will
buy celercts. a first-class bicycle costs
500 or more; n first-class rclerct can he
bought for one dolnr or two dollars,
and one of an inferior grade can be pur-
chsscd'as low MS 25 cents. Nay, there is
no reason why q handy man or boy
should not make II celcrct for himself,
in which case the only outlay ncccs.
sary would he n couple of cent for iron.
And in regard 10 the utility of the
cclcret Baron d. Drais said many wears
ago: "On good roud my machine can
travel at the rate Of two leagues, aud
even four leagues, an hour, nnd when
going down hill its speed is greater than
that of gallpping horse" Perhaps
the baron Dragged. The cclcrt may no.
go quite as fast us he Claims. Still, il
can be made to 60 fast. ard with little
effort. The rider is rcolly walkin,e
while in sitting posture, nnd is fur less
likely to become fatigued than II he
" re running In the ordinary manner.
Progress is made by touching the
ground alternately with the right and
lcit foot. The machine, once set i'm III y
ton in this manner. goes along steadily.
and the speed ut times Is so great that
the. rider Inns no need to propel himself
with his feet.
Put pneumatic tires and other mod
crn improvements on q ccleret," SAWS
NJ. Cicrc. and there Is no reason why
IT should not go almost rs fast us bj
cycle"
lie also says confidently TINT man
can travel long distance on celeret
ana feel hardly the least fatigue ut the
end of his journey. He accounts for
this fact on the ground that none OF the
energy spent on propcling the machine
Is wasted. and that the amount of en-
ergy required to travel Il long Journey
is much less than might be expected.
Nj. Clcrc sees clearly that it will be no
ensy task to make the celercts popular.
when their prototypes, the draiscnnes,
were invented. at the beginning of the
century. the few persons who venturcd
to use them In France were nnmerciful-
iy caricntured. In England the NH
chimes became more popular. but there
100, their riders were ritliculcd. WeaIl
know how long it has taken the modcrn
bicycle to win Its present high position.
NJ. Clcrc, however, is confident of sue
cess.
According to him." says the journal
des Dcbats, thousands can derive benz
lit from machine like this, which costs
almost nothing, which travels as fast as
a trotting horse, and which can he rid
den BY anyone without the slightc3t
danger of falling off. How many young
people would use it for amusement and
health. and also for the purpose of learn
ing how to ride the regular bicycleo
Norkingmen could ride to their bust
ness on eelcrets. children could go to
school on them, peasants could ride 10
market on them. and even business men
could use them to save time. So light
could they be made that riders could
easily carry them under their arms. IL
necessary"
Analysed thoroughly. then, NJ. Clcrc's
idea is philantllropic. lie wants to fur
h'sh workingmcn and the poor general
~, who cannot afford to buy bicycles.
with machines that for all practical
purposes will prove quite as serviceabls
to them as any bicycle.-N. Y. Herald
shc Had a Rcnson, Too.
He thought to test her affection ne be
TOOK her little hand in his and looked
fondly into her eyes.