The record-union., 1896-08-02

| W HeclS liltI is TISIl up 10 UdlG lie
| inquired.
Yes was the reply; "and what is
more you can sell it to me if you work
it half way right. I've held out as
| long as / could I've vowed I never
would make a spectacle of myself for
| the neighbors to scott at, but I've
| caught the infection. I want to go
| spinning around the Pequot with the
| rest of them.'
| Everybody comes around to it in
| time," said the salesman, with an en-
| couragng smile.
i. Il knew it. I've seen strong-minded
! men whose intellectS are fitted to grap-
1 pie with the problems of the social sys-
tenn get excited in discussing whether
the rat-trap pedals are better than the
other kind. And When 1 find myself
weakening so far as to want to ride
one of the things, I'm worried half to
| death wondering how far the attack is
| going. So before we go any further
| with the transaction 1 want you to
1 promise me something"
| We will give you any reasonable
| guarantee"
! Let me feel your biceps. That's
a pretty good muscle I hope I'll never
have to call on you, but, as I said,
| there's no telling how severely the mall
| ady may strike in on the best of US
What I want you to agree to is this:
If you ever see me coming up the street
| in light-colored knickerbockers and a
red sweater with a big collar that folds
over the back like the one on little
boys sailor suit, you are to take a club
and without saying a word about it,
smash me good and engage bed for
me out at the Memorial Hospital"
Here is a warning to people on the
| lookout for bicycles. A few days ago
speculator living in Brooklyn, n. Y,
wrote to factory asking for a quota
tion on 5000 bicycles, on which the pur
! chaser declared his intention of plac-
| ing name plates of his own. What 1
want" the letter read, 'is bicycle
| having a high finish, and one that will
| hang together long enough to be sold.
I don't care how bad the tubing may be;
all that ] desire is a good-looking bicy-
Gle for small money. Few people can
| tell the quality of a bicycle. If it is
cheap and looks well they snap at the
supposed. bargain"
1t is needless to say that the duplicity
| and nerve of this man shocked the man
ager. He replied to him nevertheless,
giving the information that for three
reasons the company could not accom-
modate him. The first reason was that
| the company transacts an exclusive
agency business; the second, that it
sells to its agents only; the third, that
the materials used in constructing it's
bicycles are the very best that can be
! fo11y1 nd +horafO,.o T.
under any circumstances, at a ridicu-
lously low figure.
Other manufacturing companies of
prominence have had similar expert
ences. This is plain statement Of fact,
and should serve to warn the intending
! purchaser of the folly of buying an un-
known wheel of an irresponsible dealer
| The only safe way is to trade with a
! reputable agent Of a reputable house
Then you know that you get your mon
ey's worth, and that if your wheel
should prove defective the agent will
give you another or replace the weak or
| damaged part without extra cost
| Don't wait until you become tired be-
| fore turning to come home.
Don't rush out on the road before you
| know how to ride properly
Don't forget that others have as much
right on the road as yourself.
Don't try to do too much at the start
particularly If you are woman.
Don't allow your leg to get perfectly
| straight at any time while riding.
| Don't think that you are entitled to
any more Of the road than any other
rider
Don't have your saddle so far to the
| rear that your position is not easy.
Don't jump off your wheel and throw
yourself down on the damp grass.
Don't go out on a long run without
| being prepared for accidents to the
wheel
Don't permit a feeling of nervous ap-
prehension to affect you when learning
TO ride
Don't forget that in a collision be-
tween a wheel and a wagon the wagon
never suffers.
One of the most remarkable bicycle
rides ever made by women on this coast
was accomplished one day last week by
Miss NJ Mahoney, Miss Rita Mahoney
and Miss Lena Egeberg They are all
members of the Alpha Cycling Club of
San Francisco Miss NJ Mahoney being
captain Of that organization.
They started at o'clock and covered
the full hundred miles of the relay
course to San Jose, and then up the
road on the eastern shore of the bay to
Alameda. Their actual time on the road
was nine hours and forty minutes, in
Guiding two stops, which consumed an
hour of their time Their average pace
was twelve miles an hour
Here is a table, condensed within a
small space, which tells more about
bike gears at glance than a long
string Of explanation. The gearing of
the bike is an operation of extreme i'm
portance- As almost every bicycle is
fitted with 2S-ineh wheels, the following
table is based on that size of wheel:
,c,'e len IN sprockets Gear.
leAo -.-....... ANN. "a
-ns .--..-............. GA
17x6 6... 20 ="
I1x7 rs
17xS " "a
1sx6 81
lSxT ........... -
1sxS .......... go
2Gx6 ...... o., a.,
2ox7 ....... oo
20xS ............. IA
22xG . 1ao
/ .y.3.~- lu-
| 90 '''' - - = '-.''.. -