The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-11
THE BICYCLE WRIST NOW
A BELIEF That IT IS ca USED BIZ
BACK-PEDALLIN0
Testimony Of wheeIwomen Who n"v'
Suffered From Weak aud Sore "risIs'
Remedy for the Trouble.

brakes were as common on bicycles al
they are uncommon now, and before that
time nearly every wheelman rcSardeS
them as necessity. In the craze fo1
lighter wheels the brake was treated like
all the other parts of bicycle which
IL was thought could be removed WITH
out seriously interfering with the ma
chimes use; II was taken or. TO sup
ply the function 1t performed back-peda--
ling was practiced, and the knack OF
stopping a wheel with the feet. instead
OF with a hand brake as before, was
very generally acquired. Many cyclists
have become so handy at back-pedaliinG
that they now see absolutely no need
of any other means OF slackening theig
pace. whether on level ground or de-
scendlng a hill: but there are many other
riders who look upon a brake as the mosi
necessary of a wheels attachments.
When the bicycle hand" was COM
planned of last December IL was attri-
buted to unduly gripping the handle bar
and the constant vibrating OF the lat
ter; and the numbnesS which resulted
was thought to be partly caused by cllmp.
ing hills, when the handles were heio
more tightly than at other times. Inc
bicycle hand seemed to exist chiefly
among male riders who took long and
sort has come from women cyclists untu
lately Now, however, there are women
who say that they suffer from sore ana.
frequently, swollen wrists, which occa-
sion a good deal of discomfort The cause
OF the trouble they ascribe TO the tight
grasp and frequent lifting on the handles
which IS incident to back-pedailing.
young woman on the west side, who dis
carded her brake the first Of the season.
has this TO say about her case:
"The idea OF doing without brake
struck me as n good one, and had ny
brake removed. [ found II easy enough
10 stop my wheel without II. and there
was a novelty i'm back-pedalling instead
Of having TO grab for brake whenever
I wanted to slow down. That was se'erai
months ago. Now I'm going TO nave the
brake back again I'm short order. why
[ have lust found out what has made
my wrists so weak and painful all sum-
mer. | didn't once think that detaching
the brake from my wheel had anything
~ do with il until | was speaking the
other dav with a friend who is troubled u
the same way. She had also been doing
without brake. Neither OF us ever TOOK
very long rides. and it was hard 10 sec
how the trouble could result from cycling.
But we began TO compare notes, ana
finally we drifted onto the brake question.
Nv friend much preferred back-pedailing
10 using a brake. but, SAID she' my
wrists get awfully tired pulling up on
B the handle bar so do mine, sald l.
/ and I'm going to stop doing II. Inc mex,
| dav | made the experiment. IL was m
possible for me TO make a quick stop Dy
| not lifting on the handles, but was oe
,arrnined 10 run the risk When l got
10. vi
| strong and we'll as they were When
started. The next day / repeated the ex-
/ periment and was convinced that had
/ found the secret OF my trouble. That
settled back-pedalling for me- My irieho
| has pronted by my experience anu ho"
has her old brake back again.
eft had been almost an everyday &C
| currence In the last three or -FOUR moh,I-'
, for me 10 come home from a spin Win
nv wrists aching dreadfuliy. Sometimes
! thew would be swollen. and | would bathe
them with witch hazel or arnica. me
/ main would usually last several hours.
and sometimes it wouldn't cease uor
two or three days, l noticed that ai'e,
/ long rides. or rides on when was ooHseI
10 keep stopping continually the pai-.
was worse and lasted longer thah aievf
I had taken q short run on a clear rod.-
INST so surely as I did much back-pedal-
ling my wrists grew tired, and believe
| ~ / hadn't discovered the cause OF the
/ trouble when | did my case would sooil
| have deserved to rank among the anne
lions of pigeon-toes and knock-hnees az
one OF wrist paralysis. The re-estaDiish-
ing of the brake is a sure cure Tor th-
bicvcle wrist and nobody but anu-prdhe'
men needs to fear an attack or II.
Another young woman, who joined III
the opposition TO brakes when was se
strong last February. has had reason
according to her own story, TO reverse
her notion concerning them. she riues
great deal on the busy thoroughiares o.
the city. and. until quite recently ma.
prided herself on her skill IN the aft VI
-pedalling. She explained 10 oui
reporter her reason for discohllhulns '''
practice.
| the brake off my wheel would be 10
lighter and easier running, ana ina
brakes we're of no particular use, any
way. I'm not a veteran at wheeling, an'
always like TO get all the points car
on the sport. So | shook the brake an.
thought no more about 1t Tor SOM
time. Ii was no bother for me 10 sto'
the wheel with my feet, provided uldh
lose either my head or pedal IN uoih.
so. Nv handle bar Is one or the SORT Una
may be raised or lowered by turning
screw. II would turn up just when
didn't want 1t TO every time trleu
back pedal in spite or the Fastening 'h''
was supposed to hold it, At last l so
ono maj couldn't turn. and / was able Z
null no on that as much as | liked. INT
frs, thing [ knew my wrists began u
main me. why in the world l should nav
lame wrists any more than other girls
didn't know. | would so to bed viii
them naming and get up with them pam
ing. thinking perhaps l had strained o
vvrenched them somehow / was on III
noint OF going TO SEQ a doctor about
when | read something IN newspape
about the advantages Of having brake
an bicvcles. The story minated Una
. hack-nedalling caused weak Joints, CROOK
"a toes bow legs, and cock eyes, an
} nI,vad the dickens with ones whol
sratomv There's where | got the cue
what allied me 1 just sat down an
thought over my case, ana INSIDE Oh
week there was a brand new. fusl-sZe
hand brake on my wheel ana "ouiuh
part with II for a dozen duplex cyclone
tiers. If couldn't get another.
Ibid my wrists ache when was rlu'ns
Indeed YES. but OF course l didn't thin
much about 1t then. II was when &c
. home and put the wheel up hat notice
the pain very much. II ! had told ma c
ma NV goose would have been cooked, s
Ear as the bike went; 50 kept mum. NV
or three OF my girl friends have ma
a similar trouble. / don't know OF an
: man who has had Il. IL seems 10 l
wholly among women.
4 Young woman who has az times SUI
fered from tingllng and numbness OF u