The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-01
OLD BIKES AND NEW
EFFECT UPON TRAVEL OF THE
MULTIPLYING GEAR.
HATS to People who Want TO Ride
bicycles for Pleasure and Not for
Competition In Speed-Relative
Capacity for Travel Of the Ola
Driven Safety.

In a discussion of the relative merits OF
their machines by two riders of the wheel,
il Is safe to say that after the invarsable
question, What make do you rider the
next will be. What Is the gear? There
il probably no feature OF the wheel which
is more discussed than this. or in which
wider difference Of dimensions exists: Yet.
strange to say. there Is no feature whicn
Is less understood.
There are thousands of riders who have
no clear conception Of the change OF me-
chanical conditions which takes place
when. by substitution of a smaller rear
sprocket wheel. he 'raises the gear" of his
machine.
True. when he mounts and begins to APP
ply pressure to the pedals. he is sensible
of change which In its effects is truly re-
nrarkable. II his first ride with the nigh
gear be taken on a smooth and level road.
for the first few revolutions of the cranks
he will be disappointed. II not disguised.
at the siugg.shness OF the machine, and he
will have to apply much greater pres
sure to the pedals than was necessary on
the old gear. When the bicycle is fully in
motion, however. he viii be agreeably sur
prised TO flnd that, with the same speed OF
rotation of his pedals as with the low gear,
and apparently with the same pressure.
he covers what TO his pleased and excited
Imagination appears TO be 50 per cent.
more distance. HIS satisfaction VIII last
Until the first hill or q head wind is en-
countered, when all the nfe and mettle
Will suddenly die out of his high gear
wheel. and to the redoubled pressure on
the pedals there VIII be apparently but
little response.
For the benefit of those of our readers
who may not have a clear conception Of
the part PLAYED by gear" ia the mechan-
les Of the bicycle we have prepared the
accompanying diagram. The comparison
IS based upon the proportions of the now
extinct Ordinary" or high wheel bicycle
and 10 shows how the introduction of the
rear-driven safety" with dts multiplying
gear. has increased the capacity OF the
bicycle tn respect OF the amount of ground
which can be covered by one revolution Of
the pedals. In the Old ordinary" bicycle,
In which the cranks ware attached directly
to the driving wheel. the diameter of dr.v-
ing wheel which rider could use was de-
termaned by the length of his leg. For this
reason 80 TO 81 inch wheel was the COM
mon size. and a s1-inch wheel was an OBJ
ject of positive wonder on the road or on
the track. This was the SIZE ridden by
DR.. Cortss tthe Zimmerman OF those davs)
when In lsS0-H he astonsshed the world by
riding % miles In one hour on the track.
In those days X was largely the high We
locity OF the pedals that limited the snt,ed.
and every rider chose the largest wheel
that he could comfortably bestr:de, with
out irpairing hrs effective work on the
cranks.
The Introduction OF lie rear-driyen safe
~ bicycle. with It's multiplying gear. has
changed ali that, and. as our illustra Ion
shows. the short rider can now bestrl,ia A
bicycle the effective diameter OF whose
driving wheel may be greater than that
% our swiftest express locomotives. In
passing II may be mentioned that II the
rider OF a I2-gear safety were seated uro1
an ordinary OF equivalent diameter Ais
eyes would look out upon the world from A
point some nine feet above the ground,
and the riders OF the Iss-gear sextuplet
would hook down upon the earth from an
elevation OF fully is feet.
The distance Travelled for one revolution
OF the cranks OF the largest ordinary bscv-
Che - Is feet inches; for she 9a-gear racer
IL Is "A feet. and for the iS2-gear sexr,,rls.,
II Is ~ feet; and such has been the I'M
provcrnent effected by the rsg.iItv OF ina
safety frame. the better position OF the
rider for his work. the excellence OF ths
bearings. and, above all. by the recuuera-
tive action OF the pneumatic tire, tat the
eranks OF the ae-gear. modern. racing hIcy.
ese can be propelled with greater ga a. than
those or The Old Se-lnch ordinary machine.
as the respective speeds attained bv two
types would seem 20 prove R,,, x-s,sa.
Nass u fru~ on toe face track, where the
rssfers ara men of muscle snd enssuranee
on the country road the advantages o. *.
csSsiVely high gear are not 50 manifest
Fer although che rider OF an sl-rss.r y,,a-
chine covers about . yard more ground
Saan the rider of . s9-xear machine at
earn revolution OF his cranks. he mas 90
excfs t1eorettca-;y one-sev~nth r,sa~~ .ras-
sure uron the pedals, provided m. esase
CONDITIONS. such as length OF cranEs ara
! ar
Upon sfe leVsi and on good roads this .x-
ira pressure IS not dsseernsble. when onc.
the machine = fa2riy under way; but ,,rssr,
a rough road. or in climbing a Mn or
against the wsac. sse extra srYor, sx vary
evident. and in she case OF weak or str..t
riders. painfully 40.
bTradly speaking. the question Of
gear Is one Of the fever, in whs~h ~ha
radius Of the driving wheel Is sn@ long
aFua. the crank the snort arm. the resist
Aasce tsesng applied tEl~ bong arm ara saa,
ssSASs a. <ae snort arm. When the ma