The age-herald., 1897-12-28
THE NEW CHA|NLESS WHEEL Experts Are of the Opinion It
 Will Not Last. SOME BICYCLE CHIT-CHAT Billie" Pickens, an Experienced BicycIist, Gives Some Valuable Ponters-Will
 Stick fo the Old Wheel.

Just now the "wheel" riders are indulging in much speculation in regard to the new chainless wheel W. H. Pickens, who IS a former Birmingham boy, is now southern manager of the Monarch Cycle company of Chicago. He will be remembered as a swift bicycle rider and was once champion of the state He gives some valuable point CTS on the new wheel.
 Mr. Pickens is in the city for few days visiting the local Monarch agents, Messrs Mayberry & Watson.
 A conversation with him developed the fact that there exists a great controversy among cycling experts as to the qualh1es of the new chainless wheel. According to MT. Pickens, people who have hurriedly conformed their bicycle tastes to the new order of things may have cause to regret the step. MT. Pickens recalls the introduc- tion of the elliptical sprocket, a sprocket which has oval instead of round and the peculiar virtue of which was easy hill climbing. This sprocket was discarded after a very short existence, and the manl- facturer who brought it out returned to the round sprocket wheel After all the clip tcal sprocket was an illogical thing. But regarding the chainless wheels, MT. Pick ems had this to say:
 "Great things are expected of the chainless bicycle. The public eagerly awaits the results of practical experiments, but not more eagerly than do the manu- lecturers of wheels. If the chain.ess proves everything claimed for 1t, then every manu- facturer of bicycles in this country will start the manufacture of them. The suc-
 t1, x,oto will take at least six months for the rider to pass on the merits of the wheel, and the extravagant claims made by a few leading manufacturers will count for naught in the end, unless the practical tests prove what they claim The old league chainless, from which the present chainless is modeled, did not stand the test and was discarded in disgust by the unfortunate buyer Sev- eral of these machines were sold in 1893; I know some of them were marketed in Chat
 tanooga, and today, where are they? In some junk shop, probably. One prominent manufacturer asserts that his machine will run easier at the end of two years than when first brought out, and that the gear will never wear out. l remember back in 1S93-I was a racing man then-that the same concern announced to the world that it had an invention that would revolutionize bicycle construction. That was the famous elliptical sprocket, an insane idea. It's life was short. The impracticability of the thing became apparent in a short whilet predict that the olose of the season will see the finish of the bevel-gear, and that it will be hopelessly in the ruck. However that may be, 1t is an experiment at best, and the sensible people should profit by | the experience of the cranks. If the chain I less wheel is good thing, no harm can be |. done it by the criticisms of any man. For my own part, I will stick to the chain driven wheel until I am satisfied that the chainless is better. Then l will decide be- | tween the two.'