The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-05
The Plans Of Mice and Men

1t is probable that the output Of bicycles
for 1897 will not be more than one-haif as
large as that of the year just closing. This
is no Indication OF waning popularity. II
Is the old story of oyer-production. The
great boom of 1886. when the supply was
rarely equal to the demand, induced the
old firm to make an extraordinary number
of machines for the pear following, and
also brought into the field hundreds Of new
manufacturers who had no idea Of the
conditions governing the trade. The result
was that, according to the NEST estimates.
not more thar one-half the wheels turned
out were sold this year, and the other half
remain to be disposed of, as their parts
cannot be used in new wheels. The we'll
established concerns, Of course, stood the
strain; the profits of the former year were
sufficient to make the business Of the two
years very good indeed, and of the little
new companies two-thirds of them probab-
ly went to the wall. This year the trade
will probably reach a steady basis, and the
questions of grades and prices will be more
definitely settled than they have been.
An effect of the over-production is the ap-
pearance in the market OF what is practic-
ally frst-class standard wheels at less than
500. When early last summer the excess
of competition caused price-cutting in some
quarters and a rush of relatively cheap
wheels to the market, there was talk of re-
auctions for the new season. The princi-
pal dealers insisted, however, that they
would make no change. and several of them
formally announced their price for 1887 as
500 They have kept their word, but at
the same time have found themselves COM
PEELED to take a step which in a measure
bears out the prophets of lower prices This
is the offering of new 1896 models at SO. 1t
has been the custom of all the dealers to
take back old wheels as part payment for
the new and then touch up and resell the
secondhand machines at a considerable
reduction on the first price. They have
not before, however, had a large stock of
unused wheels on hand, and therefore have
now had TO make the distinction necessary
this year of first and second-class wheels
which differ not at all in workmanship or
material, but only IN respect to such minor
changes as have been adopted for the new
year.
In consequence of this few of the manu-
facturers are offering their customers as
much for the old wheels as they did; where
$50 to $50 was given, some dealers now hold
ing out for only $50. In other words, while
cyclers in general have the opportunity this
Year of obtaining standard wheels at a re-
dution of . per cent, those riders who have
been in the habit of keeping up-to-date
will, in many cases, find that. IL they de-
sire to continue it their cycling will cost
them nearly 40 per cent year more than it
did. Whether manufacturers will find it
advisable to stick to this arrangement Is a
question of extreme interest to them and to
riders. If persisted in it can hardly fail to
go far to breaking up the wheel-every-year
practice. When that comes about three
fourths of the bicycle factories will go out
of existence and those who remain will
have as their chief problem how to make .
wheel last.