The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-23
CHAINLESS is HERE
GOAL OF THE OYCLE-MAKER
CLAINED.T0 HAVE BEEN WON.

Bevel Gearing. and . Shaft Enclosed In the
Tubing. Get the Power to the Rear
Motion, and Draft Lighter Than the
Present Ch.an wheel-Basf MEiIan
Spent In Pernecting the MachIne. Which
Will Sell at = Hundred and . Quarter
Chain WheeLa Back Number
| Chicago, Oct. 22-The new cnainless
bicycle, declared by the enthusiastic
| wheelmen TO be tine wheel of the flu
ture," is scheduled TO reach Chicago to-
day. Two of the new type of machines,
one womaf's and one a mans wheel.
will be exhibited at the store OF the
Pope manufacturing company in Wa
! bash avenue this morning, and more are
20 follow in a few days. The enthus-
| iasuic advocates Of the new type Of BIZ
cycle declare this introduction of chain
| less wheels marks a great an epoch in
cycling as did the discovery OF the pneu-
matte tire.
For over two years Colonel A. A. Pope
has been engaged in the production of a
chainless wheel He mas made several
| trips abroad in connection with the mat
ter, and mas kept an expert mechanic
there studying up on all the types
shown. The American rights for the
principal patents have been bought UP
by him and work has been steadily push
ed on the new device. The result is the
American chainless wheel, which is de-
clared to be as far ahead Of the for
eign chainles wheels as American bicy
cles OF the ordinary makes have proved
themselves to be in advance of the for
eign makes.
The new wheel relies for its driving
mechanism on a shaft running in the
inside Of the tubing of the frame and
two sets Of bevel gear. AT the pedals is
a small wheel taking the place of the
sprocket and provided with slanting
cogs. It engages a wheel at the end of
a shaft running through the tubing to
the axle Of the rear wheel At the lat
ter point there is another pair OF cog
wheels. The whole driving mechanism
is enclosed In dust proof cases, and is
claimed TO- have no lost motion and less
friction than a chain gear. The revolv-
ing shaft is mounted on two sets Of bail
bearings.
Over $500, 900 is claimed to have been
spent in perfecting this wheel. The ex-
periments on the work have been made
in great secrecy and nothing has been
made public until the present time.
Now. when they are being manufactur-
ed by the thousand, their construction
and operation. are made public.
One Of these machines has been in ex-
perimental use during the summer in
the east. 1t is claimed for 1t that it
was ridden 1000 miles and stood every
test placed upon It, proving to run cas-
Ser at the finish than at the start. Tests
with instruments as to the friction in
new gear are said to have been made.
demonstrating that the bevel gear is
easier running than the chain.
In making the new wheels the great
est difficulty was found in cutting the
gear wheels. Experiments without num-
Der were tried, and at last a machine
was perfected which will do the work
Of cutting a gear wheel in thirty min
utes and with the greatest accuracy.
Until more Of these gear-cutting ma
chimes are made the output Of chainless
wheels will be constrainedly limited
Rights to manufacture the new wheel
have been sold to several Of the larger
bicycle companies throughout the coun-
try. These concerns will make the new
gearing the feature of their 1898 wheels
but are expected to be able 70 manufac-
IN tai to SaT-l
some time until new machinery is made.
The price Of the chainless bicycle has
been fixed by an agreement at S125.