The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-07
TIMELY BICYCLE TOPICS

j vi ELI blC4CLE IOPlCS.
With the tremendous growth Of bicy.
cling in this country the condition of the
highways Is beginning to receive the at
tentlon 1t deserves. In that respect. at
least, is the bicycle to be held In esteem.
The efforts of organized wheelmen al.
over the country toward the imprc veniept
of roads are benring fruit, but there is
much more to do in that line The
League of American Wheelmen is the
prime m over, and through it's various di-
visions aud com rltttees accomplishes
much in general way. But it cannot
work out the needed reform alone. 1t
needs the cooperation and indi yidual
endeavor Of local organizations through.
out the United States. Each bicycle club
can hep if its members are willing to put
their shoulders TO the wheel.
The oldest organization of its kind in
America is the Good Roads Association
of Brooklyn is success has been SD
marked in recent years that it has decid
ed to widen its sphere of usefulness so as
to encompass all of Long Island. To ac-
complish this, branches will be organized
during the coming winter in the princi-
pal towns and villages of Long Island
Each branch will have it's own officers
and will have jurisdiction over it's iMme-
date territory, hut will act in concert
with the parent body.
Similar organizations might he formed
in the larger cities by the wheelmen if
few public spirited ones were to take the
initiative Backed bv the power of num-
bers much gond can be accomplished in
dealing with the public authorities in the
interest of road Improvement 1t is no
eNaggerntion to say that no city in Amer.
lea has had so large n proportion of new
pavements as Brooklyn during the past
five years, and this is due ENTHUSIASTICALLY
to the unceasing efforts Of the Good
Roads Association
In the development of bicycle aGcesso-
ries the brake has come in recently for a
large share Of attention. The customary
front wheel brake, with its awkward
lever and other drawbacks, has been in
use so long that riders generally have be-
come satisfied with it To certain extent.
Last year several devices were introduced
to attach brake to tho rear wheel, or to
engage it in the chain. They all had dis
advantages to more or less marked ex.
tent This fall several bicycle makers
announce that they will sell automatic
Iear-wheel brakes with their bicycles for
1898. They act on the hub of the rear
wheel and are governed bv the pedals.
That is to say, the action of back pedal
ing brings the brake into play and brings
the wheel tn StDp. It's "a progressive
step but is tar from filling the hill. In
nine cases out OF ten n ,cyclist needs his
brake most -"hen he is coasting. In such
instances the automatic brakes referred
to would be useless, as the presumption
is that the pedals would be revolving so
rapidly that the rider could not catch
them to put the brake in play. There
fore the average tourist. whose bicycle is
Nj Of
brakes. will want one Of the old fashioned
front wheel brakes as we'll What is
really wanted is Il reliable brake that can
he operated independently of The pedals
and act on the rear wheel.
In spite Of the Unborn prejudice of the
average Engiiahnan against the products
of nations other than his own, the bicy.
Gle trade OF American manufacturers i'll
Great Britain has grown with tremen-
dous strides during the past two years.
From tables compiled by the Govern.
ment it is shown that our increase in this
particular branch has been greater than
in any other department of our export
commerce. The exports of bicycles from
American ports to Great Britain during
the fiscal year ending May 81, 1896
amounted in value to S32l 600 The
value ui bicvcle exports for tho CORE
reached the surprising figure OF $2,0S2,-
COO. The meaning of that jump of almost
700 per cent. in one year is nnnistakable,
particularly when it is taken into cansid
Grafton that only high grade machines
can be marketed successfully in England.
The chief reason for this, remarkable lie.
velopinent is the fact thai American
manufacturers have greatly essened the
cost of and largely increased their output
by the employment of automtiac ma
chinery, while with very few exceptions
the British makers stick to the old meth
ods of hand labor. Certain bicycle parts
are being turned out by American facto-
ries by the thousand, whils the British
are content with single pieces, made labo.
riously and extensively by hand. The
machine made product Of the Americans
is infinitely superior in thar each piece
must needs be perfect and all parts are
interchangeable.