The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-12-02
WHEELS FOR NEXT YEAR.
The Chain1ess Wheel, Incased Gearing and
Other New Things.


A greater variety in bicycles will be
offered next year than has been the case
in four or five years. Less than Is
makers have arranged at present to
make a bevel gear or chainless bicycle,
while all the others have been working
with different ideas of how to produce
and successfully market wheel to CEN
pete with this new machine, the APP
pearance of which has created so much
talk. There will be several varieties of
chainless wheels on the market, and
probably not few which will be class
ed as freaks. - All of these will have
their driving mechanism inclosed, but
further it is found that those makers
who will put out chain wheels will al
most universally adopt gear case.
Thus the advent of the bevel gear wheel
promises to accomplish a complete con-
version of the American mind to the
idea of incased gearing, which has for
years been accepted across the ocean.
There will, however, be a marked diff
ference between the American gear case
and the English type hitherto known as
being unsatisfactory. The leather, eel
luloid and metal cases which have been
brought from England have been far
from satisfactory because OF their be-
ing heavy, unsightly, and, above all,
failing to thoroughly exclude dust and
water. Yankee ingenuity has introduced
aluminium alloys and light steel with
rubber for joints, so that it seems I'M
questionable that the American gear
case of today is an article far superior
to its English cousin.
During the past year the American
type of case has been gaining in favor
through trials by century riders, mill
tary men and other long distance cy
clists Starting with the premise that
perfect gear case is obtainable, the adj
vocates of inclosed chain wheels contend
that it gives all the advantages claimed
for bevel gear wheels, plus those OF a
flexible driving mechanism.
Besides the bevel gear and the in
closed chain or gear case models, there
are several new styles of driving gear
to be offered for 1898, as we'll as num-
Der of plain chain wheels which will
look very much like the accepted type
for 1897. An Indiana manufacturer will
offer a combined cog and chain gear,
entirely inclosed, with crank of vari-
able throw.
Another concern has an improved
chain and sprocket driving gear, not in
closed, which it is claimed will be as
| Indifferent to the attacks of mud and
| dirt as any housed gear. The device will
consist of an improved roller sprocket.
It has a double rim, with small solid
| disks of steel, which each revolve on an
| individual axis, fixed at regular inter
walls The links of the chain in passing
over the sprockets engage with these
rollers instead of with fixed teeth. The
rotary action of these novel sprocket
| teeth prevents any accumulation of dirt.
| A manufacturer in Ohio will bring
out a chain wheel with some entirely
novel bearings; also a chain wheel with
| a cushion frame, and he will offer gear
cases on option. About the first of the
year this same maker will place on the
market a chainless wheel of entirely
new mechanism. 1t will be without
bevel gear or spur gears, clutch or fric-
| ton action-a wholly original method
of power transmission, although it is
not claimed that it involves any new
mechanical principle. In external ap-
| pearance it will resemble the new bevel
gear wheel.
| A chainless wheel without bevel gears
| that has been exhibited in New York
for several months past will be put out
in a small way by it's inventors, but
may figure quite largely because of the
possibility of the mechanism being at
tached to the ordinary bicycle frame by
removing the sprockets and chain. 1t is
what mechanics call spur gear, having
direct cogs engaging parallel from one
| wheel to another.
A New York manufacturer has de
vised wheel with an adjustable frame
SO that it can be adapted for a rider
with any length of limb. 1t can be CON
verted from diamond frame to drop
frame and changed from wheel hav.
ing a 20 inch seat post mastEo one OF
"a or 26 inches at pleasure. The invent
or of this has also produced what he
calls revolving chain cover to be useG
as a substitute for a gear case. 1t ii
made of thin rubber, nodded in the
shape of hollow square. 1t fits ovel
the chain and travels around with it,
being opened at the sprockets automat
ically by spreader.
Brakes will be more frequently offer
ed, which means that statesmen will bt
less given to talking their customer out
of the "brake notion" Wheels will bt
more highly finished as to nickeling
enameling and decorative stripping.
tendency toward the use of smaller ball!
and relatively more of them within
larger races will be noted. The Graz,
for large balls is believed to have over
reached itself. The theory that TIVE
balls under 500 pounds of load will bea,
proportionately $50 pounds each, whil
four balls of half the size will bear on
ly 1876 pounds each, and therefore rol
more freely and do less cutting ON tn
surface of the races, appears to be gain
ing ground.
Prices will vary from $35 to $125 il
1898. The $125, of course, is for tn
bevel gear wheel of the licensed make
Quite few makers will put out $40
| wheel. They will not make many O
them, and the cataloguing of them will
be done chiefly to emphasize their CLAIM
that a truly high grade wheel cannot b
made to sell for less than 500, blu
| there will also be number of manufac
turers who conceive that the popula
demand is for reliable wheel at So
, and who will endeavor to meet it.-Ney
York Sun
Pittman, the Veteran.
| WILL D 10 rr0ipo %<> x,,ol-a