The record-union., 1897-12-09
THE CYCLERS COLUMN.
OWNING OR RENTING-NEW
WHEELS FOR 1898.
The Chain and It's Case-A Mile q
Minute-New Track Racing
1deas-A Bulletin.

New York Tribune: There are a few
wheelmen who maintain that it is bet
ter to hire bicycle whenever they wish
to go out than to own a machine of their
own, but as a rule they are men who
have never been the owners of bicycles.
Every rider of much experience knows
that it takes some little time to get
ones saddle and handle-bar adjusted
rightly, and when everything is just
right it is a nuisance to make any
change. Hence few cyclists care to let
other people ride their wheels, If doing
SO involves any change in the adjust
ment of movable parts. But in case OF
rented wheel the adjustment of sad
die and handle-bar has to be made every
time, and it is questionable whether the
most expert attendant at bicycle
school can SO arrange things as TO
make no further changes necessary on
the road. In spite of the arguments or
those who contend for renting as
against owning bicycles, the vast ma
jority of people who practice cycling
cannot but prefer ownership, with all
the word implies. Nor is there much to
be said in favor of having bicycle
made to order, as one would have
suit of clothes. Starting with frame
of the right hight. the essential things
are to get the right sort of saddle, right
ly placed, both as to hight and tilt, and
to have the handle-bar properly adjust
ed. These things are as necessary IN
the case of a wheel made to order as
in that of one chosen from the large
stock of a dealer, and if the cyclist
means to ride good deal and enjoy his
riding to the full he will make no mis-
take in deciding on the pattern of
wheel he prefers and becoming the
owner of it.
Jervis' New York Letter: New 1893
wheels are being received rapidly by
New York managers. Last week the
new patterns of six well-known makers
appeared. Two were chainless, two
were inclosed chain models and two
We're of the ordinary chain type. One
of the chainless is a new design with
twin driving rods put out by an OHIO
firm. A general tendency to increase
the drop in the crank hanger, to shorten
the head and increase the distance be-
tween the bearings is noticeable. In
the rear D-shaped tubing for forks and
stays seems to be universal.
A meeting of the L. A. W. Executive
Committee. with President l. 3. Potter,
Vice President A. Cressy Morrison and
c. Frank Kircker in attendance, was
held at the headquarters in New York
November 18th, and adjourned for
few days. Matters relating to an ar
rangement with the foreign cycling or
,:al, hi 4
members to take their wheels abroad
without paying custom house duties,
We're taken up, and also the programme
of the National Assembly to be held at
ST. Louis in February next. The idea
will be to make Good Roads day the
most important one during the session.
As soon as these matters are finally ar
ranged, a bulletin giving full details will
be sent out for the information of
League members all over the country.
If subject to toothache or neuralgia,
a ride in strong wind will often bring
it on. A piece of ginger should be car
rled in the pocket, and if the air is felt
in the cheek bones a piece should be
slipped in the mouth. This will warsa
the mouth and throat and ward off any
i'll effects.
If in doubt as to the position of your
handles, gives the benefit of the doubt
to an inch higher. For the saddle, the
reverse.
A Massachusetts manager claims to
have struck something in the line of
sprocket design which keeps the chain
free from dirt. BY means of a register
ing machine he shows that the draft
With the new device is much less while
mud and grit are being shoveled on the
chain than with the ordinary sprockets
under the same conditions He does not
work in the same way or get the same
results as Professor Carpenter of Cor
nell University. New York, who proved
that with a chain kept perfectly clean
the loss of traction through friction is
only l per cent, while with a chain
having the average amount of dirt, col
lected through exposure, the frictional
loss is from 10 to 40 per cent Bevel
gears inclosed, show less friction than
a dirty chain, according TO the Profess
OF. but more than the clean chain. The ex-
periments of Professor Carpenter have
lad much to do with the conversion of
cycle makers 10 the 1Oea or adopting the
inclosed chain model and the facts are
Interesting for all riders to ponder. They
certainly seem 10 demonstrate the wis
dom of adopting gear cases for chain
wheels, and the prejudices Of riders are
fast disappearing. Gear-case invention
has been exceedingly prolific in this
country since the American gear case
made its first appearance at the Chi
cago show last January. improvements
have been made rapidly. and to-day
America is as far ahead of England in
this line as ii is in the matter of rims
and spokes. Several manufacturers are
still importing English cases. but the
riders in this locality seem to pass them
by in favor of the American make. The
English case is made TO protect from
mud. and the metal joints do not shut
out fine dust as do the rubber bound
joints of the American article. 1t is
only necessary TO call to mind the rub
ber-tube connection with a gas burner
in order to realize that rubber is the
only substance capable of forming a
perfectly tight connection.
Relative to the claims of riders who
seek to establish for themselves the