The San Francisco call., 1897-01-02
THE WHEELMEN.

Bright Prospects for the Trade Dur
ing the New Year Are Foretold.
There has been little Of moment in
cycling circles during the past week. The
various committees having in charge the
proposed meet at the Vefodrome on Satur-
day afternoon. January 16, the proceeds
from which are to be devoted toward send
ing delegates East to the annual assembly
of the League of American Wheelmen
are going ahead energetlcally with their
preparations and everything points
toward successful meet on that day.
Certainly the programme will be unsur-
passed for variety of attractions and if the
weather is fair big crowd should attend
There are ne club runs called nova
days. and it may have also been noticed
that there are no road races, which were SO
common last winter, and invariably had
10 be postponed from week to: week, ow-
ing. to rain, until the men got. tired OF
training and were generally out of form
when the event was finally called. There
are plenty of days during :the:spring, sum-
mer and fall months without trying to
run these races in winter also, and per-
- haps the completion :of the Yelodrome
has had as much TO do with this lack OF
attention. to road-racing as anything.
sWheeImen like to race-it Is their'natural
sporting instineL which makes this So
and furnished with a good track the
miseries of a contest on the road, in COM
parison, are too apparent to lure them.
Riding at full speed over a:rough country
road, full of:rocks and ehuckholes, IN the
binding dust left by. some faster. man
ahead of you, perhaps to fall and be Sc
verely bruised, or to finish IN about tenth
place and receive as a prize pair OF elas-
tics to hold up your golf stockings WITH.
is not what it is cracked up.to be, as the
man said of.the ice. a nice smooth track;
well protected from the wind, and coZy
dressing rooms, .shower-baths and the like
1or use after the spin are much more
tempting to the average. racer, who, in
spite of his speedy tendencies, likes COM
fort, all the same.
80: Robert C. Lennie returned from an ex-
2 tended southern trip yesterday. E. E.
Stoddard will leave for Los Angeles this
evening and Wilbur f. Knapp goes to
Portland tomorrow evening. D. w!
Perry, a prominent dealer of Tacoma, is in
the City on visit.
as whole, will work for good roads this
coming year then, cyclists generally will
rise up and praise the L. A. W. and give
it their, dollars and their material aic.
Highway improvement is -acknow wledged
30 be the greatest work the league has be-
fore it, and good, or even fair, roads, are
IN such small proportion to the bad ones
in this country that a.small beginning in
this direction will give the league big
&, prestige Chief Consul Potter of the New
York division, for instance, who it was
generally hoped would succeed Sterling
Elliott as president OF the league, las
framed road-improvement bill, with the
approval and cooperation of the State
Grange officials, and with the com bined
influences of the wheelmen and the farm
ers it is confidently believed favorable
legislation will be secured. The work
will be pushed vigorously and no doubt
will be aided much by the Good Roads
Congress to be held at Albany in Febru-
ary in CONJUNCTION with. the National As
sembIy OF the l. s. w. This will be an
event of widespread importance, since
gentlemen prominently identified with
highway improvement in all sections of
the United States will bein attendance.
The barometer of the bicycle trade
which shows, with upfailipg exact
ness how the business is progress
: ing1s the salesbooks of the prominent
houses, If the record is larger at this per-
iod than during the corresponding time a
.. year back, then look. out for big business
when. the regular season opens. i have re-
Gently made inquiries among some of the
larger dealers here, and they foreshadow a
heavy trade for 1897. This statement OF
course applies only to the firms dealing in
honest wheels at honest prices. The buy
ing public is learning to discriminate be-
tween a good and asbad wheel, even if the
one is as nicely 'enameled as the otner,
They want bicycles built by a house of rep
atation, one that. will live up.to every let
ter of its agreement.
Travellers are nearly all out, and there
are lots of them, and they are taking large
orders. The tire men speak of big con-
g tracts for the coming season. The big fac.
tories are all running full blast, some new
ones are being established, old agencies
are, brig htening up and'new ones starting,
and all IS. going merrily and with vim
that has hardly been expected. The sea-
son Of 1897 in the cycle trade is going to be
q brisk one.
lt.depends considerably upon the bicycle
manufacturers whether cycle. racing will
flourish next season as 1t has in the past
TWO years. Since the discontinuance OF
the race committee of the Cycle Board OF
Trade there is absolutely no use for manu-
facturers to attempt tQ'secure legislation
from the hands. of the league, and they
have not asked it. Although rumors have
been spread broadeas: to the effect that
the makers will support racing teams in
1897, there is little foundation as yet for
the report: Doubtless this matter will be
fully discussed at the next session OF the
Cycle Board of Trade, when the senti-
ments of the manufacturers will be fully
submitted.
In some parts of the country it is mat
ter of open comment that enthusiasm over
cycle racing has greatly decreased. For
the solution of this problem many ideas
have been advanced. The most practical is
probably the theory that now that the
masses have taken to the sport cycling is
not the novelty it was five years ago.
People are not so enthused over the com.
petition as characterized their favor for
the game few seasons ago.
Polo on wheels is the latest form of ex-
eroise in which the Fasteners are indulg.
ing. The sport requires great nerve and
thorough command of the wheel. And
in 1io.case is a 16-pound mount of suffi-
cient strength to stand the rough usage
that is given it. The players ride like
mad around the hall, and mixups are as
frequent as in road race. But it. is excit-
ing pastime and much enjoyed by those
. who have associated themselves with it.
Isaac 2. Potter is out with an ultimatum.
It is that lie will in no case be g candidate
for the Office of president of the League ol
American Wheelmen. Inasmuch as Mr..
Potter carries the New York delegation oi
over fifty votes in the palm of his hand II
is wondered to which candidate he Will
give his support. Mr.. Potter admits that
he promised not 10 become candidate
for the office in case the incumbent, Ster-
ling Elliott, desired reelection, but 1t is
understood be did not promise to support
Elliott. As New York State votes SO will
the election 60. and it is presumed that
Morrison of Milwaukee oreCossum OF New
Jersey will get the plum. 1t will be q