The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-07
'98 MODELS WILL SOON BE OUT
FEW IMPROVEMENTS, BUT GREAT
Err PERFECTION EXPECTED.

The Advent of the ChainIess Has
Been "a Great Stimulus to the Nam
ufacture of Chain-Driven Wheels.
Probable That ChainIess Wheels
VIII BE Sold for $1,000 Rubber
Gear Case Patented-Zimmerma
to Go to Europe.
The '9S models of bicycles will be out
very soon, and the rider who changes his
wheel every year will want to swap off his
's7 for a chainless or a wheel of the lat
est model. 1t is pretty safe to say how
ever, that the riders will not fall over
themselves in anxiety to buy the chain
less wheel If it is sold at SIPS, which Is
the price at which the standard manufac-
turers say they will put them on the mar
ket. With chain-geared bicycles at a much
lower price and the bevel gear as yet an
experiment, the majority Of riders who
purchase new wheels will undoubtedly pick
the chain gear.
1t is not at all unlikely, however, that
some, If not all. of the standard manu-
facturers will sell their chainless wheels
at $1O0. The chainless wheel which was
put out recently is now selling at $685. but
1t is the impression that it will come down
in price when the other '9S models are
out The fact that high grade bicycles
have been and are still being sold at 800,
and even less, precludes any possibility of
them finding good sale at higher price.
Once the people have found out that they
can get a thing for a certain price 1t is
hard to get them to give more, even if
they are shown that the new article Is an
improvement. They seem to think that the
improvement should come with competi-
ton, and, though increasing the value of
the article, should not increase its price.
One good effect of the Introduction of
the chainless bicycle is the stimulus given
chain-wheel makers toward improvement
of their models in anticipation of the keen
competition. which will ensue between the
two types of wheels.
Improvements are a yearly matter or
dinarily, but the introduction of the new
factor IN the manufacture of wheels has
led to the exercise of much extra me-
chanical ingenuity this year. New ideas
in construction, gearing and finish have
been incorporated in nearly all of the 'es
models soon TO be put on the market;
gear cases, brakes and other desirable &C
cessories have been added to the specfica-
ton of complete wheels. Greater care has
been taken in every particular to have a
neat, smooth-running and satisfactory
wheel to offer Ia competition with its new
rival, whose merits or dement's are a wor-
risome, If still an unknown, quantity.
The prevailing sentiment with some
manufacturers is to build chain wheel
so good that, coupled with the advantages
OF lower price, it will be more accepta-
be to the average buyer than the cosdier
and untried chainless, which is yet an ex-
pertinent, as far as the public is con-
cerned. The result in the 9S models will
see perfection in the chain wheels that
would certainly not have been attained for
years had 1t not been for the advent of
that very disturbing factor-the chainless.
A New York man claims to have invent
ed patent for gear case which he says
VIII revolutionize chain wheels 1t is
made of rubber and covers the chain gear
so that no dust can get at It and protects
the chain from mud and water Unlike
some OF the crude affairs which have been