Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-11
TRAVEL ON WHEELS.
nrixsxc IS on THE INCREASE IN
RICHMOND NOW.
CUT IN PRICES HAVING IFS EFFECT.
ynstead of Hundreds of Wheeimcn,
IA was the Case N Few Years Age
rhousands Now WhirI over the
noads Around Richmond.

more wheels than IN any pfeScuAs i"N"''
IN the history OF Their business. one
doesn't have 10 interview these agents
however. TO asccf' ain what an increase
has taken place in the use Of bikes.
walk along the streets Of Richmond or
ride over tho many beautiful roads
around the city will show that where
q year or 80 ago hundreds OF wheels
spun over them. thousands now whiri
merrily along, giving Inc riders the bene-
Cts OF daily outings at slight cost
wheeling is unquestionably on the in
crease, ana now that some Of the princi-
PAL manufacturers of wheels have cut
their prices. and some down from the
hitherto unvarying price Of $780, the IN
crease will be more and more perceptlDie'
This is the time OF the year when "heei-
sng ID more popular than az any ciher
season, and Ia the afternoons, when the
suns rays have lost their colorfic effects,
che wheolman and Wheelwoman don thcr
''biklng" garb, mount their wheels, and
In short time are spinning swiftly,
noiselessly, and In a most pleasurabie
and health-giving manner over the good
roads which stretch out before them In
all directions.
II Is astonishing how tenaciously some
people stick TO old notions. even AFTER
they have become antiquated, and yet
% many new notions are inferior to the
Did ana tried that We cannot always con-
demn the inexperienced when we find
them conservative In matters concerning
which they have not been able 10 inform
themselves A writer in the Cycle Trade
journal Gays he remembers when On
visit 10 Old Point Comfort an old
colored man appeared on the streets
sitting In an OK cart drawn % COW.
He lived in the country, perhaps six
miles from town, and no matter what
the errand, whenever he desired 10 go
10 town the old COW must be harnessed
20 the cart, the round trip consuming at
least half day. You could not get
the old man into a buggy behind
horse. for there was too much danger
attached 10 the experiment. The horse
might kick or get frightened and run
away, and Uncle Nose much preferred
the sure and safe ox-cart and COW 10
the dangerous horse and buggy, even
n the latter did save one half his time
When the trolley-car was introduced at
Old Point Nose could have made his
round trip 10 town i'm half an hour, but
DO you suppose he would risk his life on
one of those new-fangled death traps
not he For rather would he keep TO his
primitive methods, even though It con-
sumed a whole day 10 get ready TO go
TO town for bag of -four and return 10
his humble cottage for the well-earned
rest Of the night.
And the cotter-pln is the old cart. A
safe and sure method Of attaching the
separable crank arm to it's axle. and so
positive IL It that Il seems 10 grow TO the
axle and become part Of It. You may
pound and you may push and you may
break the head off or smash your bicycle;
but that cotter-pin remains firmly Inn
bedded as though defying your efforts.
and most riders prefer to allow their
bearings to remain dirty, wear away and
ride hard, rather than attempt TO take
them apart. II Is undoubtedly true that
attempts 10 remove cOtter-pins have
caused many fractures in frames which
have developed upon later use and re-
suited IN accidents. Retaining nuts for
crank arms are about as troublesome,
for they either stick too tight or rattle
loose, and are lost on the road, COM
polling the rider TO walk home or seek a
repair-shop in which to pass the time
OF his outing. To obviate the crank-pin
and retaining nut various inventions
have been made among which the most
important are the one-p,ece and two
piece cranks. The one-piece crank I'M
doubtedly possesses merit. but there are
two important objections 90 H. First,
the breaking OF part necessitating tho
replacing OF the entire piece. including
both crsnts and axle; second, TO remove
II from tho Wheel II Is necessary 10
take of n pedal, and the pedal once UNI
screwed and replaced is liable ever after
to come Off involuntariiy, and be n
bource of constant annoyance.
The two-piece crank is undoubtedly the
correct solution of the problem of crank
hanger construction. and this is unques-
tionably why so many devices have been
produced claiming TO attain the result de-
sired Many OF these devices, however
do not meet the requirements for vari-
GUS reasons. Some of them are so com
plicated that the average mechanic car
scarcely manipulate them, much less an
ordinary rider. and their very complica-
ton condemns them. Others are con-
structed upon erroneous theories. so thai
they work loose or break. and II Is not
20 be wondered at that some uniformed
conservative people who have had expert
ence with such devices are led to con.
denim ell new Ideas and prefer to keel
to the Old crank pin.
Some two-part cranks have the hall
axies fitted into sleeve so that wher
the crank arms with their axles ar,
withdrawn the bearings, with balls anC
sleeves, are left In the bottom bracket
While some of these devices are good. ye
they do not accomplish ali that ought &c
be accomplished IN two-piece crank
AS the object az removing the divided
crank shaft is 10 get at the balls anc
bearings OF the bottom bracket, for the
purpose OF examining or cleaning them
you do not accomplish this object by
merely removing the shaft. There are
however, some constructions whereby yol
can remove the balls and bearings witt
the divided shaft from either side clear
and replace them as though one piece
without interfering with the other side
losing a ball or misplacing any part
This latter IS really the ideal construction
Tourists who travel abroad on wheels
have duties 10 pay. as follows
France-The duty on cycles brought
into France is sls25 on every 222 pound:
about Is cents per pound. dead weight.
Germany--Duty. g on every 222 pounds
being about cents per pound.
Austria-Duty. si2.oS each, when i'm
ported for sale.
Beigium-Duty. IL per cent. ad valorem
Denmark Duty. 10 per cent ad yalorem
Egypt-Duty, 6 per cent. ad yalorem.
England--No duty.
Creece--Duty, 81 each.
Italy Duty. SSH each.
Luxembourg Duty. cents per kilogram
q cents per pound.
Netherlands-Duty. per cent, ed va
loren.
Roumania-~Dusy. si.55 each.
Russia-Duty. $3.50 each.
spain--Duiy. 1852 per ~ pounds taboui
cents pound.