The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-01
WHEELS FOR NEXT YEAR.
NEW FEATURES IN THE MANUFIc-
TURE OF BICYCLES FOE '9S.

= Convernton 10 nncnped GcarinR-Mora
Varieties OF New Models and Mechanical
WHISTLES Than for Years-RsnEs OF Prices.
A greater variety in bicycles will BIO offered
next year than has boon the case in four or five
years. Less than fifteen makers have ar
ranged at present to mako q bowel gear or chain
less bicycle, while all the others have been work
ing with different ideas Of how to produce and
successfully market q wheel to compete with
this now machine, tho appearance Of which has
created so much talk. There are moro than
two hundred manufacturers who produce n
woll.known brand OF bicycle, and will present
something new, great or small. for 1898. II
there was to be n bicycle show this winter sim.
ilar to those which have been held in tho past,
1t would be an exhibition of far greater diver.
sity than any seen In recent years.
It now being understood as settled that there
will DO no show Of national scope. bicycle riders
and intending riders are likely to find tho COM
ing winter and spring a trying season for them.
Heretofore they have had tho rich opportunity
of being able to contrast and compare under
one roof the varying virtues and defects in tho
product OF oil tho standard makers, not to men
tion "freak' machines. Without q cycle show
how are they to make a satisfactory selection Of
a new mount from among all the different styles
Of wheels that will be offered In 1898, except
they fall back upon their own resources as
judicious shoppersl
In the heat of the ow-or-no show contro.
versy the question of the riders interest has
come near being lost to sight, II, in fact, 1t has
not been quito ignored. The show argument
has practically hinged upon its expense and tho
worth of it to manufacturers and dealers. Tho
rider has not been considered, and now that tho
makers have set their faces resolutely against
any show. their would.be customers must 20
from shop to shop in order to learn what Is
being offered. As u substitute for the big
show. a thorough canvass Of the trade has been
made, and n summary of its result Is found to
DO full Of information and suggestion for in
tending purchasers.
Tho appearance of the chainless wheel has
SPARED every manufacturer onward, and with.
In a couple Of weeks all the makers of promi-
nence will have samples of their 1898 models
on exhibition. The next thing to DO noted is
that through n great diversity Of pattern, both
In the lines of the wheels themselves and their
driving mechani sm, there is a pronounced ten
dency toward the adoption Of some form Of
protection for the gearing. There will be sew
eral varieties Of chainless wheels on the market,
and probably not q few which will be classed
as freaks" All of these will have their driy-
ing mechanism Enclosed, but further it Is
found that those makers who viii put out chain
wheels will almost universally adopt a gear
case, and offer 1t either as n regular model with
Enclosed chain, or else will offer some kind of
chain case on option at extra charge, and rec.
ommend its use. Thus the advent of the bevel
gear wheel promises to accomplish u complete
conversion OF the American mind to the idea
OF encased gearing, which has for years been
accepted across the ocean. There will, how
over. be a marked difference between the Ameri.
can gear case and the English type hitherto
known as being unsatisfactory. This seems TO
mean that the gear case has had ~ come to
America to find its perfect EXPIRE ssion.
A wheel which will figure most prominently
as q new model next year will be one with a
gear case, or Enclosed chain,' as some max.
ers intend calling 1t. Considering that the
gear case Is not q new device, this situation is
at first somewhat surprising. The gist of the
matter lies. however. in the fact that a num-
Der Of manufacturers have bcen at work on
tho Improvement Of gear cases. and claim to
have attained perfection. Tho leather. cellu-
loid, and metal cases which have been brought
from England have been far from satisfactory,
because of their being 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, 80 that it seems unquestionable that
far superior to It's English COUSIN.
During the past year the American type OF
case has been gaining In FAVOR through trials
by century riders, military men, and other long
distance cyclists. Starting with the premise
that a perfect, gear case is obt4inable, the ad-
vocates of incloSed chain wheels contend that
1t gives all the advantages claimed for bevel-
gear wheels. plus those of a flexible driving
Besides the bevel gear and the inclosed chain
or gear-case models, there are several new
a, vel as a number Of plain chain Wheels WHICH
win look very much ike the accepted type for
1897. An Indiana manufacturer viii offer a
combined r0D and chain Hnar entiralv ip-
Closed, With a crank Of variable throw. This
machine will be put out in largo quantities.
end Of It, which is revoIved BY means of teeth
on the inside OF a gear ring that Is continuous
tho downward thrust the rear surface Of the
ring Is In contact with the axle cogs and gives
E 9in long Sas le eHeyoITed w so tbs eh Il ahe fo %pIaFd tb 5er aEYa the he
tho rear at the end of the crank and thus short
ens Its return throw. An ordinary sprocket
moves the chain, which travels over q rear
Bprocket the same as In an ordinary. wheel. A
throw are the chief virtues claimed for this in:
Another concern will come out next year
gear, not inclosed, which it is claimed will be
as indifferent to the attacks OF mud and dirt as
ance, but different In detail, from one which
The sprocket has a double rim with small solid
disks of steel, which each Ievolve on an indi.
vluual axis, uxeu at regular Intervals. The
links of the chain in passing over the sprOckets
engage with these rollers instead Of with fixed
teeth, as in the ordinary sprocket. The rotary
action Of these novel sprocket teeth prevents
any accumulation of mud or dirt, so 1t ia
claimed, and under tests made with a dyne'
mometer some surprising results have been OBJ,
tanned. By applying a brake to the rear wheel
q revolving resistance was obtained, and then
by shovellfng sand and mud into the chain and
With tho old form Of sprocket the, chain pull
varied from AZ 70 $50 pounds, while with the
with roller sprockets varied only from 40 to SO
added.
A manufacturer In Ohio will bring out in
about two weeks q chain wheel with some en-
tirely novel bearings, also u chain wheel with q
cushion frame, and he will offer gear cases or
option. About the first Of the year this same
maker will place on the market q chainless
wheel Of entirely new mechanism. It will be
without bevel gear or spur gears, clutch, OF
friction action-a wholly original method Of
power Observation-Disclosures 1t Is not claimed
that IL involves any new mechanical principle
In external appearance 1t will resemble tho
new bevel gear wheel, except that the box at the
nrank via udn ha aNuar and ~ ltRn.ant ~ "a