New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-13
IN THE CYCLING WORLD.
BICYCLE DAY INTERESTS RIDERS AND
DEALERS.
THE PorrER-EILLorT BATTLE-TRADE MATTERS
LOOK BRIGHr-cENTURY wHEELMEN

THE POTTER-ElIIOTT BATILE-inApI ma
LOOK BRIGHr-cENTURY wHEELMEN
MILEAGE-NoTEs AND COMMENTS
Most OF the leading dealers OF this city anu
Brookyn are showing the liveliest interest IN
their preparations to fttngly celebrate bicycie
DAY on February 90. AS II will be holiday the
chances are that only few Of the downtown
dealers will keep open. They Will see their mis-
take later and they will be the first TO announce
next wear that they will keep open house on
Washington's Birthday. The movement Is
spreading to other cities. and Bicycle Day o'uS
fair TO be pretty generally observed But eve"
~ most Of the downtown dealers keep 'he"
place. closed on that date. the cyclists VIII nave
plenty Of opportunities TO see the new mooeiS a'
the uptown stores and in Brooklyn Many vi 'no
stores and academies uptown are near tose'ne''
and the cyclists who are ldbking for wheeling
novelties will not have to travel far to be able
TO see all the good things AT at least TWO OF 'he
large stores which have academies adjoining the
day will be celebrated in fitting style others
have not as yet announced just what they VIII
do besides showing their new models IN as AT
traotve a manner as possible ana lnvltns 'ne
public to come in and inspect the Us wheels Al
Bowmans Academy there VIII be an entertain
ment with refreshments. NJ. L. Bridgman mas
not announced what he Will do, but those VINO
know the president of the WORK boaro %, Oh
Trade say that ne is not likely 10 be outdone D!
anybody. The Metropolitan Academy may ne
fttingly decorated and invitations issued for an
entertainment OF some sort. the large oicyCIe
clubs of the two cities have taken hold or the
suggestion. and will in most cases visit the
stores in a body on February -, and there VIII
be many prospective purchasers among those
visitors.
1.-The Wheel has this TO say regarding b.
cycle Day In the current issue:
The idea of Bicycle Day. preferably February
2 of each year is catching on. The New
York dailies have fallen into line, The Tribune be-
ing easily foremost in the agitation. AS a result,
papers throughout the country have taken up the
cry and the idea spreading fast and gaining vol
ume as II spreads. Dealers in Boston. New-fork,
Brooklyn and Cleveland have. already formally
agreedto observe the day; in many other places II IS
under consideration Professionalism whyit should
not be made general, nor why the various manu-
facturers should not recommend and impress the
fact on their agents and travellers. NO town -
too small for its observance The adoption OF FEB
ruary Pa hoMday-as a set opening day." as II
may be termed will be of positive value TO the
trade 1t should be made to convey to the puphc
that on that date the models OF the current year
will be everywhere displayed and the bcycIe-ou!
ing season formally inaugurated III "ouiu IoiOe
agents 10 cease their putting off tactics and place
orders and in turn 1t would induce orders from inc
purchasing public The day can thus be made 10
serve both the manufacturing and retail trades us
observance need cost but the merest nomnailty' a
bit OF bunting and few potted plants are all the
ornamentation that is really required OF course
some Of the larger stores will have music rahcy
riding. home-trainer races, souvenirs and the ike
hut while desirable these are not necessary
bright, CHEEKY place cordial attendants sufficient
supply Of catalogues or buttons and wheels ana
narts DISPLAYED will serve the purpose, whlle the
new things in sundries and one or more pronouhced
novelties will add 10 the interest OF the OCCASION
Boom Bicycle Day in your LOCALITY and set ABOUT
doing 1T now 4 There is no time % lose - -
Those esteemed bicycle Politicians Sterling
Elliott Of Massachusetts,, andGeotge D. Gideon,
q, PENNSYLVANIA. must feel like. that bald and
vigorous old man who insisted upon taking
run and a lump and landed agatpsta stone wall
head on. When Elliott began his, crusade
aeains, the good roads man from New-York ne
was possibly serious in saying that he though'
that he could beat him. But that commence
must have vanished long before he started on
his final tour Of the West TO preach MS anu
Potter doctrine. Elott's friends say tnat ne
started out 10 defeat Potter, and that ne hao 10
keen I'D the work 10 the end. rev. however eH-
nress anv sympathy for Gideon. The Pennsyi.
vania man practically kept out Of the fight until
II was assured that Potter would be elected. Az
the eleventh hour he allowed his name 10 De
dragged into the fight and simply became d
catsnaw for Elliott without any hope of accom-
pl!shing anything. II Potter has no more Tot
midabe opponents next year he VIII nave NIUE
trouble in securing announcer re-eleCuoh' IL "'
should desire H.
There is not bit Of gloom around Cycle Row,
although the makers and dealers are not adver-
Using their or giving the outside world
any idea what they ere doing. They say that
the indications point TO splendid trade this
year. and that they will make their announce
ments TO the public shortly. One dealer said
Yesterday that he had sold ten wheels. or the
ten two were Of the 500 racing sort four were
the sI5 model and four were wheels which re-
tailed at $50 All were cash sales. Elliott Mason.
one Of the veteran dealers of Warren-st., said
that business this year had been better all
around than had been the case for several years.
UP 20 this time I'VE have had an open winter
said he and that may possibly have had some
thing 10 do with the matter. Then the introduce
ton OF the chainless wheel has had good all
arour' effect l attended dinner the other night
al which there were present several prominent
dealers After the cigars had been passed around
the talk drlfted 10 the condition or the trade,
and all were convinced that the situation would
be far better than it was last year. All were
sangu.ne and confident and there was not
doubter or a discouraged dealer In the party l
tell you that when a dealer can keep on selling
bicycles with foot OF snow on the ground he
has little chance to groWl
There is a tendency TO increase the number Of
spokes in bicycle wheels. 1t is good tendency
Two or three years ago. in the rage for lghtness
which prevailed some OF the manufacturers re-
sorted TO every means they could think Of 10 cut
off every superfluous ounce Of weight. 1t was
not long before they found that they had gone
80 far as 20 introduce elements Of weakness that
were harmful. Experience showed that 1t was
possible to make bicycles too light, and a reac-
tion In favor Of little additional weight Civ
ing largely increased strength. followed. AL
though for the last year or two the rule has been
10 put thirty-six spOkes in the and thirty
two In the front wheel this has rot been done
by all the makers. One company announces in
lis Catalogue for 1SllS that II viii hereafter use