The record-union., 1898-02-18
THE CYCLERS' COLUMN.
HARD ON PACING-TIRES AND
CHAINS,
What Is a High-Grade WHEEL
Betting and Cycling-Foreign
Crack.a-Jacks.

were making the tour of Egypt stood
| on top of the great pyramid and for
come moments contemplated in silence
the historic landscape.
Then the young man spoke.
Stretching out his hand he uttered
Napoleon'S memorable words:
Soldiers, forty centuries are look
ing down upon you.'"
why, no, DEAR" simpered the lovely
| bride, I've only done thirteen
| New York Times: Pacing" as an adj
junct of bicycle races, so called, is evil
IDENTIFY advancing toward its logical
| elimination with a speed almost as
great as that illegitimately attained by
the pseudo-racers themselves. This is
proved by the news from Rochester
that a skilled mechanician there is
building a "triplet' whose motive pow
er is steam, and which, he expects, will
move faster than mile a minute. He
says that the result will be to revolu-
| tionize pacing, but that is absurd, for
| the new machine will differ from the
old ones only in substituting steam for
| hired men for the accomplishment of a
certain task. The device, not the prin-
NipAC, VII Ot CDduStu, anu tUOuSu Tic
element Of personal competition will be
| still further decreased, there will be
| no trace of a revolution Neither
will that term be needed when the next
and inevitable step is taken-when
paced and PAGER are connected by a
chain, and the alleged heroes of the
race use no more strength and skill
than are required to preserve their equi-
librium as they are dragged around the
track. That is what this sort of busi-
ness-the word business is much bet
ter than sport" would be-must come
to, and it might as we'll come now as
| later.
| The late choppy Warburton was an
| advocate of mutuel betting at cycle
races. He declared only a short time
before his death that Paris and France
| would not again know revival of the
racing interest until the betting sys-
| tenn, properly regulated, was allowed.
There does not seem to be, however,
much sentiment among the French cy-
cling authorities in favor of the idea
Down in Italy the mutuel is in full
swing, and is accepted as being all
right and proper. 1t does not appear
there to have particularly bad eff
feet on the business, although one
hears now and then of Crooked
ness" in connection with it,
Generally speaking, tires are being
made heavier for 1898 and the demand
is running on the larger sizes, such as
| IA inches A rubber importer and
manufacturer declares that tires will
go up in price before they go down, as
the market price Of rubber is now high
er than it has been for years and shows
no signs of breaking
1t is noticea BILE that in chains the g.
l6-in. size seems to be gaining in favor
over the broader pattern of A-inch and
the high grade wheels now appearing
are equipped with the 3-16-inch. This
is especially true regarding the product
of those makers who are putting out
enclosed chain models. AS the chief
cause Of chain breaking is the extra
strain upon them caused by an accu-
mutation Of mud, this tendency indi-
Gates that the narrower and lighter
pattern of chain has been found strong
enough when kept clean by means of a
gear case. Owing probably to the ad-
vent of the chainless wheel, there is
a general Improvement all along the
/ line in 1898 chains. They are being
cut more accurately as to pitch and
| hardened better Because Of the bound
| into popularity made by the gear case
| the bolt-locking device in diamond
chains is also in demand, as it does
away with the nut on the chain bolt,
thus reducing the clearance necessary
for gear cases, as well as relieving the
mind from worry about the bolt work
ing loose. Devices for repairing chains
on the road some of them excellent, are
/ beginning to appear at the rate of one
a week in New York
A new tire. triangular in shape, with
involute sides, has appeared and is
attracting much attention, The base
of the tire fits the rim, while the apex
forms the tread. Greater resiliency is
claimed for it than for the ordinary
road tires with broad tread.
|
Race promoters in America smile at
/ the likelihood of the foreign riders,
who are now being engaged, having
any trouble getting into the country On
account of the contract labor law.
! If ever there was case OF prostitu-
/ ton of good English words it is ex-
emplified in the degradation of the term
/ high grade as applied TO bicycles.
| That it has become a misnomer is po-
tent to every thinking man, and to all
intents and purposes the term has lost
its real significance in that connection.
The subject is handled in an intelligent
editorial, printed in recent issue of
the American Wheelmen.' In sum-