The record-union., 1898-01-06
THE CYCLER'S COLUMN.
VALUE OF WHEEL ORGANIZA-
TIONS-THE L. A. w. FUNDS.
New England Cyc1ers-Cyc1e Am
bulance-New Devices-Meg-
aphone Bands.

The value of wheelmen's organizations
| is becoming more and more apparent
As a rule they are good roads clubs in
| effect; they serve as a stimulus to Off
Gals in charge of street work and street
cleanliness; they are watchful Of import
ant interests of the whole community,
they tend to withdraw young men from
the influence of vicious temptation;
| they are in a large sense moral cOnServ-
ators; they contribute greatly to proper
physical development by encouraging
wheel day riding unvder the best condi-
| tions; socially, they are now recognized
as important factors bringing into COM
munion men who are otherwise as O.
rule far apart. The growth and infiu-
ence of these clubs proves their right to
| exist and their beneficial effect upon
communities. So far as they encourage
| wheel racing they are even commend
able. since they rigidly withdraw the
sport from gaming environment and
keep it clean and wholesome while their
| laws governing racing all tend to en-
courage proper and beneficial training
and to prevent abuse and overriding.
! To November 1st the receipts of the
! League of American Wheelmen for
1897 were So, ,S52 56, and the disburse-
ments S11. $3.50 81.
| President Potter Of the l.. A. w says
that the number of cyclists in the New
England States estimated from the best
available information, is approximately
as follows: Maine, 60,000; New Hamp-
shire, $4,000; Vermont. $4,000; Massa-
chusetts, 250.000; Rhode Island, 3SO0o;
Connecticut, $4,000, while the neighbor-
| ing States which would contribute
largely to the visiting crowd at the meet
held in Boston, contain cyclists number
ing. in the aggregate, not less than
| 60o 900. Our league will number
| membership by next August of probably
! $50 600. and will be in close touch with
all cyclist and cycling bodies. and dur
! ing that month the great National meet
| will be held.
Bicycles are now carried as baggage
without extra charge on American rail-
read lines aggregating over 6S, 900 miles
| in length, an increase of about 10000
miles since last February. Coast line
and river steamers and ferries having
| Il IcptVCN
miles are also carrying bicycles the
same as other forms of baggage and
without extra charge The principal
| coast line steamers on both the Allan
tic and the Pacific Coasts are included
in this list, and all the big trans-Pacific
lines to China, Japan and Australia are
In line with the same policy. In France
all railroads carry bicycles as ordinary
baggage, and the increase of receipts
within the last year, due to wheelmen's s
patronage, has been very substantial
The same effect is noted in this country
as shown in the case of the Long Island
Railroad Company. which last year
carried about 10000 cyclist passengers
and this year about 10000, each paying
a full flrst-class fare.
''Jervis' Weekly" says: One thing
| that seems sure in this transitional Pc
riod, is that buyers must be keener in
| mechanical sense than heretofore in or
der to tell the worthy from the preten-
tious. There will be many forms Of
chainless wheels and many forms of
chain wheels offered for choice. In type
of frame they will be alike, but the con
struction" will vary greatly. There is
a growing tendency toward diversity Of
! method among makers-diversity in
brazing, in the fashion of bearings,
| cranks, crank axles, and in the fasten-
ing of handle bars and seat posts. The
chief question in 1898 will be: What
priee?" but the secondary questions re-
garding make, style and details, will
be more troublesome than ever they
were when they came first. Will it be
| the old, exposed chain wheel with new
| equipment, a gear-cased chain wheel, a
bevel gear wheel, or some new form of
chainless cycle? "The ills we have or
others that we know not of" will be the
problem with many a rider. Some cry
bevel gear, others improved chain, 9TH
| ers inclosed chain and all cry, "the wheel
| of the future" The first has the ad-
vantage of novelty with the disadvan-
| tage Of high price and of being expert
mental; the second has the best Of 1t in
price, but is handicapped by age; the
| third has an advantage in both price
! and novelty, but has some prejudices
| to overcome Each form is a leader and
each has its followers. At present the
ranks of the old style. exposed chain
army, are thinning out. Enclosed drlv-
| ing mechanism, gear cases and DeVei
| gears, seem to be gaining ground. Ihat
there can be no such thing as gain OF
| power is becoming better understood
/ and the demand is for smaller waste
! of power in transmission, through ex-
/ ira friction due to accumulated grit.
|
Novelty is priced by cyclists as high-
! ly as by any other class or element.
! New devices of demonstrated merit are
always eagerly welcomed, whether they
apply to the machine itself or to the
odds and ends that go to make up the
wheelman's outfit But the cyclists
thirst for novelty is not by any means
| assuaged by the efforts of manufac-
| turers in developing new ideas in con-
| struction. They seek the unusual IN
| their pursuit of their favorite pastime.
And. in this connection, it is singular
| to note that very few fads or oddities
have been introduced in bicycle riding.
/ The ence famous "damon drill of the
/ Kings County Wheelmen eclipsed all
subsequent attempts at spectacular
I riding and occasionally games and
| dances on bicycles have been heard Of.
/ Several attempts have been made to
/ develop bicycle bands, but with little
/ success. In that fact lay the oppor-
| tunity for some one to spring the cher
/ ished rovelty, and some one has done
so. The very latest thing in cycling
! is .he megaphone band, and the Won
] der is that it was not thought of be-