The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-24

Z l
I which any sign of the approach of
summer was visible. The indication
4 that summer is coming is that 1899
1 model bicycles are being put on dis
i play at the stores of the bicycle deal
ers. ..-..-4- ...---,.-.-..
y The bicycle dealer is generally the
first man to let people know that sum-
mer is coming. He is even earlier than
the fishing rod dealer in this respect.
He seems to have some sort of dope"
! that puts him next AS soon as his
dope" begins to work, he sends to the
manufacturers for samples of the years
models, and puts them in his window
SO that people may have the benefit of
his knowledge that summer is coming.
Now that the bicycle dealer has
started the ball a-rollng in the direction
of the matter of the coming of sumner,
/ the dealer in fishing tackle will not be
far behind. The fishing tackle man can
not let the bicycle man get the best
of him very much in making known to
/ the people that summer is coming and
so it may be put down that the store
keeper with the fishing rods for sale
will be on hand in few weeks. When
u
put their wares in the show windows
people may rest assured that summer is
coming. although just how long a per-
1od will elapse between now and it's ar
rival, even the bicycle man nor the fish
ing tackle man can tell.
mere IS only one man so far who has
put his 1899 model bicycles on DISPLAY
So far as the model itself is concerned
there seems to be no material difference
between it and the wheel that was
bought last year. Inquiry develops the
fact that wheels this year are to be
about as cheap as dirt. The new mod
els are to sell for $50 and upward. where
they We're $15 and upward last year.
This is reduction of $25. OF course.
this refers only to high class standard
wheels. 1t is probable that the lower
grades of bicycles will go for 500, $25 or
$50.
The models of 1898, the wheels that
SOLD last year for $40 while the lower
grade models of 1898 will doubtless go
begging for buyers As all of the deal
ers have not yet put up their sample
wheels, the variation in the prices can
not, OF course. be stated, but it is safe
to say that the man who wants a BIZ
cycle this year can have one for $40
or $50 that last year he would have had
The question that now agitates the
mind of the dealer is whether the BIZ
cycle fad or craze is played out, or
whether it will still remain profitable
branch of business. Last year. as is
well known, there were not nearly so
many bicycles sold as there were the
year before. and there was not nearly
so much money in those that were sold
as there was in the previous year. Pro-
hts to dealers in bicycles and appur-
tenanceS have been cut down from
something like 100 per cent to a point
where it becomes a question whether
the profits warrant the investment. Not
only mas the sale of wheels by the deal
ers decreased but the riders of wheels
have seemed to decrease in number. The
decrease in the sale of wheels could
be accounted for by the fact that nearly
everybody has a bicycle already. and
the fact that there was less riding last
year than in 1897 might be attributed
TO the prevalence of bad weather. Last
year certainly was a poor year for BIZ
cycle riding.
But aside from this it seems that BIZ
cycle riding has lost much of the fas-
Scination it formerly had. A patrolman
on the police force was talking about
the bicycle riding habit yesterday. He
= IN position to note an increase or
decrease in the number of riders, as
ne is on the streets more than half his
time, and makes it his business to note
such things. He said: IT really think
that bicycle riding is not INDUCED in
nearly so much as it was when wheels
We're all the rage. Last year used to
notice that people who always rode
bicycle the year before nearly always
walked, and the number of new riders
did not seem to me to be so great as
4 1t used to be. OF course, I can't saw
whether the people will ride more this
year than they did last, but if the de-
crease is proportionate with what it
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