The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-12

not unexpected. for the wheelmen have
always been consistent advocates of
| highway Improvement, and the Cos
| pei of Good Roads formed the chief
/ plank in their platform when the
| League of American Wheelmen vas
organized. 1t has been charged tnat
the motive of the Wheelmen was self
ish one and, in the early days 81 cS-
cling when every wheelman was a road
| rider and rode a high wheel. there may
have been some ground for the charge,
4 but no foundation for such belief ~
| lists to-day. Since the adoption of the
| safety machine as business VENICE
by all sorts and conditions OF men, not
| one city Wheelman in 10 is seen nroh
| country road more than few tlH'es
each year, and the wheelmen,s inter
! est in good roads is merely a business
proposition, the adoption of which
! would benefit any other member OF the
community.
The young men who formed the
| League of American Wheei:nfn ~
| years ago are now the substantial b1si-
ness and professional men of their re-
| spective communities and their G. IL
neetion with the organization IS mann
| tanned chiefly for the purpose OF ald-
| ing the movement for better foacs.
Many of them seldom ride wheel ana
their work for good roads is simply IN
| llle IIS OI improvement, "ui-i . ~
| ther more nor less credita ole man 10
! the member of an Agricultural or tf1er
| organization.
| Almost ever since cycles have been
| used it has been generally thohght tEat
| the steel tubes OF which they are TILT
! crystalze by vibration. so that alter
a machine has been running for year
or two the tendency is for breaXages
| to occur, particularly in The steering
| head. From what a writer in The
| Scottish Cycist says, it appears that
the cyrstalizations theory is only true
in a slight degree, and is generally ad-
vanccd to cover deficiency in the quail
| ity of the tubing and faults in the man.
ufacture or design. xIf the steel of
/ cycles crystalized to the extent that
many people suppose, how much more
| must a metal railway engine be thus
| affected? Compare, for instance, the
| vibration in an express engine weigh
ing so tons or more. it's steel tires
running on steel rails. with a bicycle,
weighing with its load never more
than 200 pounds. and insulated by its
| pneumatic tires.
The, near relationship between the hi
| cycle and the automobile is shown by
nothing more emphaticaily than by the
designs for bearings and various parts
| w
| cycle makers, are now being brought
forward and urged for adoption in con-
nection with the motor vehicles. In
| some asses these ideas are good ones
which were not practicable for use en-
| bicycles because of weight or bulk. or
expense. but are available on the ma
! chimes where these matters are not
| such important factors.
A man who boasts of being great
! observer says that one thing which the
| short bicycle skirt has done is that
/ of making women more careful about
| the neatness of their footgear. He
comments that while dainty shoes are
| a ruling passion with some women
there are many others who. although
fashionable and fastidious in most
| things, are slovenly about their foot
wear The bicycle skirt has taught
so many of these the habit of being
| particular in this respect not only on
a wheel but at all times.
Every bicycle rider should remember
/ that muscles at tension draw upon
| the vital powers whether they are aid
| ing motion or not. Thus an unneces-
sarly tight grasp on the handlebars
saeadily maintained, contributes not
little to the sum total Of drain upon
| the strength in riding.
|
| Three or four years ago most of the
best bicycles to be found on the con-
! tinent were of English make. But now
| the English cycles abroad are few and
| far between. The makers seem to
| have allowed the trade to slip through
| their fingers and the American makers
| have been clever enough to grasp the
situation. -"
IF you intend cycling through the
| winter months it would be well to
| have your spokes thoroughly examin-
| ed says a veteran. "Sometimes the
| fitting Of the heads through the steel
| rim is loosened; water enters and the
! tires get damp and rot sets in. A lit
| tie touch of enamel about the spoke
| heads would be serviceable in rssist-
| ing wet Tires rarely wear out; they
| succumb to rot. From painful expert
| ence I have found that If damp gets
| in between rubber and canvas they
! will not dry in a tight, inflated tire
An incident in bicycle stealing is re-
| counted by the Irish Cyclst. A rider
| named Smith left his bicycle outside
| a shop. He emerged just in time to see
man named Munro riding away with
| it. He took the machine nearest by TO
| go in pursuit, and this was a tandem.
| One of the riders saw Smith take it,
! and. Selling another mans wheel, a
single, went after Smith. The owner
of the last mentioned wheel saw no