The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-30
HE Is HOME
Lud Havener Saw All
Sorts of Wheels
AT THE CYCLE SHOW
Some Were Freak Wheels;
Others Good Wheels.

Lud C. Havener returned yesterday
from visit to the bicycle show which
ran in Madison Square Garden, New
York. for a week Mr.. Havener was at
the show for three days. He said yester-
day that he took in about all the show
the first afternoon. 1t was not as large
as former years.
The show was not conducted by the
National Manufacturers Association.
which has managed bicycle shows in
past years, but was rather in the nature
of private enterprise. While all the
prominent manufacturers We're repre-
senfed they had nothing like the large
EXHIBITS of former years. There was a
slrfeit of small manufacturers and
taken as a whole, the show could not
be pronounced an up-to-date bicycle
snow The attendance was large, but
was not like the crowds of former
years. That's Mr. Havener's opinion
Mr.. Havener said the changes in the
chain wheels of 1899 are not numerous.
one or the most prominent is the fur
ther dropping OF the crank hanger. The
hangers have been dropped from a
quarter TO half inch making the drop
vary IN different wheels from two and
one-half to three inches. The uniform
drop in racing wheels is three and one
half inches, and of course there is the
usual number of road wheels made on
lines of the racers. Another change is
bringing the seat mass forward so that
it will come more over the pedals The
purpose of this change is to bring the
rider more over his work, it being
GAINED that more power can be an
pied for the same amount of effort
Everybody talked chainless wheels.
AR. HaYener says, but he does not think
the chainlesS will take any more than il.
ala last year. He said at the bicycle
snow year ago everybody was dis
cussing the chainless wheel. vet the
chain wheel was the standby. None of
the riders has taken up the chainless
wheel With the exception of Major Tay
Tor, and probably win not do SO without
compensation. Until the chainless is
popular on the track it will hardly get
q standing as a road wheel. There is no
doubt the road follows the track in the
bicycle riding line
There were five styles of chainless
wheels on exhibition, but only three
amounted to anything. They were the
peVel gear which was the first to make
us appearance, the spin roller and a
comolnation of the two which involves
a sliding and rolling motion. Every
'OtiiieAli hioWS what the DeVel gear
ehalnIess is; the wheels are turned bv
gears which fit into other gears on a
rod running from the crank to the rear
wheel "a
The spin roller as the new kind is
called, has pins where the teeth of the
bevel gears are. Each pin is Surround
ed by covering which rolls around the
pm. When the gears are in motion
tnese pins come in contact, and the COW
ering of the pins keeps rolling as the
gears revolYe, bringing the pins to-
Bether- The claim is made for this
style that it is the nearest approach to
the ball bearing, and consequently af
fofds the least friction. The combina-
ton has ball instead of a pin, and
combines the sliding motion of the
peVel gear and the rolling motion of
the spin roller
Mr.. Havener said there was the Gus
tomary freak wheel. The new freak
has no sprocket wheel The chain is
carried from the rear wheel I'D to the
SADDLE post, where it runs over a small
wheel, and thence down to the lowest
part OF the frame The pedals are
Fastened 20 the frame and are worked
up and down on a rachel movement
When coming up they do not catch the
chain, but when the pedal has reached
its height it grips the chain and the
down stroke begins. A stop is placed
at the end Of the stroke. so that the
pedal cannot be pushed down too fast
Another freak was a wheel which
was dubbed, the grasshopper" This
wheel had an iron rod arrangement
protruding from The back of the frame.
which is devised to assist in climbing
Mr.. Havener did not examine the
wheel extensively, as he thought he
could put his time to better use.
Mr.. Havener said that manufacturers
are not as determined 10 force the
chainless on the market as they ap-
peared to be last year. Instead, they
will refrain from manufacturing the
wheel to any extent They will send
few to all their agents more for the
sake of keeping them before the pub
lie than with any hope to create
strong demand for that style of bike.
They think however, that the reduced
price of the chainless may cause some
demand for it. Chainless wheels will
range in price from $50 to SIS the COM
ing wear
Mr.. Havener closed a contract to take
the agency of a tandem with change
able gears. The low gear is "a and
high gear los. The change can be
made without dismounting no matter
how fast the pace is, by pulling lever
near the saddle post.