Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-05-31
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THE WHEEL IN SPRING.
What to DO with "A Bicycle That Has
Been stored Away Through the
Winter Months.

A machine that has been neglected
all winter should be taken entirely
apart. if the rider knows how to do
it, and every part closely examined,
especial attention being paid to the
Joints and points of bearing. Kerosene
is a good thing for cleaning, as it cuts
rust quickly, but great care must be
taken not to let any of il get on either
the enamel or the tires. In cleaning
cups and bearings a great deal of care
must be taken. When removing the
bearings a cloth should be spread un-
der the wheel so that these little steel
balls do not become lost. 1t is ad-
visable to keep the sets separate, even
though may be of the same size.
Bearings have a tendency after being
in use awhile to wear off their own
imperfections and adjust themselves
to each other and the path they wear
in the cups. Sometimes it makes quite
a difference If one set is put in the
place of another. Naseline is used by
many as a lubricant for bearings. In
the case of tires the only thing to do
is to initiate them fully. They may have
become defective if they have been left
Debated and standing on a floor. 1t is
best to have an expert look after these.
Dust may have clogged the plunger of
the valve or the cement holding the
valve in the valve-stem may have dried
and broken. A defect of this kind may
give the rider the impression that the
tire has become porous. Any trouble
with hp N1lyp ha n1SilN dot t4I
by taking a small wine glass. filling it
with water and holding it close to the
rim so that the entire valve is sub
merged. If there is an escape of air
it will be readily seen by small air
bubbles in the water. The tire, in all
cases where a wheel has been left
standing all winter. should be removed
and freshly cemented 10 the rim. The
old cement cracks end will not hold
Unless attention is given to this the
tire will creep the first time the
machine is used and the vaIye-stem will
be cut off.
The head or steering gear of the
machine is another part that should
be carefully examined. The head has
great deal to do with the easy run
ming of a machine, so there must be
perfect adjustment. 1t is a part that
is always moving in the act of balanc-
ing the wheel, and therefore has a
great deal of wear. In addition to this
there is an unequal strain. The bear
ing cups have to support nearly all
the weight of the rider and all strains
occasioned by the unevenness of the
road. The bearings in the head do not
have the fun rotary movement as in
other parts of the machine. There is
only backward and forward move
ment, often very slight. but enough to
wear considerably. In the adjustment
of the head care should be taken that
it is neither too tight not too loose.
Any looseness can be detected by tax
ing hold of the handlehar and lifting
it up and pressing il down alternately.
If there is any looseness it must either
proceed from the head or front wheel.
good plan after lubricating the bear
ings is to turn the front wheel around
several times so that the bearings find
their proper adjustment. Heads
should work freely, but should always
be rigid.-N Y. Times.