The hatchet. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1883-19??, 1900-04-29
FAST WORK ON THE WHEEL.
How to Become an Expert
Bicycle Rider,
LIGHT WHEELS ARE BEST

Of the Rough Road Work-Tos
Clips and RAMS Horn Handle Bars.
A man in pulling on pair OF boots
secures an added leverage by pulling
upon the bootstraps and pushing with
the foot. In the same way man with
down-turned bars pulls up on his bars
and pushes down on the pedals. But
the use of rams horn bars alone is
not sufficient. They should bear such
relation to the pedals and saddle
that not an ounce of pressure is vast
ed. In every racing mans grlpsack
can be found a piece of string with
knots at intervals, which represent
the distance between bars and saddle.
and saddle and crankaXle. In add
ton the point of the saddle Is placed
Just so far ahead Of an imaginary
line extending perpendicularly upward
from the crank axle. With this as a
guide the racer can fix another wheel
TO his own measurements If necessary
as well as see that his own Is just
right
For fast work a light wheel is to be
preferred. But the wheels built for
use on the track will not stand the
rough usage Of road work, so the aver
age fast road rider lightens his wheel
I'm as many ways as possible without
weakening It. He cuts off the stem
of his seat post and handle-bar that
project into the frame, leaving just
sufficient to clamp them by, He takes
off the chain.adiuster on the side
away from the sprockets, uses the
smallest of bells and lamps, small
tires and rims, cuts off every piece of
metal in his pedals that is not needed
to hold the toe clip and his foot, and
uses small sprockets front and rear,
In this way two pounds can some
times be taken off wheel, and the
owner can go forth knowing that he
is not Carrying useless weight Again,
If a man is able to ride a 26inch
frame he contents himself with one
whose perchtube is % inches, saving
weight here as well as securing more
rightly in the frame.
A tool bag seems the bette noir OF
many wheelmen. The article with its
complement of tools Is a necessity, yet
few care to have the bag rafting over
rough roads, though this can be
stopped by wrapping the tools in cloth
before putting them away in the bag.
Some have formed the habit of car
rying the necessary repair tools in
various pockets, but this is at times
source Of annoyance, especially
when the oil can le,
The seatpost is removed from t"c
frame and a cork secured to fit the
bottom end. Through this cork is
passed one or more extra spokes.
Stuck into the part of the cork inside
the post is the little tool used to
inject cement into the punctured tire.
In the space above the cork in the
seatpost is also room for a tube of
cement and few plugs Of various
sizes.
The only tool that need be carried
in the pocket is the spanner or
wrench. To remove the seatpost with
its contents is but the work of mo.
ment, and the tools are at your ser
vice. This way of carrying the tools
does away with the unsightly bag and
prevent the usual wearing away Of
the enamel by the supporting straps
of the tool bag,
Many riders chew gum to keep the
mouth and throat moist. This serves
the purpose admirably, but to the rae
ing man gum has far more import
ant duty. To make the case plain,
suppose you were to ride with your
mouth closed tightly and breathe only
through your nose. You would soon
find yourself out of breath, because in
the extra exertion of riding the lungs
require more air than can be OBJ.
tanned through the nose alone. Take
the other eXtreme-were you to ride
with your mouth wide open the re.
suit would be similar You would find
yourself choking. There is a happy
medium when just enough air is taken
in the lungs for the required exertion.
When a rider is in the best of CON
dition he can do with very little extra
air. For this reason he usually fol-
lows the plan made popular by Jimmy
Michael and breathes through quill
toothpick. Now here is where the
use of chewing gum comes in. In the
beginning of the season the rider uses
a "cud" about the size of hickory
nut. In the course of masticating this
his mouth opens sufficiently to give
him the air he needs. AS his physical
condition becomes better he can get
along with less air, and he decreases
the size Of his gum accordingly, so
that by the middle of the season he
is content with piece hardly bigger
than a pea
The toe clips in general use fall
somewhat short Of the ideal one The
foot quite frequently becomes disin-
gagged, especially when high speed is
INDUCED in. On the track this diff
Guilty is overcome by using an extra
attachment composed of rubber, and
which is buttoned over the pedal, o.
binary clip and foo. AS this cannot be
attached by the rider when on the
wheel, but must be attended to by his
starter, its use on the road is out
OF the question. This band clamps the
foot so tightly that II is next to impos.
-fI,Io IN withdraw tho foot from IN %