The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-14
This the son" Year.

While dealers are preparing for a brisk
business and in every case have laid in
fine new stocks of 1902 models, old
wheels from which the dust and cobWebs
Of stora houses have been lately re-
moved, will be largely in evidence. One
dealer, who apparently reflects the sent1-
ments Of his associates, has discovered
that every other year is an on year IN the
bicycle business. Perhaps the business
is overdone one year or else a season 8
hard riding takes the edge off of the gen
eral interestsin wheeling, and as result
there is Iull in operations the succeed
ing year But it always picks up with
the alternate season. This is an "on"
year, and the wheels which were out Of
commission last season are again being
FURNISHED up brightly for the hard work
ahead of them. The fact that in ma
jority of cases, owners want the veterans
thoroughly oyerhauled and patched up and
are particularly insistent that a new coat
of enamel Shall make them look as new as
possible, indicates how great the revival
has been. Models have appeared this
year which have not seen the light Of
day for several seasons.
ITO my mind" said Mr.. Fenstemacher
of the Cycle Trade association, that fea-
ture of wheeling is the strongest posi-
bile proof that the bicycle has come to
stay. 1t Is conclusive argument in
favor Of the wheelsas a public utility. It
means that the bicycle, more than ever,
Is being put to a practical use and that
| the chief question which concerns riders
now is whether their old wheel is still
good enough to carry them to and from
! their work. An old Wheel, patched up
now for the season is a good investment
because at a comparatively small outlay
on repairs, every rider can realize a con-
siderable profit for the season in the
/ fh11c n Of rpc
! That's why there will be more old-style
| wheels in the game this year than ever
Ebefore. One reason for this is that con-
sentative wheelmen believe the bicycle
has about reached the final stage in its
evolution; that is to say, it's mechanism
has been SO nearly perfected by the con
slant applicat ton Of inventive genius thai
| the models of recent years differ but lit
| tie over those that have gone before. The
| improvements noted in bicycle models in
| the last three years are SO slight. save
in one or two impo tant details, as to be
scarcely noticeable, and consequently
! there has not been the inducem ent tina
heretofore existed to buy a new wheel il
order. to keep up with the procession
That's another reason why the eighty.
five repair shops of Minneapolis have
Ibeen working overtime ever since spring
began to show up. Most Of them repor
their inability to keep up with theil
II orders, and IL IS a TACT that business ma!
4 never before been so rushing in tina
branch Of the cycle trade"
Changes In Construction.
The only changes in. this years models
h overthose of 1901 are in details Of con
struction, so important for the most par
as to be scarcely worthy of remark. A,
a general proposition, small tubing ant
small hubs predominating, and SOM
manufacturers have made novelty of TIN
hexagon head. Il. 3
The coaster brake, which was fairly in
stalled as permanent Improvement las
year, has come to stay. It has passed tn
experimental stage and has proven such
useful member of a wheels anatomy tina