Alex Schwalbach

“ As to length of handlebar, we count this, along with crank-throw and saddle, a matter for individual choice rather than for the dictum of any individual authority. A long bar is certainly a plague in passing through doors and in leaning a wheel safely; it is probable that women more or less err in having saddle too low and handles too high; it is certain that fashion (apparently set by the scorcher class) governs the bar and the grips; and yet the better course for “authority” is to let the rider do as he pleases, which he is pretty sure to do willy-nilly. ”

“ Hills are more easily surmounted. The disagreeable sensation of a slack chain is done away with, the chain remaining exactly as it is adjusted, and there is a new sensation of absolute control over the wheel. Long distance trips become a new source of pleasure, for you come home with the same easy running wheel with which you started. Men who ride for speed find that they can push a much higher gear with the same expenditure of power. The lubricant rests unused in the tool bag, the chain brushes and cleaning paraphernalia gather cobwebs. ”

“ There is a notion that invention is an easy road to fortune; on the contrary, there is no harder and more unpromising one. The foolish inventor constantly overlooks the words “and useful,” and the Patent Office, in order that no risk be incurred of smothering improvement by any official dictum that the thing proposed is worthless, has also waived the qualifying words and has thrown the door open so wide that anything may get a patent—not even novelty is strictly enough required. ”

“ The swift rise of the bicycle as an article of merchandising importance, together with sensational attempts by uninformed press writers to expose the alleged exorbitant profits, has produced a natural effect within the last three years. To make a bicycle for $20 and sell it for $100 was so sure and easy a method of amassing a fortune within, say, five years’ time, that the imagination of our ever-quick Americans was fired. ”

“ Intelligent and impartial observers who have studied the question from both sides, say that all the trouble has come from the American habit of overdoing, and that the makers are to blame for deviation from the original idea, and for going into gorgeous competitions in electric lighting, costly furnishings and decorations and a prodigal waste of printed matter; that when aisles are packed and the week is a society event, the greatest thing in a show, the one chiefly cared for, and really about the only one that can be seen, is the show itself, the crowd itself being what the crowd attends ”

“ Every mechanic knows that a shaft “out of line” cannot operate properly, if at all, on any construction, from an ocean liner down to delicate machinery for watchmaking. A chainless bicycle—although this requirement is not quite so severe on those with the roller gear, since that has a semi-flexibility—must have its shaft and gears laid in exactly right at first, and then they must stay so. The chain-driver is the opposite in this respect. The frame may be considerably sprung out of line, and the front sprocket may even have quite a twist, and yet the driving not be noticeably affected. ”

“ Suppose the resistance under trying conditions of grade and road is represented by a weight of 100; then it’s pedal, or crank, or axle or sprocket, or any piece in chain, or the spokes in the back wheel, or the frame itself, had a strength below 100, instead of the bicycle’s advancing along the road the rider’s power would expend itself in breaking or bending such weak part. The pull is a one-sided pull, necessarily tending to drag the frame around toward the side where the chain is, and frames have not always been made strong enough to resist entirely. ”

“ A rider—usually not one of the very experienced class and seldom one of mechanical study—has observed the axle of one make, the hub of [Pg 130] another, the saddle fastening of another, and so on; more or less justly, he approves, or fancies, these devices, and it seems to him that if he could only combine them in one bicycle he would indeed have the “topnotcher” of the year. ”

“ During 1898 is being fought the battle for supremacy between them, the chain-driven cycle being ably reinforced by its great and coming ally the gear-case, and the bevel-gear and other forms of chainless construction coming away from the realm of theory and the special pleas of the makers’ catalogues, and in the hands of the riding public will be put through that great crucible of public test, use on the road, under load, and under all sorts of conditions. ”

“ The strength, lightness and beauty of the later bicycle have come out of long and toilsome and costly evolution, in which many have fallen by the way, and reward has not always been according to real merit. The careful student of the principles of cycle construction—the making of “a poem of steel”—cannot appreciatively examine the details in the advance shown in this year’s models without being glad that he is permitted to see such achievements. ”

“ This is a proper place to explain gear ratio or “gear,” which is a phrase not generally well understood, although in constant use; for instance, women have been known to ask dealers for a wheel with low gear, because they liked to be seated near the ground. The term gear, which is an adaptation from the old high wheel, expresses the ratio of forward travel of the bicycle for each pedal revolution, and yet this has nothing to do with either the height of the rider or the length of his leg, or the length of the crank. ”

“ A bicycle can no more be expected to run smoothly without a proper adjustment of its parts and their maintenance in perfect running condition than can any other piece of machinery, and while the chain and chainless productions of 1898 are admirable for their simple mechanism, such points as the bearings and running gear require periodical inspection and attention to insure satisfactory service. ”

“ The Liberty makers have brought out a sprocket with a change in the form of the teeth which is so slight that it hardly shows in a cut and is not even noticed on the bicycle itself at a careless glance. The change consists in cutting down most of the teeth in height and thickness, so that only each fifth tooth acts in the driving, the intermediate teeth serving only as guides to keep the chain in track. ”

“ Lift a bevel-gear bicycle free from the ground, give one of the pedals a sharp push, and the wheel spins with such ease, rapidity and smoothness that the novice is always surprised. There is no swaying and jump; there is no noise. Even neglect can have no influence on the effectiveness of the bevel-gear wheel, but will simply concern its appearance.
It should be said here that the Columbia pattern is distinctive—as the cuts show—in a very novel method of attaching the rear wheel to the frame and providing for its easy removal and replacement. ”

“ A tandem bicycle must not only be strong, but must be light in weight, and as two riders are rarely matched as to ability, power and style of riding, there must be some universal harmonization of contradictory requirements in flexibility and stiffness. ”

“ However, in spite of these discouragements, the necessity of a clean chain appealed so strongly to an American mechanic that, without any knowledge of the gear case constructions of Europe, he set to work to devise a method of thoroughly protecting the chain, and during the season of ’96 made many experiments to ascertain the construction that could be successfully applied to American bicycles and appeal to American riders. The study of road conditions showed that a gear case must be not simply a protection for mud, but every joint must be dust-tight and rain-proof. ”

“ There are few, if any, parts of the modern bicycle that have played a more important rôle in its development, than has the chain, and yet it is safe to say that there is no part of the vehicle to which the average rider pays less attention, save to occasionally clean it of its accumulated impediments, or which he understands so little.
BROWN
ROLLER SPROCKET.
Every rider, of course, understands how important is the office of the chain in the propulsion of his wheel—that without it his machine is an utterly useless structure of metal, wood and rubber. ”

“ To ride a bicycle and avoid the discomforts mentioned, you want a saddle which conforms to the shape of the body and prevents pressure on the sensitive parts.
As a rule, sufficient care is not taken in selecting a saddle suited to the rider. Many people in purchasing a bicycle accept unquestioned the saddle found on the cycle at the time of purchase without stopping to determine whether or not it is adapted to their use. Some actual trial of a saddle should be insisted upon, for a saddle that “fits anybody” is really a saddle that fits nobody. ”

“ Mass., who, in addition to being a builder of multicycles, is well known as a professional racing man. The development of paced races among the Michael-Starbuck class, paced by multicycles, has undoubtedly added largely to the popular interest taken in multicycles. They form a pretty picture indeed on a circular track, with their riders mounted in gay costumes, and the speed and skill with which they are handled arouses the spectators to greater enthusiasm than any other form of cycle racing ever introduced. ”

“ The air is filled with the vocabulary of the bicycle makers and their agents and salesmen. Every one of them talks of cold drawn weldless steel tubing, drop forgings, stampings and brazing. Their catalogues and their advertisements teem with the same thing, and the cyclist who has heard and read these terms necessarily feels as if he would like to know what they all mean. Tube in its original shape consists of a solid billet of Swedish steel, this being the only quality that can be used. When the tube is made from a solid, the billet is about four inches in diameter and six inches in length. ”

“ Makers and riders were very skeptical of the value of the wood rim, but after a few well-known racing men had won a few track and road events on them and the wood rim had shown its utility and value by its increased resiliency and speed, and that it was stronger across its lateral plane than a steel rim of any type could ever hope to be, and with its non-liability, therefore, to buckle in a collision, it became a popular thing, and in less than two years, as has been seen, it has completely routed the steel rim out of the American market. ”

“ But every rider always has an emergency brake at command in the simple use of the foot itself. Place the toe on the front tire back of the fork crown, and the wheel itself will instantly carry it up against the crown, when it can be applied with any pressure required. It leaves only one foot for back pedalling, yet check enough can be had thus to enable the rider to tumble off without injury if a regular and orderly dismount cannot be managed. It is, therefore, not necessary, in case of the wheel’s escaping control on an unexpectedly sharp grade, to run into wreck at the bottom. ”

“ Bevel-gears, spur-gears, roller-gears, rod-and-piston-gears, intermediate wheels, and every conceivable form of gearing were experimented with by ourselves and many of the older makers in the early ’80’s, for the purpose of dispensing with the chain. If, as a medium for transmitting power, they were then found to be inferior to the crude and imperfect chain available at that period, it must be manifest to everyone who is familiar with cycle construction that, with the perfect chain of today, the comparison must be still less favorable to the chainless methods. ”

“ Goethe’s last words, seem to express the unfilled want of the touring wheelmen at night, but this want bids fair to be fulfilled at last. Some differences of opinion have existed as to the advisability of the wheelman carrying a light at night, and the necessity for local ordinances in regard thereto, but undoubtedly it is well that such a noiseless vehicle as the bicycle should carry a light, not only so that it can be seen, but that the bicyclist can see what he is approaching. ”

“ The makers of the Wolff-American (who are also renowned as great makers of wire) claim that there is no necessity for the use of a direct tangent spoke if the proper quality of wire is used for making the spoke which has its end bent at right angle, and that while it is undoubtedly true that the spoke bent at right angles at the end does stretch its fibres on one side of the bend and compress them on the other, still, if the spoke flanges and spoke holes and the nipple holes at the rim were only drilled at a proper angle to each other, there would be no danger of a broken spoke. ”

“ Reversion to old forms comes about for several reasons. We must always remember that the bicycle, like the piano, the violin and some other things which could be cited, belongs to nobody. Nobody invented it; it is the product of many minds, and has been wrought out by a long and gradual evolution, in which every step, freaky ones excepted, has been suggested and tested by practical use. Hence a device may be abandoned in the hope of escaping the inevitable drawback which besets all earthly things ”

“ In producing a tire that has all the qualities demanded by experienced riders, namely, speed, resilience, strength and durability, the manufacturers of the Kangaroo, the National India Rubber Company, have made a radical departure in the construction of their tire. The Kangaroo tire is made to conform to the prevailing weight in tires, but in doing so it has been necessary to use more rubber, owing to the fact that only about one-half the quantity of thread is used. ”

“ The natural construction of the diamond frame would put the crank axle in line with the wheel axles, or very nearly so; the drop is a concession, serving no useful end except to make the mount and dismount easier for women. Within reason, it is therefore well; carried to excess, it involves the risks already pointed out; turned into an end and a sine qua non, it becomes foolishness. As a case for illustration, a bright young fellow who has quite a taste for bicycle mechanics recently came to the writer for advice. ”

“ While as to the mechanical skill and genius that has overcome, one by one, the past difficulties of chain and sprocket propulsion, as applied to the bicycle, bringing it in the end, to its present state of perfection, he is wholly uninformed. ”

“ A nameless bicycle—that is, one without definite and responsible origin, for the mere nameplate is only a bit of stamped metal or a transfer, and is nothing in itself—may run well for a time, but is liable to plague its owner before he is through with it. The third consideration is that, even if purchased parts are of good quality (and there is always a temptation to increase the present profit by using the lowest priced) , the assembler, with his few tools and comparatively small experience, cannot possibly do the work as well as the large maker, with his ample facilities. ”

“ Even the lowest-priced models quoted are superior in these respects to those offered in some previous years, and listing from $100 to $125 and $150, and the riding public is to be congratulated on this fact, because it places the bicycle, the vehicle of modern democracy and personal rapid transit, in the hands of the masses, at a popular price, and thus relegates the gaspipe cycle and its maker to well-deserved oblivion. ”

“ Another assumes that the coveted mile-a-minute speed can be attained by speeding up the wheel with relation to the foot action by means of gears. Another assumes that a combination of enough gears, levers, clutches, straps, cams, etc., can be trusted to go of itself; inventors along this line seem to read the term “mechanical powers” as in the singular, and as meaning that a combination of devices can create power, whereas the fact is that a man who moves a big stone by means of pulleys actually expends more energy than if he raised the load by his own muscles unassisted. ”

“ MAHONEY PATENT—1893.
The crank cycle inventors, of course, are only one class. They are non-riders usually, and not prejudiced by any practical knowledge of the subject; one device (one of the best of the year) has been invented by a man who has not yet mounted a bicycle, but he is a mechanic, not a dreamer. ”

“ The Wolff-American Duplex is certainly a tricycle of utility and fills a want which the bicycle cannot satisfy. It does not appeal to the scorching element, of course, but it does appeal to those who for various reasons will not or can not ride a bicycle. It requires no previous experience to ride a Duplex, two novices being as fully competent to propel it as a pair of experts. ”

“ Every American bicycle has individualities of its own, and especially in the running gear. No clearances have been allowed, and it is simply out of the question to attach the foreign type of case unless the bicycle is built for it. However, in some instances, bicycles were made with that end in view and the cases were attached, but American riders found that their unsightliness, excessive weight and inefficiency made them more of a nuisance than a help, and the gear case came into public disfavor. ”

“ When power is applied to the crank axle, it is claimed, there is a tendency to push the small pinion rearward, because the faces of the two bevels at that place are inclined toward each other, and so one presses on the other like two wedges. Other bevel-geared patterns have only a single row of balls at each end of the shaft, and it is claimed by the Bayvelgere people that when the shaft is thus pressed rearward there is nothing to hold it, and the pinion on its end is crowded hard against the pinion on the wheel hub, thus producing extra friction and perhaps a deadlock ”

“ The introduction of the bevel-geared cycle, with its neat gear case, has done much and will do more toward enforcing the necessity for a gear case on all of our chain-driven cycles. In England no bicycle is considered complete without a gear case, but, notwithstanding the fact that all the authorities on the sport and mechanics of the trade of this country have approved of it, not until this season has it gained a foothold here. ”

“ There may be some question, in general, as to whether changing gear at will might not, in practice, prove less desirable than we are all disposed to imagine, and for this reason: the learner finds the bicycle very fatiguing, partly from the nervous strain and partly because the muscles are put to a strange service; they become wonted to that service in time and cease to trouble, but if the gear ratio could be readily changed while riding (as theoretically seems desirable) the rhythm of pedalling might be so disturbed as to measurably bring back the original fatigue. ”

“ As to safety, two-fifths of the rider’s weight rests on the rear wheel. The gear, which was used some years ago by Frank Shorland in making what were then astonishing road records, is in principle the same as that on a rear-driver described further on, and one of its good points is that its operation and endurance are independent of what happens to the frame. It is not adjustable for wear, but this is true of all gears and of the chain and sprocket, except that the chain may be tightened in the familiar manner. The large internally toothed ring is part of the frame and does not move. ”

“ Of course, making the rim broader and thicker and heavier takes away some of the points which were formerly used in its favor, notably those of light weight and resiliency. The up-to-date wood rim more closely approaches in weight the lightest possible form of steel rim, and it is a notable fact that the wood rim is the only prominent contribution in bicycle construction that America has presented to the world, and there is good reason for this, however, because our Yankee and our Western wood workers have long been famous for their progress in the art of wood working and wood bending. ”

“ When the shafts are close together the spur gear is used, nothing else being available. When there is a distance and no slippage can be permitted the chain is the thing. When power must turn a corner it is a choice between belt or bevel gears. But to say that a thing is not good on a bicycle because it is not used to drive machinery in shops is poor reasoning. We might as well say that ball bearings are not good because they are never used on locomotives. ”

“ It has generally been the accepted rule that in order to transmit power from one shaft to another running at right angles by means of cogs the cogs must be V-shaped and cut on a bevel plane. Spur gears have hitherto been used only for engagements between wheels turning in a direct line with each other; our new chainless looks much like a bevel-gear wheel at first glance, but a closer inspection shows that the teeth on the inside of front sprocket or pinion wheel as well as those on the driving shaft are perfectly square and mesh together as spur gears. ”