Foot pedal

“ When the pedal has nearly reached the top, and the machine is as near a standstill as possible, she steps, still bearing her weight on this left-hand pedal, out on the left side of the machine, putting her right foot over the left foot, and letting the right foot strike the ground first. ”

“ Learn to mount from either side of the machine, and to do so lean the machine a little toward you with the outside pedal up, and rather forward, then place your foot on the pedal furthest from you, and as you raise yourself into the saddle, the weight of your body will bear on that pedal, thus sending the opposite one up to meet the other foot. ”

“ The rider rarely, however, throws his weight directly over the pedal sideways, as he does in raising upon it in a forward direction in order to get over the work. The lateral or wabbling strain in a cycle of the foot-pressure in one direction is balanced by the pull on the handle-bars and pressure of the leg against the saddle. The only feasible connection the formula theory can possibly have in this matter is that the thrust on the pedal is so sharp and violent that the inertia of the man and other heavy parts of the system are not perceptibly affected sideways ”

“ But with proper caution there is no danger either of falls or hurt in using the velocipede in the way we have advised. The pedal is constructed so that the foot of the rider can at once leave it; and should the machine incline to one side, it is only necessary to remove the foot from the same side, and place it on the ground. One must not let the handles go; they seem to restore and maintain the balance of the machine after the rider is off it. ”

“ It is really a velocipede, one of the pedals of which is movable upon the winch, and is capable of running from the axle to the extremity, as in the upper apparatus. This pedal has the form of a shoe, and is provided with two straps to keep the foot in place and cause it to follow the pedal in its rotary motion. A movable seat, capable of rising and descending and moving backward and forward, according to the leg that needs treatment, is fixed back of the apparatus. ”

“ When the pedal is coming upward, throw the weight upon it—this stops the momentum of the machine—at the same time rising out of the saddle, then pass the other foot over the cycle and step down in front of the pedal, on which the weight of the body is resting. A firm grasp should be kept on both handles, and the machine inclined towards the rider, on the side she dismounts. ”

“ The rider stands to the left of the machine by the pedals; taking hold of the handle bars she slowly wheels it until the right pedal is at the highest point, turns the front wheel a little to the right, and puts her right foot on the right pedal; this at once starts the machine and raises her into the saddle, and as the left pedal comes up, it is caught with her left foot. ”

“ That Reo car had a feature I have never seen on any other car. The left pedal was a clutch pedal the first half-way down. The remainder of the way down, it became a foot brake. The right pedal was an emergency brake. ”

“ A foot piece or pedal, P, arranged at a convenient position, enables the attendant to depress the lever and brake-shoe by placing his foot thereon when he desires to throw off the brake for releasing the hand-wheel.
In lieu of connecting the hand-wheel and blade-lifting bar or lever by means of a toothed pinion and rack, said parts may be connected by a strap or chain (one or more) , one end whereof connects with the lift bar or lever, while the other end is arranged to wind onto the pinion or hub on the hand-wheel, or onto a sheave geared to the hand-wheel hub. ”

“ On taking a position in the driver's seat with one foot on each side of the steering column, each foot lightly resting on the two driving pedals, it will be found that the left pedal when pressed down disconnects the engine from the driving mechanism, whilst the right one also does this, but at the same time applies a powerful brake to arrest the motion of the vehicle. ”

“ When you have overcome this difficulty and thoroughly understand the action of the balancing pole, place one foot on the pedal, and follow its movements, without assisting them. Then try the other foot, and accustom yourself to the movement of turning the wheels with your feet. ”

“ The Ramsey swinging pedal—or, as the inventor prefers to call it, the under-swinging pedal—is the farthest possible departure from the original pedal, its sole suggestion of old-time devices being that it always keeps itself in the position of presentation for the foot, because the weight hangs below the centre, as on the balance weight pattern of 1869. The Ramsey can never be caught by the foot on the edge, as the usual pedal so often is when mounting ”

“ There are 32 Couplers operated by Draw-stops, also by Pistons and reversible Pedals. Combination Pistons, 6 to each Manual, and 4 (Pistons) to the Pedals. Four Foot Pistons on all Stops and Couplers; one Foot Piston for Great to Pedal reversible; one Foot Piston for Full Organ. Balanced Swell Pedal to Swell, Choir, and Solo; Balanced Crescendo Pedal. Tremulants to Choir, Swell, and Solo. ”

“ At all events, the body should not sag from one side to the other as the pedals turn, and when the rider is forcing the wheel ahead with the ball of the foot on the pedal, the knee would never be straightened actually if this rule was followed.
CORRECT POSITION FOR WOMAN BICYCLIST.
There is no advantage whatsoever in trying to secure a long reach; it does not help you in any way, and it makes it more difficult to send the machine ahead either faster or slower. ”

“ I'm never happier than when I'm sitting with my two hands on the wheel, one toe on the gas, the other on the brake, a heel on the little pedal that makes the old machine snort up a hill like a horse dug in the side with a spur. ”

“ The pedal will now assume a horizontal position, and the power of the leg with the weight of the body and the pull of the arms will all be exerted to force it downward; at this point the crank throw is in the most effective position, and the hardest work is put in. When the pedal begins to follow a backward course, the ankle-action becomes of the greatest value. ”

“ Now, since the rider, by the action of his momentum107 and that of the machine, is rolled upon the obstacle or out of the rut, it is easily seen that if he is attending strictly to his work and is at all a skilful rider, he can, by a lively thrust upon the pedal at the opportune time, right himself and keep the drive-wheel rolling on, in which case the rear part of the machine will, in all ordinary cases, drop back upon the ground, from which, of course, it will have raised. ”

“ In going up hill lean well forward, and transfer the entire weight from the saddle to the pedals. Do not be ashamed to dismount in going up hill, but do so in every case rather than exhaust yourself.
In going down hill lean back as far as possible, and keep your machine under control. A little practice in back-pedalling, or pushing against the pedal as it comes up rather than as it goes down, will enable you to take your machine down very steep hills at ordinary walking pace. ”

“ If going up hill be exhausting, why, then it is wise to walk. Going down, if the hill be long, the brake must be used from the start, and to know how to back-pedal is important. To back-pedal is to press on the pedal when it is coming up instead of when it is going down. Nothing could be more dangerous than to lose control of a machine on a down grade. Some of the most serious accidents have been the result of the rider's letting her cycle run away with her in coasting.
I have enumerated the virtues of the bicycle. ”

“ The safety cycle is always "geared up"—that is, one turn of the pedals will turn the rear wheel more than once. To get the exact ratio of turning speed we count the teeth on the big chain-wheel, and the teeth on the small chain-wheel attached to the hub of the rear wheel, and divide the former by the latter. To take an example:—The teeth are 75 and 30 in number respectively; the ratio of speed therefore = 75⁄30 = 5⁄2 = 21⁄2. One turn of the pedal turns the rear wheel 21⁄2 times. The gear of the cycle is calculated by multiplying this result by the diameter of the rear wheel in inches. ”

“ And, furthermore, the earlier or later the strength is applied to the pedals the less and less powerful it becomes so far as sending the wheel ahead goes. If you press down hard when the pedal is nearly or fully down to its lowest point you are scarcely sending the wheel ahead at all, and all your exertion goes for nothing therefore. Practically speaking, in order to get the best of your strength in at the quarter-circle point you should begin to push, and push vigorously, the moment the pedal has passed by its highest point. ”

“ Other things being equal, the outward-cups bearing has a greater virtual length than the inward-cups bearing. In hubs and pedals where the actual distance between the two rows of balls is sufficient, this point is of little importance. At the crank-axle bearing, however, where the pedal pressure which produces pressure on the axle bearings is applied at a considerable overhang beyond the ball-races, the greater virtual length of the outward-cups is an advantage. ”

“ Broken pedal straps are the most frequent annoyance. In all modern organs there is a panel above the pedals which will come out and admit the mechanic to the bellows, straps, springs, etc.; but in some old instruments the case is made solid, in which case the workman must do his work from the bottom, turning the organ down so as to get at it. Pedal straps are easily put on; generally with screws at either end. If the pedal squeaks examine the springs or oil and change their position slightly. ”

“ All these Combination Pedals and Pistons move the draw-stop knobs, showing a valuable index of their position to the organist. There are 5 Adjustable Pistons on the treble key frame (and 5 duplicates on the bass key frame) for special combinations, on Manuals, Pedal, and Couplers. There are 5 pedals to operate the various swell boxes of the lever locking type--a locking movement allowing the performer to leave pedal in any position. The swell pedal for the Pedal stops can be coupled to any of the others. ”

“ This is the device which enables the pianist to play staccato or legato. The damper pedal, or loud pedal, checks the action of all the dampers and prolongs the tones even after the fingers have released the keys. The soft pedal brings the hammers nearer the strings, shortens the stroke and produces a softer tone. The simultaneous use of both pedals is a modern 46 virtuoso effect and a very charming one, for the damper pedal prolongs the gentle tones produced by the use of the soft pedal. ”

“ The Hope-Jones plan (patented 1889) of providing the combination pedals or pistons with a double touch was a distinct step in advance for it enabled the organist by means of a light touch to move only the manual registers and by means of a very much heavier touch on the combination pedal or piston to operate also his Pedal stops and couplers. Most large organs now built are furnished with a pedal for reversing the position of the Great to Pedal coupler. ”

“ Here we may remark that although lever-driving has its claims its worst defect is that very little ankle motion is possible when the fulcrum is a swinging one and when the fulcrum is stationary there can be none at all. In turning a grindstone with the hand, the crank is easily followed around the circle and thus the full leverage of the crank is used (subject to some disadvantage from the position of the arm) all the way around. If we could clasp our toes about the pedal—as the evolutionists say our ancestors clasped theirs about tree branches—we might pull the pedal clear around. ”

“ If you have a bad left hand with intractable fingers always remember that Bach will individualize those fingers, and that old Carl Czerny has written a set of studies for the development of the left hand (op. 399) , which, if taken in moderation just after rising in the morning, will lead to limberness and legato. This is only a suggestive aside, however. Albert Venino has written an excellent Pedal School. Many improvements have been made in pedaling, and Mr. Venino has thoroughly handled his subject. Someone has called the pedal “the breath of the piano,” “its soul,” which is apposite. ”

“ As soon as the usual awkwardness of the ankle-joint has been worked off this action will be found remarkably effective in starting the machine; after a time the ankle muscles, and those of the calf, will become stronger, and a sharp straightening of the ankle, as the pedal passes through segments 1 and 2, will materially aid the propulsion of the machine. ”

“ Indeed, this is always necessary in starting, though a few strokes with the pedals suffice, and as soon as the engine is started the pedal clutch is thrown out of gear. In mounting a steep gradient the pedals are also useful as an auxiliary to the motor. The mechanical power provided is sufficient to drive the machine on a good and level road at the rate of 20 kilometers an hour. ”

“ But experience has quite satisfied us that if a pedal loosens (as it not infrequently does) it is as often one as the other, and the reason is that the force which loosens is not the tendency of the pedal to carry the shaft with it, but the downward pressure coming on the shaft itself. ”

“ Tie a cord to the pedal of a bicycle, such pedal to be the one that is the nearer to the ground, and, standing behind the back wheel, pull the cord, when, strange as it appears, the machine will come towards you, although everyone would first imagine that the bicycle would move forward. ”