CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 66, 18 March 1905, Page 12

CYCLING.

The puncture is one of the greatest nuisances to cyclists and motorists, and many devices have .been brought forward to remedy the one drawback to pneumatic tyres. Another puncture-proof device has been put upon the market, the inventors being two Frenchmen. Their new arrangement retains the tyre envelope and air chamber, or rather air chambers, for instead of one puncturable big air chamber there are several of them twisted together, so that if one or two come to grief the others are still there fit for the work. Several valves are disposed along the inside circle, and the whole arrangement is pronounced Sthe critics to be simolicity itself and oroughly effective, but like its predecessors, it seems to be too heavy. I would prefer the light-running tube of ordinary, pattern .to any, arrangement

which will add to the weight of the wheel or reduce the elasticity of tne tyre. W. Rutt, the German champion, who is at present on a racing tour throughout Australia, has a very liigh opinion of the Australian cyclists. In an interesting letter to a home cycling journal, the Continental crack is reported to have said that most of the Australian cyclists were above the average as racing men, and that Pye, Farley, and Morgan as handicap riders would be able to hold their own on the Continent with the best men England France, or ■ Germany could turn out. Evidently the past and present visits of Major Taylor, Rutt, Eflegaard, and Lawson seem to have worked wonders, and if the improvement only continues, there is every reason to hope that Rutt, or other champions who may visit Australia next year, will be able to say that Australia possesses the fastest sprint riders in the world. R. Arnst, on learning that he had received 50yds. start in the Sydney Thousand, took the first boat for Sydney. From that mark he should have a reasonable chance of winning, though the competition will, of course, be exceptionally severe. There are 160 en tries, and Arnst is the oniy New Zealand, rider. The Council of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen has a credit balance of £73 9s. 4d. It decided that the championships should be offered to the Nelson Club this year. The Council of the New Zealand League of Wheelmen has received a communication from the Commissioner of Police in reply to its suggestions in regard to bicycle stealing, stating that during the year eiidrd December 31, 1904, 219 bicycles were reported as stolen to the police aud 199 were recovered, identified and restored to owners through the action of the police, and tneTc were 21 unclaimed bicycles in possession of the Christchureh police not identified, probably because their appearance had been altered. That in itself showed neither negligence on the part of the police nor necessity for special attention being called to what was well known to them. It was clearly an easy matter to steal bicycles, in fact, he suggested that thieves were tempted to steal them.