SAFE BICYCLE BRAKES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29190, 28 April 1960, Page 11

SAFE BICYCLE BRAKES

A new mechanical aid to safer cycling and to road safty instruction for children in the schools yesterday made its Christchurch debut. This is the B.P. Bicycle Brake-testing Lane. Specially im-

ported by B.P. (New Zealand) Ltd. from the United States as a contribution to safety education, it was demonstrated at the Thorrington School by road traffic instructors of the Transport Department to road traffic officers, police, educational authorities, local body members and others interested.

The great charm of this unit is its mobility, simplicity, and accuracy. On the road between schools it is towed as a trailer. On arrival the only setting up required is dropping the folding ramps and plugging in a flex to power the electric motors. The brake-testing lane is then ready for business, handling up to 200 bicycles a day.

A child wheels his bicycle on to the testing platform and stops when both front and rear wheels are resting on sets of cleated rollers, which are adjustable to fit any size of machine. The officer in charge push-button starts the front motor, the front rollers whirl the front wheel at a speed sufficient to permit visual checking of wheel alignment. The vibration is sufficient to show up any looseness in the forks or their head. Where a speedometer is fitted to the bicycle, Its accuracy can also be checked by dial.

The child then mounts his bicycle so that weight is applied to the rear wheel resting on the brake-testing rollers. A second electric motor sets these in motion, the rear wheel spins, and the rider is asked to apply the brakes. Resistance is shown by dial in pounds to the square inch and a red light glows so long as the safety margin has not been reached; but when 201 b is passed a green "safe” light begins to glow. The value of the testing unit does not stop thete. Road traffic instructors are quick to seize

every opportunity to instil in children the implications of all the unit shows. Where wheel alignment is faulty, they will explain the purposes served by evenly-tensioned spokes and why even one missing spoke can be the start of trouble. They will demonstrate the need for constant checking of the frame for tightness.

Where there is failure in the braking test the instructors will make a quick check for the cause. Examples this week included worn rubbers on rim brakes, faulty cables, and slippery rims caused by grease applied to protect the chromium finish. The last bicycle looked fine; but it simply could not be halted quickly.

The B.P. brake-testing unit has already high-lighted another prolem which the instructors see as a lesson for parents. Many of the young children riding bicycles are not heavy enough to press the back wheel firmly on the rollers so the testing officer has to apply additional weight to check an efficient brake. On the road such a child would not be heavy enough to obtain maximum force from the brakes or friction on the road. For such young children the unit emphasises that they must take special care on the road. On the other hand, some children and some brakes obtain a brake reading of 1001 b a square inch.

“We are grateful for the use of this equipment which is another valuable aid in our work,” said the Senior Road Traffic Instructor of the Transport Department in Christchurch (Mr. J. L. Grant) yesterday. “Children can see for themselves the exact degree of braking efficiency and this must stimulate their interest and pride in a safe bicycle and in road safety generally.”