BAMBOO BICYCLES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9892, 19 January 1895, Page 6

BAMBOO BICYCLES.

, Mrs , Louise Jordan Mlln, in her recently published book, " When Wo Were Strolling Players in the Eaßt," has a very interesting paragraph on the extraordinarily numerous and varied uses to whioh the bamboo is pat in Asia and especially in the far East, where as a general utility plant, to nay nothing of its extremely ormanental properties, it rivals the coooanut tree of the South Sea Islanders. ' But there is one nse to whioh the .West has put the bamboo whioh was never thought of by the East, and that is in the manufacture of bioyoles. At first sight bamboo : does not seem to be exactly the material from which a bioyole conld be successfully made, but this is, nevertheless, the case, and at the recent annual show oE tbe Stanley Cycling Club held at Islington, the centre of attraction was a stand of some eight safeties, into the composition of whioh the useful oane bad largely entered. At present only the frame, fronm forks, handle bars, handles and. seat pillars are made of bamboo, the spokea and hubs being made of metal, tho rims of wood, and the joint a of aluminium. But bubs, spokes, cranks, and various other parts have been made of oane, though not yet put to practical use, and apparently the only portions of a bioyole which oannot be of bamboo are the tyre and the saddle. The machines constructed of this novel material are necessarily rather olnmsy looking, but against this the manufacturers claim grent advantages in the way of reduced weight and increased strength, a lessenlug of vibration, and freedom from corrosion. Raolng machines of extreme rigidity have been turned out, weighing from 14! b or 151b upwards, while an excellent cycle of tho roadster tvpe weighs only 22 a Mb. Among the exhibits was the first bamboo machine whioh had been made, on whioh more than 1000 miles had been ridden and whioh bad safely carried a man weighing over 16 stone. On another one the journey from Brighton to London had been accomplished in 7 hours 45mln. The olaim of the manufacturers of these nevel cycles that bamboo la in every, way a superior material to steel nan yet to be proved' but there can bo no doubt that it is muoh obeapsr, and by its agenoy we may yet see tbe purchase of bioyoles brought within tbo reach of many to whom they aro at present unattainable luxuries.