CYCLING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10315, 29 May 1896, Page 3

CYCLING.

(Notes jjv "Cf/fcic.' 1 )

Harris, the Boglish 'cyclist,! who re? cently visited Australia, made over £250 Id five weeks, He has left for England, bat> will return; Martin is said to hare made £500 'during his sip tjjontbs 1 visit. He asked the Hnmber Company (at £10 a week aad 3p per cent of winnings for riding their machines. Proposal declined,

Everyone haa heard how the Shabzjda, the son of the Ameer, took back a 'cycle to Afghanistan, and what excitement it cimsed in the harom, as all the coffeecolored damsels wanted to laarn to pedal. The question naturally atiaea, " Who is to toacb these Eastern ladies ? " Is there not an opening for eorae young lady who might go one S3 a professor of 'cycling, nnd give Jessons where no male teacher would be admitted ? Sbo might also acj as special correspondent to newspapers— who, by the way, would tal« her copy with glee.

The Miohans (America) Bicycle Clnb has been ridlog indoors most of tbe winter, and lias evolvod some elaborate l)!oycle drills. Among others, they havo two eeperate lines which e&art from opposite enda of the hall, break, nieec ac/sin at tbj.onposite end of the ball, and rida dp tfie tfeutte two by tiwo, then turning oft do ttferlfihti a/itf lefboltarnntely,somathiog like tho march in a eotillfoD. Occe {r, a whflg a rider at the head of the Jioe I v< ill h^ a as ttficident, and then the wholo j prcoeaeioQ • gCPQraDy aoitjea to grief. When be falls, tho others promptly pile np on top of him until the club for a time is a wrigi^lioß moas or arm?, Jegs, oapp, ai/d skirts. Woup of tha womeii is the Miohanx Club' wear bloomers, They wear a three-quarter skirt reaching to ! i\£thln o^Oat etghi inchea of the flaor The chocs aro hifih laeetl, aaa the alackInge, when visible, oppuar to ba bluck, fome of the ladiea v7oar eotored fhirt' and othcts coats or j lokets. AmoDR the prominent membera h re Mrs John jaooh Abtor. ATra Aiiolph Ladeabnrg, iir. Roosevelt), tyt J, D, Kockfollor, anrt 'others. fluihtinpnia: A Maibonine journaliDb baa Invcmed » Bteepleohaelng bicycle,

wbich wnrkn on Ul3 auma principle Ob n Wfttct), tho QOlion of turning the pcdp-ls winding up a strong rpring nntil sufficient power Is accumulated. Then tbe ridnr oontinnßS on bis jonrney without any raora exertion than ou ordinary maohlno until he reaches the obstacle he wishes to dear. A nhort sprint of .20 yards io neeeesary; then, when a few feet off, the touching of a knob relaaues two strong but li^ht Eteel bars shaped like the rnuners of a olelgh osd projecting on either nide of the front wheel. Those fall with immense force, ntriking the earth just below tho pedals. The machine risen at once to a height of nearly sft and, clearing the fencs, falls upon the Bteet runners, nearly 25ft from its rise. The invontor claims to have ptoved tha value of bis jigger ia actual practice, and believes that In 18 months he will take tho place of Baron Hlrech among mnlti-mlllioaalrea. Good lie. . . . At a wised athletio gathering the eye wanders gratefully from the heterogeneous collection of biklats to tbe neatly proportioned sprinter*. Of course the latter's athletio costume enables the spectator to judge of tbelr physlqne, whilet the cyclists are compelled to wear loosely-fisting silks and hideous jockey CBpp, except in scratch raceo, when they may appear in tightly-fitting costume, and then the mixture is even more apparent, Harris and Parsons very well proportioned, bnt the former with a slbnch in bla walk, and the latter with a peacoeky strut ; Megson and Ken Lewis, riither too massive for symmetry ; Kahle, 6ft high and a'most poriection from the waist downwards : Don Walker, pome

inches shorter and perhaps the pick of the bnneh ; Plther also nob far out. Martin und Porta ore mneu alike in build, and both progress, when on foot, with a plantigrade shuffle. One could hardly imagine either of the last-named running 100 yds in anything under 12aec, and upon low-geared bicycles they wonld probably ba vety small goods. .Recent American papers published a yarn abont a bicycle for six with variations about its ilders brpathing throngh a apecial apparatus and It requiring 2 miles to get up speed, Thla seemed n pretty tall order bud a recent number of Sketch pnblleb.es an illustration of a long mnchine, surmounted by )0 hnmp backed individuals (Imaginary riders) which It gravely informs its readers is In course of construction. Listen :— " The new wonder will be the DonMe-Qolnr. There urn ono or two machines known as " Nonaplet " or machines with nine seats, baft th6y have not besn seriously conoidcred bh, successful, owing to the diffionlty of controlling them. The Barnes Company which is ennntrnoting the n«w wonder claims to have overcome the difficulty of using a big tnnchine on anything baft g strnighd-fi'voy tinck. Its construe-

tlon has been guarded with the greatest secrecy, only the designer and two of his workmen being alinwed to see it. ... Tbe moab peculiar fesbnre of tbe machine no far is Its chain, which runa the whole lenpfch of the nißchlne. . . . The machine when completed will weigh 1501 b nnrl carry 17001 b, It will bo ateered by the man in frond nnd geared to ehe wishes of thoflO who lido it." It is very cheering to a person who walkn to know that In a short time Hiia fearsome machine will La

" ecorcMnp " tbrooßh onr otrects. However, as there will to on average of 12 necka broken per d^y when that joyful time nrrlvw, thfl newspnper ficribe (who walks) will have a "jilly good time" wilding obitnnry notiopp.