Cycling.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 223, 3 December 1896, Page 3

Cycling.

MANAGEMENT OF TYRES. - The tyre oh the front wheel should be pumped sufficiently hard to prevent the two thumbs pressing it down more than half way. The back tyro (which carries "most of the weight) must be pumped very much harder ; for a rider of average weight so hard that the pressure of the two thumbs can Qnly cause a slight depression. For a heavy weight the tyres must bo pumped even harder. To ride a tyre soft diminishes speed and increases the liability to side-rolling, slipping, and puncture. Difficulty in pumping a tyre hard is frequently caused by a defective inflater. There is a tiny, valve inside the inflater which sometimes gets ruptured, when the compressed air can- only be.-Jnjected to the tyre in very small quijiffcities. When difficulty is met with, the cans i may be discovered and remedied by examining the interior of the inflater. When a pump has been lying about in dust, or in the tool bag for a time it is well to give several, strokes before applying it tp the valve, so as to blow out any dust that may have accumulated in the nozzle. This is a protection against valve troubles. The initial mystery of how the Dunlop tyre is detachable from the rim, and yet simply secures itself iv place by the simple act of inflation, is explained by the fact that the wired edges of the cover, which rest on shoulders within each side of the rim, are smaller in diameter than the extreme edgeß of the rim, but larger than the bed of the rim ; so that by deflating lh3 tyre, and pushing one wired edge down into tho bed of the rim, the wire is no longer concentric to the rim, but the opposite side stands up over the rim's edge, and can be slipped off. No force need or should be used, but the manoeuvre can and must be gently done to avoid damage. When detaching a punctured tyre, pass the hand round inside the cover with a view of feeling whether the puncturing object remains stuck through it. By doing so you will at once guide yourself to the position of the hole in the air tube, and not run the risk of the same object inflicting a second puncture in the same place. After repairing, see if any dirt has fallen inside the cover, and if so, remove it before e'osing up the tyre. Rubber solution, unlike other cements, will not adhere unless it is allowed to bjcome nearly or quite dry before uniting the surfaces. Solution will not adhere to the air tube unlesstbe white, deposit be first cleaned off tho spot to be patched. The rationale of stretching an air tube to locate a puncture lies in the simple fact that by stretching the tube you enlarge the hole, and thus make ii easier to detect the locality whence the air escapes. If you can locate the puncture with out removing the cover, it will usually suffice to push one wiiel edge inward, and pull -a short length of tho air tube out, under the wire, for repair. Never forgot to look on both sides of the air tube, to ascertain whether the puncturing object has gone through tne under as well as the upper wall of the tube. > ">jU''. After repairing,. assure yourself that the air tube is not nipped under the wired edge of the cover before you complete the inflation. A slight ininflation of the air tube before replacing will ensure against a nip. - In the event of a large cut or burst in the outer cove- , "patch with canvas on inside, then fill hole in outer rubber with cotton wool soaked, in solution, and bind up strongly with iape. The tyre can then be ridden at once. Be careful in' removing outer cover not to U3e a rough instrument, as by doing this the fabric is torn from the wire and a burst is the result. Most tyres can- be detached with the fingers, if the directions are properly carried out; but in the event of one being rather stiff the smooth lever supplied, or something simila-, may be carefully used. When you puncture and find you have left your repairing outfit at home, the following wrinkle may be used with success : Procure -a stamp or envelope, and stick several layers over the puncture, pump up carefuly — not too hard— and you will, no doubt, be

able to get home without -further trouble. Of course it is well to make a permanent repair of it at the earliest opportunity. ' Another source of trouble is 1 occassionally experienced in tyres 1 blowing off the rim. This is some- ' times caused by carelessness in replac- '. ing the cover, and care should be taken ' in refitting to knead or pull the cover 1 from side to side till the wires are in their proper places. Any cuts or holes in the guter cover should be immediately seen to, the cotton wool solution being used. If left untouched, the fabric is saturated with wet and soon rots, eventually causing bad bursts. Any such damp places in the fabric should be dried and then patched with canvas. The careful man will examinehis tyres from time to time, and effect such repairs a3 may be needed. When a burst occurs and a rent in air tube is made several inches long, it is no use patchiug it ; the tube must be joined. To manage this effectually, cut away the proportion of tuba which is torn, take one end of the tube and turn it inside out for about a couple of inches, and carefully clean with sand : paper. The outside of tho other end should also be cleaned for the same distance. Then coat each and evenly with solution which must only be allowed to partially dry, hold the tube in such a manner that it is not twisted, bring tho ordinary or plain endagainst the curled flap of the other, and while pressing it as if ta- force it inside, draw the flap down and towards. The two solutioned surfaces will then be in contact, and. the join can be completed by pressure of the fintrers. It is well to give this repair some ten • minutes to dry bafore replacing it in the cover. Should a leak arise in a join of an inuer tube, it is host to take tho ends apart by the application of a little benzine or benzoliue, and thoroughly clean before rejoining This will make a good job of it at the outset, and save a lot of trouble in the end. — ' Dunlop News.'