CYCLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12523, 16 March 1904, Page 7

CYCLING.

At the Sydney Thousand meeting last Wednesday "Major" Taylor won the five-mile . scratch race in the world's record time of lOna. 48 2-55., in which Downing, also) an American, finished second. A message from Adelaide published in a - Melbourne journal recently reads:—"ln i an interview yesterday with Taylor, who com- ] peted in the Adelaide Wheel Race meeting! 1 ho stated, concerning his accident .in Mel- ; bourne in the match with Lawson, that ' Lawson's action was a deliberate piece of < work. Lawson bumped him twice in the j first heat and three times in the second. He j added: ' 1 know the trouble is colour of my skin, but I guess I have led as straightforward '. a life as most people.' Taylor also said that . MacFarland's win in the first heat of the j match was fail and square. He had no ex- . ouses to make." Very few men appear to know in what posi- , tion to place their saddles. The average is ' just 2in or 3in behind the centre of the crank bracket, but although in the ordinary course - this may be taken as correct, a great deal more than might bo supposed depends upon the site of the gear with which the machine , is fitted. _ For if the machine is fitted with a very low gear, the -. rid Sir' can very easily * afford to go an inch or even 2in farther back, J because the work is light, and there is not a , great need foi him to " get well over it." _ If, howevei, on the other hand, the gear is a high one, and one in which the weight of the rider's body is, to a certain extent, an assist- * ance to him in the propulsion of the machine, then a move forward would probably be advisable. . One cannot go far wrong with an , average position of, say, 2in or 3in behind the centre of the crank bracket. Any little difference, according to the rider's own ideas • and convenience,"can bo easily adjusted one - way or another as the need may be. J , ■ ■

MOTORS AND MOTORING. ." { One of the most discomforting effects of "1 motoring is tho trouble it sometimes causes J to the eyes, due to the rapid flight of the ( - motor through the air and the dust having an irritating effect upon the eyes. Those c ' whose eyes are in perfect condition may not A suffer from riding on motor cycles or cars, C but to avoid inconvenience certain' precau- " tions should be taken to obtain a perfect pro- 1 tection for the eyes against dust, wind, and v the cold. Flat and neutral glasses, without c any focus, should. be used and should bo - slightly tinted. Very dark glasses make the ."j eyes somewhat sensitive, and decrease the * visibility of objects, thus causing fatigue. Many motorists complain of their glasses becoming fogged on dismounting, causing con- ; siderable inconvenience. < A capital remedy J to obviate this nuisance is by painting the inside of the lens with a weak solution of glycerine prior to setting out on a journey. The glycerino solution should not be coated on so thickly as to obscure the vision. ; ; Z Paris anticipates that in five years at most J the horse will have disappeared from her streets. A prominent Parisian job-master has -been giving his views on the comparative merits of the horse-drawn vehicle and the automobile. He takes as an example a well- 1 known French four-seated electric car which J sells at £400, and compares it from the points of view of efficiency and expense with his owi? horse carriages. He has 35 carriages, which necessitate a stud of 120 horsesthese latter costing him 4 francs each per diem to feed, shoe, and look after; so that the daily cost of running his 35 carriages amounts to I 480 francs, (about £19). He estimates the' daily .expense in connection with the re- Z charging of accumulators, etc., at 5 francs. J which for 35 cars would amount to 175 francs pei diem. That is to nay- that .he calculates on saving, by the exchange from horse car- * riages to electric cars. 305 francs (about £12) a .day As regards efficiency he considers that the automobile is even now fully ax reliable as, the horse- carriage,