THE WHEEL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1222, 2 August 1895, Page 24

THE WHEEL.

SPOKES. By " Cyclometer." I have received a copy of The Bearings, "the cycling authority of America." In this neat - looking weekly, honours are about equally divided between the news and the advertising pages, which are both excellent. At a first glance the space devoted to general cycling news appears somewhat small, but this is no doubt owing to the large and effective display of advertisements in its pages. The news columns contain reports of important events in the cycling world from all parts of America, and also news-letters from England and France dealing with matters of the wheel in those countries. The illustrations are numerous and —like all American illustrative work splendidly printed from i>rocess blocks. For the cyclist who desires to keep abreast of the i times in the world of wheels, The Bearings is suitable in every respect. It is without doubt the best cycling journal it has been my pleasure to peruse. The annual subscription to foreign countries is $4.50, or a little under 4sd per copy.

Under the revised Customs tariff for this Colony, which came into operation on Wednesday last, bicycle and tricycle fittings in the rough and not machined are admitted duty 1 " free. The duty on cycles still stands at 25 per cent. The effect of remitting the dut;/ on the rough fittings will be to t;till further favour colonial makers, and will no doubt result in an increase of cycle manufacturers in New Zealand.

Messrs Inglis Bros, have opened an agency in Willis street for the Humber and. Premier cycles. They have been appointed sole agents in the North Island for the celebrated Humbers, and have a splendid show of these popular wheels.

There were about 5000 spectators present at the Queensland League of Wheelmen's championship cycling carnival at Brisbane on the 13th ult. The Queensland League Cup, half a mile, was won by C. Hunter, Bundaberg, from the 60yds mark 5 P. Wootton, N.S.W., 35yds, second; W. Maguire, 65yds, third. Time, lmin ,7sec. Megson, Fowles (N.S.W.), Middleton and Parsons (Vic.) also rode, Megson being the only one to get into the. final heat. J. Williams, N.S.W., won the Queensland Wheel "Race, two miles, from a start of 100yds, A. Middleton, scratch, being second, and J. Adams, 160yds, third. Time, 4min 53 4-ssee. Middleton rode a splendid race. Megson was blocked. Fivemile Championship of Queensland —J. Megson, 1; A. Middleton, 2; J. Parsons, 3. Middleton rushed to the front in the second to last lap, and led by 30yds for one round. Half a lap from the tape Megson spurted past the others as though they were standing still, and won easily by 30yds, a length separating the second and third man. Time, 13min 46sec.

A wonderful performance was accomplished by H. H. Maddox and W. P. Sims in a ten-mile paced race at'the opening of the new Manhattan track at Brooklyn (New Yprk) on June loth, when they succeeded in lowering the world's competition record for ten miles by over three minutes. There were six starters for the race, but C. Baker, who finished third, was the only other man to stay the distance with Maddox and Sims, the last-named being beaten for first place by only a few yards. The first five miles were paced by a quadruplet, a tandem relieving for the next three miles, and the quadruplet again pacing for the last two miles. The time for the race was 21min 39 3-ssec, an average of less than 2min lOsec per mile.

Some idea of the excitement caused by bicycle races in America may be formed from the following clipping from a report in an American paper of the above race: — " Men were clutching their wives and yelling at them to look here or there at this or that; ladies were laughing and crying in the last throes of nervous hysterics, while the men in the press box, used as they are to contests of all kinds, each with a stopwatch, looked amazed from one to another, each one shaking his head as though the watch had lied."

It is rumoured that Zimmerman and Johnson have signed articles to race for SSOOO (about o£1050) aside, the match to take place in Denver during the week ending July 13. A later report, however, states°that Zimmerman has backed down, as he feared that, should Johnson beat him (whic'a, I think, would not be at all improbable), his intended trip to Australia would not be so succcessf ul as he anticipates it otherwise will be.

The Queensland hour record was broken at Brisbane on July 18fch by Purnell, a Sydney cash amateur, who covered 21 miles 1672 yards in the time.

On June 17th J. S. Johnson, the American ■professional, who is considered by some to be a better man than Zimmerman., created a new path mile record by covering the distance in lmin 55 3-ssec.

The first tandems to be seen in Wellington made their appearance last Saturday, when a couple from Messrs Inghs

establishment in Willis street were ridden to Newtown Park, where the riders witnessed the Athletic v. Wellington football match.

E. L. Jefferson has completed his ride of 4200 miles from London to Moscow and back. During the journey he averaged 100 miles a day.

On June 15th A. A. Hansen, an American cyclist, lowered the world's 100-mile competition record, and succeeded in establishing records Irom 60 miles upward. His time for 61 miles was 2hr 52min 45£sec; for 75 miles, 3hr 34min 3ssec; for 100 miles, 4hr 55min 59sec.

G. P. Mills and T. A. Edge recently rode a tandem for 24 hours on the road, when they succeeded in beating Fontaine's record of 378 miles on a safety by half a mile, and raised the tandem record of 317 miles by 59* miles. Mills and Edge intend riding their tandem from Land's End to John o'Groats.

F. Nessel won the 20-mile road race run by the Chicago Cycling Club on June 15th, his time for the distance being 49min 40sec —a road record for the distance. Nessel rode the last three miles on a flat rear tyre, having punctured it during the race. There were 38 starters, 30 of whom went the distance.

The Irish Cyclist says there is a certain big cycle factory where the backbones, forks and wheels of 500 ordinaries are stowed away, not being worth the taouble of removal. In 1892" the machines were offered to the Avorkmen of the place at 4s each, and refused with scorn.

At the opening of the new Manhattan track at Brooklyn (New York) on June 15th there were no fewer than 5000 wheelmen and wheelwomen in the bicycle parade.

Houben, the well-known Belgian crack cyclist, was, on June Ist, twice beaten easily by E. T. C. Protin, a fellow-country-man, who has been absent from the track for some years.

A mile novice race has been won in Syracuse (U.S.A.) by J, Schaefer in 2min 15sec.

The popularity of cycling among ladies is said to be having a detrimental effect upon the piano trade of America.

One of the latest novelties is a pneumatic shoe for racing purposes.