CYCLING. NOTES BY PEDAL-PIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1645, 2 June 1883, Page 20

CYCLING.

NOTES BY PEDAL-PIN.

1 believe home adventurous spirits wont out on the holiday for a pleasure spin, but as fears of rheumatism and kindred ills kept old P. at home, he cannot speak personally of the pleaSUJ'Of.

Two clubmen got away early in tho afternoon of Wednesday bound for somewhere down Kouth, and in the evening noma few mnro s-taitcd. Those lideia I saw returning on Friday morning had decidedly more mud than u-ua) on their uniforms, a sure bign of tho awful btnto of the roadfl. A number of "cycli&ts were out at Otakia on Wednesday o vouing latl weok, including Moegiel, Duuediiij and Tuiori clubmen.

I am glad to see that Otago cyclists are taking action re bye-laws. Club rules and N.Z.O.A. rules aro all very well, but they will not affect the unattached men. In fact, I I am afraid that many clubmen are just as great sinners against rules as any unattached. I hear plenty of stories of people walking on tho footpath, somewhere about South Dunedin, being startled by a solemn gliding past of a ghostly rider on a ghostly wheel. The Committee of tho N.Z.C.A. must have been rather astonished at the reception their suggestion met with at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. The generally favourable reception will bo gratifying, but the suggestion to levy a tax on all cycles must have been rather a surprise, though why a tax should be levied on cycles and not on other private carriages, I cannot see. If such a tax were levied, tho scene on the Octagon on a licensing day would be rather amusing, especially if the inspectors had to try the various machines in order to satisfy himself of their suitability to carry passengers. lam afraid the inspector would be made the scapegoat for the Council, and sticking-plaster would be in large demand to repair damages. Cyclists owe their thanks to Councillor Barnes for backing up their request, and 1 hopo they will soon see their pet bye-laws in operation. in Oamaru and Christchurch dullness in cycling matters reigns supreme. Oamaru, howover, hopes for better things next season. At Invercargill the mania is in full strength in athletic circles, and scarcely anything is talked but cycling, wheels, bearings, gearings, &c, &c. There was much talk about a meet on the 24th, but I suppose the wet weather prevented it, as nothing has been heard about it, 1 see that other people than cyclists are grumbling at the state of our streets ; and no wonder, tor during the last few days even the "mudlarks" of the D.B.C. have given up riding. Roads must be bad. By the 'Frisco mail tho March copy of tho " VVheelman" is to hand. It is fully equal to the previous issues in get up, and the stories and general reading matter are interesting. It is certainly the best wheel magazine published, the illustrations being very good. The style of the magazine is far beyond any other I luve yet been.