NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2207, 18 June 1896, Page 37

NOTES BY DEMON.

—^- Good roads and good weather combined brought ont a 'fair number of riders at the week's end for a spin into the country. ■ These outings at this time of- the year are all the more enjoyable by reason of the surprising mildness and fairness of the weather'; and while last summer was remarkable for the lack of good tiding weather, the winter, when little' riding is expected, hat been by marked contrast pleasing by reason of its opportunities for touring. __ The Ducedin and Qtago. Clubs have billiard tournaments arc op g blab members in full swing just now. Toe 'Otago men are struggling through their' first tournament, add the Dunedin players have, by reason of the popularity of their first tourntmsnt, just concluded, become engaged in a second round, whioh has taken on wonderfully well with members. .. •

A special prize of £1, to be awarded to one of tbe pUyers in the Otago Cycling deb's billiard tournament, hes been presented by Mr Wills, of the American Photo Company. — — Mr ; Harty Thompson, at Lancaster Park, Christohurcb, succeeded in lowering the 10-mile record of 24min lsec, held by Mr J. O. Shorland, to 23min 31sec. The pacing was done by tandem*. - • : " — — Messrs Morrow, Bassefcfc, and Co., of this city, have imported a number of American tricycles, which for general workmanship and finish bid fair to find favour, among our ridßrs. One type— the. Sterling, \25Sb weight— is a machine of the highest grade, and is fitted with barrel hubs,, which allow of a s t iff* r axle. The corrugated , hub is another speoialty. Dropforgiogs are used in all the joints of the frame. Thii means that steel bars are compressed into tiie required shape while red hob by & heavy blow or a drop hammer. No lap brazing is done. A distinctive feature of these machines is the rounded fork crown. The Sterling and the New Hatod, another type of machine imported.

are fitted with wooden rims, Dunlop tyres, tangent spokes, adjustable handles, and on the whole are beautifully finished and well worth a visit of inspection.

1 The mile-a-minute theory hfts a rather expanding significance according to location. For instance, the Irish mile is 2240 yds, the Swiss mile is 9153$ ds, the Italian mile is 1766 yds, the Sootch mile is 198*ydt, the Tus-_ can mile is 1808 yds, the German mile is 8106?df, the Arabian mile ia 2143j ds, the Turkish mile is 1826 yd», the Flemish mile is 6869jds, the Vienna post mile is 8296 yds, the I Roman mile is 1628 yds or 2025 yds, the Werst mile is 1267 yds or, 13,37 yd», the Dutch and Prussian mile is 6480 yd*,. ihe Swedish and Danish mile is 7431*5 yd», the English and American mils, is 1760yd5.., ' Madrid recently provided the sight of bull-fighters on bicycle*. Carlos Rodriguel, a well-known cyclist, and Badila, picador of the Quadrille de Mazzantini, both entered the arena mounted on cycles. Rodriguez soon ran away from the bull, bub the picador stood his ground, and, not being able to tarn quick enough, was overtaken by the infuriated animal, and both rider and maohine tossed into the air. The rider escaped by a miracle, bat the maohine was a wreck, and this practice is not likely to be largely followed.

The cjcle exports from Great Britain daring March amounted to £178,377, as oom- , pared with £144,397 last year, and £142,18+ in 1894. At compared with previous years the three months ending with March 31 show a great advance in value over corresponding periods, the figures being— lß96, £444,509 ; 1895, £329,096 ; 1894, £329,535.-

Of the bicycle craze in England, Mr Henry W. Lucy writes to the Sydney MorniDg Herald:— "Whilst the cycle trade is booming there, is.no doubt that horse-dealer*, more especially the livery stables, are suffering. ' Apart from questions of convenience and economy, there are are some people — Sir Fr&nois Jenne, for example— who boldly declare that the' Sleuoro of ejoling fwr txoiedi Hurt oi korto

riding. I know a sybarite, recently enfranchise from JUigh Ministerial office, who every morning has both horse and biojele bcought round. He tells me th&t five days out of six he selects tho 1 bicycle, his grrom going off to exercise the horse. In the House of Commons the practice of coming down on a bicycle is growing to tueh extent, as to suggest the necessity for special stabling accommodation. In the new Parliament we have not had many late sittings fallowing on big divisions. These are, in ordinary circumstances, attended, by a mad ru»h of 500 or 600 gentlemen for the prize of the quite inadequate number of cabs waiting. Then is the proud moment of the ojclist, who jumps on his machine and glide swiftly out of Palace Yards, whilst belated friends and colleagues, setiag the last cab appropriated, prepare to walk home."

A raw egg beaten up with milk is a capital "piok-me-up" when one is jaded after a day's hard riding. A pinch of oatmeal in a glas* of water,)fwith a squeeze of lemon, takes a lot of beating as a sustaining and thirstassuaging drink.

One of the very latett, and certainly most amusing, developments in oj cling races in England is what is known as " Gymkhana on wheels." In these novel,- up to-date contests the sptotator will be treated to something very different from the usual sight of half a dozen wonld-be record-breakers going their somewhat monotone us journey ronnd a cirole. Mere speed won't win these races ; the prize will go to the rider who ia cleverest at guiding hie machine, and at tbe same time performing some feat or other, s&y holding an umbrella over his head while making for • the winning po t, oc dismounting several times in tbe couise of the race to pick up potatoes placed at intervals. The race which perhaps affords the most fnn and hilarity is the thrrad-and-needle race. Ench' rider starts ont on the race with a needle. This he carries to a lady among the spectators, who threads it for him, and then he hastens on to the goal. The one, of course, wins the prize who accomplishes the feat in the shortest time. The ribbon race is almost as exciting as the one jusb described. The. contestants ride in pairs, side by side, their arms joined by a knot of ribbon. Two prises are necessary in this case for the two who come out ahead. One race,' called the " dressing race," is subjeob to these rules : " Bicycles to be brought to the starting point ; the coat and vest of the rider to be on tbe ground. After the starting signal.is given eaoh competitor (without any outride assistance) to put on his vest and coat, mount his wheel, and make the best of his way to the winning post, where he is to arrive with his vest and coat entirely buttoned ; vest to have at least five buttons, coat at least three buttons " The egg-and- spoon race is regulated by these instructions : — " Each competitor is to receive a wqeden spoon with an egg in it, to be carried with one hand to the winning post without breaking it. Should the egg fall the competitor is to replace it in the spoon without assistance and start again from the point where it fell, or he may return to the starting post for another ess-" I Q the P°l° ball-and-bucket race each rider has to place three polo balls in separate buckets distributed between starting and winning points. The first in aftir plaoing the balls is, of course, the winner. The rules 'for what" is called the umbrella race are as follows : — " Wheels to be brought to the starting point, where the riders stand each with an umbrella. After the starting signal is given, each rider, without any outside assistance, must put up his umbrella, mount, and make the bf st of his way to the winning post, where he is to arrive with the umbrella open and in good order — the umbrella must remain open from stirb to finish." This is no easy contest, for the umbrella usually proves an unwieldy subject. Another nee compels eaoh one of the competitors " to ride to a point where some sacks of corn are placed and carry one to the winning post on his bicyclo." ' The sacks may weigh some four or five stone each, so that it takes muscle as well as skill to ride in this race. The next content is easy enough for anyone who can dismount several times in the course of a run, and each time pick up a potato. The winner is the man who picks up all the potatoes lying in his course and first reaches the goal with them. There is no doubt that the costumes worn by the competitors add to the interest; of the spectators — the jaunty forage cap and the jersey in bright colours, the shiny boots and' spotless white breeches, the wheels with gay streamers of ribbon, all help to make the scene a. gay and festive ,one.— Answers. ■ - Vienna' "is Very much agitated over the discussion now raging in the newspapers whether cyclists have a patron saint of their own, and if- not whom they should be advised to elect. Plenty of good advice has been given. One reader thinks St. Gertrude, the patron of travellers, should be chosen ; another reminds bicyclists that Elijah went to heaven on wheels ; a third, whose business is to attend to heraldry, thinks that one of the saints with wheels in his coat-of-arms should be given the preference.—The Wheel.

Some of the letters received by cycling firms from back-block beginners are extraordinary epistles (says a Melbourne paper). A general complaint ii that the "horns " are too low or too high, while a large number of the country novices have trouble in removing their "splashboards." Every now and again a man writes growliDg thab his ■" stirrups >; woa't go round. The genius of the lot, though, is a Y&ckandah youth, who threatens a cycle agent with all the pains and penalties of the law because " the hose on his front fly-wheel rabbod against the side of the shanghai erer since he took it off to blow it up."

"Daisy races" it tfoe title giren to .tandem races with malo and female riders awheel.

The cycling schools of London hare lately become so crowded that the jprioes of lessons bare iawcMfld. ■ One firm raised to