NOTES BYDEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2320, 18 August 1898, Page 37

NOTES BY DEMON.

After many days of vile weather there has come a fine Saturday and though the roads through Green Island and Caversham are in a somewhat liquid state, further south the surface is good and fit for enjoyable riding. Those few riders who went out at the week end report a pleasant spin.

Mr G. W. Bain has resigned his position of secretary and treasurer to the Winton 'Cycling Club. The resignation was accepted with regret, and a vote of thanks passed to Mr Bain for past services. It was also decided that he be made a life member of the club. Mi* F. Moore was appointed secretary and treasurer for the ensuing period of the Beason. An interesting match between a cyclist and a pedestrian took place at the Brisbane amateur race meeting. The N.S.W. crack, Charlie New, met and defeated J. Burton, a pedestrian, of Brisbane, over 100 yards. The

race was from a standing start, with the wir. behind, New winning by two yards : 9 3-ssec.

A Christchurch telegram states that the League of Wheelmen executive refused the application for affiliation of two clubs consisting solely of the employees of two firms engaged in the cycle trade, and expressed the opinion that it is undesirable in the interests of sport to admit trade clubs into the ranka of the league.

The Trish Cyclist has been collecting figures as to the average number of punctures a cyclist may expect, and comes to the conclusion tl-at under normal condition? the average is one puncture for every 2000 miles travelled, but, as with all averages, the facts are sprepd out on either side of this figure, and some cyclists will not derive much consolation from it. In two quoted cases one rider has travelled 24,000 miles, or 12 times the average, without a puncture, while another hns had 93 punctures within the average mileage.

The first batch of the Engli&h N.C.U. championships were decided at Norwich on Saturday. June 25. The events down for decision were the Five Miles Professional and the Five and Twenty-five Miles Amateur Championships. Meyers, the Dutch crack, cleverly won the former, A. S. Ingram accounting for the five miles.

At Amsterdam, on June 26, M. Cordang decisively beat the middle distance crack, Bonhours. in p. 100 kilometres paced match, by about two miles.

The most unlucky man that has raced in Scotland this year is assuredly C. Barden (says the Cyclist). At Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon in his heat of the half-mile handicap he was sent away too soon by his pusher-off, and had to come hack. No sooner had he got rightly away again than his chain wheel went wrong, and he had to retire. Again, in the finaJ of the mile, after getting into a good position, a lap and a-half to go, his chain snapped, throwing him out of the race. The field was travelling fast at U:o time, and had Barden not showed the greatest, coolness, more than half a dozen riders might have been involved in a serious smash. The figures in relation to the Grand Prix do Paris of last year have been published, and are interesting, as showing the steady growth in the attendance of paying spectators since the year 1895, Avhen thirf annual meeting was inaugurated. The total receipts last year wcro 23,077f; the figures

for 1896 were 21,338f ; and for 1895 14,227f (a franc is 9id). This shows that the Parisian public, at any rate, are not wavering in their allegiance to cycle racing, and will always be ready to pay where tho sport provided is of the best, Out it must not be second-rate. Is it not, says an exchange, the same in England? Chirm was showing up so well early in the season that it was not surprising that lie v,on at the English Championship meeting. Not only did he secure the mile and ten miles scratch races at Glasgow, but he ran a good second in the half-mile handicap to Watson, a local pro., who had 95yds. The time, 58sec, with a gale blowing down the track being eloquent testimony to the form which the Catford rider was in. — Bourillon won tho Austrian Derby, defeating Ponlecchi, Moaio, and others.

Very fine racing was recently witnessed at the Crystal Palace track, England, in the contest for the Century Cup (valued at 300 guineas). F. D. Frost, a former winner of the cup, after a grand ride, crossed the tape first in front of A. H. Harris, whose name is also down as a previous winner. Frost only requires to place another win to his credit to enable him to claim the cup as his own property.

Two magnificent performances on the road are reported by the latest English files, which must appeal to all lovers of cycling sport who are always ready to give credit for unassisted and un paced record attempts, which up to the present time have been so popular in New Zealand. The first was accomplished by A. A. Chase on May 3, when ho rode 50 miles on the road in 2lir fmin Bsec. The second performance was that of the Chase brothers (A. A. and F. VV.) on June 13, when riding tandem, they covered the same distance on the same conditions, that is, unpaoed and unassisted, in 2hr 2min 20see. Needless to say, all previous records were eclipsed by these meritorious performances.

" Gears that are above the average are a fad among cyelis-ts this year," says the Chicago Despatch, " and a fad likely to be well paid for by the rider who takes an old car-wheel and has it transformed into a cycle sprocket. No hobby has been adopted by the irrepressible wheelman so likely to render worthless all the possible advantages accruing from the exercise of riding a bicycle as that of putting gears from 100 to 120 on their machines. The theory that a long crank is advantageous in reducing the exertion necessary to push a wheel geared up so high that the rider's knees hit his chin while propelling the machine is all right as far as it goes. The trouble is, that it can never go far enough, for tho crank should be about one yard long to compensate for the back-breaking effort of pushing a gear of 116. Against a heavy wind it is quite out of the question to push one of these abnormally-geared contrivances more than a few miles without sinking down in a state of exhaustion. In fact, one or two Sundays it has been extremely laughable to watch the high-geared young men walking sadly along the pavement, pushing their wheels by hand, when riders with a rational gear were able to make headway on tho wheel. The fact that racing men use high gears on the track is not an argument that a young nun who is confined in an office six days of the weok and rides the seventh can use a similar gear for road riding. The gears that ara employed on some wheels this spring are positively dangerous to health, and there should be some commission, empowered by law, to restrain these youngsters before they become victims to their insatiable desire to outstrip some other rider in the height of gear. Abnormal gears mean an abnormal heart before the season is over. They mean -that the rider at the end of what he thought was to be a day's pleasant outing, returns home irritable, nervous, exhausted completely. The heart-action is irregular, the mind tormented by a feeling of uneasiness, and a general sensation of weakness is apparent in the limbs and vital organs. Cyclists who have made a careful study of what is good for them and what is not good, instead of increasing their gears have reduced them. It is better that the legs should travel around with' the cranks of the machine a few more times than that the constitution should be irreparably run down by making demands upon the physical organs which they are wholly unable to meet. The bicyclo will bring good health to any person who uses it wisely, and just as truly it will iniure the general system if its use is abused. One certain method of abuse is to employ a gear wholly out of proportion to tho physical strength of the person who is trying to push it."

It is sfiid that the number of men engaged in the cycle industries in Germany i.s 90.000 (ninety thousand). A subr-vription was recently opened in the columns of the Dublin Weekly Telegraph for the purpose of rewarding an Trish carman, who at groat peril rescued a man from drowning '.n the River Liffey. With the money collected it has been decided to present him with a hor,3e and car, and at the carman's request the totter will bo fitted with Dunlop tyres.

Mesors Akers and Clarke, the English amateur tandem cracks, who won the Daveville six hours race, decided at Herne Hill on Saturday, June 25, rode Dunlop tyres. Besides winning the event with a score of 147 miles b yards, they also set up new tandem records from 132 to 150 miles inclusive.

At New York recently Titus defeated Tom Linton over a 15 miles course by 10 yards-. Owing to a strong wind, it took the winner 29min 18sec to negotiate the distance. Yet another victory is to bs placed to the credit of Cordang. Following up his success against Ruret, Cordang, ably paced by the famous Dunlop pacing teams, decisively beat Champion in a 50 kilometres match at Paris by 700 yard*.

At Ro'iLtix. in the 100 kilos race between Cordang and Champion, the former won easily by 25 laps. The second e l^^, the Berlin Golden Wheel Race, value £150, was secured by Bonhours.

By cable from London, under date July 19, the Dunlop Tyre Company learn that the Amateur and Professional One-mile Championships of England, the Blue j.Ciband events of English cycling, were run at Asliton grounds, Birmingham, on Saturday lp^st, and resulted in W. W. Chirm winning the professional event and Edmonds the amateur mile. It whs expected that the French cracksprinters now racir.g with success in Engluvl would have accounted for the much coveted professional championship, but Chirm. hi=t year's winner, again proved his superiority over all comer*, and the championship again remains in England. Edmonds, tl>e amateur winner, is a new man, never having preiiously figured on tho championship list. . Tho sum oi £1f54- <ls Pd was distributed in prize money in New South V/ales during tho L-wt racing season. Bicyi-lo riders may be interested to know v/li.it no lew an authority than the great vocalist, Jean de Reszko, thinks about it's beneficial influence. According to a writer in St. James's Budget, the voice of the great tenor has of late years been imprvHg, and ho attributes it to bicycling—" the be.->t medicine in the world for the chest." His socretary, when questioned about de Iveszke'a

bicycling propensities, is reported to have said that if he has to sing at night, and imagines during the day that his vocal chords are not perfectly strong and clear, he will take a spin of an hour or two, and finds that the swift pasoage through the air soon brings about a good result.

A good test of valve leakage in a pneumatic tyre is to bring the wheel round till the valve is at its highest point. Tnen allow the valve to dip into a wineglass fij'ed with water. Any leakage will be apparent immediately, as you are testing at a very high pressure.

At the annual general meeting of the managers of the Montrose .Royal Lunatic Asylum, Dr Havelock reported that a few of the patients, in suitable cases, had been allowed to cycle, and had materially impo/ccl mentally and physically in consequence. "It is believed," he said, " that this form of exercise and recreation has a beneficial effojt in tho early stages of some forms of mental disorder, and I have seen several cases where it has hastened convalescence and established a sound recovery. Cycling seems to distract tho mind from the morbid train of thought and intense self-absorption in such cases more effectually, perhaps, than any other kind c f recreation available." Commenting on t! c foregoing, the Dundee Advertiser says: — " Cyclists will observe with dubious intecost a point in the report of the Superintendent ot Montrose Asylum. Cycling, it is stated, l»as been found beneficial in the early stages of some forms of mental disease, and in seveiul cases it lias hastened convalescence and established a sound recovery. So far this is well, For it, is open to the cyclist to argue that i^n exercise which brings sanity to the unsound mind must invigorate the same. But, on the other hand, it puts a new weapon into He hand or mouth of the cycle-hater, for he way insinuate that the cyclist is a person ' undergoing the cure.' The ' bicycle face ' will acquire a new meaning. There will be no doubt, that its owner is out for the cure, and he may prepare for sarcastic questions as to the whereabouts of his keeper. So f&r ladies are unaffected, for hitherto the asylum authorities hove adopted the cycle treatment in the case ot male patients only. But tl eir turn will no doubt come. On the whole, h"wever, the cyclists have the best of it. It is not so very long ago since the majority considered cycling the maddest of all amusements — tin unwholesome thing, accentuating the rush of a rushing age. And now it ranks as a remedy for the very evils it was supposed to intensify." Mr A. L. Humphreys in his "Books of To-day and Books of To-morrow," has the following amusing skit: — Q. •. Who was Waggoner? A. : Waggoner? Q. -. Yes, at Coven t Garden. The opera, you know. „ A. : O, but you mustn't say Waggoner. You mean " Vagh-ner." Q . : Well, who was he, an/how? A. : He was a great composer.

Q. : What did he compose? _ A.. " Tannhauser," and "Die Mei&tersinger," and " Der Fliegende Hollander,' ( and "Tristan und Isolde," and "Lohengrin."

Q.: 0, yes, I know. People who get married always walk up the aisle to " Lohengrin,' 1 don't they. A.: Very often. And "Parsifal' also was his, and the great Wagnerian Cycle. Q. : The great Wagnerian cycle— is that a good one? A.: It is considered magnificent. Q. : Dunlop tyres, I suppose? A . : iTos. If he is not musical, he certainly does. (1. • What to you mean? A. : What do you mean? Q..-1 mean, Is the Wagnerian cycle fit&:l with Dunlop tyres? _ A. : Idiot ! The Wagnerian Cycle is a <set of four operas dealing with the Nibelungs. Q. : Then wl-at rot to call it a eyela! What are the four? \. : There h ' R-heingold, and " fcregfneJ." and " Dio Walkure," and " Cotterdam " Q. : S-h-h-h! That's swearing. A French criminal recently stabbed a lady in a railway train, and jumped out ds they approached the station. In Ins l.uste, however, he forgot the existence of the cycle, and as soon as the news went out a publican in the neighbourhood mounted his wheel jtcl scoured the countryside. A mile or two distant he overtook a hurried, bare headed man in bloodstained clothes, and promptly rode past, and °-ot the police to intercept him. He turned out to be the right man, and at latest was awaiting trial. . if, lias been asserted by an eminent physician that as long as a cyclist can breathe with his mouth shut when riding he is safe as far as a strain of the heart is concerned. In its enormous growth, cycling has upset the equilibrium of many businesses; among these is the leather trade, a million feet of the choicest leather being cut up annually for saddle tops. The result of all this has been a search for some suitable substitute for leather in the making of saddles. One of these has been brought out an France under the name of "asbestos leather. To manufacture this, according to the specification set forth in tho patent application, the asbestos is first carded out until the fibres are parallel and all short ones are removed. The mass of straight fibres is then immersed in a solution of indiarubber, in benzole, for example. When the solvent is evaporated the indiarubber adheres to the asbestos, which is embedded in it with extraordinary force, and the product is said to be as strong and durable as good leather. The new substance is thus a kind of "insertion" in which there is a more intimate and close union between tho indiarubber and the substance embedded in it than is the case with the usual kind of insertion goods, and it is asserted to be in every way satisfactory as a material from which to make saddles. In order to excite interest m road runs this year tho officers of some of the American clubs have hit upon the idea of holding "blind runs." To tho average club rider this announcement is mystifying and naturally excites tho curiosity of the men and brings out a good attendance of riders. In planning weekly outings the committees in the United States towns could not select runs every week to please all, and accordingly the fixtures were sometimes slimly attended. The " blind run,"possessing many novel features, has been a big success. The run is called by the captain of the club, and the members show up at tho starting point. Whoever leads tho run starts ahead and looks for the most unlikely routes. If he has been over the route before, tho surprised will not dismay him as they will the other members. He loads the procession along good roads until ho comes to a place wliero possibly a lane or a path leads off towards a wild-looking waste. And all have to follow. The leader must be a pretty strong rider, but as he is at the head all tho time he is able to pick his way better than aro the other riders, and is not in the danger of being piled up with a bunch in a tumble. The riding is rough, but there is a spirit of fun in the adventure, and the riders

manfully plug along. Of course some lender*, foot will drop out, but they generally managa to pull through a big crowd. There is another kind of a " blind run." Contrary to selecting bad roads, the leaders map out some territory where good roads are to be founds and then they seek out some section little frequented, and spring a surprise on the club members by winding up at some delightful little village that escapes the attention of the mass of riders out every day. Novelty ia what is now required to interest clubmen in runs, and all sorts of devices are resorted torn America to keep tho interest of tho members keen for road riding. Those who discard mud guards frequently defend their action by claiming Ihafc these useful additions to a bicycle make a material difference to the windage of tho machine. A little thought, however, will shew that there can be but very slight difference in tho ease of propulsion ' of a guarded and a guardless mount. For jt must be observed that tho whole surfaco of the guards does not; present an area against which tho wind strikes. The greater part of the front mud guard is in the lee of the front wheel, and only the'projecting edges offer additional resistance «o the air. As' to the rear mud guard it is so piotected by the rider's legs and tho frame of Ilia machine that practically it will not retard tho machine at all. It has been estimated that mud guards cause a retardation of about ono yard m a hundred ; so that ono hundred imloa would have (o Ijc covered before a difference of one mile would bo made in the ride. Of course, the figuro varies according to "wind velocity and the rider's spoed ; but the retardation is evidently negligible. Moreover, mud guards are very valuable in assisting to keep mud and dust out of tho bearings, especially of the pedals. It is therefore doubtful whether the average road rider really gains anything by exposing himself to the unpleasant menses which dispensing with mud guards involves.

Racing men and all lovers of fast riding will be pleased to hear that a non-slipping racing tyre has been introduced by the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company. The tyre, which has been specially introduced for grass hack riders, has a non-slipping device of the Ihxn-lop-Welch basket pattern design, which is or.ly brought into action when tho tyro is being ridden at an anglo. The tread i« quite smooth, so that the non-slipping device only comes into play at the moment it is required — i.e., when turning corners on slippery tracks. It ia admirably suited for grass tracks.

Two Points of View. — Two lady cyclists — an expert and a novice — were uucush sing tho advantages of wheeling. " \ou know, dear," said the former, ' v I foel inclined for a little exercise on o, fine afternoon, 1 have not to wait for a horse to bo brought round or else go for a walk through tho streets. I just jump on my machine, and in three-quarters of an hour I am back in my flat." " That's all very well for you," replied thi> novice, " but I just jump on my, bicycle and in threo-qxiaitera of a minute I am flat on my back I "

Wheelmen aro ever and always op~ posed to a tax on bicycles, to attacks ob bicycles, and to tacks under bicycles.