CYCLING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2522, 16 July 1902, Page 59

CYCLING NOTES.

— F.t rlic weather of Saturday and Punday we are duly thiukful : and although it is now snowing, and the road> are slushy, we can extract a certa'ii amount cf enjoyment out <>f the recollection of those two clays and our lides in the c-'ear, crisp air. On Sundnv I was returning to town by the Portobello road, and met a, fair sprinkling of cyclists who wore out to inak» the mosD of a glorious d.ty Wlnlo plugging along against a wind, I »a-> suddenly charmed by the fight of two fair ojchsts being helped merrily along ' j y their c c corts. In. both case 3 the ladies wcie using the foot rests, and their companions, maintaining a fair •speed by just a gentle pressure on the back, helped the ladies al»ng, and made a charming picture, coming as it did to view «>udden'v round a bend in tho road. — I am informed by a gentlernau who lias just returned from a trip up north that between Timaru and Christohureh o good dea' of interest i^> be-ing taken in the test i-3rf» from Timaru to Christchurch, which i< to be held on August 2. It will be icrtiSMiibeied that tins lace is arranged to solect tlie Xew Zealand representative to g.. o\er and compete in trip great Warmambool to Melbourne road race promoted by the Dnnlop Company. — ■ La=t Wednesday, at the Dunedin railway «station v I caught a glimpse of the raund-tlic-vorld oyclidt. W. Scluviegeiis-hau->en, who left Dunedin some time ago to do tho goldfields of Otago. He is now on !\N way north. — Tho employees of the Canada Cycle and Motoi Company (Limited), Geoige strept. held their annual social on Friday evening last at the- Choral Hall, when the function went off merrily. The hall had been nicely decorated with flags and bicycles ; the music supplied by Mr J. Yate«, who«e name in connection with dance music is a sufficient guarantee of excellence, was up to the usual high-water mark: and the efforts of the M.C's., Messrs A. Dey and S. Stokes, to make all at home were amply rewarded. The Dunedin and Otago Cycling Clubs weie represented at the social, and a number of cycli°t3 connected with the other cycle business houses in the city also were present. During the evening Mr W. B Bell manipulated a graphaphone, and gave some excellent selections. Mr A. Dey'.s vocal efforts were w ell received ; and altogether the committee responsible for the arrangement of the evening's enjoyment may be reasonably congratulated on the of this social. Air J. Ham aim. who acted as secretary, carried out his work in an efficient manner. — A faw days ago a Wellington city councillor was mulcted in. a fine of 2s 6d and coitf for riding a bicycle on a footpath within the Borough of Lower Hutt. A Timaru cyolfet, going to Tcmuka, had an unpleasant experience on Me.-day evening. As he. was descending the hill.-. not fai from the town, he found his cojt was on fire, caused through the burning a^h^s from his pipe igniting the lining of his pocket. H<* was l.tiable to attend to the matter till ho reached the foot of the hill, and by that time a fair amount of his wearing apparel had been burned. Tins was bad enough, but on investigation it was discovered that a £1 note, which was in the potket, had also been completely destroyed. -The following paragraph, taken from tho cycling column of the Australasian will, I think, be of interest to competitors in the Dunlop Company's test race to determine upon New Zealand's representative at tho Warrnambool to Melbourne road race next month:- In conversation with a prominent racing man la^t week, he mentioned that, as the pace on Uu> load wa« increasing every yrar, tho-e rider.3 who intend°d to < ompetc in the Warrnnmboel road race would havo to do more track riding than huliorto While admitting that load wa« the fir-st pvontial. ho said that the last six weeks would have to be equally divided between track and road work, pointing out that on some portion-, of the rate route, notably from Pan inure, to Terang, Camperdowii, and on to Colac, the surface was equal to the average rai c path. It is necessary for tho intending competitor to keep to Ihe road welt up to tiie la>t in ord-er that the hills which are to be met with between Oolao and fleelong- will not make too great an inroad on liis condition. A purely track-trained racer would feel hill climbing most severely, especially after 100 miles oi rapid travelling, as will be the case in the coming big event. — At a musical evening held by a number of Adelaide cyclists la=t month it was looked upon as a happy augury that duung the singing of the National Anthem at the stait of the proceeding* tho electric light, which had been gradually diminishing, became a full and sufficient blaze of light before the conclusion of tho autliPm. The good light kept up then all evening — The Australasian weather prophet, Mr Wragge, recently sent along a windy wet disturbance designated " Braddon," which had the effect of interfering with cycle club races fixed for the day of tho advent of " Braddon." — Particulars ate to hand of the big French motor race from Paris to Arra= and back, the winning of same by Maurice Farm an being cabled out some weeks back. Tho race was ran by the French Minister of Agriculture, whose idea was to develop the use of alcohol as a motive power, and th.ua give an iuipetu3 to the spirit industry. All competitors had to use alcohol in pkee of the usual petrol spirit. The distance to Arras is 254£ miles, the competitors riding out one day and returning the next. The final classification over the full distance, 509 miles, was: Farman, first, in llhr 56min; Jarrot, second, in 13hr 9imn ; and Ruti3hniMer, third, in 16hr 6min. Rain fell throughout the race, which makes Farman's run a marvellous one, averaging, as it does, 42 miles an. hour. Both firct and second men drove " Pan hards," and are Englishmen. No serious accidents occurred. — Regarding the run of the Decauville motor car from Edinburgh to London —

45min. the Dnnlop Tyre Company stat-e that the non-stop run is the outcome ci much rivalry between English and Continental motor firms as to which automobile can accomplish the longest stages on the road without having to stop th& motor for repairs or adjustments. This is a feature of motoring that has more interest for intend- , ing automobilists than speed tests on the road The above non-stop run is the longest yet accomplished, and is evidence of the big strides that aro being made in motor construction, especially as regards the small detail matters which in earlier pattern cars were so troublesomo to motorists. The Deeauville is of French manufacture, is a petrol motor, and is very popular on the Continent and in England. The distance .between Edinburgh and London by road is 395 miles, which ghes the Deeauville ear an average speed of 19 miles an hour between the two cities. This speed is certainly not high, but the trial was not a speed one In fact, it would be impossible to hold one on the route mentioned, owing to the number of large towns to be passed through between the two capitals, which would necessitate slow travelling; and again to the fact that the English authorities are very severe as regards high speed on their thoroughfares. The latest molar car in the world ha? jr«t been purchased by Mr W. L. Creyke, of St. Aldates, Oxford. This car, built ' by Gardner-Serpollet, of Paris, recently, covered a record kilometre in 29fsec. It is of 20-h.p., and capable of indicating at its driver's discretion about 150 hqrso capacity. A record run through Oxfordshire was taken recently by Mr E. Keneally, editor of Motoring Illustrated, and Mr Creyke. The maximum top speed dining the day was 65 mdes an hour on an uncleared main road. The run from Henley to Oxford, a Iterance of 23 miles, was made in 29min 32=ee, xmassisted by the police. The car, which lias been christened the '"Easter Egg" (L'oeuf de Paques"), made the run with but one stop. Motor car enthusiasts regard the "Easter Egg" as one of the hp*t examples of racing car., seen in England. The driver has perfect control over the mechanism. Ho can slow down to half a mile an hour or pile on .steam to the lightning speed of 75 miles an hour. -^ — Le=na, who has raced in Australia, won the big long-distance- French race from Marseilles to Paris, a distance of 582 miles. The race was run during heavy rams, the roads being in a \cry slippery condition. Lesna took the lead soon after the start, having, the assistance of a splendid relay of single pacers, and was never headed, winning easily in 37hr 30min. .T. Fischer, the German road crack, finished second s=orae hours later. Charles Kerff. the well-known Belgian road rider, died from injuries sustained from a fall during the race. Now that the King has quite a slud of motor cars, it has become necessary to create a new household appointment, and last week, says "M.A.P.," Mr Montague Graham White, who ii 6O well known in the motoring world was offered the honoiirablo post of "Master of the King's motor ears." The post carries with it the distinction of driving the King, and the supervision of tho royal motoring arrangements. A smart uniform has been designed, somewhat after the style of the State dross of tho other official appointment". An English inventor has brought out something new in the shape of" an air tubo, one which enn be taken out. and a new one put in its place without removing the wheel from tho forks. As far aa can be determined fiom the desciiption, tho method employed is like that used with tho old Vic-tor tyre. Tfc is thus described : — The tube was an ordinary air tubo, which had been cut in two. The ends were cealed up, and on one end was a rubber-lined canvas sleeve, through an opening in which the vaUe. which was fixed to the other end of tlie nihe, was parsed, thus keeping the ends in position. To remove the tube from the wheel, all that was necessary was to deflate it, and then turn back over the valve tho sleeve ; this operation occupies a few seconds only. Mr Jame« Starley. some time ago deceased, the father of the bicycle of to-day, was an inventive genius, among other contrivances making a self-rocking bassinette, a window blind with automatic action, and an adjustable candlostiok, although the main part of Ins leisure was devoted to repairing walcho- und clucks, a> knowledge of which lv* obtained through visits to a neighbouring jobbing clcckmnker. A sewing machine coming to his notice about this time, ho set himself to master its mechanism, and was soon able to lopair these machines with aci-uracy and acceptability oy the part of those who owned them. Ultimately, he obtained an engagement with Mcsoro Newfon, Wilson, and Co.. machine makers, High Holbom, ai a working mechanic. A Icftson to scorchers! "The cyi-list with low. 'drop' handle-bars to his machiuo ifl ordend from the streets," says a writer, speaking of the City of Washington, where tho authorities are anxious to obliterate the ''scorcher.'*' "An order icadf.: — 'No cycle shall be ridden upon the stieets, within the city limits, with the lower end of the handlebar on a plane lower than 4iu below tho top of tho saddle at its centre, and the rider at all times keep his head in such a position as to command a \ic-w of not lc—s (hun 200 ft ahead.' This order lias been <miforccd Many iimos, and is exceedingly popular with all except the man who lik » to combine a 30 mile-an-hour speed with a minute sttidv of the composition of tho road over wfuch lie is tiavellmsi:." Cycling in Hyde Park. London is limited to certain hours of thf> day, but automobiles may cnt(>r at any time Aa motor bicycles tome under tho Litter category, a rider of one of thc?e may ionic and «o through this famous resort a> lie please-. Here we have an lllu-tialion of where a bicyelo is not a bicycle. The motor lace boom is on, and the great European motor race from Paris to Vienna, started on June 26. pioved in exception, attracting the large cntrv of 136 tars. As would be expected with tlii-> number or automobiles on the road, many i-enoiif accident* had already occurred in the early stages of the race, one chaffeur being killed. Last year this groat motor event finished at "Berlin, a distance of 744 milea from Paris, and was won by H. Fournier, who dro\e the distance in 16hr smin, an average of 46 mi'js an hour. The distance of the race from Pari3 to Vienna is over 1090 miles, and the event is arranged lo be run in foui stages over as many daj*3. Although the s-afoty type of bicycle did not get ;'.ito general use until 1886-87, it was practice]) v introduced in 1876, but was driven by loveis attached to the back wheel. It had but «a limited pale, and dropped out of use in a yeor or so. It was thought at one time, probably at this period, that to use a chain on one bide

of the machine only was a lop-sided arrangement, and would pull the machine about! unduly. The chain, of course, was no novelty ; it was in general use on tricycles', to say nothing of other branches <o£mechanics. The first chain-driven safeties, lacked the means of adjusting the chains;, and various tricks were adopted for taking; \ip the slackness. The chains did stretch? a bit in those days, too. A cross between the old high machine and the present type of chain-driven bicyol^ was the "Kangaroo, "put upon the market ii^' 1883 by Hilmann, Herbert, and Coopery the "Premier" people. It was in fact a? gared ordinary, but unlike the "Facile, 1 * had a chain on either side. The pedals were fitted some distance below the contre( of the driving wheel, the front forks being lengthened past the axle, holding them iiif position. It scored well from the first; iU swept the boards in road races and records, and, for a time, looked like a world beater. It was too heavy, however, and fell easily, before the improved rear chain driver. — - There is a cause for everything, and! the clicking of chains as they i\m over the sprocket has some reason for its being i£ it can only be discovered. For some time> a prominent cycle agent and repairer has had machines brought to him, the chains o£ which ran noisily, but a gauging of both: teeth and links showed «io faults ; they were perfectly accurate. A more careful examination revealed the fact that tKe teeth were* ! rather too long, and the point of the tooth struck the end of the chain block before the chain, bedded on the chain-ring. This was remedied by a grinding on the emery wheel-; a little roundiog off the edges and ends of "the teeth made all the- difference, the chains afterwards rnnaing quite >ilent]y. -The big cycle manufacturer^ are turning their attention to the question of weight reduction. With better material and improved methods of manufacture, there ia no reason to believe that the weight of cycles has reached its lowest limit. While not aware that coy decrease under, say, 281b adds appreciably to the speed which is to be got out of a bicycle for ordinary work, nor that it increases the comfort in any degree, it makes the machine particularly handy for lifting, say, over fences, or up stairs and steps, or for general handling. But then, bicycles are not built to be carried, but for carrying. THE DUPLEX GEAR. While the Yankees boomed the free wheel persistently, and .scat it ahead at a bounding rate, they appeared to neglect tho two or n'ore .speeded hub, which, for the past three years, has been prominently before the English riders. It is only now that tha American papers are discussing the gear, as well as publishing very favoui-able reports of its progress in the Old Country. As a rule (.<=ays "Fortis" in tho Australasian), tho Yankees have a quaint but telling way of e\plain>ag anything, and writhe of tha advantages of a changeable gear -for the various conditions of road ond county one meets with, a wheel paper expresses itself: thus: — "In walking on a level a persona strides will bo of a measiu*ement quite: different from those "whioh would obtain in,' walking down or up hill. It will be found! to be notably fatiguing to keep the same otridc either down or up hill that is customary on level surfaces." Yet this is praotically what 13 being done with the fixed-gear machine. The same plride or gear is \itilißed to climb a hill thati 18 used on the level. As to down hill, tho free-wheel solves that phase of the .question, and ifc often occurred to mo, before I used the duplex gear, but while I had the freewheel fitted, that if it was possible to g» from a certain gear io no gear, it should alsr» be possible to stop half way, and have something moderate. It is but a reasonable proposition that for all round riding ai bicycle fitted with a two-speed gear would! add to the comfort and pleasure of riding.. For any extensive testimony in that direction it is necessary to look to England, and there it seems to be the unqualified opinion.' that the combination is decidedly a good oae. The paper quoted from is of opinion that multiple speed hubs may be a future equipment, in the way of an option, in' America, as they are now in England, and although hubs of this description were introduced into the former country seven, or eight years ago, and failed to catch on, ifc in no criterion of what their reception may be jo these altered times and opinions. It is now exactly two years since I used my firi-t two-speed hub, and during thatf time it has covered an approximate distanca of 12,000 miles. It is still going well. The portion found to wear out soonest waa the chain ring, or rear sprocket, and although I had the teeth ground down on two occasions, it at last beoaino ao bad that no matter how they w-rre treated, a now chain would oofc run upon them. I was in a auaiidary for the tnno boiiis*, as there was plenty of life in the hub itbelf, but one day noticing a Premier machine (belonging to Mr Heidc, L.V.W. secretary, by the way) fitted with a similar hub to min<\ but with the chain running co the left, instead of the righthand side (a feature peculiar to those machines), a thought flashed through my mind, and I saw tho difficulty war removed. f thanked the v. hoe dri\iny mechanism fu.ni right to left-hand side, and, coneccntPiitly. had not only now sui faces on the drmng tei'th, but was working co new face* the whole of tho internal mechanism of the I.ul> Prat tically the hub was renewed, and i» now running as Mnoothly as it did two years ago. I do .not suppose it will la-t another 12,000 mile-, nor even half of that di-t.tnee, but I i-liall continue to use ifc until it gives out, when there should be ni-an-, of renewing the 'woruout portion or portions. LEUiUE OF \F,W ZEALAND WHEELMEN. A meeting of ilie Council of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen was held on July 7 at ClirUtclnireh, Mr F. M'Kechnie in the chair Mr A. Dickaon wrote apologising for abronci", and asked leave of absence on. account of ill-health Leave of absence was granted. Mr H. 8. Batchelor also apologised for absence. With regard to the supply of oharapion-' fchip medals, it was decided to obtain debigna and prices of a die from die makers in various part* of the colony, and also that in future all championship medals should be made in Christ c-bureh, and that tenders should be called each year for their manufacture. The sub-committee appointed to make inquiries concerning the appointment of an official organ again failed to brrag forward a report, and it was decided that a committee consisting of Mc«frs jM'Kechnie, Green, and Nonlon rh^nM a^crlain whether one of the local escnms papei= would pub-

• lisa a cycling column in its Saturday evening^ issue. # The secretary was instructed to obtain information as to pennite granted by ' pentree, and let all clubs know accordingly of race meetings arranged. The cases of W. Clarkson and Woodroffe, of Palmeraton North, who, while awaiting reinstatement as amateurs, had competed, ,wu again considered. It was decided that the two riders should be severely repritnanded, and informed that any application for reinstatement from them would not be jronsidered for two years. It was also detided that the Manawatu Olub should be strongly censured for allowing the riders to compete, the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Uwociation being asked to take similar action. It was resolved that the amateur Wtatu* of the riders who competed against Clarkson and TVoodroffe should not be affected. . , A resolution was passed expressing the fcouncil's appreciation of the manner :o which the Dunlop Tyre Compady. in connection Jirith the test race- for the Warrnambool to Melbourne road race was forwarding tbe tport of cycle racing, and it was resolved to donate "£3 3s towards the chosen reprelentative's expenses. - . ' The Federal Council of Australasia for- > warded a report of its recent conferenceIt was decided to inform the federal - Council that there was no advantage to be gained by the New Zealand League in . ioining the federation, as. being affiliated to the International Cyclists' Unico I\ew Zealand riders must be recognised by the Australian Leagues and vicc-verea.