CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 84, 29 May 1911, Page 5

CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

The petrol engine, has accomplished wonders during the last decade. It has enabled man to conquer the air and to record speeds on land and water that a few years back were practically undreamed of. Petrol is without doubt king of air, land and sea. A speed of a hundred miles an hour has been accomplished on an aeroplane ;,vR. Burman has driven a mile on a motor car in 26 1-12 seconds, equal to 137 miles an hour; and last but not least, the English-built motor racing boat “Maple Leaf III” has just recorded speeds varying from 58 to 60 miles an hour. The last-named performance brings home to one the remarkable development that has taken place in the petrol engine during the last few years. Two or three years ago thirty miles an hour on the water astounded the world, but since then petrol has dethroned steam and doubled the record. For some time past splendid work has been accomplished on the Paris-Mar-seilles and other quick-service European railway routes by petrol-driven cars. _ They have proved speedy and economical for carrying mails and a limited number of passengers. Their adoption in Australia for special work has been suggested on many occasions, and at last the Queensland Government has determined to order five Millane-McKeen petrol auto-dnrV, at a total cost of £21,000. The ears will have a seating accommodation for seventy-five passengers and a maximum speed of 60 miles an hour. The result of Queensland enterprise will be awaited with interest, for upon the success of their petrol cars will greatly depend whether all the Commonwealth States will adopt this type of car for special and light railway work. Some particularly fine overland rides have of recent years been accomplished by such riders as E. A. Pearson, F. White and F. Dirties, but strange to say the Adelaido-Melbourno cycle record stands at the same lig-t ure that it did in 1897, 1 when the : German rider, W. Kux,> covered the 545 miles in 51 hours 48 minutes. Since that date the Sydney-Melbourne record (575 miles) has undergone many changes, until to-day it stands at the- remarkable figure of 49 hours, accomplished by that king of long-dis-tance riders, E. A. Pearson; but never once in the last thirteen years has an attempt been made to reduce Kux’s time. Why is this? Are the riders of to-day frightened of the Coorong desert that has to be. negotiated on the Adelaide-Melbournc route? This course is certainly no worse than it was way back' in the “nineties.” In the Dunlop Despatch Relay Cycle Ride from Adelaide to Sydney, held in 1909, the first section of the course from Adelaide to Melbourne (574 miles)* was negotiated in 34 hours 56 minutes, as against 34 hours 39 minutes for the second half of the journey to Sydney (575 miles), so that from a time point of view'there appears to be Very little difference in the two routes. It therefore appears strange that Kux’s ride has been allowed to stand unassailed for over thirteen years. Another record that is now also getting a bit ancient is A. McDonald’s Port Darwin to Adelaide ride of 2066 miles in 28 days 15 hours 30 minutes, established as far back as 1898; but one can understand .this fine record being left alone, for it was a remarkable performance, and one that even our best long-distance riders of today would find a difficult proposition to better. A discussion of interest to cyclists is now going on in English cycling circles in reference to benefits said to result from the cutting out of a number of the teeth on the large driving sprocket of a bicycle. Many English experts claim that the semitootliless wheel gives sweeter running and less friction, and, further, that a stretched chain gives far less trouble on a sprocket from which most of the teeth have been removed. Such an experienced cycling journalist as R. J. Mocredystates that the semi-toothless wheel is an advantage. The proper number of teeth to remove is said to bo about two-thirds of the total number, the remaining teeth to be left evenly' distributed. Some advocates of the toothless wheel advised that the stumps of the removed teeth be flush with the nm of the sprocket. So far none of our riders appear to have adopted toe somi-toothlcss wheel, and it would be interesting to hear how the experiment pans out on our roads; for road racing under muddy conditions the idea certainly appears to offer advantages. A six-hours’ census of vehicular traffic was recently taken at one point in Piccadilly, London, the total number of vehicles passing between midday and 6 o’clock in the afternoon being 3514. Of this number 86.61 per cent were motors, only 10.39 per cent being drawn by animal power—horseless London is evidently not many years ahead.