CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 6, 23 August 1911, Page 8

CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES.

The Australian Amateur Track Champion, E. W. Schneider, is still riding into places in important English cycle races, hut evidently lacks the linal sprint within a sprint to got him over the lino first. In the JO miles’ British Empire championship, which was recently decided on the Crystal Palace track (London); the Now South Wales crack jumped away at a quarter of a mile to go, hut could not sustain his effort, for at ICO yards to go ho was caught and eventually finisned third, two lengths behind C. B. Kingsbury, the winner. The “Tour-de-Franco,” the longest and severest road race in the world, started from Paris just as the lose mail left. Some particulars of this great race will he of interest to road riders in tins country. The contest is a very arduous and severe one, for the competitors are out for 29 consecutive days, and in 15 stages have to coyer a total distance of 3100 miles, being on an average 225 miles each stage with a day’s rest between. The first of these stages was run from Paris to Dunkirk, a distance of 217 miles. There were 100 riders, of whom 38 wore attached to well-known cycle firms, and (38 wore independents or isolated riders. The first to arrive at Dunkirk was Garrigou, in 12.br 32<nin., followed by Masselis, who took 12soc longer, and Eabcr, 12 hr 47 mm. Sixty-six completed this stage. It is evident that only professionals can take part in a race of this nature with any hope of success, and although] there are two distinct classes—those

avowedly in the pay of a - cycle company anti those running independently —tnc 1 atter arc as professional as the former. The grouped riders have an organised service of managers and trainers, have all their expenses paid, and everything necessary for their comfort is provided on the way and at tno end of each journey. The isolated men can have the services of a trainer and manager, providing they pay for him themselves, but they are not allowed in any way to take advantage of the arrangements made for tfio grouped men, nor to stop at the came hotels. They can receive monetary or other assistance from a firm before starting, but nothing after the race has begun. The men comprise some of the best road racers in the world, such, for instance, as I’etitf’rcton, who lias already won three Tours do France, Francois Faber, tiie winner of last year’s event, Emile Goorgot, Lapize/ Garrigon, Brocco, Trousselier, Passorieu, Masselis, and Gharpiot. This year a special effort has Doen made to attract isolated riders by offering them £IBO in prizes, of which £lB will ho given to the first man and £32 to the second. In addition, the winner of each stage will receive £l, and the second man 31s. Eacii isolated rider is also assured of 5 francs per day if lie covers the full distance and does not win this amount in prizes. The amount offered to the professionals' is £I2OO in , cash prizes. The conditions of the race have developed a special type of light road racer having little in common with what we would consider an ideal touring mount. It is interesting to note tnat this year’s number cf riders are using machines witli variable gears. Those will be watched with particular interest, for it has always been maintained that professionals could do better work with a single than with a multi-geared machine, oven over varied and mountainous roads.

“All About Cycling” is the title of a most interesting booklet that has just been issued by the Dunlop Rubber Company, and is one that will certainly appeal to every class of cyclist. The letterpress is the work of Mr Geo. R. Broad bent, an Australasian cyclist with a vast experience of touring, road, and track racing, and a recognised authority on cycling matters. , The toifriat, every day cyclist or racing man on road or track will fiind this well-gotten up brochure of undoubted interest and value. “All About Cycling” is incorporated with the Dunlop Company’s well-known annual publication “All About Dunlop Tyres.” The production is an artistic one of 72 pages, and one that every cyclist should endeavour to obtain a copy of, 'for it is well worth having. The booklet will be distributed gratis to cyclists, but applications through the post must bo accompanied by a penny stamp to defray postage. As the issue is a limited one, an early application to the Dunlop Company, Christchurch or 'Wellington is advisable.

An English-built car was recently subjected to an interesting 15,000 miles run on Brooklands track. Including some 83 miles, which represented the journeys from the lock-up ■Tied to the track, the total distance covered during the trial was 15,008 miles, and during the 14,925 miles the car was on the track an average speed ol 3:1.7 miles an hour was maintained. r i lie actual time spent in adjustments, •apart from cleaning sparking pings, ws under 18 minutes, and at the end ni the run the worn parts could have been replaced at a cost of under £2. The engine was oiled once a day, too ■average mileage being about 300 miles •V day. The petrol consumption worked out at a .fraction over 23 miles a gallon. While the oil consumption was at the rate of 1181 miles per gallon. It was estimated that 35,000,000 revolutions wore made by the 14-20 h.p. engine during the trial. The test was run under the observance of the Technical Committee of the Royal Automobile Club of England, and during the whole 15,000 miles run there was not a mechanical stop.

THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE. At tiie present time there are indications that it will not bo long before the future business of the motor industry will be the commercial vehicle rather than the pleasure automobile. The reason why the motor vehicle for pleasure lias come into vse by thousands and hundreds of thousands, ’while the motor vehicle for business purposes is still exceptional!, is a financial one. People have bought cars for pleasure use, not because they cost loss to buy or to run than horses and carriages, but because they get more use and amusement from tha motor car and could do tilings with it that were not at

all passible with the older method of travel. But when wo turn from the pleasure vehicle to the commercial vehicle wo find that the £s.d. argument is the controlling one. The commercial motor vehicle must lie

ft hi 3 to show on nl! round saving in tin l cost of doing it given task before ; t can onpeet to find favour as comuired with the horse-drawn vehicle, j'ianv early attempts to introduce various tvpr.3 of motor trucks resultid in failure because tho vehicles '■ ■uld not mss tin’s test. Further, the motor vehicle must make a very substantial saving over the simple cheap horse-drawn vehicle in order to win success,‘Any motor vehicle equipment •a going to require a large investment com pi red with horses and waggons, and cho purchaser must he .shown a good profit on tin’s investment after the items of deoreci d i m and repair;; are provided for. The average merchant, or manufacturer or contractor,

is not going to make a large investment in motor delivery waggons unless these vehicles can earn a good deal more than u per cent, net on their first cost. Most concerns arc borrowing money at that rate to use

in their business. At the present time, however, experience accumulated from many sources appears to show that there are commercial motor vohielus now on the market which can, under favourable circumstances, show a large saving over the cost of working with horse drawn vehicles. It

should not ho understood, however, that the commercial motor vehicle has already attained mechanical perfection. A largo proportion of the motor trucks now on the market have been constructed by the simple process of putting the engine of an ordinary pleasure automobile upon a truck iiody. There are, of course, advantages from the manufacturing point p.f i iaw, in this plan. It is a very easy and simple way to get into the

motor waggon business. W o believe, however, that the future successful motor truck is likely to bo built on very different lines from most of the machines at present in use. The engine for a commercial motor vehicle ought to bo a much simpler machine, and one much cheaper to build and to maintain than the engine which is demanded by tiie fastidious purchasers of passenger automobiles. For example, instead of four-cylinder with their multiplicity of parts, it should be possible to make a two-cylinder engine, which would he sufficiently well balanced for use on a heavy truck, which lias a substantial frame to take jar and vibration. There seems also a need for some more flexible form of gear-changing device on heavy trucks than the sliding gear which has come into general use on passenger automobiles. To’ change the relative speed relations of a truck carrying a load of two or three, or oven seven or eight tons, and the high power engine winch drives it, by means of sliding spur gears is too brutal treatment to bo .ipp’i ed to even the toughest alloy steel, with hopes of permanent success. Another change likely to lie made in the Commercial automobile of tiie future, particularly the machine of large capacity, is tiie use of some chcapeT fuel than motor spirit. Enormous quantities of cheap kerosene are now available, which can be purchased in large amounts for a third to a quarter the cost of petrol. This kerosene, while not equal in quality to that used for household purposes, can all ho vaporised with comparatively simple apparatus, and will, with little doubt bo made available as a fuel for motor vehicles. Much more might lie said concerning the possibilities in improving the commercial motor machine, but wo suggest these few points merely to indicate that the future success of the machine is certain, since improvements which will largely reduce its cost and increase its reliability may be expected in the future. If wo can safely assume that continued supplies of liquid fuel will lie available in coining years at no considerable increase in cost, then the eventual supplanting of the horse by the motor on all classes of commercial vehicles may bo taken as practically certain.