CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

Colonist, Volume LV, Issue 13655, 21 February 1913, Page 2

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

.P:ml' DidJer, a well known ; French racing ey<:list,--has .succeeded;, in flying •a distance, of 10 feet on a hicv.clc- iitte-d with pianos. Didier accomi]lishod his jump (over a rod eight inches off the groiiixl) in. public at tho Tare dcs Princess track, Paris, and thereby won a prize of £80 offered by the.Teugeot Co. His achievement, is a long way .tho' .best yet accomplished towards flying on a bicycle, but it is one thing, I bow-over, to leap thrc-ugh. < tho air on a cycle that has bo propelling force on losing'contact, with th© ground, and another matter to sustain the luachine in space at will. Sir Hiram Maxim, the well-known inventor, is one of. tho oldcist investigators of human flight, and when interviewed after Didier's flight, expressed tli<? opinion that "a cyclist will never ,fly by bis own power." The reason given is that no human being is physically: strong enough' to cope with the enormous muscular strain that woiil*l be necessary .before, a man could develop sufficient power to keep himself afloat in the air. It is interesting to note that Sir. Hiram, who is. 72 years of age, has been a keen cyclist nil his life oud that it was only last year that failing strength compelled him to give \i\> the 1 wheel. y I Many motorists in this country cxpoct too much from tho tyros fitted toj 1 the driving wheels of their cars, esI pecially when the conditions of our .roads arc taken, into conevk-Tatkm.l On tho fine Englisb roads from 30001 to 5000 miles is considered to be about 1 the ar-oivtge life of driving tyres!, i ranging from the former figmes i'o/'j I heavy cars, and tho longer mileage for .light cars. Taken right through, tyres' can hardly be expected to average as good a milage in thi? country as in j England, and anything over 3000 miles should be deemed satisfactory. lOf course, .a lot- depends on the road j conditions, load, speed end not least, the driving. In some cases owners of cars are at a loss to account for the rapid wear of the back tyres. Tho probability is that this is solely due to unskilful use -of brakes and clutch. Gradual and easy action in tbo&e details is essential if you want to. keep your tyre bill down.

iTho popularity of wandering awheel over the face of the earth shows no sign of diminishing. The. latest globc'circling cyclist 5s a one-footed wheelman from Texas (U.S.A.) who is endeavouring to win a £2000 prize, the conditions being that ho must cover 20,000 miles in various countries in 2 years, earning his living on route. His itinerary includes Australia.

One- of the most talked of exhibits at the recent Paris motor show, was a beautiful little- working model of a Cadillac motor car, the- miniature car being an exact reproduction of a full sized Cadillac save that it was propelled by electricity instead of a petrol engine-.-.' The. weight of the little car is 3001bs.' This charming model so attracted Queen Alexandra that she bought it for little Prince Olaf, heir to tho throne of Norway. Tho car "is goe'red so' thai?*it4cailn6t. ~ cxwad' a speed of 7 miles an ..hour-,.. «o. : that the young prince, ("who soon inastoied the handling and driving, of the car) lias little chance of scorching. .

It is estimated that £12,000,000 is .spent annually in . Great. Britain for petrol and motor tyres alone. is for the running cost only, and is exclusive- of. drivers' wages and other"expenses incidental to motoring.

An American motorcar manufacturing firm, annually awards a set c-f cash prizes to the chauffeurs having the best upkeep record at the end of each year. This year first prize of £200 was won by a chauffeur who had driven 26,987 miles, with • no repair expense other than tyres. The second prize of £100 was won with fy. tally of 22,928, without any expense. Tin's i« certainly an excellent idea for keeping down cost of mechanical repairs, and to ensure careful handling of a motor manufacturers' output.

By far the' most important business transacted- at. the recent meeting of tho ■ lufcevnational Association «>f Recognised Automobile Clubs, hold in Franco,, was- the decision to offer a cash prize of £20,000 for the best fuel, ' other ~'than petrol, capable of being - used i}i existing internal-foombustion motors, 'flip. International Association represents practically the whole of the motor movement of Europe and America, the nations represented at the Paris gathering being France-, Great Britain, Amerioin, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, and EgyptIt is ■evident, therefore, that the petrol crisis is not -confined to any one country. The big prize will bo -obtained by international subscription, the national clubs represented at tho-con-ference undertaking to raise their respective proportions. Before the regulations, of the -competition are made! public assuranro will be. obtained from the various governments, that the new fuel must be.of such a nature that it cannot bo by national or international trusts.