CYCLING AND MOTORING

Timaru Herald, Volume CIII, Issue 15741, 27 August 1915, Page 6

CYCLING AND MOTORING

Au attempt is to b e made at an early date to reduce 11. Reichenbach'g Iranscontmental cycle record from ™ to Port Darwin, a journey of 1969 miles across Australia. This into imation is conveyed to the Dunlop RuDber Co., by a telegram from raJroerstpn, J .Fahey (late of Victoria; stating that he intends cvcling to Adelaide to «nlist, and that on his way southwards ho intends trying ti) reduce tlio existing record of 28 days 7 minutes established by Reichen bach hi June 1914, Fahey has had previous experience of the overland route, for he started away with Reichenbach on his record ride last year, but owing to a sprained ankle through fulling over an embankment, some SoO miles from Adelaide, he was compelled to lay up, leaving his .companion to complete the journey alone. Fahey's proposed ride across Australia to enlist must surely be a record journey by an Australian to servo his country.

H. G. Hawker the Victorian aviator now in England, recently established a. new British altitude record by flying to a height of 20.000 feet, which means an altitude of over SJJmiles. It took Hawker an hour and a half to accomplish his flight. He used an 80 li.p. Sopwith biplane, at similar make of machine to that used, by him in Australia. A defect to which ruajiv cars ard liable is that of excessive noise in the differential K car, generally accentuated when the? car is climbing a grade with the low gear in operation, and the engine running fast. This trouble is naturally only experienced in the ease ot cars that have a bevel drive; using a small bevel pinion and a largo crown wheel. Where we have a worm drive no trouble of this kind is found. tie noise is generally due to • bad. meshing of the engaging wheels—a, common defect arising from their oemrr too far out of engagement with each other. In most cases this is on account of the wear in the thrust bearings, both on the shaft which, carries the small bevel pinion, and on 'the main bearing which carries the differential gear cases to which the crown wheel is bolted. These bearings hava to talie up considerable end thrust, clue to the bevel ivheols endeavouring to crowd away from cadi other. Nor" inally provision is made to take ui> this wear, but even so it is an adjustment riiat requires to 119 performed very delicately, and is not tlia kino cf work that tlio ordinary motorist can undertake: indeed it is not an adjustment that one would leave to the average all-round repair shop. I'ew motorists realize how much neglected tyre cuts cost them a. vear. I'UlJy halt the burst covers one inspects are traceable to ingress of moisture, grit, etc., into gashes o" holes in the rubber tread. This eventually leads to a loosened tread rotting of fabric, and tlio inevitable shortening of the life, of the cover. Probably the chief reason of neglect liv motorists to plug fne cover holes that permeat water reaching the canvas casing has been the need of a sure, simple, and effective plugging compound, something that would bbo not only certain in its results but cheap and easv to use. Ihe Dunlop Rubber Co., which has been experimenting in this direction lor some considerable time past now announce that thev are marketing an ideal outfit which will enable ail motorists to not only plug cover holes but repair all their punctured tubes' permanently and quickly. The latter alone means a considerable saving to motorists, for it obviates carrying <o many spare tubes when toun'n"-. Another advantage of "Repairit"—as the new self-vulcanising outfit is 'call- • ed—is that motorists ancl motor' ejehsts can in their'spare time''easily overhaul their covers and tubes without the necessity of having t 0 sene same to a tjre depot for minor repairs. With a view to encouraging motorists to pay more attention to their tyres, and thereby obtain better service, the Dunlop Companv ha* placed "Repaint" on the market ab the very low figure of 4s 6d per outfit, an amount that will be saved many times over by its use. Thousands of good tyres are now ruined at'nually in this country through wain; of a little attention and a proper outfit. "Repaint" which is now obtainable from all garages and depots, offers motorists the means of cheaply and effectively keeping their tvrcs in good order.

# The neglect of certain little details in the anatomy of the bicycle goes to prove that procrastination is not only the thief of time, hut the thief ol labour as well. Take the cn.se of a, slightly leaking cvc)<? two air tuba for example.. Day after day the man who suffers it must spend a'minute or two in pumping it up to a i-ideab'.o degree of hardness. Occasionally, perhaps when time presses, this inflation is neglected, and the tyra svffers in consequence. The constant! necessity of usjng the pump becomes a nuisance and an irritation, which, strange to say, ;ire endured rather than a quarter of an hour should bo expended to end them and to put tho tyre in proper condition. In many instances a (aw minutes spent in tlw investigation of the trouble will si-ffiico to remove it, for probably tlw majority of tyre leakages ar e to ha located in or about the valve. Nob ir frequently (especially if the valve ha<? been long undisturbed) the rubber sleeve will be found to have cemented itself against the sides of the valve body, and will refuse to be withdrawn with the plug. In such a. case it is necessary, if further trouble is to lw avoided, to complebelv remove all the perished rubber from the interior, and—a point which is of ten neglected —thoroughly clean the stem before fitting a new sleeve.