'Mr'': ,• I iiii^^ iii OF SPORTS AND PASTIMES EDITED BY HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT, K.G. , ASSISTED BY ALFRED E. T. WATSON CYCLING TRIXTED EV <5POTTISW00DE AND CO., NEW STREET SQUARE LONDON Sr "^{"^i^^M^ i^'^'i'^.i V '■": CYCLING Jh^Ul r.Y VISCOUNT BURY, K.C.IVLG. AND G. LACY HILLIER IVITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTJiATJONS BY VISCOUNT BURY AND JOSEPH PEN NELL SECOND EDITION, REVISED LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1889 All rights reserved A' O-V I041 •/I 32. 26611 DEDICA TION TO H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES. Badminton : March^ 18S7. Having received permission to dedicate these volumes, the Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes, to His Roval Highness the Prince of Wales, I do so feeling that I am dedicating them to one of the best and keenest sportsmen of our time. I can say, from personal observation, that there is no man who can extricate himself from a bustling and pushing crowd of horsemen, when a fox breaks covert, more dexterously and quickly than His Royal Highness ; and that when hounds run hard over a big country, no man can take a line of his own and live with them better. Also, when the wind has been blowing hard, often have I seen His Royal Plighness knocking over driven grouse and partridges and high-rocketing pheasants in first-rate vi DEDICA TION: workmanlike style. He is held to be a good yachtsman, and as Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron is looked up to by those who love that pleasant and exhilarating pastime. His encouragement of racing is well known, and his attendance at the University, Public School, and other important Matches testifies to his being, like most English gentlemen, fond of all manly sports. I consider it a great privilege to be allowed to dedicate these volumes to so eminent a sportsman as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and I do so with sincere feelings of respect and esteem and loyal devotion. BEAUFORT. ■^^r-^f'--^ BADMINTON. PREFACE. A FEW LINES only are necessary to explain the object with which these volumes are put forth. There is no modern encyclopaedia to which the inexperienced man, who seeks guidance in the practice of the various British Sports and Pastimes, can turn for information. Some books there are on Hunting, some on Racing, some on Lawn Tennis, some on Fishing, and so on ; but one Library, or succession of volumes, which treats of the Sports and Pastimes indulged in by Englishmen — and women — is wanting. The Badminton Library is offered to supply the want. Of the imperfections which must be found in the execution of such a design we are con- viii PREFACE. scious. Experts often differ. But this we may say, that those who are seeking for knowledge on any of the subjects dealt with will find the results of many years' experience written by men who are in every case adepts at the Sport or Pastime of which they write. It is to point the way to success to those who are ignorant of the sciences they aspire to master, and who have no friend to help or coach them, that these volumes arc written. To those who have worked hard to place simply and clearly before the reader that vdiich he will find within, the best thanks of the Editor are due. That it has been no slight labour to supervise all that has been written he must acknowledge ; but it has been a labour of love, and very much lightened by the courtesy of the Publisher, by the unflinching, indefatigable assistance of the Sub- Editor, and by the intelligent and able arrangement of each subject by the various writers, who are so thoroughly masters of the subjects of which they treat. The reward we all hope to reap is that our work may prove useful to this and future generations. THE EDITOR, CONTENTS. CHATTER PAGE I. Introductory , . i II. Historical 53 III. Riding 127 IV. Racing 176 V. Touring 195 Vl. Training 210 VII. Dress. .- 228 VIII. Clubs 255 IX. Tricycling for Ladies . . . . . . 266 X. R.\cing Paths 271 XI. The National Cyclists' Union .... 277 XII. The Cyclists' Touring Club 306 XIII. The Press and Cycling Literature. . . 313 XIV. Construction 319 mechanism . . 319 modern cycles 390 Index 435 ILL USTRA TIONS. (Executed by G. Pearson and Ford & Wall.) MY PLATES. The Right of Way The Carrier in London . ♦ Oh ! WHAT A FALL WAS THERE COUNTRYMEN ' . . . A Foolhardy Feat. The American Star Bicycle . At the Mercy of his Wife . A Country Club Run The Finish of a Race . A Road Race .... Coming events cast their shadows before' .... Waiting for the Pistol A Sharp Finish .... *The Anchor,' Ripley . A Mid-day Halt A Club Tour .... Women's Rights. A Danger Board . A C.T.C. FIotel .... Viscount Bury, K.C.M.G. PAGE J. Fennell . Frontispiece 6 ' i6 -^ J. Peimell \ Viscount Bury Viscount Bury /. Pennell . y. Pennell /. Pennell J. Pennell J. Pennell . |- Viscount Bury Viscount Bury . . 190 ' Viscount Bujy , 194 " y. Pennell . . 204 . Viscount Bitry . 208 y. Pennell . . 262 '-' /. Pen7iell . . 268 > y. Pennell . . 290 y. Pennell . . 310 ^ From a Photograph \_ . hyHon.A.keppel) ^^ ' 18 20 26 30 40 70 [72 Xtl ILLUSTRATIONS. WOODCUTS IN TEXT. Introductory Homeward Bound .... Rest on a River Bank . Good-bye, Sweetheart , The Carrier Tricycle . The Southern Camp A Country Postman Early Struggles .... Coasting — Safe and Reckless Bad and Good Positions of Rider Crank and Pedal Action Position of Feet in Pedalling . The Rear-driving Safety Bicycle Wedges for AtDjusting the Saddle The 'Xtraordinary Bicycle . Adjusting the PIead . This Hill is Dangerous . Going it ! Rushing a Rise .... Ludgate Hill ..... A Practice SriN .... Hunting the White Hart . A Merry Heart .... 'The Anchor' at Ripley . Assemble ! * Cat's Cradle ' . . . . M^i'tv ^etSe, Qza ..... A Humber Roadster Bicycle A Cone Head Trigwell's Ball-Bearing Head . The Socket Head . . . . AKTIST Viscount Biny . Hon. A. Keppel Viscount Btiry Viscount Bury J. Pennell /. Pennell J. Pennell J. Pennell Viscount Bury J. Pennell . J. Pennell J. Pennell . J. Pennell Viscoui/t Bury Viscoujit Bury J. Pennell . Viscount Bury Viscount Bury Viscount Bury 15 PAGB I 7 52 53 55 104 126 128 139 142 149 I, 152 159 164 168 170 175 176 183 199 211 227 254 259 265 270 312 323 322 323 324 ILLUSTRATIONS. The Ariel Head A Common Accident Adjusting the Head Handle-bars Whatton's Handle-]!aks Handles The Break Levers The Forks . The Arab Cradle Spring on an Adjustable Tilt-rod A Simplified Wheel . . . Methods of Fixing the Spokes 34S, New Rapid Tangent Wheel The Hub The Cheylesmore Two-chain Clutch Gear . . . . Starley's Differential Driving Gear The Balance Gear Pulley Wheels, Gearing Level, Up, and Down . . 367- The Crypto-dynamic Two-speed Gear . . . y]Z, Diagrams of Safety Bicycle . Back View of a Humber Tricycle The Humber Tandem The Humber 'Cripper' Tricycle The « Kangaroo ' . . . . The 'Rover' Bicycle . The 'Velociman' . . . . The End ;88, 389 . Viscoztnt Biuy Viscount Bicry PAGE 325 526 327 328 329 330 332 335 344 347 349 350 352 358 361 366 370 379 3^ 393 395 398 40S 411 421 433 CYCLING. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY, CYCLING is by far the most lecent of all the sports treated of in the Badminton Library, there is none which has developed more rapidly in the last few years, nor is theie any which has assumed a more assured position in popular favour. Professor Huxley said in his farewell address to the Royal Society a short time ago, that since the time of Achilles no improvement had added any- thing to the speed or strength attainable by the unassisted powers of man. The state- B a.f^ 2 CYCLING. ment is true In the sense which the Professor ho doubt attached to his words, that neither the stature nor the speed of man had improved since Homer's day ; ^ but it is no less true that a man by his unassisted powers can propel one of the machines with which we are now familiar at a pace which would have put Achilles to shame, and over distances which would have utterly amazed the heroes of the Homeric world. The circum- stances attending this revolution — for such indeed it is — cannot be considered unworthy of record, and the following pages are an attempt to perform the task. England may be looked upon as the home of cycling ; the national habit of organisation which our countrymen possess in an eminent degree, and the national love for every form of strong personal exertion, combine to make it a pursuit in every way adapted to the taste of our people. The shady lanes of the south country, and the hilly roads of the north, appear to offer equal attraction ; and now, though scarcely ten years have elapsed since the first bicycle made its appearance, there are few districts in which some form of cycle is not a familiar object In the streets of our great cities and in highways and byways throughout the land, carriages, swift and serviceable, propelled by the power of human muscles alone, have become common. The sight of a traveller of either sex, seated on a light machine, and proceeding with considerable rapidity and apparently but little exertion, is so usual that the wayfarer hardly turns his head to look at the accustomed sight. Yet it is but a very short time ago that the passage of a cyclist was wont to produce an exhibition of considerable excitement, and some- times even demonstrations of hostility. It is however not only as a means of locomotion that the cycle has produced a change in this and many foreign countries. The manufacture of these carriages has caused a considerable trade to come into existence, and a new and very exciting 1 In recent times, however, the records have improved year by year both in walking and running. —Ed. IXTRODUCTORY. 3 mode of racing has been added to the sports of the world. The historian of cychng has therefore something to say of it as a trade, as a sport, and as a pastime : beyond this, again, there is something to be said as to the social organisation to which it has given rise, and the not inconsiderable industry to which the re- quirements of the cycling public give employment outside the limits of the cycle-builder's factory. It is difficult to say, with any approach to accuracy, what number of persons come within the designation of cyclists. In the year 1885 I set on foot some inquiries which led to the conclusion that they then numbered not far from 400,000. The estimate is a rough one, but it must still not be considered quite in the light of a random guess ; for it is founded on the reports of an organisa- tion of which the reader who will accompany me through the following pages will hear a good deal— viz. the Cychsts' Touring Club, a body which has chief officers in every large town, and minor officials in every considerable village in England, and is therefore quite able to make an approximate estimate suffi- ciently accurate for our purpose. The volume now in the reader's hand is designed not only to interest the general reader, but to form a useful handbook for all who are interested in any of the various ramifications of cycling. The intending purchaser may consult it as to the points about which he should satisfy himself before concluding his bargain. The racing man will find his prowess recorded, and be able to fight his battles over again ; the tourist will discover all that can help him to prepare for his in- tended outing, the advice given being founded on the ac- cumulated experience of many predecessors. The young ama- teur who possesses a turn of speed, and proposes to become a candidate for the honours of the 'cinder-path,' will find minute directions as to his training and general preparations. The mechanic, and the rider who is interested in the details of the construction of his machine, will read descriptions ol all the processes by which iron, steel and silver are made to assume the shape of the graceful piece of mechanism which B Z 4 CYCLING. adds so largely to the power of locomotion possessed by unaided muscles. Though there are many fancy varieties which do not come under either category, cycles fall generally into two divisions, those with three wheels and those with two. Riders also arrange themselves into two sharply defined classes : the speedy bicycle rider and the more staid possessor of the tricycle. The racing man comes in as a connecting link between the two ; for almost as many races are ridden on one class of machine as on the other. The enormous improvements intro- duced within the last year or two in the tricycle have made the tricycle as available, if not quite so speedy, as the bicycle for racing purposes. As regards speed, there is a consider- able, though not an overwhelming, difference between the two. A really first-class bicycle rider — anyone, that is, who is sufficiently prominent in the pursuit to hold his own in a long-distance championship race — can travel, when at his best, considerably over twenty miles within the hour; only one tricycle rider has yet accomplished twenty miles in the hour. But it has been done several times by tandems. It is evident that machines which can maintain such a rate of progression must be sufficiently fast to make a race between well-matched competitors amusing : and those who have been fortunate enough to witness a well-Contested race will be the first to testify that it lacks none of the elements of excitement and of sport. One of the questions most frequently asked by those who intend to purchase a machine is. What pace can a reasonable person expect to get out of it ? and what distance can con- veniently be covered in a day ? The answer naturally varies very much according to the strength and skill of the person interrogated ; but it is a fair question and deserves a candid answer. The Records Committee of the National Cyclists' Union can show duly authenticated performances which the average rider can only look at with respectful astonishment ; 300 miles have been ridden on an ordinary high road by a wonderful young athlete on a bicycle, within twenty-four con- IXTRODUCTORY. 5 sccutive hours, and 264 miles have been covered on a tricycle within the same time. A hundred miles have been travelled by a bicyclist on a cinder racing path in 5 hrs. 50 mins. 5? sees. Fifty miles were ridden by Messrs. A. J. Wilson and G. P. Mills, on a tandem, in 2 hrs. 46 mins. 3 sees., along the Great North Road. The ' best on record ' for a single mile at the moment these lines are penned is, for a bicycle 2 mins. 3it- sees., and for a tricycle 2 mins. 41 1 sees. Before this book is in the hands of the reader these time'^ will very likely have been surpassed ; for every day sees new and important, though minute, improvements in the construction of machines, and though riders may not be better than their predecessors, they are good enough to take advantage of all improvements that are offered to them. But the foregoing of course are extra- ordinary performances. The question is what an ordinary mortal can do. One of the writers jointly responsible for the present work — need it be concealed that it was the author of this introductory chapter ? — lately asked his colleague, in a careless manner, the following question : ' How far ought an ordinary man, in fair condition, to be able to ride easily in a day ? ' And the other made answer and said, with the air of a man who was absolutely giving himself away : ' If he intends to keep it up, say, for a week, he ought only to do a moderate day's work on the first day — say a hundred, or a hundred and twenty miles ; of course, you know, he can increase his distance as he gets into condition.' The present writer agreed with the speaker. 'Yes,' he said, 'a man ought to restrain his ardour at first ; he ought not to attempt to do more than a hundred and twenty miles on the first day.' He refrained from confessing, though perhaps it was disingenuous to do so, — that he himself looked back with some exultation to his own 'best on record,' which amounts to thirty-six miles in one day, and he takes this opportunity of copying from his private journal a few lines which have uncon- sciously assumed the form of an affidavit or vow. They run as follows : 6 CYCLING. And the said deponent further maketh oath and saith, that if he, the said deponent, siiadeiite diabolo^ shall at any time hereafter attempt to cut, break, surpass, or otherwise defeat, the said record of thirty-six miles in one solar day, he hereby giveth to any witness of such attempt, be the said witness credible or otherwise, free leave to mention the fact. And the said deponent doth further de- clare, that he is credibly informed, and doth sincerely believe, that many persons who make a great fuss about cycling have never done so much. But this is a digression : there is no use in saying that sort of thing to a man who has ridden a hundred and forty-six miles in ten hours, and who holds half a dozen championships besides. A moderate rider, not being an athlete or a flier on the one hand, nor exceptionally weak on the other, can, when he is in practice, get over in an hour seven or eight miles of ground on a tricycle and from nine to ten on a bicycle without much exertion, and can keep it up about as long as he could comfortably walk with the same amount of exertion, say four or five hours. But there are many who cannot do so much as that, and who still manage to get a good deal of amusement out of their pursuit. Persevering riders cover enormous distances in the course of a year; and as most of them keep some sort of riding journal, we hear from time to time what their performances have been. A letter now before us from Mr. Whatton, a \vell-known member of the Cambridge University Club, contains the following paragraph : The year has been memorable to me as an individual in one or two respects. The early part of it saw the completion of twenty thousand miles of cycling, the work of eight years' pleasure — plea- sures such as no other bodily exercise, unless it be racquets, can, in my opinion, approach ; and, of course, that lacks the great glory of cycling, the multitudinous opportunities it adds for an intellectual and may one add— a spiritual appreciation of life. This is the proper spirit in which to look at the pastime of cycling as it may be followed by ordinary individuals, though it is not everyone who can ride twenty thousand miles. It iSj however, not only for amusement that cycling is avail- IXTRODUCTORY. 7 able ; both in the pursuit of hcaUh and of business it is of great value. In many parts of the country labourers are able to live at a considerable distance from their work, and mechanics are to be seen in considerable numbers with their tool-bags slung at their backs riding home at the end of their day's labour. Not only does this imply a saving of rent^ for it is chenper to live in the country than in the crowded town — but it is a distinct gain both in health and, in many instances, in sobriety as well. The wife and children of a mechanic are sure to be more healthy if they live in the pure air of the country than in the crowded streets of a town. Rates and taxes are less ; and, as regards sobriety, a man who has to make his way home over ten or a dozen miles of road will be pretty sure not to handicap his chance of a safe arrival by lingering too long at the public- homeward bound. house. In Coventry, which may be looked upon as the peculiar home of cycling, it is fast becoming the custom for workmen to go home on their bicycles during the dinner-hour. As a vehicle for business purposes the tricycle has even a larger future before it than the bicycle. It will carry a considerable quantity of luggage, and can be drawn up to the side of the street and left unprotected until the owner returns. The number of shopkeepers who employ the carrier tricycle for the purpose of distributing their parcels, or circu- lating daily supplies to their customers, is steadily increasing. The milkman, the newsvendor, the butcher, send an active lad on their daily rounds. For light parcels it is especially adapted, and there has even been lately a talk of establishing in London a service of tricycle cabs — machines something like Bath chairs with a rider behind. 8 CYCLING. One is tempted to say with Horace : Illi robur et aes triplex Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci Commisit But hold : ' pelago ratem ' will not convey my meaning ; and I fear 'Pall-Mallo Bath-chairum' would neither scan nor construe. Harrogate, well known to cyclists as the scene of the Annual Cycling Camp, has already shown the way in this respect. There the terrors of the streets are disregarded; even the steep pitches of the hills appear to have no deterrent effect. There among the long row of Bath chairs drawn up for hire may always be found three or four Coventry chairs. They appear very popular, and may be seen on fine afternoons in all the walks and drives round the fashionable watering- place, with their freight of invalids. If smiling faces and rosy cheeks may be trusted as an indication, the use of them is not confined to those who have the excuse of ill-health for adopting them. It is, no doubt, much more amusing even to an invahd to travel at a decent speed of six or seven miles an hour, and to get over a considerable stretch of road, than to crawl, at the pace of a walkmg luneral, backwards and forwards along the length of a parade. At Harrogate one sees parties of three or four of these machines going along in company ; the occu- pants of the chairs are able to converse in comfort, and the drivers encourage each other up the hills, which, as cyclists acquainted with Harrogate know, are not to be despised. They go long distances too. A lady, next to whom the present writer found himself at the table-d'hote dinner one day, men- tioned that she had just returned from an expedition in one of the chairs to Fountains Abbey, nine miles away ; and her driver told her that he often took his customers similar or even longer distances without thinking anything of it. I asked whether the man had dismounted at the hills, which are on that road long and steep ; the lady had not observed whether he had done so. I could not help thinking, though I did not give audible expression to the remark, that if the fair customer had INTRODUCTORY. 9 changed places with the driver for half a mile, the hills would have occupied a somewhat different place in her memory. In our opinion, after seeing the practical working of these chairs at Harrogate, at any rate in health resorts where there is a large Bath-chair population, the ordinary form of that vehicle must die out. A thoughtful mind may not unreasonably wonder what, in that event, will become of the very old and decrepit persons who now man Bath chairs. The sole qualification for the post seems to be great feebleness and very restricted powers of locomotion; and it must be confessed that a Coventry-chair rider must be in possession of at least average physical strength. But, after all, great as are the advantages of tricycles for business purposes, their principal claim on the gratitude of mankind is the large amount that is added by their means to the sum of human happiness. No one can fail to observe that such is the case who will take the trouble to station himself on some sunmier afternoon at one of the chief arterial outlets of any great city, and watch the stream of people going away into the country for their Saturday to Monday holiday. He who will take his stand on the bridge at Kew, or at Highgate Archway, will see a perfect stream of cycles speeding away into the country. Not only is there a light brigade of young men, bent on some favourite country resort forty miles away or more ; but steady middle-aged citizens on sober tricycles, some of them on sociables, with wife or daughter at their side, are bound on less distant expeditions. As regards the younger men, it is more than probable that the light and SAvift machines upon which they are mounted make all the difference to them whether they pass the brief holiday at the week's end in the stifling city or among the free breezes 'and shady lanes of the country ; and the advantage both to morals and health can hardly be over- estimated. Among young ladies, too, the tricycle is a source of enjoyment. It is better for any young creature with sound limbs and healthy spirits to speed awsy over heaths and downs than to pore over a novel under the trees, or even to play lawn tennis on one eternal acre of grass-plot. It may be said lo CYCLING, that there are few country houses where some form of cycle is not to be found. The young ladies have their hght machines, the boys have their bicycles; and in the stables there is sure to be found a bicycle belonging to some active young footman who will be delighted to get the chance to carry a note and bring back the answer in shorter time than it would take the groom to saddle a horse. No one who thinks of the confined indoor life led habitually by domestic servants would grudge him the oudng. If royal and imperial example count for anything, the practice will soon be universal \ for there is not a crowned head in Europe who has not a stud of these useful iron steeds. Whether the grandees of Middle Europe personally career about the well-trimmed allees of their royal castles I do not know ; but we may at least, from custom and precedent, infer the existence in dignified leisure of many a Kaiserliche- Konigliche Hochoberhoffvelocipedenkurator. The Khedive of Egypt has several tricycles ; one in par- ticular, which I have had the honour of inspecting, is so covered with silver plating, that one can hardly see the black enamel it is supposed to adorn. It will doubtless come in handy should His Highness take it into his head to ride across the Bayuda Desert. He would there ' scorch ' after a fashion not contemplated by the North Road Club. The officials of that body should look to this seriously and without delay. No one knows more accurately than Mr. A. J. Wilson the perver- sity, to call it by no harsher name, of the N. C. U. executive ; and if any claim were founded on His Highness's performance, backed as it might easily be by French or Russian intrigue, and such c^aim were disallowed by the Records Committee, no one can foretell the political complications that might arise. ' Faed ' should at once communicate with the official time- keeper, and arrange that at least His Highness's watch shall be properly compared at the Kew Observatory, under N. C. U. rules. Among gorgeous tricycles some of the Indian princes possess vehicles which will hold their own, though after seeing the Khedivial state tricycle, I cannot affirm that they are pre- INTRODUCTORY. il eminent. I have seen a picture in which the Maharajah of an Indian state, together with the British resident at his court (an enthusiastic cycHst whose predilections perhaps somewhat influenced the royal taste), and all the great officers of the durbar, are seated on tricycles at the gate of the palace, and gaze at the lens of the camera with the breathless attention usual on such occasions. They present an odd effect of costume. Wearers of shawls and jewelled turbans sit on some of the tri- cycles, British shooting jackets and knickerbockers figure on others. I understood from the possessor of the picture that the whole party were going out for a ' club run,' and that His Highness is the president of that institution. One of the great advantages of the tricycle over its two- wheeled rival is that it permits the rider to stop at will. A bicycle, on the contrary, only retains its stable equihbrium on the condition of being kept in constant motion. An attempt at a halt is instantly rewarded by an upset. An active rider can dismount very quickly ; but an elderly gentleman, however skilful he might be, would feel the impossibility of performing the necessary gymnastics if he should be so ill- advised as to ride a bicycle through crowded streets. The con- struction of the bicycle, too, makes it an impossible mount for ladies, to whom the tricycle offers no sort of difficulty. For town work and for the use of the gentler sex the tricycle is decidedly the more convenient machine. On country roads, and for young and active riders, it is a matter of taste which should have the preference. Although the advantages and pleasures of cycling are open to all able bodied persons, the choice of a machine is a matter of individual preference. Practically no one would ever hesitate to decide under which category, bicyclist or tricyclist, he himself ought properly to come. A lady, a middle-aged man, or a heavy father, will naturally go in for a tricycle. An active lad, especially if he lives in the country, would probably give his voice for the bicycle, unless, indeed, he had reached the age or attained to the condition of mind which might i2 CYCLING. prompt him to invest in a ' sociable,' on the chance of inducing some adorable being of the gentler sex to share his pilgrimage on wheels. There is another form of double tricycle which has lately come into fashion, principally as yet among racing men, in which two performers sit one behind the other on the backbone of the machine, and pedal in unison. This is known as a tandem. The pace to be got out of this sort of vehicle is very great, and it will no doubt be still further improved ; but it can hardly be said that to an outsider it looks very comfortable. There is also a horrible engine in existence known as a bicycle tandem. It is formed by joining the large wheels of two full-sized bicycles one behind the other with a stout bar of iron between them, on which two saddles are fitted. It is said to be capable of being driven at a speed exceeding anything else on wheels. ' II faut respecter tous les gouts,' as the French proverb teaches us, but Providence will surely so far intervene as to prevent the general public from succumbing to its attractions. I am bound to add that, with * the owner (and inventor) up ' in company with some efficient coadjutor, this machine is capable of being so handled as almost to convince the spectator that to ride it is neither dangerous nor difficult ; but then Mr. Rucker is not only a very clever and a very persuasive gentleman, but a first-rate rider as well. Full descriptions of every kind of cycle will be found in the following pages, and it is not now necessary to dwell upon them at length. Almost all the machines that now compete for public favour partake of the wonderful qualities of hghtness combined with strength which is the distinguishing characteristic of modern workmanship. It is remarkable how quickly both the bicycle and the tricycle after their first inception assumed the form which they have since retained. It is hardly too much to say that no material change has been made in the type of either kind of machine, though the new 'dwarf and 'safety' bicycles may not improbably be found to herald a new departure. But it is yet too soon to speak positively on this point. As regards INTRODUCTORY. 13, the ordinary bicycle and tricycle, improvements in detail have been numerous and important ; subsequent makers still ad- here very closely to the broad lines laid down by the first designers. This is the more remarkable, because it can hardly be supposed that the original form was reasoned out on strict mathematical principles. It would almost seem that the proportions of the original design were hit upon by intuitive perception rather than by close adherence to rule. But it is a curious fact that the more the question is subjected to scientific investigation, the more patent does it become that the first attempts embodied correct mechani- cal ideas. Of course I speak only of the type of machine now so common, and not of the various 'velocipedes,' as they were called, which enjoyed a short-lived popularity before the present class of cycles came into existence. In our account of what may be called the history of cycling, we shall show what the precursors of modern cycles were like. The Draisnene, the hobby horse, the dandy horse, and the four- wheeled velocipedes, resembled the modern cycle principally in this, that they all alike utilise the power of human muscles as a motive agent ; in the principles of their construction they dif- fered entirely from the cycle of to-day. But when the first bicycle was made it came complete and perfect from the maker's hand, even as Minerva fully armed sprang from the brain of Jupiter. The new type differed from any mechanical adaptation that had ever been thought of before ; and the idea, once embodied in a machine, has since been improved constructively only ; the principle, so far as anything mundane can be so, is perfect of its kind. The theory embodied in the two kinds of machine is this : the bicycle consists of a large front wheel, with pedals attached to its hub, over which the rider sits and works upright ; his saddle is arranged on a bar of iron, which droops like a tail from the head to the ground, the end of it supported by a small trailing wheel, which bears a part of the rider's weight and prevents him from falling backwards. 14 CYCLING. In the case of the tricycle all this is changed. The rider sits on a saddle suspended above the axle, between two wheels of moderate size ; a third point of contact with the ground is afforded by a smaller wheel, which, like the bicycle trailing wheel, bears a portion of the weight ; the third wheel sometimes follows, but more often precedes the other two. The rider's seat is arranged either slightly in front of, or behind, the axle, according to the position of the third wheel, which serves the purpose of a rudder, and gives to the machine the name of front or rear steerer, as the case may be. In the case of the tricycle, as the rider rests on three points, he need not trouble himself about his balance, which is secure whether the carriage is in motion or not. This is the main point which makes the tricycle easier to ride than the bicycle ; the rider need not dis- mount when it is necessary for any reason to come to a halt. He sits still and 'waits till the clouds roll by.' Nor is he com- pelled to maintain his balance by the sway of his body ; he sits quiet and guides the machine by the movement of his wrists on the steering gear. Falhng forwards from a bicycle is by no means a difficult exploit — indeed, the difficulty is to avoid performing it. The manoeuvre is so common that the pecuhar form of tumble that ensues is known by the distinctive name of 'the cropper,' or 'Imperial crowner.' The habitual recurrence of the Imperial crowner is prevented by placing the rider's saddle a trifle behind the centre of gravity of the machine : his balance is secured, when the machine is in motion, by guiding the driving wheel slightly in the direction to which his weight inclines, in exactly the same manner as a skater executes his long and graceful curves on the outside edge. After a certain amount of practice, the skilful bicyclist ceases to think of his steering handles any more than a skater does of his skates. In both cases the steering is regulated by subtle action of the muscles, but in the case of the cyclist, as in that of the skater, so far as conscious action is concerned, his course is determined by the poise and sway of his body. INTRODUCTORY. 15 Endless are the stones told by bicyclists of the curious and complicated falls which are thus executed 'over the handles.' Of them, as of Cleopatra's charms, we may say — . . . Age cannot wither them nor custom stale Their infinite variety. A few, but fortunately very few, have terminated fatally. More frequently the active lads who form the main body of bicycle riders escape with bruises only, and learn caution from their escapes. The Hon. Arnold Keppel, late of the Scots Guards, had when a lad two most remarkable tumbles, concern- ing which, in reply to an inquiry for particulars, he writes as follows : — In the year 1876 I was returning by night from Worthing with two friends to Storrington, in Sussex, where we wrre reading for the Army examinations. We were each riding a fifty-four inch Coventry Machinist bicycle. There was only one lamp among the party, and the owner of this was told off to ride in front. There is a long hill on this road, down which we had to come, and the night was very dark. Our friend with the lamp was fifty yards ahead, going at a great pace, when on nearing the bottom of the hill he saw a horse and fish-cart coming in the opposite direction. He had just time to go between the hedge and the cart. The horse was scared and turned suddenly right across the road. I was next, and, less fortunate than our leader, I struck the shaft of the cart fair and square. Before I had time to realise the situation I found myself lying in the road on the other side, the machine and I having fallen clear over the horse. The marvel was that not a bolt was sprung in the machine, and the only evidence it bore of a collision was a dent and scratches on the top nut of the head. I did not break my neck, but I broke my nose, and sustained olher cuts and bruises which it is needless to particularise. I must confess that, if I have to tumble, I prefer to take my chance of the vicissitudes of the hunting-field. The other tumble about which you ask sounds too like 'a yarn' for me to risk my reputation by narrating it. G. H. (naming a friend and relation, then a fellow-student at Storrington, and now an officer in the Life Guards) says positively that he saw it happen. 1 6 ■ CYCLING. I cannot myself be considered an eye-witness; for I remember nothing till I found myself in a cottage, being '^brought to ' with restoratives. The header in question came about in the following fashion : — The Storrington Army students were holding a race meeting among themselves, and the competitors were taking a preliminary canter before the start, Mr. Keppel, going best pace through a lane of spectators, ran over a piece of coal which had fallen from a passing cart. The machine turned a somersault — so complete a somersault that the rider came uppermost again, and the wheel went on several yards before it finally fell. Mr. Keppel, though still in the saddle, was un- conscious of anything, as he says in his letter, from the moment his head and shoulders touched the earth. The handles of the machine were bent upwards in a very extraordinary manner. The sketch on the opposite page depicts a choice variety of the ' Imperial crowner,' which is of comparatively frequent occurrence. Dogs, pigs, fowls, and children share with sheep the honour of causing it. A course of bricks or a string across a road placed in the course of an approaching cyclist by playful youth has not unfrequently produced it ; and the British rough has discovered that a stick inserted into the moving wheel frequently inflicts sufficient damage to give the assailant time to escape bodily chastisement by flight. There seems to be hardly any limit to the skill that can be acquired by assiduous practice on the bicycle, and the exhibi- tions of address and daring w^hich sometimes take place fairly take one's breath away. The following appeared in the English 'Bicycling News ' of October lo, 1886. I reproduce it in a slightly curtailed form, and before doing so have had the curiosity to inquire whether the event referred to really happened. I was informed that it actually occurred as de- scribed, and that the machine ridden on the occasion was a Star bicycle ; the peculiarity of which is that the small wheel is in advance and steers the machine, while the weight of the rider rests mainly on the large driving-wheel, which is of the r\^^ >U:- 'Q^ oh! what a fall was there, my countrtuen ' INTRODUCTORY. 17 same dimensions as an ordinary full-sized bicycle — viz. fifty or fifty-two inches. This make of bicycle has enthusiastic ad- mirers in America, and it may be noted that the extraordinary trick -riders Kauffman and McAnney, who exhibited in 1886 at the Westminster Aquarium, performed their wonders upon it: — A daring and foolhardy feat was performed by a bicyclist the other afternoon at Cabin John Bridge, near the city, says a Washington telegram to the ' Pittsburg Dispatch.' The place is a general pleasure resort about twelve miles from town, over the military road built by Jefferson Davis while Secretary of War. The bridge is said to be the largest single span of masonry in the world. It is 125 feet high, and about 200 feet long, a single magnificent arch spanning a deep and rocky gorge. A good many people go out there to see the bridge, and the man who keeps the little hotel known as Cabin John, just at the end and across the bridge, does a good business, especially on Sunday. Every nice Sunday the sheds about the place are crowded with vehicles of every de- scription, and sporting men, family parties, wheelmen, and gentle- men of leisure, are loafing about the house, getting country dinners or picnicking in the wild gorge below the bridge. As at all such places, there are always a few wheelmen lounging in and out, and a number of machines were stacked about the yard that afternoon, and a lively party within could be heard telling stories and boasting of their personal skill on the road. In the midst of the hilarity one young man suddenly came out alone, and, singling out his machine, mounted, and without a word rode towards the bridge. There is a brownstone coping on the three-foot wall on either side of the roadway. This coping is about a foot broad, and is bevelled on the two upper edges for an inch or two. On the inside of these walls is the solid roadway above the duct. On the outside is a perpen- dicular descent of about 125 feet in the centre of the bridge, and no less than 75 feet at either abutment. The young man stopped and dismounted at the end of the bridge and lifted his machine upon the coping. The act was noticed by a couple of gentlemen smoking under the trees, but it was looked upon as a freak, and no particular attention was paid to it. The next moment there was an exclamation of horror, for the young man was seen mounted upon his bicycle deliberately riding along the narrow coping. The sight froze the blood of the ladies and children picnicking in the g')rge below, and was enough to appal the stoutest heart. The c I-S CYCLING. gentlemen in front of the hotel started to their feet and called to the other wheelmen within. It was too late. The young man was already in the centre of the bridge. He never swerved a hair's breadth from his seat. From the end of the bridge he seemed a toy machine running by mechanism, so erect and motionless he sat, and so evenly he rode. ' Let him alone,' cried one of his companions, 'he could ride it if it was a rope 1 ' Nevertheless, the fear that interference might hasten the horror that all wished to prevent left the party rooted to the spot. In two places the coping makes a zigzag by the widening of the roadway, and at these places the rider must steer his wheel through a very narrow space at nearly right angles with his course. The daring fellow had passed the first of these ticklish spots, and, when he carefully wore round the second, not a single one of the horrified spectators could draw a breath for fear. From thence to the end was a short and straight run, and in another moment the young man had completed his dangerous ride, dismounted, and was waving his hand laughingly at the frightened men and women and children who had witnessed it. The young fellow calmly remounted his wheel and rode on towards the cily as if he had done a very common thing not worth mention- ing. He was induced to undertake the feat because someone had doubted whether he had the requisite ability and nerve to perform it. Kauffman and his companion McAnney mentioned above executed wonders almost beyond belief. One of their feats, though I witnessed it several times, still appears to me when I think of it aimost incredible. Kauffman brought into the arena a common strongly built kitchen table ; upon it he placed two chairs, one to receive the front wheel of his bicycle and the other the hind wheel. He then mounted on the table, climbed on to the chairs, and from thence slowly and carefully, with almost imperceptible motions, balancing his unstable mount the while, crept up the spokes of his machine and finally stood upright on the saddle, at a height of twelve or fourteen feet from the ground. The newspapers tell us from time to time that he is still performing to large and enthusiastic audiences in various parts of Europe, so that it may be supposed that he has not yet broken his neck. I asked the performer at the close of one of his performances whether in his learning stage A FOOLHARDY FEAT I NT ROD UCTOR V. 1 9 he had fallen or hurt himself much — his reply was somewhat characteristic. ' No, sir,' he said, ' I perceived at a very early stage of my training that I should have " to quit falling," so before I went any farther I trained myself to that.' ' What do you mean?' said I; 'you cannot prevent an accident.' 'No,' said he with a smile, ' but I have trained myself so to keep my balance at every stage of the performance that a slip, even though it should take place at apparently the most critical point of the performance, would almost infallibly land me on my feet' Several times he did fall— though not in the most dangerous feats, which were executed with extreme slowness of movement and care— and on each occasion he lighted, as he declared he would, on his feet. It is needless to say that for people who are not in the enjoyment of that activity and elasticity which belongs mainly to youth, the tricycle presents many advantages. It has draw- backs ; the machine is necessarily heavier in itself; having three wheels instead of two, it offers more resistance to obstacles en the road ; and this is increased by the circumstance that in the case of the bicycle the two wheels follow each other, and so practically make only one track, whereas the three wheels of the tricycle make each a track of its own. On the other hand, the tricycle can be made to carry a considerable amount of luggage; enough may be packed about the body of the carriage to supply the wants of a moderate- minded person for a tour of two or three days or even more. It is quite easy to stow away a bag weighing ten or twelve pounds. After all, a complete suit of flannels is all that a tourist absolutely requires, and the weight of such a kit is hardly felt on a tricycle. Many enthusiastic artists carry about a whole photographic outfit ; and it is darkly rumoured that the mem- bers of the Tricycle Union, a select body who are the objects of a good deal of harmless 'chaff' among the main body of cyclists, and who love to combine various branches of science with their favourite pastime, secrete about the frame of their iron steeds all the paraphernalia of their several mysteries. c 2 20 CYCLING. The Lite Sir Charles Napier used to declare that he con- sidered a soldier amply provided if he started on a campaign with a piece of soap and a toothbrush. A bicyclist on a tour, unless he agrees with the hero of Scinde in his estimate of what are necessaries in life, can only provide for his require- ments by elaborate prevision in the way of forwarding luggage to points ahead on the line of march. Bags christened by their inventors by the suggestive names of Saturday-to-Monday, or Multum-in-parvo, can be obtained in great variety from the stores of cycling outfitters. These little valises are said (by the makers) to be amply sufficient for the wants of a travelling cyclist ; but a kit, when packed in a multum-in-parvo bag, and strapped on the backbone of a bicycle, presents a very atten- uated appearance, and a man's desires must be very strictly subordinated to the force of circumstances if he looks on such an outfit as sufficient. One of the most remarkable characteristics of modern machines is the extreme lightness, it might almost be said the attenuation, of the parts of which they are composed. Every portion of the frame is made as strong and as light as possible ; and the greatest mechanical ingenuity is shown in adjusting the shape of the various parts so as to produce the maximum of stabihty with the least possible weight. It is an established axiom in mechanical construction that, weight for weight, a hol- low bar of proper form is stronger than solid metal. Advantage has been taken of this circumstance by cycle constructors ; every part that can be made hollow is made so, and the resources oi apphed mechanics are exhausted to discover the form which most efficiently utilises the allotted material. The rims or felloes, for instance, which are the steel peripheries of the wheels, and which serve to form the stiff and perfect outside of the circle, are hollow, and though the exact form varies according to the taste of different manufacturers, they are all made by passing a tube of round steel between rollers. of such construction that the tube is brought into a section of crescei\t form, the outer semilune serving for a bed tO: /■■;;■• i -'■■ - INTRO D UCTOR Y. 2 1 contain the thick rubber tires, which are also invariably em- ployed. It is worth the while even of the most careless rider of cycles to pause for a moment over the construction of the sus- pension wheel. It is not too much to say that the ingenious invention designated by that name alone made it possible to construct the modern cycle. Before the invention of the sus- pension system, wheels were made of light and strong hickory or other wood, like the wheels of the ordinary carriages intended to be drawn by horses, which are still in use on the roads. In wooden wheels, the weight of the whole carriage rests on the particular spoke which happens to point perpendicularly down- wards, and the stability of the wheel depends on the rigidity of that particular spoke. Exactly the reverse of this occurs in the case of the suspension wheel ; in it the weight of rider and carriage rests on the centre of the wheel and is suspended from that part of the felloe which happens to be uppermost, by means of the spoke then most perpendicular. The weight is thus constantly shifted from spoke to spoke as the wheel revolves, and the lateral spokes, being all braced tight, prevent the wheel from buckhng, or getting out of shape. The result of this most ingenious arrangement is, that comparatively fine steel wire is substituted for a stiff wooden spoke, and the cycle wheel presents the beautiful and graceful, though apparently fragile, appearance which everyone no doubt has admired. In order to realise the magnitude of the revolution which this invention has brought about, it is only necessary to fancy what the appearance of a bicycle would be if it had w^heels like even those of the lightest Victoria. Some enthusiasts have seen and ridden upon machines made after that fashion, but if it had not been reformed, cycUng w-ould never have attained its present popularity. Mr. S. Maddison is said to have described, and Mr. Edward Cooper to have been the first practically to use, the suspension wheel. From the moment that the cycling Columbus broke the Q%^mnasium was cleared, Mr. Turner took off his coat, grasped the handles of the machine, and with a short run, to my intense surprise, vaulted on to it, and, putting his feet on the treadles, made the circuit of the room. We were some half-dozen spectators, and I shall never forget our astonishment at the sight of Mr. Turner whirling himself round the room, sitting on a bar above a pair of wheels in a line that ought, as we innocently supposed, to fall down immediately he jumped off the ground. Judge then of our greater surprise when' instead of stopping by tilting over on one foot, he slowly halted, and turning the front wheel diagonally, remained quite still, balancing on the wheels. 'John ]\L, Junr.'s ' experiences are curious as illustrating the fact which so few can realise nowadays, that at that time the possibility of remaining on two w^heels arranged bicycle-wise was not recognised. This writer's ideas of riding at this early stage were confined to a conviction that he must hold the handle straight, in a most unyielding manner ; but he soon mastered the machine sufficiently to ride from London to Red Hill, in an attempt to get to Brighton, and he returned from Red Hill by train, exhausted and covered with dust and glory. Such, then, was the advent of the bicycle. These earlier machines were of great weight and very strong, calculated to carry the heaviest of mortals with safety, a radical fault which speedily began to be corrected, the riders of the machine, even at this early period, having a very clear appreciation of HISTORICAL. 6X the value of lightness in the vehicles they had to propel. English manufacturers very soon began to take up the business, and, with characteristic thoroughness, went in for improvements from the first. Capital was invested, plant laid down, and a rapid change took place. The French vehicles, light as they were by comparison with the old velocipedes and dandy horses, were soon surpassed by the English-made goods. The French machines were indeed regarded merely as toys, and the manu- facturers, with the experiences of the dandy horse before them, thought that the new fancy would die out as rapidly as did the earlier one; but their English confreres with greater perspicuity saw that the new machine had a great future before it, and made their arrangements accordingly. The earhest enterprises of note in connection with the manufacture of cycles were started in Coventry. The trade in woollen and worsted stuffs of this city and of the county of Warwickshire was at one time very extensive, but it gradually decreased owing to the establishment of an important branch of the ribbon trade, employing at one time 17,000 or 18,000 looms. This latter branch of industry had been much depressed, partly through foreign competition, and other branches of busi- ness were similarly affected. The city was therefore eager to welcome a new enterprise, and, the bicycle having attracted a good deal of attention, it was taken up by the late James Starley and other ingenious inventors, and Coventry soon became noted for the excellent machines which were despatched from its workshops, as they were a great improvement upon the imported specimens. 'The city of spires,' as Coventry is called (from the three spires which stand close together; two of them belonging to the two parish churches which stand side by side in one churchyard, and the third to a church long since demolished, the three forming a conspicuous landmark from whichever direction Coventry is approached) thus became the metropolis of the cycling trade, and the centre from which thousands of the best machines are distributed annually through- out the civilised worlds and, as a natural sequence, the head- 62 cycling: quarters of the largest and most widely circulated of the many papers devoted to the interests of the sport, 'The Cyclist' The influence of intelligent manufacture, combined with the resources of capital, was soon recognised in the Enghsh-made machines, and the bicycle daily became more widely popular. In a very short time it may be said to have fully established itself in England. The three- and four-wheeled velocipedes of a former day fell rapidly into disuse, and the light and speedy two- wheeler grew as quickly in public favour. The bicycle was soon encountered in every part of the kingdom. Many a good story is told of its first appearances in out of the way places. Punches benighted countryman, bolting from an apparition which 'looked like a man a-ridin upon nawthin,' illustrated but one phase of the astonishment with which people regarded the novelty. Another amusing circumstance marked the introduc- tion to the bicycle of one who has since proved an ardent votary of the machine. The gentleman in question, having encountered a bicycle in the city for the first time, described, and eventually drew it, for the edification of a party of friends who were dining at his father's house. He was immediately and emphatically snubbed by a rude, if learned, philosopher, who clearly demonstrated to the entire satisfaction of every one present the utter impossibility of the thing described being accomplished. The youth, naturally irritated at the doubt cast upon his assertions, or the accuracy of his powers of observation, sought for and eventually found a rider of the new machine. He rapidly learned to master it, and his first lengthy trip was a round of calls at the houses of the guests at the eventful dinner party, the learned philosopher being of course the first visited and favoured with a practical illustration of the fallacy of his theories. The growth of the sport in public favour was very rapid, and cautious observers again began to remind manufacturers and cyclists of the fate of the hobby horse, and to prognosticate the early fall of the bicycle from its mushroom elevation in the minds of the public ; but, just at this time, when a slight lull in the interest HISTORICAL. 63 occurred, the records of several feats of long-distance road-riding found their way into the papers, and at once opened the eyes of the public to the fact that the toy of the hour possessed solid advantages which would ensure for it a permanent place amongst the pastimes of the age. A machine, of whatever type, which would enable a man to ride forty, fifty, or even sixty miles in a day, with comparative ease and comfort, must, the observers argued, be of some service, and accordingly every day brought fresh recruits to the cycling teachers to acquire a practical acquaintance with, and take an active part in, the new sport. In the meantime the makers were by no means idle, and various modifications of the original machine were rapidly in- troduced. The large back wheel was one of the first points altered, the heavy solid backbone was soon replaced by a tube, whilst hickory wheels and iron tires scarcely survived the first three months ; and all these vast improvements upon the old machine were but embryos of the novelties of to-day. The heavy piece of gaspipe has developed into the scientifically constructed tapered backbone. The lightening of this part of the machine soon led to the lightening of the w^ieels, which began to be constructed of wire on the suspension principle, and known as ' spider wheels,' These soon superseded the dished hickory wheels, so much admired by the early riders of the bone-shaker. The iron tire was necessarily incompatible with the light iron wheel ; rubber tires w^ere introduced, and thus improvement after improvement was devised, until the invention of the step made it possible to mount still higher wheels. The pioneer makers deserve the gratitude of the cyclists of to-day. In very many cases it would have paid them best to stand still, but instead of so doing they went on improving, although each improvement possibly converted into waste iron sets of castings and elaborate machines used in construction. Competition was not by any means so severe in those days, and in most cases the makers laboured con auioi'e^ spending their 64 CYCLING, time and money in carrying out experiments ' and inventing methods of perfecting the machine. Many ingenious mechanicians laboured at this time in the field of cycling invention, prominent amongst them being Mr. James Starley. Keen of apprehension, fertile in expedients, ]\Ir. Starley had been for a long while mixed up with business in Coventry, principally directing his attention to the develop- ment of sewing machines, in which he had introduced con- siderable improvements. He had, in addition, invented a host of useful and ingenious appliances for one purpose and another. After a time Starley settled down in the employ of the Coventry Machinist Company, then devoted to the manu- facture of several classes of sewing machines, the trade having been encouraged in Coventry to find employment for a number of persons hitherto engaged in the watch trade, which was then at a very low ebb. As far back as 1865 Starley had made a velocipede with suspension wheels. It was not so marked a success as to encourage him to persevere in that direction, but in 1868 he saw a bicycle for the first time, a French- made machine having been brought to Coventry by a nephew of Mr. J. Turner, the manager of the Coventry Machinist Company. This gentleman, Mr. Rowley Turner, is probably identical with the ' Mr. Turner, of Paris,' who took a velocipede to Spencer's gymnasium. Mr. Turner was anxious to place an order for a number of these machines, and the manager of the company happily accepted it. The result was the foundation of the vast cycle trade now carried on by the company in question. Starley's inventive faculties were soon at work on the new vehicle, and he rapidly introduced many improvements, some of them being in small points of detail, which, however, go far to make up the complete sum of success. But he was not long alone in his work. Mr. William Hillman, now identified with the firm of Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, was also hard at work, and the trade grew in Coventry with remarkable rapidity. As the improved machine became daily more widely popular the HISTORICAL, 65 demand increased rapidly. The Coventry Machinist Company, which was already possessed of works for the manufacture of sewing machines, took up the business energetically. Their first machine, 'The Gentleman's Bicycle,' was, in the early days of the sport, one of the most popular of mounts, this fact being due in a very great degree to the systematic way in which the vehicles were constructed, and the general all-round excel- lence of the work. Other firms in Coventry and elsewhere soon sprang into activity, and began the manufacture of the popular machine. Messrs. Haynes & Jeffries and several more were hard at work in the home of the wheel, whilst at Nottingham j\Ir. Thomas Humber, whose abihty has done so much for the Beeston firm of Humber & Co., was commencing his labours, his attention being even at that early date particularly given to racing machines. At AVolverhampton the late Daniel Rudge, whose business has been transferred to Rudge & Co. (Limited), of Coventry, was turning out some notably good machines, whilst Messrs. Hydes & Wigfull, at Sheffield, and many other firms whose work is now appreciated in the cycling world, or whose names have disappeared entirely from the trade, were in the earlier stages of their existence. So reassuring was the success of the machine, and so great was the demand, that private and public enterprise were encouraged, and plant was laid down for the manufacture of all classes of cycles. Nowadays the makers are reckoned by hundreds, and almost every town of any size possesses its local manufacturer, as well as the agents and representatives of the large firms. A visit to the works of Messrs. George Singer & Co., of Coventry, will at once give a stranger an idea of the extent of the cycling trade. Established in 1875, Messrs. Singer & Co. did not make any speciality of racing machines until the season of 1885, having devoted their attention almost entirely to turning out all classes of road machines, bicycles, tricycles, manumotive velocipedes, children's velocipedes, and in short every description, the number of patterns made being remark- able. The -works in Alma Street are excellently arranged F 66 CYCLING. Entering through a large hall, partly occupied by a clerks' office through want of more accommodation, the visitor passes into the large shop, on either side of which are to be seen store- rooms containing an apparently inexhaustible supply of parts and fittings, piles of castings, bundles of steel tubing, coils of wire, lengths of iron material, indiarubber tires, all stacked ready for use ; whilst in every room not otherwise used may be seen, in the spring of the year, hundreds of completed machines packed as closely as they will go, ready to be dis- patched from the great packing-room across the road — which is the old Coventry Rink — now converted into a cycle shop, where machines of all classes are daily being packed and dispatched to every part of the globe. In the main shop, all the operations for the production of the various machines are to be seen going on with steady activity. Here is a work- man drilling holes in a hub with the aid of a machine which not only drills them at the proper angle, but spaces them as well. Another is running the thread of the screw on to the spoke. Yet another is heading them. And all these varied operations go on continuously and without intermission throughout the year. For during the dead season ]\Iessrs. Singer work hard to lay up the stock which is to be seen in the store-rooms early in the spring. The Premier Works are also extensive and very interesting, Mr. Hillraan being responsible for a number of valuable designs, prominent amongst them being that notable success the original ' Kangaroo Safety Bicycle,' the excellence of which has found it many imitators. The Premier and Sparkbrook balance gears were also invented by Mr. Hillman, and both have proved very successful. At Beeston, near Nottingham, Mr. Thos. Humber carries on the manufacture of the well-known ' Beeston Humber ' with which his name has been identified from the earliest days of cycling ; and under the eye of the original inventor, the works, a model of neatness, turn out the machines which have secured so high a reputation on both road and path. The widow of Mr. D. Rudge disposed of her late husband's business to a Coventry HISTORICAL. 67 capitalist, who carried it on under the title of D. Rudge & Co. until the end of 1885, when the business, under the same title, was transferred to a company. The firm manufacture a vast number of machines of varied types, noticeable amongst them being James Starley's * Coventry Rotary Tricycle,' which, although improved in minor points, has never been materially altered in design since its original inventor introduced the rotary action into the construction of one of the earliest lever tricycles. The sons of Mr. Starley still carry on the cycle trade in Coventry at the St. John's Works, where they make another pattern of tricycle invented by their father, the well-known 'Salvo,' the name being a contraction of the full title 'The Salvo-quadricycle.' The fourth wheel, which was merely added for safety, has long since become rudimentary in the shape of a castor at the tail of the safety-rod. This machine is fitted with Starley's balance gear, an invention, very widely adopted under a royalty by other makers, a full description of which will be found elsewhere. There are a large number of other firms engaged in the production of specialities, and so extensive is the industry that the production of minor parts and castings for the trade finds employment for large firms and much capital. Thus Messrs. John Harrington & Co., of Coventry, are devoted to the production of the well-known Arab cradle spring, and to the enamelling process which has now been adopted by a large number of manufacturers ; Messrs. Thomas Smith & Sons, of Saltley Mill, Birmingham, supply the trade with castings and finished parts to almost any extent ; Mr. W. Bown's ball- bearings have won an excellent name for themselves, and are largely adopted by the manufacturers ; Messrs. Lamplugh & Brown, of Birmingham, the cyclists' saddlers, supply the trade with saddle-bags and other leather goods, requisites which have done a great deal to make riding comfortable ; and a number of other instances could be given to show how great is the general demand in connexion with the cycling trade. Competition is very keen, and the result is that each 6S CYCLING. maker tries to excel the others in some way. One firm makes a speciality of one class of machine, another of another, and in all cases the result is of direct benefit to the active cyclist, for any point which requires attention is instantly looked into by ingenious and clever mechanicians, and a remedy or improve- ment suggested. To those who have not deeply investigated the matter the price paid for machines seems high, but it must be remembered that before the cycle can be brought to the necessary pitch of excellence a vast amount of money has to be spent in experiments, and every small item of alteration or improvement may throw out of use machines or parts which lie ready to hand ; thus the manufacturer is constantly finding himself burdened with obsolete patterns in castings and machines which, but a few weeks before, represented the ' latest improvements.' Moreover, the skill employed in the con- struction of a trustworthy machine has to be paid for, and paid for highly. Skill has much to do with it. It is perfectly well known that two workmen may be working side by side with the same materials, and that one will make a wheel which may last ten years, whilst the other may make one which will not stay true for ten days. The exact reason is difficult to discover, but the fact remains ; and as no test but a practical one is of any service in these cases, it will be easily understood that the services of a good workman are not to be obtained for nothing, whilst a visit to one or other of the manufacturers mentioned above will demonstrate the circumstance that many machines and much skill and ingenuity have to be exercised before the modern cycle can be placed satisfactorily on the market. A trade thus rapidly developing necessarily implied a steady and increasing demand for its productions, and that demand could only be legitimately fostered and encouraged by the per- formance of some noteworthy feats upon the newly-introduced machine. In the earlier days of the sport, these took the form of long rides upon the roads. One of the first of such per- formances was a trip undertaken by certain members of the HISTORICAL. 69 Middlesex B. C. from London to John o' Groat's House, the most northern point of the British Isles. The four ourists were Messrs. C. Spencer, Hunt, Leaver, and Wood, and the ride was begun on June 2, 1S73. The machines were of the most approved type, although of course very unlike the vehicles of to-day. The four adventurous riders were accom- panied for a few miles of their way by friends, but they soon distanced their escort^ and, pressing on, reached Buckden in the evening, having rather injudiciously ridden sixty-five miles in the first day, this being a very notable performance at this period. On the 3rd the party rode on, and, after encountering a rustic who upset one of their number, they eventually reached Newark, the second day's journey being forty- three miles. On the 4th, Wentbridge was reached, the distance covered being forty-seven miles. June 5 proved wet and windy, and the wayfarers suffered accordingly, only accomplishing twenty-three miles, and reaching Wetherby very much exhausted. The 6th of June was more favourable, and the party covered forty- seven miles ere resting for the night at Darlington. On the 7th Newcastle was reached, distance for the day thirty-two miles ; 8th, Alnwick, thirty-four miles ; 9th, Dunbar : the roads and weather being very favourable, the riders went fifty-five miles; loth, Edinburgh only, in very bad weather, twenty-eight miles ; nth, Birnam, a journey of seventy miles, some part of it however being represented by the ferry across the Firth of Forth ; 12th, Kingussie, a good ride of sixty miles ; 13th, Moy Inn, forty miles ; 14th, Dingwall, a distance of twenty-three miles; 15th, Helmsdale, seventeen miles; and on the i6th, fifteen days from the start, the party reached John o' Groat's House, and thus brought to a conclusion the first long-distance road ride on record. This of course attracted a great deal of attention at the time, and did much to bring home to the observant public the real value and capabilities of the bicycle. In 1869, Ivlr. Mayall, Junior, after his early experiences with the bicycle, determined to ride to Brighton, and this he did on February 17 of that year. He started in company with some 70 CYCLING. friends, but was the only one of the party who accomphshed the feat. He reached the popular watering-place in about twelve hours ; and it may be noted, as an illustration of the improved pace now achieved, that INIr. H. C. White, of the Brixton Ramblers B. C, has recently performed the distance in a trifle over three hours and a half The peregrinations of the members of the Canonbury CycHng Club, Messrs. H. Blackwell, junior, C. A. Harman, and others, over the London to Land's End route, the fine performances of the Hon. Ion Keith Falconer and Mr. Lennox on bicycles, from Land's End to John o' Groat's, and the remarkable journeys over the same route of Alfred Nixon, Lawrence Flentcher, and T. R. Marriott, have constantly kept iip the interest and served to demonstrate clearly the possibilities of cycling. Mr. T. R. Marriott's ride, on a tricycle, from Land's End to John o' Groat's, a distance but little short of 900 miles, in 6 days 15^ hours, is a marvellous exhibition of endurance, and shows what can be done on the tricycle by a good man ; and in 1886 George P. Mills, of the Anfield B.C., of Liverpool, eclipsed this grand performance by two others still more mar- vellous, riding on a Beeston Humber bicycle from Land's End to John o' Groat's in 5 days i^ hour, taking only six hours sleep in all e?i roiife, and within tAvo or three weeks accom- plishing the same journey on an Automatic tricycle under very disadvantageous circumstances as to wund and weather in 5 days 1 1 hours, a performance w^hich can only be regarded as wonderful in every way. The interest excited by the road rides was soon diverted into parallel channels, and bicycle racing became a popular branch of the sport, the public evincing great interest in the new form of athletic exercise. Early in 1869 some cycling races were held at the Crystal Palace on the top terrace (the paved one) on which the Sphinxes stand, the races being straight away, without a turn ; whilst inside the Palace a velocipede show was held, in which were exhibited some wonderful manu- motive carriages, notable amongst them being an eight-oared HISTORICAL. 71 boat, mounted on wheels, and propelled by levers arranged to represent oars, the coxswain sitting at the stern of the boat and steering with straps which passed to the bow, so anxious were its inventors to maintain the aquatic parallel. On the same occasion some sports took place, riders in fancy costumes tilting at the ring and the quintain in front of the Handel Orchestra. This description of entertainment, however, soon gave way to the more legitimate forms of racing, and meetings were held in the Agricultural Hall at Islington, and also at Nottingham, Wolverhampton, ar.d elsewhere. It is noticeable that the above race at the Crj^stal Palace was one of the first meetings ever held anywhere, and that the Crystal Palace now possesses one of the best paths devoted entirely to cycle racing, on which nearly all the standing records of cycling have been made. From 1869 until to-day the sport of cycle racing has con- tinued to increase in popular favour with only one slight check in 1883, when interest somewhat waned only to become all the stronger in 1884. The inclusion of cycling races in the pro- grammes of athletic sports has increased the interest in those gatherings to a marked extent, and the rapid spread of cycHng has of course been much encouraged by the pubHc performances of the racmg men. Thousands of followers of the sport first had their interest aroused by the performances of our leading path riders, notice- ably by the feats accomplished by Mr. John Keen during the time he held championship honours or shared them with Mr. F. Cooper, and also by the fine riding of the late H. L. Cortis. When that splendid cyclist first accomplished the feat, on which he had so long set his heart, of riding twenty miles in the hour, the fact was widely commented on in the public press, and of necessity drew the attention of many an outsider to the sport, whilst, as has been pointed out, the long rides of Messrs. Keith Falconer, W. F. Sutton, and others, attracted the attention of those who took little or no interest in path work. 72 CYCLING. In the earlier days the doctors were very much opposed to cycling, a prejudice having arisen against it owing to the fact that the jerks and jars of the original boneshaker induced head- ache and sometimes hernia, which latter result was very common amongst constant users of the original hobby horse ; but ere long many of them saw reason to modify their prejudices against the bicycle. It was not, however, until the advent of the perfected tricycle that the faculty gave their support with anything like unanimity to cycling ; but when the tricycle was sufficiently perfected, a large number of medical men adopted it for their own use, and very soon saw that the sport pos- sessed special advantages from a merely health-giving point of view. Many a business man has found in the use of the tricycle an exercise which combines healthy exercise with a certain amount of excitement and novelty, an amusement which affords the necessary exercise without being monotonous, and many instances could be quoted of its value in this con- nexion. One will perhaps suffice. A medical man through ill health occasioned by a carriage accident suffered from head- ache and nervousness, could not bear to sit in either a carriage or a railway train, and often walked long distances to avoid the dreaded methods of conveyance. One day at a friend "s house he saw a tricycle, and becoming interested he ventured to try it. The exercise pleased him. He investigated the details of the machine and occasionally rode it, and one day awoke to the fact that he had coveted ten miles without suffering, although his common sense told him that there was more jar about it than there would be in either a railway train or a carriage. Confidence thus estabhshed, he purchased a machine and rode continuously ; his nervous affection was quite overcome, his own remark being that he was so concerned to know whether he was going to run over a chance half-brick in the road that he quite forgot that his head ought to be aching ; and he eventually was able to overcome the trouble which threatened seriously to interfere with his comfort in life. This is but one of the many instances which might be quoted HISTORICAL. TS of the special value which the tricycle more particularly possesses in such cases. The novelty, mild excitement, and gentle exercise, all combine to make the pursuit so fascinating that the rider becomes expert while interest in the new pastime is fresh, and then, being expert, finds new pleasures in the pur- suit. These advantages are daily being augmented by the im- provement in the machines used. Springs are devised which will all the more effectually break the shock of the road, and every other point is a matter of constant study. The popularity of bicycling in time led to the introduction of bicycling races, and as sketched above these events assumed considerable importance at athletic meetings, till eventually the Amateur Athletic Club decided to establish a championship, and to it belongs the credit of first recognising the claims of bicycHng by establishing a four miles ' amateur champion- ship,' which for some years, until the formation of the ' Bicycle Union,' now known as ' The National Cyclist Union,' held its position in the world of athletics. The following is a complete list of the amateur cycling champions under the A. A. C. dispensation. The two last races ended in walks over, and the contest was finally abolished in iS8c in deference to the expressed wish of the then Bicycle Union, which had at that early date secured the suffrages of the cycling public. The continuity of the amateur bicycle championships was assured when the Union took the matter energetically in hand. The Amateur Bicycling Championship. Distance 4 miles. Run at Lillie Bridge^ tinder the auspices of the Amateur Athletic Club. 1 87 1. H. P. Whiting, AA.A. 16 min. 30 sec. 1872. E. B. Honeywell, Surrey B.C. 17 min. 25 sec. 1873. H. P. Whiting, A.A.C. 14 min. 37 sec. 1874. H. P. Whiting, Velo sport de Paris. 14 min. 56 sec. JS75. H. P. Whiting, „ „ „ 13 min. 30I sec. 1876. The Hon. Ion Keith Falconer, Cambridge U.BI.C. 13 min. 6 sec. 1S77. Wadham Wyndham, London B.C. 13 min. t\ sec. 74 CYCLING. 1878. R. R. Mackinnon, Brighton A.C. Walk over. 14 min. 95 sec. 1879. H. L. Cortis, Wanderers B.C. Walked over. 13 min. 10 sec. This competition was then abandoned in favour of the contests promoted by the Union, which had been fully established. The popularity of the new vehicle continued to increase, whilst its economic capabilities were also fully recognised by the press. In the issue of the Daily News for August 23, 1876, there was a leader upon the bicycle, pointing out its various advantages, and emphatically endorsing its claim to notice. It contained inter alia the assertion that the bicycle ' ought to be regarded not as a mere plaything of the hour, but as a substantial addition to the conveniences of life.' A considerable advance this upon the 'Jouet d'Enfant,' from Paris ! C. Thuliett was about this time in England, contesting matches with a number of English riders which excited a good deal of interest and healthy comment, as any competition bearing an international character is pretty sure to do. On Sep- tember 2, 1876, Messrs. Frank Smythe and W. E. N. Coston (the latter afterwards became a celebrated amateur walker) rode 205 miles in 22 hours on the road, the actual time in the saddle being 17 hours 17 minutes. This feat eclipsed Mr. H. S. Thorp's ride from London to York in 22^ hours, the distance being 195J miles, which may be amusingly compared with the following announcement, a copy of which is still preserved at the ' Black Swan ' at York : York Four Days Coach begins the i8th of April, 1703. All that are desirous to pass from London to York, or from York to London, or any other place on that road, let them repair to the Black Swan in Holbourne, in London, and to the Black Swan in Coney Street, York, at each which places they may be received in a stage coach every ]\Ionday, Wednesday, and Friday, which performs the whole journey in four days, if God permits. HISTORICAL. 75 Rides like these naturally attracted much attention, but un- happily, then as now, there existed a number of evil-disposed persons who seemed to imagine that the bicycle had no right upon the roads, and who constantly seized every opportunity of hampering and interfering with any cyclists they chanced to meet. One very flagrant case occurred on Saturday, August 26, 1876, when the driver of the St. Albans coach lashed, with his whip, a bicyclist who was passing, whilst the guard, who had provided himself beforehand with an iron ball on the end of a rope, threw it between the spokes of the machine and dragged it and the rider to the ground. The driver was fined 2/. for the assault, and also paid the rider 10/. towards the damage to his machine, while the guard was fined 5/. As an outcome of this case ' a protection society for cyclists,' the embryo N. C. U., was discussed at some length in the contemporary press, but without producing any immediate lesult. The popularity which the little Surrey village of Ripley and its neighbourhood now enjoys (some hundreds of cyclists being accustomed to visit the place on holidays and such-like occasions) renders the follow- ing extract from a journal published in October 1876 very amusing : ' As some proof of the hold bicycling is taking as an exercise,' writes the editor, ' despite the fearful state of the roads and sky overhead, no less than thirteen men rode to Ripley and dined there on Sunday last, including two of the racers at the Oval on the previous day.' On October 9, John Keen, the then almost invincible profes- sional champion, rode 50 miles in 3 hrs. 6 mins. 45 sees., which was at that time a best on record, and welcomed with enthu- siasm by those who followed with interest the spread of bicycling. No less thau 102 race meetings were held in 1876, which demonstrates clearly the advance made, amounting to an in- crease of just 50 per cent, beyond the previous year, and the season closed with a marked advance in the number of cyclists and the interest taken by the general public in the new branch of athletic sport. The winter of this year was devoted by the wheelmen to discussion and debates, a style of amusement 76 CYCLING, which, when confined entirely to one subject, soon palls upon the appetite, and these entertainments have long been dropped in club life in favour of more lively methods of passing the . evening. The year 1877 was destined to see a still more notable ad- vance in the sport. In February the London B.C., an association which has always held a foremost position amongst the cycling clubs of the Metropolis, decided to promote the now celebrated 100 miles road trial from Bath to London. Although this is ostensibly a private, and altogether a club affair, the position held by the racing members of the L. B. C. has long made it one of the features of the earlier part of the season. A start is made from Bath, and the route runs through Devizes, Marl- borough and Newbury. It is an awkward road, having some very long hills and bad going, and may be considered as a whole a fair sample of average roadway. Racing men have not proved over-successful in this contest, the lighter work of the path always telHng against a rider whose muscles have been fined down at the expense of mere power, and each year has brought a good new man to the front. The following is a list of placed men since the establishment of the contest : 1877. C. Walmesley ; E. Tegetmier ; A. D. Buder. 1878. F. E. Appleyard ; W. T. Thorn ; G. P. Coleman. 1879. A. H. Koch ; A. Herbert ; P. Dalton. 1880. A. D. Butler only finished, owing to a violent N.E. gale. 1 88 1. L. B. Reynolds ; A. W. Barrett ; H. R. Reynolds. 1882. H. R. Reynolds ; G. F. Beck ; C. Newman and — Barker dead heat for third place. 1883. H. R. Reynolds; L. B. Reynolds ; H. Smith. 1884. G. F. Beck; H. Smith ; G. N. Stunt. 1885. P. H. Watson ; H. Smith ; A. R. Ricardo. Out of all the above winners there are but two men who have come to the front on the path, viz. the two Reynolds, and the brothers were regarded as road riders first and racing men afterwards, although H. R. by hard training during one HISTORICAL. 77 season did show markedly good path form. Appleyard's time, 7 hrs. 1 8 mins. 55 sees., stood for a long while in the record books as the best hundred miles record on the road, and it was not until 1884 that it was beaten. W. T. Thorn, who finished second to Appleyard, may perhaps claim to be the only first-class racing man who has made a good show in this contest, for al- though Harold Smith in 1885 rode a good second, he scarcely held the same relative position to that occupied in 1878 by Thorn, who, but for Cortis, would without doubt have been Amateur Champion. The London B. C. Race is promoted privately, and must not be confounded with the numerous adver- tising rides which have of late years been made the subject of comment. It is well managed and always excites interest. Whilst the London B.C. was thus promoting racing,, the Temple B.C., a very vigorous organisation, issued a general invitation to cyclists to join them on their Easter tour, and a remarkably pleasant time was spent, the party riding along the south coast and being joined en route by many riders resident in the towns through which they passed, this being one of a series of tours which have always proved very enjoyable, although now that so many cyclists are riding general invitations are eschewed, especially by the Temple B. C, which has for a long time enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best and most sociable of London clubs. The rivalry between John Keen and Fred Cooper at this time ran high. The pair contested frequent races for the One Mile Professional Championship, and one athletic paper grumbled because ' twelve thousand people attended a Wolverhampton meeting to see two men ride a mile' — a somewhat amusing commentary on the rapid spread of the sport which had but a few months back been somewhat patronised by the athletic section. W. Tomes of the Ports- mouth Club succeeded, in April 1877, in beating the one-mile bicycle record by no less than five seconds, his record, which was, however, soon eclipsed, standing at three minutes five seconds. At the same time the cycling and general public were stirred up to enthusiasm in Wales by the doings of John 78 CYCLING. Davis, * the cycling postman of Llanelly,' who did his work upon the bicycle and was reported to ride forty miles per diem throughout the year. * Daniel ' tried racing, but his road work was by no means calculated to improve his pace, and he soon vanished from the scene to continue his rural duties with the aid of his trusty and tireless steed. The West Sussex Gazette^ one of the largest provincial newspapers, was much taken to task for its assertion that 60,000 machines were in use at this time in the United Kingdom, and the calculation does appear somewhat excessive for 1877. On September 7 of this year the Daily Telegraphy in the course of a leader, said : ' Bicychng is a healthy and manly pursuit with much to recommend it, and, unlike many foolish crazes, it has not died out,' and during the following week the West Kent B. C, a leading organisa- tion of which the late Prince Imperial was a member, held a race meeting on the terrace of the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, at which Mr. Robert Lowe, now Lord Sherbrooke, presented the prizes to the successful competitors. In the course of his remarks he praised the bicycle as a pleasing and healthful method of recreation, and claimed to have ridden a dandy horse in the reign of George IV. ; Lord Sherbrooke differed, as will be gathered, from the editor of the ' Percy Anecdotes,' who speaks of the JNIarquess of Worcester, who lived in the sixteenth century, as having suggested ' that foolish thing of modern — though now almost obsolete— use, the velocipede.' In this year a bicycle with hollow spokes was ridden in a race at Wolverhampton, and on the August Bank Holiday the first meet at Harrogate was held ; the Cyclists' Camp Scheme, which has since become so popular, being still in niibibits. The Amateur Championship of the year fell to Mr. Wadham Wyndham, one of the most popular of cyclists, and a member of the London B. C. Even at this early date the cyclists were complaining of the position assumed towards the sport by the athletic asso- ciations and clubs ; energetic protests were made, and cyclists were urged to combine to promote their own championship HISTORICAL. 79 contests in place of the A. A. C. competition 'with its half-guinea entrance fee and half-guinea medal.' Mr. Wyndham's was the last contested A.A.C. Champion- ship, as, after two walks over, the race was finally dropped in favour of the championships then started and since carried on by the N. C. U., first established as the Bicycle Union in 1878. a complete return of which will be found in the chapter devoted to that body. Meets which had now become widely popular with cyclists also assisted in drawing public notice to the sport. A great gathering of riders was annually organised at Hampton Court. Mustering in Sandy Lane or on the Green, the riders started in a procession in pairs, each club being headed by its captain, and rode round a course previously set forth, some four to five miles in extent, ending at the top of the Chestnut Avenue, Bushey Park; this the riders passed down, and going to right and left of the Diana Fountain, rode out through the double gates and dismounted. The press and the public took much interest in the demonstration, which, at its best, attracted some two thousand riders, and the sport and trade received a valuable fillip just at the right time of the year. In the country also meets and parades were held with similar results, all tending to serve the same good purpose. On ]\Iay 2 1 , 1877, the Midland Meet took place at Leamington, and this event has always been a notable one in the history of Midland cychng, attracting all the notabihties of the district, whilst similar meets, in Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol and other places, have served to popularise the sport. May 1877 was notable for several good road rides, which demonstrated the capabilities of the bicycle. On the 25th of this month, Mr. T. H. Wilkinson rode 200 miles over selected ground between Horley and Crawley on the Brighton road in 23 hours 19 minutes. The length of the course chosen was a little under five miles, and it had to be travelled some twenty and a half times. Mr. Wilkinson had backed himself to do it in twenty-four hours, and, as will be seen, he won by forty- one minutes. The Earl of Ranfurly and Mr. Laing were umpires. Two days later, viz. 8o CYCLING. on May 27, a much better proof of the real capabiHties of the machine was afforded by Messrs. Meyer and Etherington of the Temple B. C. These gentlemen left Ockham in Surrey, and rode, via Guildford, Liphook, Petersfield, Havant, Chichester, and Brighton, to London, a distance of 151 miles, in 19 hrs. 15 mins., the weather being very unfavourable. This route covers some good and some bad roads, and is, moreover, a ver}' hilly one, so that, though the distance was less, the feat was 'a greater one than Mr. Wilkinson's over a picked five miles of good road. Judged by the light of subsequent events, June 16 was a red-letter day in the history of cycling, as on that date the late ]\Ir. H. L. Cortis, of the Wanderers B. C, made his debut at a private meeting of his own club, held in the grounds of the Caterham Asylum, where the future champion at all distances ran second in a one-mile handicap, with 100 yards start, and first in a five mile handicap with 350 yards start, the scratch man being Wx. A. P. C. Percival. Scotland, which already possessed a large number of fast and sturdy road riders, esta- blished a ten miles championship, which was contested upon the road, and in 1877 it fell to Mr. R. S. Bryson, a well-known Scottish cychst. He w^as, how^ever, at the time considered lucky in having got home in front of the South Country crack, Tslr. R. R. ^lackinnon, of the Brighton B.C., who w^as said to have been interfered with during the race by a horse and cart. This road championship has been kept up and held each year by the Scottish clubs, and a number of good men, a full return of whom will be found elsewhere, have had the honour of holding it. The ' cycling press ' w^as now^ crowded with letters suggest- ing the formation of unions, associations, or leagues, for the furtherance and development of bicycling, and letters appeared weekly in support of various plans for the consolidation and organisation of the cycling interests, with results which will be found duly set forth in the chapters devoted to the N. C. U. and the C. T. C, those great associations of which cycling is so HISTORICAL. 8[ justly proud. In this year the proprietors of ' The Sporting Life ' placed in the hands of the proprietor of Lillie Bridge Grounds, as representing the Amateur Athletic Club, which was at that time promoting the Four Miles Amateur Championship of Cycling, a fifty-guinea cup, to be run for over a distance of fifty miles, under the title of ' The Sporting Life ' Cup. This gift was duly announced to the cycling world, and was first competed for on October 27, when it was won by J^Ir. Harry Osborne of the Surrey B. C. after a very fine race. The cup was put up annually for a time after this first contest, but the assumption by the A. \. C. of the Four Miles Championship as the cham- pionship, and the subsequent claim that this cup represented the Fifty Mi^es Championship, clashed unsuccessfully with the claims of the fifty miles championship established by the Bicycle Union, and caused loyal supporters of the latter body to oppose the event. It eventually collapsed, and nothing has been heard of the cup since 1883. The following is a return of the winners of this trophy : 'The Sporting Life' Challenge Cup. Sometimes called the Fifty Miles Cha?npio?iship. Value ^o guineas. Rimfoi'at Lillie B?'idge. 1877, Oct. 27. Harry Osborne. 3 hrs. 18 min. 55 sec. 1878, Oct. 26. A. E. Derkinderin. 3 hrs. 9 min. 56 sec. 1879, Nov. 8. Harry Osborne. 3 hrs. 4 min. 6| sec. 1880, Oct. 30. C. E Liles. 3 hrs. 11 min. 47 sec. 1881, Oct. 22. C. E. Liles. 43 miles. Was stopped whilst riding alone in wretched weather. 1882, Oct. 21. C. D. Vesey. 3 hrs. 10 min. 1883, Oct. 13. F Sutton. 3 hrs. 6 min. 41 sec. 1877 had shown a steady advance in the position of the sport. New clubs had been formed, more races run, and generally more interest awakened. The makers were reaping the natural results of increased demand, and everything pre- saged a good cychng season in 1878, Early in that year a good deal of fun was made out of the fact that at the annual meeting of the Society for Promoting the Employment of G 82 CYCLING. Additional Curates, the Bishop of INIanchester stated that he understood a brother bishop had suggested the use of the bicycle to curates in his diocese ; the Bishop of Carhsle, fol- lowing in the same strain, regretting the hilliness of the country in his diocese, and facetiously remarking that if there ^Yas one thing a bicycle objected to, it was going up hill. The bishops only anticipated by a very few months the practical use of the cycle in its three-wheeled form byhundredsof the clergy through- cut the length and breadth of the land. On June lo, 1878^ Mr. F. E. Apple3'ard made his magnificent record between Bath and London in the London B. C. 100 Miles Road Race, his time, as stated above, being 7 hrs. 18 mins. 55 sees., and his actual time in the saddle but 6 hrs. 38 mins. 55 sees., a splendid performance, more especially as for many riiiles towards the end of the journey the rider suffered severely from cramp, and on one or two occasions had to dismount, so great was the pain. Appleyard scarcely did anything afterwards to show his powers of cycling, and has long dropped out of the sport ; but his record was left undisturbed until 1884, when it fell and has since been beaten several times in open road races. On the day on which Mr. Appleyard performed this feat, an- other very well-known rider, who still takes an active interest in cycling, Mr. G. Pembroke Coleman, the official timekeeper and handicapper to the N. C. U., traversed the 100 miles in 7 hrs. 25 mins. 20 sees., finishing third, Mr. W. T. Thorn, the well-known racing man, being second. Mr. Coleman's per- formance stamps him' as a sound and practical exponent of a sport in which he holds so important a post. Later in the same year this gentleman rode from Hayling Island to Norbiton, very little short of 60 miles, over some of the hilliest of Hampshire and Surrey roads, without leaving the saddle once during the journey. Abroad the wheel was becoming more and more common, and in March and April of this year a long tour was undertaken by a Viennese cyclist, the Baron E. von Grafenried, and M. Laumaille, of Angers. These riders started from Paris, and HISTORICAL. 83 riding through Western and Southern France, visited Northern Italy and Switzerland. Their distance for 35 days is given as 2,500 miles English, but as they claimed to have averaged 82J miles per day, the story must be taken cum grano. In this year some lengthy continental tours were also made by English riders, and certain members of one or two leading clubs dis- covered that to visit a fashionable hotel and refuse to dine a la carte was a somewhat expensive amusement ; witness the follow- ing bill which a party of them sent to the cychng press after their return : fr. cents. Candles for going to bed 40 Two cold baths . Two fried soles . One cold chicken Ham with ditto . Two cups of tea Two cups of coffee 5 o 5 o 9 o 3 75 3 o 3 o The tourists had reached the town at 8.30 p.^r., and left after breakfast the next morning, their total bill for four men being 76 fr. 50 c. All this has now been changed, and the cyclist is received in France at the headquarters of the Touring Club and elsewhere as a welcome guest. In this year the tricycle was first really advertised as a prac- tical vehicle. Messrs. Haynes & Jeffries, of the Ariel Works, announced the 'New Patent Coventry Tricycle,' which had been invented for the firm by James Starley. The ' Coventry Tricycle ' was the Coventry rotary tricycle of to-day, but in place of the rotary action it was driven by levers and steered with a Bath-chair handle from the front wheel. Still it found much favour, one or two ladies were stated to be riding it, whilst several tricychsts can remember their first essays on this, one of the earliest and best machines obtainable before the practical introduction of the balance gear. Long rides again marked the close of an important season. W. Britten, of the Clarence B. C, rode from the Marble x^rch to Bath and back, 2 12 miles, within 24 hours on September 12, and in the same G 2 84 CYCLING. month Mr. Smythe, who rode with Mr. W. E. N. Coston in a similar attempt some time before, again essayed the 24 hours road record on the Wisbech Road, and covered 218 miles ; but as he picked his ground, and simply traversed it over and over again, the performance cannot compare with that accomplished by the captain of the Clarence. On the 13th, the day after Mr. Britten's feat, Mr. W. T. Thorn, the London B.C. racing man, made a bold and nearly successful attempt to ride from London to York in the 24 hours. He succeeded in reaching Doncaster, 162 miles, in lyhrs. lomins. from the start, having thus 6hrs. 5omins. in hand in which to cover the remaining 35 miles, and he felt both well and confident of accomplishing the feat, with nearly two hours to spare, when the felloe of his wheel unfortunately broke under him, thus destroying his chance of putting on a record which would have stood nearly as long as Appleyard's 100 miles. Messrs. C. A. E. Pollock and A. D. Roe, of the Cambridge University B.C., made an extended tour on the Continent, their total distance amounting to 1,528 miles, their average being 64 per day, a remarkably good per- formance, which discounts considerably the accuracy of the return of the French tour already alluded to. On September 5 an event occurred which drew a vast amount of attention to the bicycle. ' The Times ' on that date published a lengthy and appreciative leader upon the new vehicle, containing the follow- ing remarks upon the steel steed : The bicycle has come to the front, and is fighting for existence. Dimly prefigured in the mythical centaur, and then in the hobby horse of mediaeval games ; and attempted in the velocipede now half a century old ; long prejudiced by the evident superiority of wings to wheels, the bicycle has now surmounted the difficulties of construc- tion, and adapted itself to human capabilities — it augments at least threefold the locomotive power of an ordinary man. A bicyclist can perform a journey of a hundred miles in one day with less fatigue than he could walk thirty. Fifty miles — that is, from London to Brighton— as easy as he could walk ten ; and a daily journey to and fro between London and the distant suburbs with just the usual results of moderate exercise. HISTORICAL. 85 After alluding to possible ills which might arise from indul- gence in the sport, the writer says : Bicyclists are aware they run dangers, and suffer a percentage of casualties ; but they have counted the cost and found it worth while running the risk. From other points of view the objections are loud and numerous, but have upon the whole a striking family resemblance to many former objections, such, for example, as those made at the introduction of railways. The chief objection re- appears in great force. Horses, it must be admitted, do not like bicycles, but neither do they like railways, and they will probably like street locomotives still less. Going at length into the question of the dangers to the public arising from the use of the bicycle in the public streets, the writer winds up a lengthy and essentially favoui- able article by saying : The legislature would be very unfaithful to the courageous prin- ciples which have hitherto guided it in the treatment of discoveries and improvements if it showed any prejudice in this matter. That would be a great injustice to the men, most of them still young, who have won for themselves a great convenience, and no less pleasure, at no cost whatever, it may be said, and without drawing upon the common fund of the food of man. Society used to be divided into the equestrian and the pedestrian orders : these people have found a third rank. Their success proves, as Johnson says, what man can do. Late in the year a six days professional contest was arranged at the Agricultural Hall, it being just after the time when Weston and his compeers had set the example of these ridicu- lous journeys ; and in connexion wath this affair a bicycling exhibition was opened, at which several of the most prominent makers exhibited their wares. Part of the programme was a competition before judges, who were empowered to hand medals according to merit to the various manufacturers ; and those who know the cycling trade can well imagine that, as only three prizes were allotted, the heart-burning was terrible. An indig- nation meeting was held, and the makers who had not received awards passed resolutions repudiating the contest and with- 86 CYCLING. drawing their machines, a result which might have been ex- pected and which effectually stepped the offering of prizes for that sort of competition until 1885, when prizes were awarded at the Inventions Exhibition, any amount of annoyance being inevitably caused to the unplaced makers. The closing event of 1878 was the practical retirement from the Presidency of the Bicycle Union of Mr. G. F. Cobb, who had undoubtedly been the means of establishing that body upon a firm basis, and of arranging the conditions under which it has since become so marked a success. Fuller details will be found in the chapter on the National Cyclists Union. 1879 was destined to see a still further spread in the popu- larity of the sport and the initiation of many new votaries into its mysteries. Early in the year the now celebrated Surbiton path, upon which the late ]\Ir. H. L. Cortis did several of his finest performances, was thrown open to the public and found much favour. Its fastest rival, the Cambridge track, was the scene of some further alterations of the record table, as on May 21 Mr. Fred T, East of the Surrey B.C. won the University Ten Miles Invitation Race in 30 mins. 45 sees., then a best on record, and on the same occasion by special permission a mixed contest between amateurs and professionals was held, the distance being two miles. The selected riders were John Keen and Fred Cooper for the professionals, and the Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer and Mr. H. L. Cortis for the amateurs ; the race was a very remarkable one. Cortis dashed off from the start at a rapid pace, closely followed by Keen, Keith-Falconer and Cooper in the order named, and these positions were maintained up to the three-quarter mile post ; Cooper, who was essentially a sprinter, waited until two hundred yards from the completion of the half distance, and then dashed away, leading the quartette by some yards at the mile, reached in 2 mins. 47f sees. ; best on record. Keith- Falconer dashed after Cooper with Keen on his hind wheel, and Cortis was left a yard or two in the rear. In this order they covered one and a half miles. Still keeping in HISTORICAL. 87 front, Falconer stalled off a tremendous spurt on Keen's part and won by about three inches, in the marvellous time of 5 mins. 362^ sees. The merit of this performance is best gauged by the fact that only a day or two before Cortis had been credited with the amateur mile record, he having covered that distance in 2 mins. 52^, sees, at the Surbiton track ; this shows what speed rates were at that time, and Keith-Falconer's performance as a natural consequence must have been marvel- lous ; very much on a par with a man doing two miles in about 5 minutes in 1886. If any further evidence was wanted of the extraordinary nature of the feat, it is to be found in the length of time it stood in the record books, as it was not till the autumn of 1884, more than five years after it had been accomphshed, that the flying Tynesider, R. H. English of the North Shields Club, beat this record by covering two miles in the race for the Fifteen Miles Crystal Palace Challenge Cup in 5 mins. 335- sees., which was the first beating Falconer's record received, although Cortis had several times attempted to take it down, and had got very near it on more than one occasion ; Enghsh's record was in its turn defeated after but a short existence by M. "Webber, who on the Cambridge track, in the Two Miles Invitation Race, in which he defeated W. A. Illston, covered the distance in 5 mins. 30?- sees. With so satisfactory a commencement the season was bound to be successful, Mr. W. B. Tanner, of the West Kent B.C., initiated an agitation for a path in the south-east of London, and after a good deal of quiet work the representations of the com- mittee charged with the task were successful, and the Crystal Palace Company agreed to lay out a track in their grounds at Sydenham. This popular path is three and a half laps to the mile, dead level and singularly fast. Since its establishment a number of grand performances have been accomplished upon it by Cortis, English, and other well-known men. In the northern counties the sport w\as flourishing, and a Championship of Yorkshire having been instituted, it was won in this year by J. E. Tolson, a fearless rider on the most 88 CYCLING. awkward of paths, but by no means speedy enough to cope with path-trained riders. On June 28, at a race meeting promoted by the Druids B. C, G. Lacy Hillier made his first appearance on a London cinder path (his delnit having been made on the gravel track at the Alexandra Palace). At Lillie Bridge, in the One Mile LLindicap, receiving 155 yards start from Cortis, after winning his heat he ran into the fence at the grand stand end of the track and fell. He was unplaced in the final. In the same month J. E. PuUin, a successful racing man, rode from. Eltham to Folkestone harbour, 61^ miles, in 4 hrs. 45 mins. without a dismount. The regretted death of the Prince hnperial in Zululand caused the West Kent B.C., of which he was an honorary member, to pass a vote of sincere sympathy wnth the bereaved Empress, which was duly and gracefully acknow- ledged by her in a letter to the hon. secretary of the club. In August, yet another record was established between London and John o' Groat's, H. Blackw^ll, junr., of the Canonbur}^ C. C. (then B. C.) having covered the distance in II days 4 hours, arriving at John o' Groat's house on Aug. 27. INIr. Black well w^as at this time an active tourist, and his ex- periences as one of the earUest long-distance riders would be very interesting. In September the Surrey B. C. offered for the first tim.e a fifty -guinea cup, to be won three times in all, for competition in their scratch race, distance ten miles, and H. L. Cortis placed his name upon it for the first time, accomplishing also a best on record for ten miles on grass, his time being 34 mins. 31-^- sees. ; Walter Popplewell the Ipsw^ich cyclist was second, and A. S. Brown third. The tricycle had now begun to make its way steadily in public opinion, and as a result a well-knowm agent at Kensington decided to promote a fifty miles road race, the course being from Kew^ Bridge to Blackwater and back. The winner turned up in A. E. Derkinderin, who covered the distance in 4 hrs 55 mins., on a machine constructed by IMessrs. Hill- man, Herbert & Cooper, and named by them, after the rider HISTORICAL. 89 on this occasion, the Flying Dutchman. This race was carried on from year to year by a committee, until it was stopped by the police near Caterham Junction as a nuisance. The winners have been as follows : — 1S79. A. E. Derkinderin, ist. S. Corbett, 2nd. 1880. C. D. Vesey,^ ist ; G. L. Hillier, 2nd. 1 88 1. G. Lacy Hillier, ist ; P. G. Hebblethwaite, 2nd. 1882. M. J. Lowndes, ist ; T. R. Marriott, 2nd. 1S83. T. R. Marriott, ist ; George Smith, 2nd. {Discontinued^ In October of this year the name of Frederick Wood, of Leicester, who has held the professional championship several times, appears in an amateur handicap in which the embryo champion is given the liberal start of 190 yds. In this month Cortis did the Alexandra Palace managers a good turn, as on the old path, which was by no means in good condition, the ' Long Wanderer,' as Cortis was called, made a three mile record, covering that distance in the final of the Three Mile Open Handicap in 8 mins. 55 1 sees. All who saw the race must remember how the white-vested athlete flew down and up the hill and dashed at top speed round the, then unbanked, lower corner, whilst the last lap was a magnificent effort, and the victor well deserved the cheers which welcomed his return to the dressing-room. 'Bobby' Woolnough (320 yards) was second, and A. S. Brown from the same mark third. The celebrated Over Turnpike case, in which the gate- keepers were fined for demanding an exorbitant toll, five shillings, from a bicyclist, upsetting him and detaining his lamp because he would not pay it, was decided about this time in favour of the rider, and the decision encouraged the cycling fraternity considerably. The Cortis-Keen matches, which created such a sensation ' Vesey rode a machine called the ' Rara Avis ' — which was simply a bicycle with two hind wheels fitted to it. The Committee could not rule him out, but the trick was severely censured by the press and the public. 90 CYCLIXG. at the time, were run off in 1879. Much discussion had taken place in cycling circles as to the relative merits of the ac- knowledged champions of professional and amateur cycling. Keen possessed fine speed, and his judgment was far more matured than that of Cortis, who the next year lost the mile championship through want of 'head.' The Union showed its real strength by granting a permit for a series of contests at one, five, and twenty miles, and as Keen's old friends in Wolverhampton of course wished to see him ride, the twenty mile race was run there. The idea that the amateur had a ghost of a chance with the professional was scouted by the habitues of the Molyneux Grounds. Messrs. M. D. Rucker and Jameson judged ; both men rode Eclipse bicycles made by John Keen. The professional adopted waiting tactics, and Cortis made all the running at a good pace. Three hundred yards from home Keen made a tremendous effort, but the amateur won handsomely by three yards. Times : five miles, 16 mins. io4 sees. ; ten miles, 32 mins. iif sees. ; fifteen miles, 48 mins. 19 sees. ; twenty miles, 64 mins. 43^ sees. Keen rode a 56-incii and Cortis a 60-inch 'Keen's Eclipse' bicycle. The one and five mile races were run oft' at Stamford Bridge. Keen had been taking much care of himself after his Wolverhampton experiences, whilst Cortis had without doubt been made anxious by the over-sohcitous attentions of his friends, and he was conspicuously nervous on coming to the mark. Keen, inured by a larger experience, was by far the cooler of the two, and as usual was content to wait Cortis cut out the running in the mile at a fair pace, and no change occurred until rounding the corner into the straight for home, when Keen drew up and going wide spurted in marvellous form. Cortis, probably from over-anxiety, seemed to go to pieces, and though he struggled gamely was very erratic in his steering, and suffered defeat by a foot. Time, 2 mins. ^2\ sees. This result upset Cortis altogether, and in the five miles (in which his only chance lay in forcing the pace) he sat up to min. sec. 2 564 6 I4l 9 Hi 12 ^71 15 3° 39! HISTORICAL. 9T make Keen lead at i^ mile. Keen being forced in front only crawled round, and Cortis in disgust did what he should have done at first and spurted marvellously. When the bell rang Cortis went for the last lap, but Keen timing his effort to a nicety won by a yard, Cortis swerving all over the track at the finish. Time. One mile Two mile- ..... Three „ Four „ Five „ Last lap, 440 yards Cortis was dreadfully upset at his defeat, but it was, without doubt, a lucky thing for his cycling reputation that he was defeated, as had he proved victorious he would probably have finally retired from the path, and the grand performances which he subsequently accomplished would not have been placed upon record. The attendance at Stamford Bridge was perhaps the largest ever known, and this was, it is believed, the only occasion on which a declared professional athlete has raced upon the London A. C. path. The handicapping ques- tion was much discussed about this time, and the various racing men all agreed as to the necessity of appointing a trustworthy individual to the post, public opinion being very strongly in favour of ]\Ir. ]\L D. Rucker of the London B. C, who subse- quently accepted the onerous and unthankful task. It was about this time that a course of action regardinsf highway by-laws was adopted, and this has since been steadily followed out by the N.C.U., to the great advantage of the cycling public. A memorial, opposing certain by-laws, was presented to the justices of the county of Cambridge, signed by upwards of seventy persons, of whom sixty were fellows or late fellows of colleges, including inter alia four fellows of the Royal Society, three professors of the University, eight past or present proctors, six deans of colleges, and several holders of the 92 CYCLING. highest legal honours, chancellor's medalHsts, Whewell scholars, &c. &c. The Otto bicycle first made its appearance about this time, and its singular appearance and apparently impossible action were described by Mr. H. H. Grififin at some length in the ' Bicycling News.' At the close of the year Mr. H. Etherington took a team of cyclists to the United States, but the sport had not progressed very far in that country at that time, and no tracks or opponents of merit were found for the party. The Danger Boards were first suggested at the end of 1874, and the proposition was widely discussed and eventually carried out. In the course of an article on cycling Mr. Charles Spencer, at whose gymnasium Mr. Turner of Paris first rode the bicjxle in England, claimed to have taught the late Charles Dickens to ride a bicycle. In February, 1880, the season was duly opened according to precedent by the holding of the Stanley Show at the Holborn Town Hall ; this locale replaced the Foresters' Hall by reason of its greater accommodation — soon however to be found in its turn too small. The show was an immense success, though the machines then exhibited would now be considered sadly heavy and old-fashioned. In February was held the famous ' London Meeting ' of the C. T. C. from which arose much trouble and discord, but as all that has been lived down no longer reference to the subject is necessary. The ingenious Mr. T. Sparrow, who has had a long and varied experience of cycling, brought out his ladies' bicycle — a machine which resembles the American Star in its general lines. The ladies' bicycle had a large lever-driven rear wheel and a small front steering wheel, controlled by handles hinged below the saddle. Mount- ing seemed to be the crux^ but when this was accomplished the rider progressed with ease and dismounted with safety. In IMarch the Union finally decided to appoint an official handi- capper, and the choice fell upon Mr. M. D. Rucker, who was admittedly the best man for the place then before the public. At the end of the month the Surrey B. C. by resolution decided HISTORICAL. 93 to accept no protest against any rider who had not broken the rules of the Union. This action was taken in consequence of a threat on the part of some of the Anti-Union party to protest against Cortis because he had competed with Keen under Union sanction. On April 24, a most important athletic gathering was held at Oxford, whereat the Amateur Athletic Association was formed. The cyclists of the two Universities desired to be represented at this meeting, but the athletes decided not to admit them, having in view the fact that the cyclists already possessed a ruling body, and it was pretty generally understood amongst wheelmen at that time that cychng was to be left alone. Yet the only sport specifically mentioned in the first small leaflet circulated, con- taining a report of the proceedings, was cycling, a fact which raised a vast amount of feehng which was only subdued when the Treaty of Fleet Street, as the arrangement now well known among cyclists was called, put things on a clear and indisput- able footing between the N. C. U. and the A. A. A. Coventry at this time mounted its police ofificers upon the Silent Steed, and the fact was duly commented upon at some length in the ' Daily News,' the author facetiously suggesting that ' a defaulting debtor pursued by a constable mounted on a tricycle, and armed with a summons, sounds more like a horrible dream than a probable reality,' and quoted the Laureate's New men who, in the flying of a wheel, Cry down the past, as appropriate to the occasion. The London B. C.'s annual Bath to London race was a failure, owing to a heavy adverse gale, through which A. D. Butler alone forced his way to the goal. On May 14, Arthur Gilliatt, of the Wharfdale B. C, rode from Leeds to London, a distance of 192 miles, for the most part over very bad roads, in 22 hrs. 25 mins., an excellent performance which attracted a good deal of attention at the time. The Hampton Court Meet was a great success, a large 94 CYCLING. number being present, and distant towns — Tynemouth, Hull, Portsmouth and others — were represented by a contingent of riders. Over 2,000 cyclists took part in the parade. In June ^Ir. Frank W. Weston, an Englishman domiciled in the United States, and the pioneer of American cycling, brought over a party of four Americans, the most prominent amongst them being Mr. J. S. Dean of Boston. The visitors made a somewhat lengthy tour through the Midland and Southern districts, and were entertained at dinner in Coventry and London. An organisation, having the high sounding title of the * Royal Bicycling Association,' was formed about this time, to promote exhibitions and to run amateur and professional races. It was intended to follow the Royal Agricultural Show in its yearly peregrinations from place to place. The first gathering was held in July at Carlisle, but resulted in complete and utter failure, and the Royal Bicycling Association disappeared. On June 24, C. E.. Liles won the Mile Championship, with S. Kemp second and H. L. Cortis third, this being one of the few defeats the 'Long Wanderer ' suffered after attaining, championship honours. H. L. Cortis won the Five Miles Championship on the same afternoon. On July I, H. L. Cortis won the Twenty-five Miles Cham- pionship, with W. T. Thorn second, and J. F. Griffith third. And on the 8th he also won the Fifty Miles, H. Osborn second, and J. F. Griffith third. A mysterious association, known to fame as the Connaught Rangers B. C, which appeared to consist of but one meuiber, who subsequently pleaded infancy when called upon to pay for the prizes, held a race meeting late in August on the Surbiton track, and in the Ten Miles Scratch Race, H. L. Cortis rode in magnificent form, establishing a record for ten miles inside 30 mins.j for the first time in cycling history, his time being 29 mins. 54} sees. In the summer of this year Messrs. H. Blackwell, junr., and C. A. Harman, of the Canonbury C. C, rode from Land's End HISTORICAL. 95 to John o' Groat's, nearly 900 miles, in 13 days, establishing in an easy-going manner a record which has since been beaten, but which is still a record, inasmuch as the riders were not at- tempting to make an uncomfortable labour of their holiday trip. In August the North of England meet was held under the auspices of the Bradford B. C. at Harrogate, in Yorkshire, and led to the establishment of the Harrogate Camp, which under the energetic management of the same club has each year been a great success, a large number of wheelmen from all parts of the United Kingdom mustering under canvas for four days, at the beginning of August. In connexion with this notable meet, a general meeting of the then Bicycle Tour- ing Club took place in the concert -room of the Spa Grounds, Low Harrogate, at which an agenda of considerable length was submitted to the assembled members, some of whom had come long distances for the purpose of taking part in the deliberations. After a comparatively short session, it was suddenly announced that the room must be vacated for the evening concert, and the meeting v>'as asked to adopt the rules submitted without consideration. " A very heated discussion ensued, and was continued in a smaller room to which the meeting adjourned ; a party dabbed the 'Malcontents' was formed, and they eventually brought about the very necessary reforms in the organisation of the great athletic club which without doubt have led up to its present success. In riding southward from this meet, Mr. Henry Sturmey, of 'The Cyclist,' took particular note of the 26-inch handle-bars which Mr. Hillier had had fitted to his bicycle, and on August 10 his journal contained an able leader on the value of long handle-bars. The fashion thus set withstood the test of time and experience, and has proved of value to young riders, a long handle-bar, as will be seen in the following chapters of this work, being particularly serviceable in assisting the novice to acquire a good style. On September 2 Cortis made his first attempt to cover 20 miles in the hour, encouraged by his success at 10 miles above 96 CYCLING. recorded. The Surbiton path was chosen for the attempt, and every effort was made to get it into good condition. This track was — in common with most London paths — then ridden with the right hand inside. A number of well-known cyclists were asked to assist as pace-makers. At 6.10 p.m., when the start took place, a very slight breeze was blowing which went down with the sun. The weather was warm, and singularly suitable to the occasion. C. E. Liles started with Cortis and covered two miles in 6 mins. 5|- sees., when the record-breaker not being satisfied with the rate of progression went in front and covered the third miile in 2 mins. 59 1 sees. Liles made a dash at the end of four miles^ when he gave way to J. F. Griffith, who with a flying start rode the next four miles in 1 1 mins. 54I- sees., and thus knocked off the odd seconds for Cortis, whose time for eight miles was 24 mins. of sec. Sidney Kemp then came on, but he, like Liles, could not make pace, and at twelve miles Cortis was 143- sees, outside even time. G. Lacy Hillier took up the running, and forcing the pace for two miles he assisted the record-breaker to knock two seconds off his loss. Hillier then gave w^ay to Griffith, who took Cortis along in excellent style, so that at sixteen miles he was but eight seconds outside. Liles joining in, he and Griffith raced hard against one another, and the seventeenth mile was a very good one, being covered in 2 mins. 52 f sees., Cortis being only \ second outside even time ; Kemp joined the trio, and the eighteenth mile was com- pleted in 53 mins. 563 sees., or 3f sees. i?iside evens. In the third lap of the nineteenth mile, Liles on the inside swerved from exhaustion and came into collision with Griffith, the pair falling heavily right in front of Cortis, who came down on them, Kemp escaping in the most marvellous manner, just getting clear of Cortis' machine as it fell down. Cortis was not very much hurt beyond flesh wounds, but J. F. Griffith broke his ankle, and the shock of the fall severely injured his heart ; al- though this was not discovered till much later. The mile times from eleven to eighteen were then best on record. The ' Daily Telegraph ' based a lengthy and amusing article upon Cortis' HISTORICAL, 97 feat, in which, amongst other remarks emphasising the value of the new sport, the writer said, * Not the w^orst thing that they have done, these knights of the road, has been to rehabilitate and set on their legs again many of our old posting-houses and decayed hostelries all over the country. Bicycles have to a certain extent taken the place of coaches ; they frequent all our great main roads, and gladden the hearts of innkeepers, who look out for the tinkUng bells which herald the advent of a "club" of wandering velocipedists, just as they anticipated of yore the gladsome toothng of the horn that bespoke the ap- proach of the Enterprize, the Highflyer, or some other well- known conveyance of the old coaching days.' A fortnight later Cortis made another attempt to ride twenty miles in the hour, but he had in the interval had another fall whilst racing at Lincoln, and was decidedly unfit ; under these circumstances he failed to approach his former times, falling very weak in the fourteenth mile, and being 38f sees, outside the hour when twenty miles had been covered. The rider was awfully dis- gusted when Coleman told him that he was outside the limit, but doubling testily to his work he dashed on for five miles more, covering twenty-five miles in i hour i6 mins. 41 f sees., which stood as a best on record until 1886, when the time was beaten in the presence of a few spectators on a modern path, by J. E. Fenlon. Cortis w^on the Surrey Cup for the third time at the autumn meeting, and thus became its absolute possessor. On October 9 the now celebrated Crystal Palace track was opened by a grand race meeting, the programme including a club challenge cup for a team race, an idea which has since been dropped, and a one mile handicap. The day was a dreadful one, and the new track very heavy in consequence. G. Lacy Hillier won both events from scratch in very slow time. On November 6 the second Fifty Miles Road Tricycle Cham- pionship was promoted by the Finchley and London T. C.'s jointly, the course being from Tally Ho Corner, Finchley, N., to a point just this side of Hitchin and back. Fifteen men in all started. The morning was very fogg}', and consequently the H 98 CYCLING. trains were late. Hillier, who had been training for the event, and who practically introduced the double-steering Humber tricycle to London riders in this contest, arrived late, and J, R. Hamilton had actually started upon Hillier's machine when the latter rushed up in hot haste from the station. A change of pedals was an absolute necessity, whilst Hillier did not find out until he had started that the saddle had been moved forward, with the result that he struck his shins continually against the axle. He eventually started thirteen minutes late, but at twelve miles fiom the start he had passed every one except Vesey, who was only one minute in front of him at this point. Vesey was riding a ' bicycle ' fitted with two small hind wheels, which public opinion universally decided was an unfair machine, and eventually won somewhat easily, Hillier finishing second, C. Crute third, R. C. Baker fourth, G. D. Godbolt fifth, and H. L. Cortis sixth. The Tricycle Association, then recently formed,- established a remarkable and utterly impracticable 'amateur definition' providing for a neuter class of riders neither amateur nor professional, and generally complicating matters by attempt- ing to decide 'what is a tricycle.' The result of the attempt to cobble the amateur law was the eventual absorption of the Tricycle Association into the Bicycle, or as it is now termed the National Cyclists Union, as the only way out of the diffi- culty in which one of its members had placed it. A project for the establishment of a Central Clubhouse for cyclists in London was warmly supported by a few men ; but the matter after languishing for a considerable time fell through, as it was very evident that cyclists were not likely to give such an institution the necessary amount of support and encouragement. Yet another great advance is that recorded in 1880. The Union began the publication of the executive reports, a course which brought it considerable advantage, whilst the energy and enthusiasm of the votaries of cycling were controlled and con- centrated so as to produce the best results. 'The Cyclist,' started in the last month of 1879, came very strongly to the front, and supporting the governing body of cycling in contra- HISTORICAL. 99 distinction to the attitude assumed by some of the other journals, secured a world-wide circulation, and took a leading place in that section of journalism. In February 1881, the season was opened in the orthodox manner by the holding of the fifth Stanley Show — for the second time at the Holborn Town Hall. A very excellent show was arranged, and a large number of persons visited it during its continuance. A steam tricycle, the invention of Sir Thomas Parky ns, was shown on this occasion, the arrangements being very ingenious. A small engine was driven by ' liquid fuel,' i.e- oil, and the escaping steam was condensed and repumped into the boiler. The inventor had driven the machine on the road at a good pace, but the requirements of the law as regards steam-driven vehicles put a complete check upon the develop- pient of the invention, of which nothing has since been heard. News from Cairo about this time recorded the fact that a Mr. E. F. Rogers had ridden from that city to the pyramid of Cheops, thus bringing two vastly distant cycles into close ap- proximation, whilst within a week or two it was announced that Prince Yeo, son of the King of Siam, Lord of the Thousand White Elephants, &c., had purchased a bicycle for his own use. Mr. T. H. S. Walker of Berlin was engaged in bringing the cycle to the fore in Germany, and the Berlin B. C. was duly established in March 1881. The Union accepted the principle of moveable champion- ships for the first time, and ran two of its four contests in the Midlands. The principle then adopted has proved of inestim- able value to the ruling body of cycling, as it has brought the leadinsj men of the various sections and districts into actual contact, and extended and developed in a most valuable manner the resources of the Union. Much of the accord which now exists between the various local centres and the Central Executive is due entirely to the meetings and inter- course of the men in the promotion of the championship contests. At Easter some open tricycle races were run at the Belgrave Road Grounds, Leicester, one of them nominally for 100 CYCLING. the Ten Miles Amateur Championship, which was won by S Corbett of Coventry on a rear-steering single-driving Excelsior, G. L. Hillier on a Humber being second. Corbett's machine was geared up to about 57 inches, whilst Hillier's was geared to about 50 inches. This was one of the earliest cases of gearing up being practically tested on the path ; the race was regarded as a certainty for Hillier. On April 30 the racing season in London was fairly opened by the holding of the Surrey Spring Meeting, Hillier winning the cup by three- quarters of a lap from J. F. Griffith, J. R. Hamilton third; time, 35 mins. 53^ sees. On ]\Iay 21, 2,050 riders attended the Hampton Court meet, and the weather being fine the sight was an exceedingly picturesque one, whilst later on 136 tricyclists met on Eahng Common and paraded vath great effect, the tricycle lending itself much more easily to that sort of work than the unstable bicycle. On June 25 the third Fifty Miles Road Race for the tri- cycle championship was run under singularly unpleasant con- ditions, and over muddy and stony roads from Hounslow via Maidenhead and Cookham to a point twenty-five miles out and back. The race fell to G. Lacy Hillier in 4 hrs. 53 mins., 33 minutes in front of R G. Hebblethwaite second, H. A. Venables third, W. B. Parker fourth. On July 6, the N. C. U. held at Surbiton its first champion- ship for i88t, which fell to G. Lacy Hillier by eighty yards, after a good race with Liles, Palmer, and Milner, this being the first occasion on which a really representative Midlander had visited London to compete for championship honours. C. A. Palmer, waited on by Liles, stuck closely to Hillier's hind wheel during the first four miles, Milner making all the run- ning. 2-J laps from home, Hillier dashed to the front and sus- taining his spurt. Palmer cracked three-quarters of a lap from home, and Hillier drew away and won easily in 15 mins. 39^ sees. On the 1 6th, Hillier won the One and Twenty-five Miles Championships at Belgrave Road Grounds, Leicester, the final HISTORICAL. lot of the Mile being a match between Hillier and Liles. A very slow pace was set by the former till the bell rang, when he sprang off at top speed and won by six yards, making a best on record for a flying \ mile, viz. 36* sees. In the Twenty-five Miles he also won easily by forty yards. ; C. Crute second, C. E. Liles third. On July 21, Hillier established a mile grass record, covering that distance at Priory Park, Chichester, in 2 mins. 51 sees. On July 27, Hillier won the last championship of the year, the 50 miles, by 30 yds. from C. Crute, J. F. Griffith third ; time, 2 hrs. 50 mins. 50I sees., best on record by nearly 4 minutes. He thus won the five open championships of 1881. The first Harrogate Camp was held in August. Although rain fell heavily most of the time, the campers so far managed to enjoy themselves that the camp has become one of the best and most enjoyable holidays a cyclist has to look forward to. On Augu.^t II, the Tricycle Association decided that an amal- gamation between the B. U. and the T. A. was advisable, and appointed a sub-committee to meet delegates from the Union in the matter. This in due course led to the absorption of the T. A into the present N. C U. In September the Surrey B. C. Meeting closed the season, the cup falling to J. F. Griffith with C. E. Liles second, and E. S. Hassell third ; time 37 mins. 55 sees. The Fifty Miles Tricycle Championship of Scotland was competed for in October, and fell to Laing in 5 hrs. 14 mins., Kirk second, and Hay third. The year closed quietly, a very lengthy discussion on the question of the gearing of tricycles foreshadowing the great popularity which the three-wheeler was to attain during the following riding season. The B. U. and the B. T. C. were both progressing steadily, and the sport showed a decided advance in popularity all along the line. One of the earliest incidents of 1S82 was the purchase by H.R.H. the Princess of Wales of a Challenge tricycle from Messrs Singer & Co. for the use of one of H.R.H.'s daughters. The incident was recorded as a pleasant augury for the season then opening. 102 CYCLING. In February the Tricycle Association was finally merged in the (then) Bicycle Union under a somewhat complicated title, since discarded in favour of its present name, whilst later on in the month the Stanley Show was held in connexion with the Sportsman's Exhibition, in the galleries of the Agricultural Hall, a grand exhibition of machines being staged. The racing season opened with the Surrey Meeting, C. A. Palmer and J. F. Griffith running a dead heat for first place, the only time on record ; the dead heat was ridden off later on at the Crystal Palace, when Palmer won easily. Nearly 350 tricyclists attended the spring meet on Barnes Common, an ample evidence of the growth of this branch of the sport, whilst 2,177 wheelmen in all took part in the Hampton Court meet, only just about the same number as were present the previous year, public interest declining in this unwieldy show. On June 3, H. L. Cortis, who had been doing a good deal of riding, competed at the Cr3'stal Palace in the West Kent B. C.'s Open Mile Handicap, of course from scratch, and in the sixth heat beat the mile record, covering that distance in 2 mins. 43-i- sees., the last lap being a marvellous one. The previous records were : amateur, Keith-Falconer's, 2 mins. 46-J sees. ; professional, Fred Cooper's, 2 mins. 46 sees. ; whilst on the 7 th Cortis again reduced the time on the Surbiton path in the One Mile Invitation Handicap of the Wanderers B. C, covering the mile in 2 mins. 4if sees. On the same evening Cortis had a try at Keith- Falconer's two-mile time, but failed to beat it by 24 sees. The Fifty Miles Tricycle Championship of Scotland fell to T. Lamb, M. Sinclair being second ; time, 4 hrs. 20 mins. The Scottish meet at Edinburgh attracted nearly 400 wheelmen, and was a pronounced success. The Hon. Ion Keith- Falconer, who is practically the father of Land's End to John o' Groat's rides, went over the celebrated route in 12 days 23 hours 15 mins., a very grand performance at the time, though it looks very small alongside i886's developments. About this time an Oxford man, H- R. Reynolds, went over the 'Turpin route,' from London to York, a distance of 196I HISTORICAL. 103 miles, in 21 liours 43 niins. His i)rcdecessor was W. T. Thorn of the L. B. C, wliose machine broke down some few miles out of York as previously related. The first Union championships ever held in Birmingham came off on July 8, when Frank Moore won both the One Mile and the Twenty-five Miles, being followed home in the short distance race by M. Whish and M. J. Lowndes, and in the longer contest by F. R. Fry and C. Crute. On the 9th W. F. Sutton, of the London Scottish, on an ordinary bicycle covered 222 miles on the Great North Road in 23 hrs. 55 mins., riding time 2\\ hours, which it is needless to say was the best on record. On July 22, J. S. Whatton, the flying Cantab, of whose strange bicycle some account will be found in a subsequent chapter, won the Five Miles Amateur Championship on the Crystal Palace track in 15 mins. i2|- sees., Keith-Falconer being second, and C. Crute third ; w^hilst on the 29th Keith- Falconer handsomely won the Fifty Miles Amateur Champion- ship from C. D. Vesey and W. K. Adams in 2 hrs. 43 mins. 58I sees., a best on record by nearly seven minutes. Vesey broke a spoke two miles from the finish. This was indeed a busy w^eek at the Crystal Palace track, as W. K. Adams covered 3 miles in 8 mins. 41^ sees., a best on record ; and H. L. Cortis at last accomplished the feat he had so often attempted, and covered twenty miles in the hour. It was a model evening, with not a breath of wind. The flags hung motionless against the posts. Cortis was assisted by Woolnough, Hunter, Vesey, Tacagni, Adams, and last but by no means least Alfred Thompson. Well coached, led, and clocked, Cortis covered the 20 miles in 59 mins. 3 if sees., and 20 miles 300 yards in the hour. He rode a 60-inch Invincible. Not satisfied with this grand performance, Cortis desired to make yet another attempt, and at last, to the delight of all sportsmen, it was announced that Cortis and Keith-Falconer would ride twenty miles together. There had long been a desire to see these two great riders meet, and a crowd visited Surbiton on August 2. Pace-makers, including Messrs. Adams, Woolnough, Tacagni, IMcKinlay and roa CYCLING. others, assisted. Up to six miles Falconer retained the post he had taken up, dead on Cortis' hind wheel. But he was palpably labouring, though the fact was not within Cortis' ken. Peter IMcKinlay taking the post of pace-maker at this juncture, set a hot pace, and in the second lap, along the top of the ground, Falconer was beaten ; Cortis looking under his arm, took in the situation at a glance, and shouting excitedly 'Go on, Peter,' he doubled to his work in a moment, and left the Cantab, who shortly afterwards gave up. From 7 miles every record was beaten up to 20 miles in 59 mins. 2o\ sees., and 20 miles 325 yds. were covered in an hour. This year Harrogate Camp was favoured with fine weather and was a pronounced success in every way. In the latter part of the month the Wanderers gave a farewell dinner to H. L. Cortis, who shortly afterwards departed with his newly married wife to Australia. It was with the deepest regret that the wheel world heard of his early death at Carcoar, New South Wales, on the 28th December^ HISTORICAL. 105 1885, of a compHcation resulting from low fever caused by the climate. After his arrival in the colonies Cortis did little or no cycling, but rode several horses in steeplechases, in the course of which the ex-champion broke his arm, though he had never broken a bone from his bicycle. He named one of his steeplechasers 'Lacy Hillier' because it could stay, in kindly remembrance of an old friend. The private and per- sonal friends of Cortis have erected in the church of Ripley, in Surrey — a spot much frequented by cyclists— a window and brass to his memory, which will long be honoured wherever cyclists most do congregate. M. J. Lowndes won the Fifty Miles Road Race in the splendid time of 3 hours 47 mins. 40 sees., T. R. Marriott being second, and W. B. Parker third. Messrs. Ellis & Co., agents for the sale of the Facile bi cycle, promoted in the autumn of this year a 24 hours ride on Facile bicycles, with the result that W. Snook covered 2\^\ miles, W. F. Sutton 198 miles, and C. H. Cole 189 miles in the allotted time, much of course to the benefit and credit of the very serviceable little Safety. On October 14 the Union promoted its first Tricycle championship, distance five miles. There was an excellent entry, and after a fine struggle the race fell to C. E. Liles, H. W. Gaskell second ; the much fancied Midlander, M. J. Lowndes, was disposed of by the winner in the second round. In November the members of the Tricyclist Conference met at supper to signalise the success of the road race they had promoted, and the establishment of a ' new T. A. ' was first mooted. This was soon attempted, but a majority of practical tricyclists were opposed to the movement, and ' The Tricycle Union' at last ceased to exist shortly after an unsuccessful attempt to promote an 'Amateur Championship.' On the day fixed no one put in an appearance at the Crystal Palace track, either as official or competitor, and the T. U. eventually meta- morphosed itself into 'The Society of Cyclists,' who proclaim themselves followers of what they call the 'higher aims' of io6 CYCLING. cycling, read papers on botany and geology at their meetings, and are the objects of much good-humoured chaff on the part of cyclists, who do not take the ' cycling ' part of the Society's title very much an serieux, and are inclined to resent the ridi- culous light in which the so-called Society of Cyclists occasion- ally present to the public the sport to which they are attached. On December 14, at a council meeting of the Union, certain suspended riders appealed to the council for reinstatement. Mr. W. B. Tanner took the lead on behalf of the executive, Mr. T. E. Scrutton occupying the chair. The appellants requiring some assistance, the chairman asked if any gentleman — prefer- ably a legal man — amongst the delegates present would under- take to assist them. Then, in the words of an amusing skit written at the time, ' Someone with legal bent, deep voice, and twinkhng eyes, rises to the occasion.' This was Mr. Robert Todd, of the Stanley B. C, a newly elected councillor, who soon after became honorary secretary to the Union, to its im- mense advantage ; and so this year closed with much promise for the future. The Stanley Show, held at the Albert Hall in January, was the first notable event of 1883 ; but the big rambling building with its many square yards of unavailable space, its tortuous passages and poor light, was by no means suitable for the pur- poses of the show, which nevertheless attracted a numerous crowd of visitors, including a strong contingent of West End people, whom the associations of the hall, and curiosity, brought to view the exhibits. In Birmingham the Speedwell B. C. held an exhibition in Bingley Hall on the same lines, which proved a marked success, and was continued for a year or two, until at last discontinued. It is recorded that a cyclist in the spring of this year rode his bicycle for half an hour on the Goodwin Sands. Why he went there is a mystery, but the fact remains, a bicycle has been ridden on the Goodwins. H. W. Gaskell won the Surrey Cup, with Prentice second, and F. Moore third. Time, 42 mins. -9I- sees. HISTORICAL. 107 The Hampton Court meet was duly held, though scarcely so well supported as before, an increasing number of leading clubs standing out. Eastern and Western civilisation was brought into pretty close contact, as a Japanese ^ jinricksha^ was taken alongside the procession for some distance by two well-built Japs. Early in this year, the Bicycle Touring Club after lengthy consideration changed its name to that under which it now exists, viz. the Cyclists' Touring Club, or C. T. C, these letters replacing the then more favoured formula ' B. T. C Nearly 800 cyclists took part in a meet at Sefton Park, Liverpool, and paraded before the mayor, an evidence, if one was needed, of the wonderful spread of the sport in the district ; whilst a few weeks later 500 wheelmen and women mustered at the Scottish meet in Edinburgh. On June 22 the Facile people promoted another twenty- four hours race on the road, which, contrary to the usual rule, proved vastly interesting, inasmuch as within thirty minutes of the expiration of the twenty-four hours J. H. Adams overhauled and passed J. W. M. Brown and eventually won, covering 220 miles 7 furlongs in the day — a grand performance. Mr. Adams subsequently developed into a very successful path rider. About this time C. H. R. Gosset covered just over 200 miles in the twenty-four hours on a tricycle, the first time this feat was accomplished on the road, whilst a match at 100 miles between Alfred Nixon and M. J. Low^ndes resulted in a victory for Nixon, though on public form it was all Lombard Street to a China orange on the Midlander, who led at one time by over eight minutes, but he gave up at 62 miles quite exhausted. Nixon's time for 100 miles was 7 hrs. 23 mins. 5o|- sees. Early in July Alfred Thompson of the Sutton B.C. cut two of Cortis' records at the Brixton Ramblers' meeting at the Crystal Palace, covering the starting quarter in 40?- sees, and the half mile in i min. 19! sees. The Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer's Land's End to John o' Groat's record was beaten by James Lennox ot io8 , CYCLING, Dumfries, who rode the distance in 9 days 4 hrs. 40 mins., thus beating the previous record by nearly four days. On July 7 two of the Union Championships were held at Aston Lower Grounds, Birmingham. The Five Miles Bicycle Championship fell to F. Sutton, A. C. Auster second, and G. H. Illston third in slow time. C. E. Liles easily secured the One Mile Tricycle Championship from M. J. Lowndes in 3 mins. i8i sees. In July the London T.C. organised a great twenty-four hours race on tricycles, the course being from Caterham Junction near Croydon to Brighton, thence along the coast to Fareham, thence via Romsey and Salisbury and on through Stockbridge and Alton, as far as the riders could go in the twenty-four hours ; no less than 74 entries were obtained, of whom 67 started at midnight on Frida}^, July 6, and it was truly a mar- vellous sight that met the eye, as 67 tricycles bearing one or more lamps, together with a great crowd of cyclists who were present as spectators, moved off at the word ' Go ' along the dark glade of Smitham's Bottom. Ripley, distant some 202 miles from the start, was regarded as likely to prove the desti- nation, especially when the breeze freshened as the day broke, and several men arranged to ride down on Saturday to see the finish. Those who went down early, however, were startled about a quarter to nine in the evening by the receipt of a wire from Mr. T. Griffith, who was checking at Alton, announcing that Marriott had passed there at 7.1 p.m. At 9.30 John Keen on a bicycle dashed into Ripley and ordered tea, and at 9.39 T. R. Marriott, the first man, rode up, going strongly and well. After a mouthful of tea, he pushed on, and riding out the time, reached Merton, 2 18 J miles, at 11.50 p.m. Nixon was the second man to reach Ripley, which he did at 10.23, and having no friend to keep him going, he went to bed, and whilst he slept Vesey, who arrived at 10.29, pushed painfully on toWisley Common and back, and took second place with a score of 205^ miles, the last 5^- miles taking him i hr. 15 min. to cover. Cosset, arriving at 11. 41, rode a quarter of a mile further up HISTORICAL. 109 the road and back, and thus took third place, the score at the expiration of the twenty-four hours being : hrs. min. I. T. R. Marriott . 2i8f miles 23 50 2. C. D. Vesey . . 205 i „ 23 33 3- C. H. R. Gossel , 20U „ 23 42 4. Alfred Nixon , . 20l\ „ 22 23 As ^YiIl be seen, Nixon's was without doubt the second best performance, and had he had an energetic friend to have kept him going, he would have easily taken second honours. Thus ended the great road ride which did a great deal for the sport in one way, whilst setting a very bad example in another. It is needless to add that Marriott's time was a best on record, whilst all the four men beat Gosset's record of 200J miles in twenty-four hours. In July, Lord Bury, whose efforts to bring about an amicable arrangement between the B. U. and the T. U. had been frus- trated by the executive of the latter body, who repudiated the arrangement they had empowered him to propose, resigned the Presidency of the Tricycle Union, and was subsequently unanimously elected President of the B.U. (now N. C. U.), his acceptance of office marking a new era of increased pro- sperity and success for the Jockey Club of the sport. On the 14th, the One Mile Bicycle and Ten Miles Tricycle Championships were competed for on the Crystal Palace track, the mile falling to H. W. Gaskell, who was followed home by Alfred Thompson — F. Sutton, who was much fancied, falling in the second lap ; time, 2 mins. 55! sees. The Tricycle Cham- pionship fell to C. E. Liles in 33 mins. 45 sees., I\I. J. Lowndes being second. The Crichton B. C.'s evening meeting on the following Thursday was notable for the fact that the four miles record was twice beaten. H. F. Wilson covered the distance in the fifch heat in II mins. 37-?- sees., whilst in the final H. W. Gaskell won in II mins. 34I- sees., Wilson declining to start. Wilson no CYCLING. won the Fifty Miles Championship on the 21st in 2.hrs. 46 mins. 26J sees, from P\ R. Fry of Chfton. M. Sinclair won the Fifty Miles Tricycle Championship of Scotland on the 25th in 4 hrs. 45 mins. 35 sees., Laing being second and D. H. Huie third ; whilst on the 27th F. R. Fry of Clifton beat all bicycle records from 51 miles to 100 on the Crystal Palace track, covering the full distance in 5 hrs. 50 mins. 5f sees., which still remains at time of writing ^ a best on record. On July 21 another Birmingham cyclist, Mr. Alfred Bird, beat the 24 hours tricycle record (Marriott's 2i8| miles), covering 22 1| miles in all. The Twenty-five Miles Bicycle Championship fell to C. E. Liles in i hr. 22 mins. 42^ sees., the race being run at Taunton on August 2. On the same day James Lennox beat the existing 24 hours bicycle road record by covering 229 miles in the specified time. The Harrogate meet was once more a pronounced success, being favoured with excellent weather, and everything passing off in the most satisfactory style. Lennox's record was not long permitted to stand, as Mr. J. W. M. Brown on August 16 covered 255^ miles on the road in 24 hours, a grand per- formance. On September 8, the Tricycle Conference promoted what proved to be the last Fifty Miles Road Championship Race. For some considerable time the more far-seeing members of the cycling body had recognised the fact that the practice of hold- ing open races on the road was illegal and likely to prove detri- mental to the credit and interests of the cycling sport, and as a consequence much opposition was manifested. The Tricycle Conference, however, rather braved the matter out, inserting advertisements, not only in the cycling, but in the sporting press. A few hours before the race the managers were notified that the police were on the qui vive on the chosen route, so at the eleventh hour the course was changed, the start taking place at Caterham Junction, and the line running through Oxted, 1 Dec. 1887. HISTORICAL. Ill Wcsterham, River Head and Ightliam and back. The men were despatched at minute intervals, and no poHce interference took place at the start, nineteen men in all being sent off. A number of riders went out to meet the returning competitors, some of whom awaited them at the top of the hill out of God- stone, and here Marriott was sighted— hatless and smothered in dust. Mat Sinclair, the Scottish champion, set a fair pace for him on a tricycle, whilst Messrs. G. L. Hillier and C. E. Liles rode quietly along some few yards in the rear, when within a mile of home an approaching pony carriage was suddenly drawn across the road and a constable in blue and another in plain clothes stopped the leader and the accompanying trio and took their names and addresses, Marriott going off at top speed the moment he was released, to the intense disgust of the officers, who hastily jumping into the trap made an unavailing effort to catch him. Marriott won by 25 minutes from George Smith, W. Bourdon being third. No further action was taken by the police except the issue of the following notice : — Persons using bicycles, including tricycles, are hereby cautioned that such vehicles are carriages within the meaning of the High- way and Metropolitan Police Acts. Furious driving (Taylor v. Goodwin, decided by the Judges, March 25, 1879). The Metro- politan Police Acts impose a penalty on any person who shall ride or drive furiously, or so as to endanger the life or limb of any person, or to the common danger of the passengers in any thorough- fare. The police are directed to ascertain the names and addresses of persons about to take part in any bicycle or tricycle race within the metropolitan police district, or to proceed against, and, if neces- sary, to take into custody, any persons violating the above law. The provisions of the law as to obstructions are independent of the above. It will be easily seen that the road race, being obviously an illegal contest, even if it had done no more than necessitate the issuing such a notice, had already accomplished more harm than good to the sport of cycling. C. E. Liles won the Surrey Cup at the autumn meeting in 34 mins. 69 1 sees., W. Brown second, and H. W. Gaskell third. 112 CYCLING. In the month of September Mr. Alfred Nixon rode from London to John o' Groat's in 8 days 23 hours on a front-steering tricycle, distance about 750 miles. 'The Times' contained in October a letter signed D.C.L., in which the writer slated that although he had suffered for twenty- live years from a spinal affection which rendered it impossible for him to undergo a journey by train or vehicle, he ' . . . . had just undertaken a tricycle tour through Sussex of 115 miles.* He added that, throughout the trip, he had not only felt better in health but had absolutely been in less physical pain than at any other period during the previous quarter of a century. Without doubt the affection in this case must have been partly nervous, the novelty and excitement of the exercise taking the sufferer's attention somewhat from his troubles. W. F. Sutton made an attempt upon the twenty-four hours bicycle road record with success, covering 260^ miles in that time, whilst a few days later J. S. Smith and his wife on an Invincible sociable rode ten miles on the Palace Track in 41 mins. 40J- sees., best on record. Lengthy discussions on large wheels versus small wheels brought '83 to a close, and 1884, destined to be an important cycling year, opened with a meeting of lady members of the C.T.C., who discussed in camera the details of a suitable costume. Of course the ' Rational ' enthusiasts attended, but in the end a decision was come to mainly based upon the practical experi- ences of Mrs. J. S. Smith, Miss Choice, and several other well- known lady riders, the result as tested by C. T. C. ladies being in every way satisfactory. February saw the Stanley Show at the Floral Hall, Covent Garden, the Exhibition being in every way a conspicuous success. The Speedwell show, held a few days later at Bingley Hall, Birmingham, was also a success, and the Sportsman's Exhibition at the Agricultural Hall, Ishngton, was similarly fortunate. The makers, however, grumbled considerably at the number of the shows and contemplated action, which however they did not take until 1886. HISTORICAL. 113 In March, the Birmingham Local Centre of the N. C. U. initiated the very valuable agitation for improved roads, which has been so energetically followed up. A great meeting was held under the presidency of tlie Mayor of Birmingham, at which cyclists, horse-owners, and horse-users banded themselves together to promote the agitation, and subsequently action was taken against sundry road surveyors with satisfactory results. As a consequence the Union has now some very convincing pre- cedents to lay before road surveyors who object to a demand on the part of cyclists for improved highways. The racing season opened with H. F. Wilson's win in the Surrey Cup race, F. Prentice being second, and H. H. Smith third ; time, 36 mins. 27 J sees. The Hampton Court meet was finally abandoned in this year, although a young and unknown club called a second meeting to discuss the matter, the general view being that ' monster meets ' had served their purpose and were not likely to do the sport further service. At the end of May a Cyclists' Camp was held at the Alexandra Palace on the same lines as the Harrogate Camp, but proved a complete failure. The one redeeming point was some excellent racing. J. H. Adams rode from Land's End to John o' Groat's on a Facile safety bicycle, in 6 days 23 hrs. 45 mins., establish- ing a new record, and also making the first Safety record trip over the much frequented course. Mr. H. R. Goodwin ac- companied Mr. Adams part of the way, and then turning back, rode from John o' Groat's to Penrith, covering on a 38-inch Pacile 1,332 miles in 12 days 20 hours. On June 21 the first two of the Championship contests were held at Lillie Bridge (new track), the mile falling to H. A. Speechley, after a waiting race, C. E. Liles being second, and H. W. Gaskell third ; time, 3 mins. 30-I sees. The Twenty-five Miles Tricycle was won by C. E. Liles, H. J. Webb second, Sidney Lee third ; i hr. 28 mins. 58 sees. ; best on record. Another record was made by James Lennox, who beat Adams' Land's End to John o' Groat's record, on a Rudge ordinary bicycle, by I 1 14 CYCLING. covering the distance in 6 daj's 19 hrs. 15 niins. R. Chambers practically walked over for the Five Miles Championship at Cardiff ; time, 15 mins. 364 sees., on June 28. On the same day the official timekeeper at the West Kent B. C. meeting returned Alfred Thompson's mile time in the fourth heat of the open mile as 2 mins. 39!- sees., giving the \ mile times, which he had been specially requested by Mr. G. Pembroke Coleman (who was away at the Championship) to note, as Thompson's private form pointed to his doing something good. A dead set was however made at the record, and it was not put upon the book. Thompson ran a trial the next week, but was very nervous at the start, and when the pistol went, one of his pace-makers fell and upset him altogether. Thompson held at this time the half-mile record, and had only a week or two before been deprived of the starting quarter record. The same evening G. L. Hillier made record for a flying quarter ; time, 35|- sees., thus beating J. S. Whatton's 36! sees. The Ten Miles Championship of the North, run on the Wallsend track on July 12, fell to R. H. English in 30 mins. 14^ sees., and caused that sterhng rider to take a foremost place in the opinion of amateur cycledom. On the same date the Five and Twenty-five Miles Tricycle Championships were run off on the Crystal Palace track, C. E. Liles winning both, H. J. Webb finishing second in the mile ; time, 3 mins. 29^ sees., and Sidney Lee in the five mile ; time 18 mins. 8 J sees. On July 14 the Fifty Miles Amateur Championship fell to F. R. Fry of Clifton after a splendid race with C. S. Wadey ; F. J. Nicolas third ; time, 2 hrs. 51 mins. 16J sees. On July 26 the holding of the Twenty-five Miles Amateur Championship brought to the front R. H. English of North Shields ; the race was run on the North Durham track, a small and by no means fast path, Speechley, Robinson, and Nicolas representing London ; they waited at the start, but English was off like a shot out of a gun, and fairly left the lot, lapping all his opponents and winning anyhow in i hr. 22 mins. o| sec. HISTORICAL. 115 on a wet and heavy track ; D. H. Huie was second, and J. Tough third. The Harrogate Camp was again a great success this year. The Fifty Miles Road Championship of Ireland fell to E. S. McKay, H. H. Quinton second ; time, 3 hrs. 37 mins. 10 sees. M. Josef Kohout, of the Cesky Velociped Klub, Prague — a splendid specimen of the Continental cyclist — rode 2 20 J English miles (355 kilometres) from Hamburg, via Kiel to Flensburg, and back to Bonningstedt in twenty-four hours, and as he had to lift his heavy old-fashioned roadster over innumerable gates in the dark, this performance becomes the more remarkable. Alfred Nixon rode from London to Edinburgh in 2 days 23 hours, a distance of 397 miles. On September 11 R. H. English made his debut on a London path in the Crystal Palace Challenge Cup race, distance fifteen miles. A fairly good field opposed him, but he dashed off the mark at a tremendous pace, and covered the first mile in 2 mins. 42 sees., or only a fraction outside record ; twenty yards short of the mile William Brown, who had hung on to him up to this point, cracked, and English went right away, and beat every record from two to twenty miles — keeping on after win- ning the race for the purpose of securing the records. He established the following record times : 2 miles 5 55 10 )) 15 3) 20 J) 20 51 English Coi ?TIS min. sec. min. sec. 5 32i 14 2>f^ 14 4o| 29 19I 29 3o| 44 29I 44 -hll . 59 6| 59 20I 60 560 yards In the five miles race for the Kildare Cup, run at Lillie Bridge on the following Saturday, English pursued the same tactics, and though not riding nearly so fast, the first mile taking 2 mins. 48 1- sees., he left Speechley in the first quarter of the second mile, and won again anyhow. The big Tynesider has never done better than he did on this occasion ; some severe I 2 ii6 CYCLING. falls, and a desire to spurt fast for short distances, decidedly did him no good subsequently. W. F. Sutton, of the London Scottish B. C, successfully attempted to beat Nixon's London to Edinburgh trip on a tricycle, and covered the distance in 2 days 9 hrs. 5 mins. ; the first day's journey, 230 miles, being a best on record. His mount was a ' Cruiser ' made by Messrs. Hillman, Herbert & Cooper. Speechley made another best on record for grass when he won the Surrey Cup in 34 mins. i2f sees., H. F. Wilson being second, and R. Cripps third. On September 25 there was a Colony race meeting at the Crystal Palace, the frequenters of the path having a go at the records all round, with the following results. J. S. Smith and W. Brown on an Invincible tandem made the following records : min, sec. I mile 2 59I 3 „ 9 23 H. J. Webb tried to beat the single tricycle record for two miles, and succeeded by f second, doing 6 mins. 23! sees. G. Lacy Hillier tried to beat the bicycle records for five miles, and secured the following : min. sec. 3 miles 8 32 4 „ . . . . . . II 24 5 5, 14 18 On September 27 the manufacturers of the Kangaroo bicycle, Messrs. Hillman, Herbert & Cooper, promoted a one hundred miles road race, which was brought off under very favourable conditions, and resulted in a win for George Smith in 7 hrs. 1 1 mins. 10 sees., the previous record being Appleyard's 7 hrs. 15 mins. 18 sees, made in the L. B. C. Bath to London Club Race. S. Colder was second, and T. A. Edge third. On the same day a curious contest was decided between Major T. Knox Holmes, a veteran tricyclist of seventy-eight, and Mr. G. Lacy Hillier, a bicyclist of twenty-eight, the latter conceding the former the start of one mile for every year's difference in their HISTORICAL. 117 respective ages in a ten hours' race. The veteran only dis- mounted for a trifle over five minutes, whilst the bicyclist stopped for over thirty-five minutes. The scores at the finish were, Major Knox Holmes 115 miles, loi to 115 being records, and G. L. Hillier 146 miles, 51 to 54 and loi to 146 being records. The Major thus won easily. The day was very unfavourable, being windy and wet. On October 17, the tandem tricycle record was twice beaten in an evening, first by J. S. Smith and W. Brown on an Invin- cible, who covered two miles in 6 mins. 6 sees. Immediately afterwards R. Cripps and H. F. Wilson covered the same dis- tance on a Humber tandem in 6 mins. 4 sees., whilst on the next day, the i8th, Messrs. Smith and Brown had another try, resulting as follows : 2 miles, 6 mins. 3 sees.; 3 miles, 9 mins. 17 sees.; 4 miles, 12 mins. 37 sees.; 5 miles, 15 mins. 33 sees. On October 23 Cripps and Wilson covered 2 miles in 5 mins. 54 sees., which stood as a record for a long time. 1884 closed in a somewhat perturbed manner. Several road performances were being openly questioned in the public press, and the Union was engaged in investigating the bona fides of the various claims. An agitation was also in progress concerning the way round for racing paths, which ulti- mately resulted in the almost universal adoption of the left- hand inside practice of riding. The annual meeting of the C. T. C. was held in London, and certain revolutionary doctrines with regard to the internal management of the club, which had been advocated in a blustering and ferocious manner in all of the papers, were advocated at the meeting in mild and melli- fluous terms, singularly in contrast with the earlier steps of the dispute ; the voting, however, showed a large majority in favour of the status quo ante. The Stanley Show was held at the end of January in a canvas building erected on a piece of ground on the Thames Embankment, and was only a partial success, the weather being very bad. The dissolution of the first Liverpool Local Centre of the N. C. U. was one of the first important events of ii8 CYCLING. the year, a new centre being almost immediately formed to replace it by the energy of Mr. Lawrence Fletcher, of the Anfield B.C. In March commenced the great struggle between the N.C.U. and the A.A.A., the dispute being originated by some of the most prominent of the supporters of the dissolved Liverpool Local Centre. After a struggle the Union obtained all the points for which it had felt obliged in the interests of cycling to contend, thus becoming without any question the sole ruling body of cycling. Robert Cripps won the Surrey Cup, J. Prentice second, and C. S. Wadey third j time, 34 mins. 4f sees. On May 28, F. J. Nicolas made records at 26 and 27 miles in an attempt to beat the fifty miles record ; owing to exhaustion he gave up at thirty miles. Adams' Land's End to John o' Groat's record was beaten in June by E. Oxborrow by thirty-five minutes only ! About this time the news arrived of some of those marvel- lous records claimed by American riders which have from time to time reached England. The makers of those records were subsequently beaten by the strong English contingent which visited America, and the times have not been generally accepted. We do not, however, propose to enter into the newspaper con- troversy which took place on the subject, though some of it was amusing — and the whole of it was fierce. S. Sellers won the One Mile Championship at Lower Aston Grounds, Birmingham, by six inches from W. A. Illston, on June 13, time 2 mins. 47!- sees.; and R. Cripps the Five ^liles Tri- cycle Championship in 16 mins. 53I- sees., G. Gatehouse being second. On June 15, at Cambridge, M. V. J. A. Webber, who had suddenly developed first-class form, won the Cambridge Uni- versity B.C. 2 miles Invitation race from W. A. Illston, having in his heat beaten English's two miles time by two seconds, Webber's time being 5 mins. 30^ sees.; whilst on the same occasion P. Furnivall and George Gatehouse made a record for one mile on a tandem, doing 2 mins. 47-!- sees. ; a day or so HISTORICAL. 119 later this pair made an attempt to cut the tandem record at five miles, held by H. N. Corsellis and J. Lee, and succeeded in making records at 2 miles, 5 mins. 48 secs.j 3 miles, 8 mins. 39 sees.; 4 miles, 11 mins. 30 sees.; and 5 miles, 14 mins. 22 J sees. — a marvellous performance. H. R. Goodwin of Manchester, whose long ride with J. H. Adams has been mentioned, fairly echpsed himself, by starting on June i and covering 2,054 miles by June 19, in the course of which trip he rode 1,754 miles in 15 days 19 hrs. 45 mins. Webber won the Five Miles Amateur Championship on June 27, at Jarrow track, in 14 mins. 22-?- sees., after one of the finest races ever seen in a championship contest, D. W. Laing being second and R. Chambers third. July produced another crop of records. On July 6, Mrs. Allen of Birmingham covered 200 miles on the road in 23 hrs. 54 mins., and C. H. R. Gosset covered 231I miles inside 24 hours. On July II the N.C.U. held its One and Twenty-five Miles Tricycle Championships on the Crystal Palace track, and the contests proved most exciting. P. Furnivall won the One Mile Championship after a dead heat with P. T. Letchford in 3 mins. 5f sees., having however made a best on record in his heat; time 2 mins. 5 8 1- sees. The most remarkable fact about the race was that it was absolutely the first single tricycle race in which Furnivall had taken part. The Twenty-five Miles Championship was won in splendid style by George Gate- house, who made most of the running ; records were made for two and three miles, and from eleven to twenty-five miles. The full distance he covered in i hr. 26 mins. 29! sees. On July 9 Webber beat the mile record on the Crystal Palace track, doing 2 mins. 393- sees. James Lennox again secured the ' end to end ' record, covering the distance in 6 days 16 hrs. 10 mins. In France M. Rousset rode 220 miles (354 kilo- metres) in 24 hours, and 240 miles (400 kilometres) in 28 hrs. (consecutive), an excellent performance, especially for an elderly rider. On July 18 R. H. English won the Fifty Miles Cham- pionship from G. Gatehouse in 2 hrs. 45 mins. 13 1 sees., record 1 2d CYCLING. being beaten by English, Gatehouse and Nicolas from 29 to 38 miles inclusive. English also won the Twenty-five Miles Championship at the Ayleston Road Grounds, Leicester, time I hr. 20 mins. 13 sees. ; R. Cripps second, and W. Terry third. The Harrogate Camp was again a marked success, whilst a southern camp at Tunbridge Wells was also fairly successful. On August 25 E. Oxborrow on a Facile covered 263 miles inside 24 hours, and established a new record for that time. The news of the Springfield 'World's Records ' came duly to hand, and the times were somewhat severely criticised ; the fact that the Englishmen had won the lion's share of the prizes was however a satisfactory point. G. Lacy Hillier visited Leipsic in September, and defeated the amateur champion of Germany and others in a 10,000 metres scratch race, beating the German record at the same time, and bringing back one of the finest prizes ever given for a cycle race. H. A. Speechley carried off the Surrey Cup for the second time, W. Terry second, and A. R. Ivlacbeth third ; time, 37 mins. 39 1- sees. ISIessrs Rudge & Co. promoted a twenty-four hours' ride on Rotary tricycles, which was won by J. H. Adams, who covered 232^ miles in the time stated, whilst about the same time Messrs. Starley & Sutton promoted a one hundred miles road race for Rover bicycles, which fell to George Smith in 7 hrs. 5 mins. 16 sees. In September T. R. Marriott on a Humber tricycle of his own make rode from Land's End to John o' Groat's in 6 days 15 hrs. 22 mins., beating all records, bicycle or tricycle, over the distance. An effort was made to establish a vigilance committee of race-giving clubs to deal with the question of the ' Makers' Amateurs,' a name given to a class of riders in amateur races who are suspected of being paid for riding certain makes of machines ; the vigilance committee failed owing to want of cohesion amongst the most prominent race-giving clubs. In November the C. T. C. accepted with much regret the resignation of its Chairman, Mr. N. F. Duncan, who had HISTORICAL. 121 done good service to the club during his period of office. Mr. Duncan resigned as he was just about to take holy orders in the Church of England. ' Kangaroo hunts/ i.e. paper chases on bicycles, were very popular during the winter. The N. C. U. agitation concerning the mending of roads was organised and pushed on, and a very eventful year was closed by the usual festivities, accounts of which filled the pages of the cycling papers well on into 1886. On January 16 the A. A. A. meeting at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, passed a resolution by which 'the war,' as it was termed, which had created no end of trouble and annoyance, was put an end to. Since this time the two associations have worked side by side and hand in hand for the benefit of amateur sport. In February, the cycling world was startled by the receipt of the sad news that Herbert Liddell Cortis, the ex-amateur champion at all distances in 1879 and three distances in 1880, was dead. He died at Carcoar in New South Wales, from the after effects of a low fever from which he suffered at Coonamble, where he went on his first arrival in the colony. One of the most popular of men, and in the opinion of many good judges the best rider that ever crossed a wheel, the memory of H. L. Cortis will always remain green in the annals of cycling. The Stanley Show was held in the same month at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, and was a pronounced success in every way. In March came the welcome news that the League of American Wheelmen had taken action against the Makers' Amateurs on their side of the water, and suspended a number of the best men who were known to be employed to ride for the two leading bicycle-making firms. The L. A. W.'s action even- tually drove the best of this class into the professional ranks. The English N. C. U. had at this time a nuniber of riders under suspension, but on April 22 all suspensions expired in order to give the men yet another chance, of which, however, most of them did not avail themselves. 122 CYCLING. H. A. Speechley won the Surrey Cup for the third time, thus making it his property, as Cortis had done before him, P. Furnivall finishing second, and A. E. Langley third \ time, 41 mins. 44^ sees. The International Tournament, promoted by Mr. F. Cath- cart, the lessee of the Alexandra Palace track, which was held in May, proved a sporting, and it is to be hoped also a financial, success. Belgian, Scotch, and Irish cychsts competed, and some excellent sport was ';dtnessed, the English team winning the challenge shield. W. Z\. Illston made a new record for half a mile, i min. i6i sees. ; whilst A. E. Langley covered the mile on a Marriott & Cooper tricycle in 2 mins. 55^ sees. ; E. Kiderlin on a Beeston tricycle making record for 2 miles. The Tour- nament is to become an annual fixture. The tricyclists foregathered at Hampton Court in iMay, the meet including nearly 500 riders of the broad-gauge machine, and proving highly successful. At the Gainsborough meeting H. A. Speechley cut his own starting quarter record, doing 38f sees., this time being tied later on by E. M. Mayes. The Society of Cyclists visited Colchester, considerable pre- parations having been made by the hospitable townsfolk to welcome and accommodate the anticipated visitors, who, how- ever, arrived in such meagre numbers that much disappoint- ment was caused. A rose-coloured account of the visit, which appears to have had little or nothing to do with cycUng, is to be found in the organ of the Society. The first of the championship meetings was held at Weston- super-Mare on the new track on July 14, 1886. The One J^Iiie Tricycle Championship fell to Percy Furnivall, A. E. Langley second, and P. T. Letchford third ; time, 3 mins. 5! sees. The Twenty-five Miles Bicycle Championship fell to J. E. Fenlon, W. Ratclitfe second, and G. Gatehouse third ; time, i hr. 19 mins. 29I sees., the fastest Twenty-five Miles Championship ever ridden. On June 19, the North Road Club promoted a fifty miles race open to all sorts of cycles ; some mischievous persons HISTORICAL. 123 sent letters to the police authorities signed with the name of a cydist who was known to object to these races, but no trouble ensued. The ordinary bicycles were set to concede the tan- dems a start, but were not in the hunt. The race was hand- somely won by C. E. Liles and A. J. Wilson (time 3 hrs. 16 mins. 58 sees.), J. Lee and G. Gatehouse second (time 3 hrs. 23 mins. 16 sees.), both couples riding Beeston Humber Tan- dems. E. Hale on a Premier safety bicycle was third in 3 hrs. 29 mins. 55 sees., and O. G. Duncan was the first man in on an ordinary bicycle in 3 hrs. 31 mins. 22 sees., though a severe cropper through a collision with a Safety rider doubtless had a great deal to do with the failure of this excellent wheelman. On the 2ist, A. H. Fletcher rode 251 miles in 24 hours on a Cripper tricycle, thus beating C. H. R. Gosset's 23 1| miles. The I i\Iile Championship was run on June 26 on the Jarrow track, and proved in every way a success, victory resting with Percy Furnivall, H. A, Speechley second, and W. A. Illston third; time, 2 mins. 46 sees. ; one of the finest races ever seen for what is practically the blue ribbon of cycling. F. W. AUard, on a Marlboro', made a record for the tricycle mile at Long Eaton on the same day ; time, 2 mins. 54 sees. ; whilst F. J. Osmond and S. E. Williams, on an Invincible tandem, at the Crystal Palace, covered 2 miles in 5 mins. 47f sees., which is the accepted record for this distance. On July 3, F. W. AUard pushed his Marlboro' Club to the front in the Five Miles Tricycle Championship at Hampton Park, Glasgow ; P. Furnivall being second, and G. Gatehouse, who most unwisely rode a waiting race, third ; time, 24 mins. 423- sees. One of the most astonishing feats of the year was performed by George P. Mills, of the Anfield B. C, who, leaving Land's End at midnight on July 4, reached John o' Groat's in 5 days I hour 45 mins., beating T. R. Marriott's record by i day 6 hrs. 40 mins. Mills rode a 53-inch Beeston Humber bicycle. The distance is 861 miles, and he only slept for six hours in all during the journey. 124 CYCLING. On July TO, F. J. Osmond, on a 6o-inch Invincible, beat M. V. J. Webber's three-quarter mile record of 2 mins. o sees., doing I min. 58 J sees. On July 17, the Twenty-five Miles Tricycle Championship was run at the Alexandra Park track, the weather being very bad, rain falling almost without intermis- sion all the afternoon. G. Gatehouse (the holder) preferred the waiting game, and was beaten in the run home by the Irish- man, R. J. Mecredy of Dublin, the editor of that popular journal ' The Irish Cyclist,' who won handsomely by four yards from Gatehouse, John Lee third ; time, i hr. 55 mins. 4oisecs. The winner rode a Quadrant tricycle. On July 24, the Five Miles Bicycle Championship was run off in the Long Eaton track, and resulted finally in a win for the champion short-distance man of the year, P. Furnivall, W. A. Illston second, and G. Gatehouse third ; time, 14 mins. 44i sees. The Harrogate Camp was a greater success than ever, whilst the Southern Cychsts'Camp at Guildford, though not so favoured as to weather, also proved a success. In Ireland, R. J. Mecredy, the Tricycle Twenty-five jNIiles Champion, organised a most successful tour, a number of riders taking part in a thoroughly enjoyable excursion, which ' Faed ' Wilson has recounted in his readable * Two Trips to the Emerald Isle.' ' The Irish Tour ' bids fair to become a popular fixture. About the second week in August a perfect epidemic of ' records ' broke out, which are here epitomised. C. E. Taylor rode a mile on a tricycle at Bridlington Quay in 2 mins. 49 sees. G. P. Mills rode 273 miles on the road in twenty-four hours on an ordinary bicycle, and J. E. Fenlon at Paignton made records at 8, II to 18, and 21 to 25 miles inclusive. The Fifty Miles Bicycle Championship was run at Lillie Bridge on August 14, and fell to J. E. Fenlon, W. F. Ball second, J. H. Adams third ; time, 2 hrs. 47 mins. 21I- sees. Fenlon, who rode a Premier racer, made a waiting race of it until a Httle over a lap from home. HISTORICAL. 125 Records continued to fall like autumn leaves. George P. Mills rode a Beeston Cripper tricycle from Land's End to John o' Groat's in 5 days 10 hrs., thus beating the tricycle record by 30 hours. Furnivall and Gatehouse also did some marvellous times on the bicycle and tricycle respectively ; but owing to the inaccuracy of the official watch the records claimed were rejected. On the road E. B. Turner and S. Lee cut the fifty mile tricycle record, doing 3 hrs. 9. mins. 55 sees, on a Marriott Humber tandem ; and Alfred Fletcher, on an Ivel Safety, did the same distance in 3 hrs. 9 mins. 5 6 J sees. On August 28, in the North Road Club's one hundred mile race, E. Hale made a road record on a Premier for fifty miles, 3 hrs. 6 mins. 25^- secs. ; and J. H. Adams and R. V. Asbury a one hundred miles record on an AL & C. Humber tandem of 7 hrs. 29 mins. 5 sees. George Gatehouse was credited with no fewer than nineteen records on the tricycle, being an unbroken string from two miles in 5 mins. 37I- sees, to twenty miles in 59 mins. loj sees. ; all made on a Beeston Cripper Tricycle. C. Potter, of the Surrey B.C., beat the fifty mile bicycle record in his Club Fifty Miles Championship, G. Pembroke Coleman holding the watch ; time, 2 hrs. 41 mins. 40?- sees. A. J. Wilson and G. P. Mills beat the fifty miles tandem record on a Beeston Humber geared up to 68 inches, doing 2 hrs. 46 mins. 2|- sees. The Surrey Cup was won by Furnivall, W. F. Ball second. The season closed with a lot of attempts at record making. The C.T.C. membership showed a steady increase, whilst the N.C.U., though somewhat hampered by an absurd and imprac- ticable proposition to abolish the amateur definition, was still doing good work for the sport, especially in the direction of road improvement, in which it was working hand in hand with the C.T.C. The object of this chapter has been to trace the steady development of this popular sport to a period when its position is clearly assured, having become almost, if not quite, national in its importance. The Post Office use the ' Carrier ' cycle in con- nexion with the Parcel Post, whilst innumerable tradesmen use cycles of one form or another to distribute their wares. The 126 CYCLING. evening papers are also distributed by the ' Carrier.' The rights of cydists on the public roads are recognised by all, and the position of the wheelman with regard to the pubhc has been vastly improved. This chapter brings the history of cycling down to the date of the publication of the present volume — February 1887. A COUNTRY POSTMAN. 127 CHAPTER III. RIDING. Riding a bicycle is, for obvious reasons, more difficult than riding a tricycle. There are, however, points in common be- tween the two classes of machine, and for this reason many of the instructions are equally applicable to either. Thus the directions with regard to pedalling, holding the handles, atti- tude when riding, &c., may all be apphed with little, if any, variation to the bicyclist as well as the tricyclist. The first necessity for the learner of the art of bicycle riding is a machine on which to make the early efforts — so well remem- bered by every active rider. This should be one of that class of original velocipedes known by the derisive titles of ' bone- shakers,' ' timber-trucks,' and other facetious names, relics of a past age. The frames were of heavy sohd square iron rod, in many cases coiled and curved in a clumsy attempt to break the jars of the roads ; the wheels generally of hickory wood, with a heavy hub faced with a brass plate, and tired with iron, of course rattled tremendously over stones. The head was a long and heavy socket turning on a curved shoulder which was unpleasantly liable to fly right round, and either strike a heavy body blow or catch the leg between the tire and the backbone. At the top of the head was an elaborate bracket, bearing a 1 6-inch handle bar, which was about on a line with the rider's chest. The whole fabric was absurdly heavy, and, if it had seen service, loose in every joint. The cranks were very long, perhaps eight or nine inches, and the pedals of the most primitive construction. It speaks volumes for the 128 CYCLING. conscientious efforts of the early builders of velocipedes, that so nian} of their machines have so well and so long withstood the heavy work to which they have for years been subjected ; generations of novices having wrestled and fallen with the faith- ful timbertruck in their efforts to master the mysteries of the sport. Riders who have had ten or twelve years' experience will recall with a feeling of pleasure the day when, after many struggles, they really acquired the art of riding, and purchased the brilliantly coloured hickory-wheeled bone-shaker which ■^Ip )^y^^y^^' EARLY STRUGGLES. they now lend to their friends who wish to become cychsts in their turn. There is even now nothing so satisfactory as this old pattern machine for learning to ride ; it is very low, in fact the rider should be able to touch the ground on either side ; the long spring diminishes the effects of contact with the kerb or a brick — and it is remarkable with what pertinacity the beginner will make for a brick or any other awkward looking obstacle which may come more immediately within his agitated purview when RIDING. 129 there are acres of clear road around him at his disposal. The beginner cannot in his nervous trepidation minimise the shock of an inevitable collision as the experienced cyclist can, and it is consequently a distinct advantage to him to have the safe- guard of a long and flexible spring. The shape, make, and general type of the original machine will therefore be found to offer special advantages to the learner ; and a point in its favour must not be lost sight of, that is, that it affords to the attendant who is instructing, plenty of places which he can conveniently grip while steadying the novice ; the long horizontal spring, and the heavy bracket of the high-pitched handle-bar being equally convenient for the purpose. It is not difficult to procure one of these bone-shakers should the intending cyclist not live near enough to a riding school. The best way is to advertise in one or other of the cycling papers, when the necessary hack will be obtained for from 2/, to 3/. Here it will be well to put in a word of warning to those who wish to learn or to those who desire to teach, and this is to observe that none of the new dwarf bicycles known as 'Safeties' are suitable for purposes of instruction. Eveiy practical rider is aware of the added difficulty of steering these new machines when of the ordinary bicycle type with the big wheel in front. They are by no means so easily managed as an ordinary bicycle, owing to the fact that the wheel centre is generally placed some inches in front of a vertical line dropped through the steering-head centres, whilst the pedal centres are carried still further back, instead of being coincident with the wheel centres as in the ordinary bicycle. For these reasons, although a practised cyclist can very soon attain proficiency upon this dwarf type of machine, unless the learner has a very strong aptitude for the task his novitiate will be notably lengthened if he is put upon one of these sensitive steering machines. The other variety of safety bicycle has been described as having the big wheel a little one and the front wheel behind. These are machines in which the rear wheel is the larger and is driven tricycle wise by a chain, K I30 CYCLING. \vhilst the front wheel is a small one used only for steering, and they are even more erratic in the matter of steering, until properly mastered by constant practice. So the beginner will be wise if he avoids ' Dwarf Bicycles ' and ' Safeties ' and adheres to the use of a hack of the original bone-shaker pattern, or adopts as small a bicycle of the ordinary type as will permit the free action of the legs, so that when riding his hmbs do not come in contact with the handle-bar. Of course, should circumstances confine the rider to the use of a Safety, he can learn on it, but his struggles would be much shortened by avoiding that class for his initiatory efforts. The practical assistance and advice of a friend or attendant wall go a great way to getting over the more serious preliminary difficulties of the work. Instructors are to be found in most big towns throughout the country. There are schools and agencies, where cycle-riding is tau^-ht in a complete and satisfactory manner, and this is, without doubt, by far the best method of acquiring the art ; for the attendants and instructors have had in most cases plenty of miscellaneous experience in the task which they undertake, and are thus enabled to bring their charges safely through the ordeal without any serious or un- necessary damage. Some pupils, of course, are more clumsy than others, and although we do not give much credit to the oft-told stories of men who simply take a bicycle, jump upon it, and ride off without any previous experience of the machine, yet, on the other hand, we do know of many cases in which a careful and painstaking instructor has taught a beginner to ride, mount, and dismount in three separate lessons of half-an- hour each. For this reason we advise the would-be bicyclist, if possible, to go to a properly qualified teacher. The charges for mstruction vary in different places, but a complete course, enabling the learner to mount, dismount, and ride sufficiently well, can generally be obtained for about half a guinea — whilst, if the learner decides to purchase for subsequent use a new machine of his teacher, instruction in its use will often be a part of the bargain. RIDING. 131 It frequently happens, liowever, that the cychst i7t posse does not reside near enough to any of the cychng academies to undergo the regular course of tuition, and is constrained to fall back upon his own resources to acquire the desired accom- plishment ; and, arduous as the task may appear, many men have triumphed in a very short time over all the difficulties which present themselves. As actual experience is always the best guide, it will be well to relate the course taken by a well- known rider, who taught himself enough in the course of a few hours to make bolder and more practical essay upon a con- venient and quiet piece of road. Procuring a bone-shaker over which he could just stand, he took it into the garden, where, on a level and smoothly kept lawn, a horizontal bar had been erected. Standing beneath the bar he, with its assistance, got across the machine with one pedal in a convenient position, and then, steeling himself for the effort, let go of the bar — \vhich he had been firmly grasping with one hand— thrust wildly with his foot at the descending pedal, grasped the handle, and, shooting a couple of yards or so away from the bar, fell ignominiously sideways upon the turf; the small rosewood handle, owing to the weight of the clumsy vehicle, each time punching a neat hole about one and a half inch in dia- meter and three inches deep in the neatly-kept lawn. These holes sorely puzzled the gardener next morning, and he was furbishing up his mole-traps to capture the strange and de- structive animal which had caused them, when he learned the truth. These struggles went on for nearly three hours, off and on, a white stone being used to mark the farthest point reached until the whole length of the lawn was covered without a mis- hap, and the ' hill ' at the other end (a grassy slope of about eight feet) successfully surmounted. A modification of the same plan may be successfully adopted by the solitary learner. A stout rope stretched between two trees, the lintel of a con- veniendy placed doorway, or in fact any overhead point on which the learner can secure a firm hold, wliich will enable 132 CYCLING, him to sit upon his machine, and place himself comfortably in position for a fair start, should be at once devised or taken advantage of. The rider who teaches himself should do his best to secure a very small machine, as this will minimise the chances of injury in case of falls. Should the learner be able to secure the assistance of a practical friend, however, he will be very much better off ; or two beginners can materially aid one another by following out carefully the suggestions and hints appended below. Supposing them to have obtained a sound and serviceable machine of the old type. A cycle maker or repairer, or in default of these skilled workmen an ordinary blacksmith, should be got to run his eye over it so as to see that no serious defects or damages exist, and then the learners, if everything is right and the machine quite safe, can proceed to give one another lessons in turn. A few minutes at a time will be ample, say five or ten at the outside, and then the second man should take his turn, as at first the hmbs tire very rapidly, and the tyro apparently goes backwards instead of pro- gressing. The running and walking beside the machine stretches the legs, and enables the dismounted man to recover himself by the time he is called upon to mount again. A stout piece of rope about a yard long should be firmly fixed to the left-hand crutch of the handle, and it should have two or three knots tied in it to afford a good hold and preclude the possibility of its slipping through the attendant's hands. The saddle, which should of course be firmly fixed so as not to slip, should be put well back in the middle of the spring, great care being taken to see that it is even, and set straight. A saddle put on crookedly, or a little higher on one side than the other, will often mar a man's efforts to a serious extent when he is in the early stages of his task. Beginner number two should then stand in front of the machine on the left of the driving wheel, and grasp the head firmly with his left hand, steadying it at the same time with his right hand on the left-hand handle of the machine (he will be facing backwards, of course), with the end of the piece of rope in his left hand. Beginner number one will then stand across RIDING. 133 the machine (looking forwards) and taking hold of the handles with both hands, will place his left foot upon the step, raise himself thereon, and seat himself in the saddle. The piece of road chosen should be slightly down hill. The assistant {p?'o tern.) should then, whilst carefully holding his friend up, remove his left hand from the head to the left-hand handle, and his right hand from the handle to the spring or backbone behind the rider. He will then of course be facing forward, and will try to hold the learner up on the machine, always doing his best to prevent his falling away from him, i.e. over to the right, while, should the learner at any time so fall, the attendant must pull with all his strength on the rope so as to prevent the weighty and clumsy machine falling heavily to the ground with the rider. Several cases have been known in which a broken leg, and in one case a very bad fracture of the thigh bone, have resulted from such a fall with a solid iron-framed bone-shaker, and this danger is obviated to a very great extent by the use of the rope, as suggested above, which also subserves other pur- poses. The mounted man should not attempt to pedal at first, but should simply sit upright upon the saddle with a firm grip on the handles, and try his best to keep his balance by their use. The rule for steering is exceedingly simple, but its difficulty to the novice lies in the fact that, despite its extreme simplicity, it requires the rider to take instantaneously the exactly opposite course to that which his natural impulse suggests. Supposing a rider feels himself faUing to the right, the natural impulse will cause him to turn away from the direction of the threatened danger — a course which is instantaneously fatal j the rule, which is emphasised by italics, runs as follows : — ' Tuni the steering 'wheel toiuaj'ds the side to which the machine is f alii n^.^ For example, if the rider feels iiimself falling to the right, he should pull the right handle towards him, and push slightly at the left handle, and after a swerve or two, and a stagger towards a calamity on the opposite side, the balance is regained. 134 CYCLING. Of course, at first there is a strong and natural tendency to overdo this corrective action, so that the beginner who turns his wheel sharply to the right to counteract an impending fall to the right finds himself the next moment falling to the left, owing to his having overdone this turn ; and then, getting into a wild and flurried state, of course he falls. A capable and expert rider keeps his balance by following exactly the same rule, but the corrective turn of the wheel is infinitesimal, as the balance of the body of course co-operates to a very great extent with the maintenance of the equilibrium by means of the steering. The natural tendency of the beginner, as pointed out above, is always to turn his wheel the wrong way ; so the attendant should keep on repeating to the rider the maxim, ' Turn the wheel towards the side to which you are falling.' During all this time the mounted man should keep his feet off the pedals and concentrate all his attention on the steering, the attendant for the time being pushing him along at a fast walking pace, say four to five miles per hour. After a short time the rider will acquire the knack of steering sufficiently well to warrant his placing his feet on the pedals. This will momentarily upset all he has learnt, as from the position of the saddle any power he may consciously or unconsciously exert will tend to thrust the wheel out of its direct course, and thus to throw a severe strain upon the hands and arms, which are called upon to steady the steering wheel. It is an admitted fact that practical tricyclists are by far the best subjects amongst the learners of bicycle riding, more particularly those who have ridden the Humber type of tricycle. They have of necessity mastered the art of correcting the lateral thrust of the leg by means of the handles and careful pedalhng, and they are thus quite capable of correcting it in the early stages of their career as bicyclists. Even those riders who have only ridden the bath-chair pattern tricycles are better off in this respect than the absolute beginner, for they have acquired at least the knack of moving their feet in rotary action, and are thus able to propel the machine without awkwardness even if they RIDIXG. 135 cannot balance it. The complete novice, on the other hand, as often as not pushes at the wrong time, awkwardly throws his weight on the ascending pedal, thrusts the wheel out of its course b)' jerky lateral efforts to propel it, and frequently misses his pedal with, of course, disastrous results to his cuticle. A course of careful and intelligent tricycling (necessarily on a rotary-action machine) before commencing the initiatory stages of bicycling is for this reason most emphatically recommended. The beginner's two great difficulties wuU be found first in the steering, as detailed above, and then in the pedalling. The position of the rider on the bone-shaker, so far behind the pedals, converts all the pedal action into a lateral thrust ; this increases the tendency to unsteady steering, and the beginner must use both arms in concert to overcome, by means of the handles, the strong tendency to lateral thrust of the leg action. Of course, when the more modern type of machine is in due course mounted, the thrust of the leg approximates more closely to a vertical than a horizontal line, and as a consequence the tendency to irregular steering is very largely modified, whilst the strain on the wrists and arms is reduced to a minimum. Having sufficiently mastered the art of propelling and steering the machine, the beginner will have to learn to mount and dismount ; and here again the services of the assistant and the rope are very valuable. The most dangerous fall w^hich a man can have is that which occurs at the moment of mounting or dismounting, as the sufferer not infrequently falls into, or on to, the machine, and very serious injuries may easily be inflicted by contact with the sharp angles of the iron frame, the edges of the step or the pedals, or with the handles. To learn to dismount, the rider, very carefully watched over by his friend, should begin a long curve to the left, so that the machine leans slighdy to that — the getting-off — side ; then reaching back carefully with the left foot, he should feel for the step, taking care not to put his toe amongst the spokes — w^hich would of course result in a severe fall. Having found the step— and the assistant will do well to advise him by word of 136 CYCLING. mouth in which direction to. move his foot — he should rise upon It fairly at once, then throwing some of his weight upon the handles and the rest upon his left leg, turning the machine still more to the left and throwing more weight upon the left-hand handle, the right leg is brought sharply over the hind wheel and the rider drops easily and quickly to the ground, his right hand leaving the handle at the last moment as soon as some degree of proficiency has been acquired, and falling on to the back of the saddle. In after experiences, when higher machines are used, this dropping of the right hand upon the saddle will be found a great assistance in easing the drop of a dismount. The dismount should be assiduously and carefully practised until the rider feels perfect confidence in the execution of the manoeuvre. When this stage has been reached, and this is determined by the amount of practice the novice is able to give, he may go a step further and learn to mount. This is most easily accom- plished in the following manner : — The beginner should practise a few dismounts on the lines laid down above. Then dwell for as long a time as possible on the step ere descending to the ground, until after a fev/ experiments he finds he can stand on the step and keep the balance of the machine for several yards at a time. The next stage is to stand thus on the step, preferably on a slightly down-hill road, and while so doing, to bend the left knee (holding firmly on to the handles at the same time) and just touch the ground with the right foot, immediately afterwards straightening the left knee and regaining the saddle. This exercise may be continued, with intervals for rest, until the rider feels quite confident of his own proficiency. And now comes the crucial test — that of mounting from the ground — a feat for which the above recommended exercises have gradually prepared the learner. On the oft-mentioned piece of slightly falling road with the wind behind if possible, so as to make everything as easy as circumstances admit, the learner should place himself astride the hind wheel and put his left foot fairly on the step, the handles being firmly grasped. RIDING. 137 Throwing most of the weight upon the left foot, several hops should be made with the right foot until a sufficient pace is attained. Then, holding well on to the handles, the left leg should be sharply straightened, and the rider should get into the saddle. This should prove an easy task after the necessary pace has been got up if the exercises set forth at length in the foregoing pages have been carefully and completely carried out. At first, of course, from nervousness the beginner will be in a great hurry, but as soon as he gains confidence by frequently repeated executions of this movement, he should seek to per- form it slowly and with the utmost care and deliberation. This caution is extremely necessary, for many bad habits and tricks are learnt in this stage of a cyclist's practical experiences, and many an otherwise good rider may be seen whose method of mounting a machine is simply ridiculous. One, for example, will get on to the step of his machine with any amount of light- ness and grace, and from that point spring into his saddle with a sort of jerky leap which occasionally takes him over the front wheel into the road, and which always strains the spring and frame of the machine in a violent and perfectly unnecessary manner. Another may be noticed whose mounting is a painful and arduous undertaking, necessitating many struggles and entailing frequent failures. If the beginner will only take the trouble to study carefully the right way, he may hope to avoid the many faults of bad mounting. A large machine may be as easily and safely mounted from the step as a little one if the rider will follow out carefully the following hints. Having got fairly on to the step with the left leg, the right should be placed over, or rather round, the right- hand side of the saddle, the weight being thrown a trifle to the left and well forward. Then, carefully avoiding any spring from the left foot, the rider should pull himself by means of the handles directly forward, at the same time thrusting his right knee downwards and forwards (taking care to keep the right foot out of the spokes). If a steady force be exerted without any jerky action, the rider will glide into his saddle with the 138 CYCLING. utmost ease and comfort. As soon as the left foot has been removed from the step, the leg should be swung sharply but evenly forward into the same position as the right limb, and then — and not till then — the beginner may make a careful effort to catch his pedals. It is well once more to emphasise the vital rule : Do not hurry. A very deliberate and careful mount may, by steady practice, be converted into an adequately rapid mount — sufficient for all practical purposes — which will always, with care, retain the very important quality of safety. The jerk or spring off the step is the fatal flaw in many a rider's method of mounting, although only a little care is necessary to overcome the fault whilst the habit is young. The spring will be found, more especially in the case of heavy men, to severely damage the machine ridden, the backbone of which will often become twisted, unless it has been especially made extra strong (which of course also necessitates extra weight) to withstand the strain. The rider who takes the trouble, therefore, to cultivate an easy and scientific mount, will never be very nervous should occasion arise for him to mount a very light machine, for fear of that most dangerous of all accidents, a forward pitch before he is quite settled in the saddle. It is frequently the case in modern close-built machines that the handles come so low as to interfere with the forward passage of the right knee in the course of the mount as suggested above. Where this occurs it is advisable either to have the handles made cowhorn fashion, or else to raise the step about a couple of inches ; either of these expedients, the latter being in most cases the least expensive, will prevent the rider from acquiring an awkward habit of mounting, which might result from his having been baulked in his earliest essays by striking his knee against the bar of the handles. Mounting, riding, and dismounting having thus been ex- plained, and, it is hoped, brought within the capacity of the beginner, he may at once begin to study the real art of bicycle riding as distinguished from what, for want of a better term, may be called the mere rule of thumb of riding the wheel. RIDING. 139 The cyclist should from the first aspire to be something more than a mere straight-away rider ; he should seek to be a clever and expert master of his machine. For this reason, and with this object always in view, he should carefully study the various methods whereby he applies his power, should seek to '~4^: -fe. COASTING— SAFE AND EECKLESS. acquire an effective, comfortable, and easy style, and to develop by careful and constant practice that dexterity of limb which is so necessary to pace. The cyclist is not recommended to take up that branch of the sport known as ' fancy riding.' Such tricks of balance may well be left to the circus performer and professional athlete, whose business it is to risk their limbs in I40 CYCLING. these exercises and feats of skill. The average amateur cyclist should simply seek to acquaint himself with the qualities and peculiarities of the machine which he uses. The first point, when sufficient confidence has been acquired by a course of steady and continual practice, is to try and acquire an easy, and, above all, comfortable style ; and as this requisite is as indispensable to the tricyclist as to the bicyclist, the two classes may be taken under the one head. Readers will remark that an easy and graceful style is not spoken of, inasmuch as the latter cannot always be learnt, and the effort to gain it might in some cases prove an absolute drawback ; for it may not be possible for a cyclist to be graceful and at the same time exert his full powers, just as in the same way many a first-class race- horse has not perfect action, and many a fast running man has progressed in the most ugly style. In the same way many a good cyclist, in adopting an easy and comfortable attitude, suited to his individual idiosyncrasies, is often found to indulge in a habit which may be considered extremely awkward and ugly by the more hypercritical of the observers. A very sharp line must, however, be drawn between mere laziness as opposed to actual necessity, as very often the former is the true cause of the awkward style and clumsy action of many a young rider. The beginner should therefore seek to cultivate a style based on the very best models, and then, when his ex- periences are somewhat enlarged, he may modify it in one direction or another to suit himself, always of course taking care not to fall into any error whereby he may unnecessarily lose any of the good points which he has by careful practice acquired. For ordinary road riding, either on the bicycle or the tricycle, a fairly upright position should be assumed, although in ninety- nine cases out of a hundred the bolt upright attitude is as inconvenient in practical cycling as it would be in foot running, when the best efforts of the rider are to be made. So the novice will bear in mind that when hurrying or riding against the wind, the body may be advantageously carried RIDING. 141 rather forward, always supposing that the saddle has been rightly placed, and that the leg reach has been properly studied, of which more anon. This forward inclination of the body tends to throw most of the weight upon the pedals and the drivmg wheel, and, when not exaggerated, it is most suitable, as it presents less surface to the wind and at the same time increases the grip of the wheel upon the ground, thus steadying the steering. The position of the handles is a point which requires very careful considera- tion, as it very often happens that a mistake in this detail will permanently injure a rider's style. A very old and favourite theory with cyclists has been em- bodied in the oft-quoted phrase ' a straight pull,' and bicycle handles (which are as a rule not adjustable) have been put lower and lower to afford the rider the full advantage, theoreti- cally supposed to be thus obtained, until the extreme point of efficiency has been passed, and the style of the rider cramped and seriously damaged through his having to reach after his handles in a noticeable and consequently awkward manner. This is, in this connexion, absolutely the most serious error that can be made, and both the bicyclist and the tricyclist will do better to ride with a short reach and bent arms rather than have the handles so low as to cause the rider to crane over with rounded shoulders to reach them, which very soon bows the back, pulls the shoulders forward, compresses the chest, Fig. I. [42 CYCLING. and generally alters the comfortable pose and set of the body ; added to which the rider must, at any rate if he be a bicyclist, retain a firm and steady grip of the handles, and cannot there- fore, in a sudden emergency, throw his weight backwards by straightening his arms, as in the case of a shorter reach, and the danger of serious accidents, especially down hill, is thus very largely increased. In the case of the tricyclist who suffers from a too lengthy arm reach the difficulties are less important, although they equally tend to spoil the style, added to which in the case of a well-poised machine the rider will find himself constantly Fig. 2. slipping forward on to the peak of the saddle, and as constantly having to recover himself by raising himself on the pedals — an irksome and annoying task which can be at once obviated by altering the adjustment of the handles, or, if they are raised as high as possible (which sometimes happens vvith very long- legged riders in certiiin patterns of tricycles), a fresh pair of handles with longer standards should at once be purchased from the makers, as the added comfort thereby obtained will amply repay the rider for the expenditure. A short arm reach, there- fore, is very much to be preferred to an over-long one. The correct and most comfortable position of the arms can only be RIDING. T43 satisfactorily determined by actual experience and practice in each individual case, as the length of the arm is variable ; but the best guide is to ensure a slight flexion of the arm at the elbow when the handles of the bicycle are held with the under- grip, or a slight inward bend of the wrist on the ordinary pattern front-steering tricycle. This bending of the arm on the bicycle will ensure an easy and comfortable position of the body and shoulders, and the rider's weight can in a moment be carried back by straightening the arms and throwing back the shoulders. These remarks, as wull be seen, apply in a great measure to both bicyclists and tricyclists, but only a practical experiment can satisfactorily determine the exact and proper position of the handles on either class of machine. How to hold the handles is a much discussed point, there being three recognised styles amongst bicyclists, all of which have been also adopted by tricyclists. They may be best de- scribed as the over-grip style, the under-grip style, and the end, or cap, grip. The over-grip is when an ordinary parallel horizontal handle on the end of the handle-bar is held with the knuckles and back of the hand upwards and the thumb underneath at the inside end of the handle. This is the way ordinarily adopted by the beginner, and is a sound and service- able method, very popular amongst the upright class of road riders. It should in most cases be used in descending a hill, as it affords especial facihties for applying the break, and also compels the rider to hold himself fairly well up, whilst it allows him also to sit a bit back, and to shift his shoulder weight to the rear in case his hind wheel becomes unsteady ; at high speeds, with a steady shoulder and a straightened arm, the machine can be held straight by pressure on the handles, whilst, if the rider prefers to descend the hills with his legs over the handle-bar, the over-grip is slill more suitable as enabling him to lift himself away from his machine in case of a fall over any obstacle which may be encountered. The over-grip must, however, give way to the under-grip for level and up-hill work, and also more especially for racing. 144 CYCLING. In the under- grip the hand grasps an ordinary parallel handle with the knuckles and back of the hand turned downwards, the nails on the top and the thumb upwards on the outside of the handle. This method of holding the handles is generally identified with the * grasshopper ' fashion in racing, and — as can be easily proved to demonstration by any reader — it throws the shoulder blades well back and opens the chest completely for the full inspiration of the air, obviously a most important matter for race riders. The value and convenience of the under-grip style is shown by the fact that nearly every promi- nent rider, amateur as well as professional, adopts it. The under-grip offers special advantages to all bicyclists, and also as a natural sequence to riders who use the Humber tricycle, or any of the numerous imitations of that popular pattern which steer with a bicycle-like handle, as by settling the elbows tight against the sides additional steadying control can be exercised over the steering, whilst the position is in every way satisfactory and convenient, with the single exception of down-hillwork, where the over-grip will be found in most cases preferable. For racing men, as suggested above, the value of the under- grip cannot be over-estimated. Its effects are simple, yet efficacious. The rider's weight is thrown forward over the front wheel, which is thereby steadied, whilst its hold upon the ground is increased. Very little of the weight is carried by the hind wheel as long as the course is straight ; the rider can, how- ever, by slightly bending his back, carry his weight suddenly to the rear, and almost instantaneously increase the pressure upon the hind wheel so as to give it he necessary grip for steering purposes round corners or in case of any sudden emergency, and this rapid retrograde action is most conveniently made when the hands are held in the under-grip position. The end-grip or cap-hold is that position taken by the hand when it grasps the handle over the end, the rounded end of the handle being pressed against the palm, or when the horn handle is affixed in the Portsmouth fashion at right-angles across RIDhXG. 145 the end of the steering bar. The back of the hand and the knuckles are turned outwards, the thumb coming over the top of the handle to secure the grip and the fingers folding round it from underneath. This position is a compromise between the over- and under-grip and finds much favour with some practical riders. Anyone who likes it can of course easily adopt it, but it has some drawbacks which will prevent its becoming altogether very popular. The shape of the handle and its fittings preclude the possibiUty of any change of position, and in the course of very long journeys or over very rough roads, when the vibration is severe, the absence of this possibility would in most cases be found very irksome ; and for this reason the fitting of these cross-handles to the small- wheeled 'Safeties' now in vogue is to be very strongly deprecated. The varying positions which the hand can take with ease in succession on an ordinary handle gives the latter a distinct advantage in most riders' opinion over the transverse or cross- fitted handle, and it is therefore suggested that the beginner should carefully limit himself to the use of the ordinary hori- zontal handle. The rider should accustom himself to the various methods of holding the handles pointed out above, and the bicychst should mostly confine himself to the under-grip for fast work, taking of course every care not to get too far forward ; he should also, when opportunity occurs, practise shifdng his hands from one position to another as occasion may require, at the same time steadying the machine with his feet, so as to be ready to meet any emergency. Whilst the learner is in the throes of mastering these minor points he will find, as suggested above, that with a little care with his feet he can control the course of the bicycle by their aid alone ; and although he should at first exercise the utmost caution in so experimenting, yet, as he gets more expert, he may devote a certain portion of his exercising time to trying to see how far he can go without touching the handles. He will soon discover that nothing so soon obliges him to grasp the handles afresh as the uneven thrust of the leg that he acquired L 146 CYCLING. in the early days of his novitiate, which deflects the wheel from the straight course and has in actual riding to be counteracted by a pull on the handles, an obvious waste of muscular power. The constant tendency of a beginner's legwork is to thrust the driving-wheel of a bicycle or the wheels of a Humber type tricycle from one side to the other, and this is why a beginner always wobbles all over the road. With but a very little care- ful practice the beginner will acquire a varying amount of con- trol over the steering with his feet, and this is the first crude step towards that mastery of the pedal action, the art of ankle work, which makes all the difference between a good and an indifferent rider. To clearly appreciate the point at issue — and this is of primary importance— let the rider seek the nearest grindstone or coffee- mill, or in fact any apparatus fitted with a handle of the type usual in such machines. Taking hold of it the experimentalist should move it to its highest point and then turn it slowly round, standing fairly behind, and, if possible, over it, so that the arm may be brought when straight in the position of the \tg on a ' bone-shaker,' and he will find that the power he exerts can be roughly broken up into a series of direct forces. Sup- posing he is standing behind and a little above the grindstone, he first thrusts the handle away from him, the force being a forward horizontal one, roughly speaking. Then he presses it down, this being a downward vertical force. Then, before it quite reaches the lowest point, he begins to pull it towards him, exercising a backward horizontal force, and finally he lifts it over the relative dead centre, exercising an upward vertical force ; and then commences the forward thrusting action again. Having carefully studied this action with the hand, the principle of keeping up the application of the power all round should be adapted, as far as possible, to the action of the feet when riding a cycle. It will be necessary to have a pair of shoes (as described in the * Dress ' chapter) fitted to the pedals with deep slots, to give the feet the necessary grip and prevent their slipping ; and if the machine can be placed on one of the RIDING. 147 * home trainers ' or otherwise raised from the ground so that the first ankle work may be done on a free wheel, the task will be all the easier. The ' Home Trainer ' patented by Mr. Mil- browe Smith of West Bromwich is a valuable assistance in this connexion, whilst the art of pedalling is of equal importance to every cyclist road rider and racing man, whether he ride bicycle or tricycle, safety or full-sized, front- or rear-steerer. The theory will be best understood if the rider momentarily supposes that he has gone a few steps backward in the Dar- winian line of human descent, and that he is once again quadrumanous or four-handed, after the style of our Simian ancestors, his feet being replaced by hands. Were this four- handed being asked to sharpen an axe on a grindstone, he would probably grasp the conveniently arranged double handles of the grindstone with his nether hands, and perform the pull and thrust action illustrated above, whilst with his normal hands he held the blade he wished to sharpen. Sup- posing he had much of this exercise, a Simian man would be likely to do exceedingly well upon a bicycle or tricycle ; for, steadying himself upon the saddle with his normal hands on the handle-bar, he would, with the others, grasp the pedals and not only push them down but pull them up, thrusting, pressing, pulling, and thrusting again in regular sequence. This would be practically the whole art of pedalling, and were man so formed as to be able to grasp as firmly with his feet as he does with his hands, his pace on the wheel would un- doubtedly be greater. But the foot grip is wanting, and the next best plan must be looked for. This is supplied by a careful and intelligent cultivation of the use of the ankle-joint, which, by proper practice and constant exercise can be brought into a sufficiently skilful state to effect with consummate ease nearly all the various actions which a quadrumanous cyclist might perform ; the main idea, as will have been gathered from the foregoing, being to exert throughout almost the whole revolution of the pedal a force or forces which shall tend to propel the machine, whilst ankle work, even in its weakest and 148 CYCLING. least developed stage, prevents the rider from holding the pedal down when the lowest point is reached, a trick which very often has much to do with the notable slowness of a promising- looking rider. It is well therefore for the learner, as soon as he has mastered the rudiments of the art of riding, to begin to practise, however incompletely, the art of ankle w^ork, as he will thereby modify and lighten his action and obtain a full return for all the exertions he may make. It is a necessity in artistic ankle w^ork that both legs should work equally, and the rider who begins to cultivate ankle-pedal- ing is advised to commence the education of his left foot first. It is usually found that the left leg takes longer to acquire its full share of skill in this direction than the right. Sitting upon the machine placed as suggested upon some sort of stand so that the driving wheel or wheels run free, or upon a 'home trainer,' the rider should put the left foot upon the pedal, being careful to see that the pedal bars are fitted into the slots in the soles of the shoe. Then let the pedal drop to its low^est point, and from the stationary position start the wheel — using the left foot alone— by grasping dow^nwards wath the toes, raising the heel and bending the foot downwards from the ankle, and (to use the only expressive -svord available) ' clawing ' the pedal backwards and upwards. This should be done fairly from a dead stop half a dozen times, and then the break may be very liglitly applied, and the same performance repeated. This course will initiate the beginner into the nature of the precise action required, and it must be carefully practised for a time both on the home trainer (if available), and also as far as the action is concerned in active riding on the road, until the knack or trick is fully mastered. Then, with a certain amount of break check on the trainer, or in the actual work out of doors, the rider should carefully carry out the following exercises, keeping them up as long as possible despite aches and pains (except cramp, which necessitates an instant dismount and a sharp friction of the muscles affected), so as to educate the joints and muscles up to the work required. RIDJXG. 149 The appended diagram, fig. 3, although at first sight it savours of EucHd, is not by any means as learned as it looks. It is only intended to illustrate clearly the course of a rotating crank and pedal attached to a machine travelling in the direction GC as marked by the arrow. The pedal drawn at a will describe around the axle centre at j a circle as shown. Practically the reader is only concerned with the circumference of this circle, the diameter of which is equal to twice the crank-throw, as it is round the circumference that the foot placed on the pedal travels, and with it therefore it will be convenient to deal to further simplify the description. There are shown in the diagram eight equidistant radii, as a j, b j, and so on, which may each in turn be taken to represent the crank. These radii divide the circle into eight segments, numbered in the order in which the pedal will pass through them in a complete circuit. Thus A to B, I — B to c, 2 — c to D, 3 — and so on. It is assumed for the purposes of illustration that the rider is seated vertically over the point k, some few inches behind the centre of the driving wheel (taking an ordinary bicycle as the most convenient illustration, though these remarks apply equally to other cycles). I50 CYCLING. Seated then vertically above k, suppose it assumed that the rider only exerts a downward pressure by simply straightening his leg in the direction a e, it is obvious that he cannot effect very much in the way of propulsion whilst his foot is passing through segment i, from a to b. From b through c to d, tra- versing segments 2 and 3, the force would be at its maximum of efficiency, after which whilst traversing section 4 from d to e its value as a propulsive powder w^ould rapidly decrease until it reached e, where if the force acting in the direction ae were kept up, i.e. the pressure downward on the pedal maintained, it would actually retard and stop the machine — a source of fre- quent falls to the novice. Supposing, however, that the down- ward force of the leg were stopped at e, and the foot simply lifted with the pedal via f, g, and h to a, the downward thrust would again become effective. This raising or lifting of the foot with the rising pedal from e to a, by a distinct and intentional muscular effort, is one of the earliest signs that the student has at length passed out of his novitiate. It is, however, obvious that a rider merely moving his feet straight up and down is effective only from a to e, and only really effective, to any material extent, from b to d, or through just one-fourth of the entire revolution of the pedal, an obvious loss of power if of nothing else. Supposing, for example, a rider were so placed as to be well behind the crank centre, say for argument's sake on a level with the line cg produced backwards, if he were to attempt to propel the machine by straight tnrusts, as in the foregoing example, then it will be clearly seen that he becomes effective through the semicircle G h a b c, having the maximum power from h to b, whilst he w^ould be also quite ineffective during the return half of the stroke from c through d e and f to G. What an advantage it would be if the rider, instead of driving but half a revolution of the crank, and that not effec- tively, could by a little practice drive throughout nearly three- quarters of the entire revolution of the crank ? This tremendous increase of power can be secured by cultivating the proper use of the ankle-joint, and is in short the result of a careful mastery RIDIXG. 151 of the art of ankle work. By the aid of a few simple diagrams it will be easy to explain the whole mystery, and although a mere perusal of the theory of the art will not teach it practi- cally, yet if the learner will carefully carry out the instructions appended there is little doubt that he will soon understand the principle of the thing, and it then becomes simply a question of sufficient practice to make him an adept at this most valuable accomplishment, whatever may be the class of cycle the learner uses, always supposing that it has a rotary action, or something very closely akin to it. Seated either on Fig. 4. a bicycle slung so that the wheel may revolve, or upon a home- trainer, the beginner should raise the pedal to its highest point, and then, steadying the wheel with the break, place his foot upon the pedal, carefully fitting the slots in his shoes into their places, and seeing in any case that the foot is straight. Then, using the thigh muscle for the most part, let him thrust the foot (and pedal) forward in a horizontal direction, in fact a sort of sharp forward kick, having the heel dropped as low as possible, the toes well up, and the foot firmly set on the pedal, which will be at an angle as shown in fig. 4. This should be practised carefully with the break slightly on, and for this purpose, though 15^ CYCLhWG. a bicycle can be used, a tricycle will be found much handier, if no home-trainer of the West Bromwich pattern is available, as the break can be put slightly on by means of a piece of string or a strap to the lever, tied to any convenient point, and the novice can spend a few minutes daily practising this exercise ; in carrying out which programme the left foot should at first be used more than the right. As soon as the usual awkwardness of the ankle-joint has been worked off this action will be found remarkably effective in starting the machine, as the force is applied in a direction approximating to the line taken by the Fig. 5. Fig. 6 pedal through segment i, fig. 3; after a time the ankle muscles, and those of the calf, will become stronger, and a sharp straighten- ing of the ankle, as the pedal passes from a to c through seg- ments I and 2, will materially aid the propulsion of the machine. This straightening of the ankle will be continued until at c the foot is brought into a position at right angles to the leg (fig. 5), the muscular effort of which should now have by equal gradations become directly downwards. The pedal will now assume a horizontal position, and the power of the leg with the weight of the body and the pull of the arms will all be RIDING. 153 exerted to force it downwards — at this point the ciank throw is in the most effective position and the hardest work is put in. Passing c, the pedal begins to follow a backward course to D and e, and here the ankle action becomes of the greatest value. The toe is gradually dropped, and the heel raised as the pedal gets nearer and nearer to the lowest point e, when the foot will have assumed a position shown with some exaggeration in fig. 6, the action having at length reached the backward or ' clawing ' stage. To secure the full advantage of ankle work this ' clawing^ action must be very carefully practised ; the toes should be sharply pressed upon the sole of the shoe as if they were trying to grasp some- thing, whilst the ankle should be straightened as much as possible, the foot being almost in a line with the leg, the calf muscles being strongly retracted, and the backward pull (which of course requires fitted shoes) can be made practically effective through segment 5, and also of service well into segment 6. The ineffective portion, which exists on either side of the point G, is soon reduced to a very small part of the circle, for as soon as the point G has been passed, the heel should be sharply dropped, and an upward and forward kick or thrust as described in the directions for the first position, will lift the pedal forwards and upwards to a, when of course the whole series of actions will be repeated. No rider can pedal properly in a w^eek, only a very few are passably proficient in a month, whilst a master of the art takes years to develop, and never claims to be perfect, for not one man in a thousand can be found with equal power and equal action ; so the beginner will see at once that he has plenty of scope for work and also for improvement. Constant, careful, and intelligent practice is not only absolutely necessary, but is the only way in which the thing can be fully mastered. At first a good deal of stiffness and some pain will be caused, especially in the knees, calves, and front of the shins, whilst the lower abdominal muscles are occasionally painful in common with those of the upper thigh ; this is sometimes caused by 154 CYCLING. over-work, or by attempting to practise up-hill. Elliman's Embrocation can be recommended as a complete specific m such cases, but if the stiffness is very bad, warm fomentations or a warm bath may be taken, the Embrocation being after- wards carefully applied, whilst after each spell of work the rider or his attendant should carefully rub the legs for ten minutes or so with the bare hand, which will assist the circula- tion of the blood through the muscular tissues, and enable them the more rapidly to accommodate themselves to the novel task imposed upon them. As pointed out above, these exercises may be carried out upon a bicycle, tricycle, or home-trainer. The latter is perhaps the best for the beginner, although he has much to re-learn when he again gets on his machine. Of all other types, if a choice is available, a Humber pattern tricycle in which the work is put almost vertically under the rider, will perhaps be found most convenient and serviceable for the purpose, and it can be slung by two ropes under the handles to some adjacent beam ; as soon as sufficient proficiency has been attained the same machine can be used on the road in actual practice, a desideratum which should not be lost sight of. As suggested above, the left foot should first be carefully schooled (except, perhaps, in the case of those persons who are left-footed as well as left-handed), then the right, which latter should be put through the same exercises, though for a time less frequently than the left. As soon as some precision of action has been acquired, the learner should at- tempt a little slow and painstaking road riding, on a level road, not down hill or before the wind (as being likely to cause inadvisable rapidity), or up stiff hills or against heavy wind, because this will unduly tire the limbs and muscles. The right foot being taken off the pedal and put on the foot-rest, or swung backwards, taking care, of course, not to get it in the spokes, the left should be carefully exercised alone, the machine being driven as straight as possible at a moderate pace. This strengthens and develops the muscles, and at the same time affords the rider or his attendant a practical opportunity of RIDING. 155 testing the actual amount of force exercised by the leg, a material point, as ankle action without a little power to back it is practically useless, albeit a very small amount of power can be made to go a very long way by the possessor of a good and well-studied ankle action. In fact, to this one accomplishment, possessed in a very high degree of efficiency, may without doubt be ascribed the successes on the path and the road of riders who, regarded merely from the muscular power stand- point, are by no means pre-eminent as athletes. As soon as the left limb has been fairly started, and has developed some little proficiency in the steady and even propulsion of the machine, that more promising pupil, the right leg, may be exercised in the same way ; but care should always be taken, for months after the commencement of the work, not to forget the left leg, or to throw all the labour — as so many riders uncon- sciously do — upon the right, as an uneven ankle action is possibly worse than no ankle action at all, seeing that the machine is always being driven to one side in the case of bicycles and Humber pattern tricycles, necessitating of course extra exertions on the part of the rider to keep it in a straight course, so that power is lost all round, and literally thrown away, for no possible good of any kind is derived from it. The rider who follows out closely the above instructions will soon begin to appreciate the value of the art which he is acquiring, but he will do well to curb his impatience, and to adhere to his plan of daily practice at a slow pace for a con- siderable time. It is very bad policy to hurry, at any rate for some time after the rudiments of ankle action have been fully mastered, for if the rider gets up a high rate of speed he is almost certain to fall into some faults which will cause him to slur over some material portion of the stroke ; it is therefore necessary that a rider who desires to gain a thoroughly irre- proachable ankle action should devote daily a certain specified time to practising it at a slow pace, which may gradually be increased as proficiency is acquired, until at the highest speed of the racing path the all round ankle action of the accomplished 156 CYCLING. rider is seen in its highest development. Whilst learning, say for the first couple of months, an exaggerated action is recom- mended, the heel dropped as low as possible, the toes alter- nately being pointed as high up and as low down as the ankle- joint will permit, and the forward thrust and claw back carried out as far as possible. These actions, thus carried to the extreme, effect the same purpose as the skipping or jumping of the sprint runner ; they stretch all the muscles and increase the freedom of motion in the joints, and thus assist materially in the development and freedom of the action ; but when at length it has been full mastered, and a lengthy practical experience has taught the rider that even at the highest speeds he does not slur or shirk the work, it is well to modify the action of the ankle as far as is compatible with the full use of the joint. The true art is to conceal art, and this modification properly learnt in no way impairs the effectiveness of the ankle action ; in fact, it really increases its value by adding to its rapidity all round, and thus allows more scope for the use of the powerful muscles of the calf and thigh, whilst the easy smart rhythmic action of the ankle keeps the work alive, to use an expressive if somewhat technical metaphor. The real point is that the pull and thrust action, going on simultaneously with both feet, practically does away with the dead centre, and keeps the wheel running between the full throw strokes, a point which will be fully appreciated by all practical cyclists, and may be likened to that portion of the sculler's art which enables him to keep his boat running between the strokes. The rider must bear in mind throughout all his work that the downward thrust is of course his most valuable point, and that it should be fully taken advantage of, and not lost sight of in the course of the all-round action ; but at the same time the quick clawing recovery prevents any hang of the machine at the dead point, and therefore materially aids propulsion. Nor is it right to suppose, as some riders have done, that ankle work is only of service on the racing path, and of no value elsewhere ; as a matter of fact the very greatest value is to be attached to the RIDING. 157 art on the road. All our best road riders excel in a sound and straight ankle action. Mr. Harry Osborn, for example, is a splendid road rider, and especially good at hills, and his excellence is due to a very great extent to a natural ankle action, backed by plenty of physical power. Mr. Charles E. Liles is another skilful exponent of the advantages of true ankle action, inasmuch as he always uses rubber pedals when racing, yet he seldom or never slips his pedal, even in the excitement of the closest of finishes, owing solely to the fact that his ankle play always keeps his foot in the safest of positions, behind the pedal in the direction of the force applied. John Keen, the well-known professional ex-champion, is pre- eminently an ankle worker, and he shines now, as he always has done, on the road and up hill ; indeed, all the modern racing men, amateur and professional, have cultivated this style with a greater or less degree of success. The road rider should therefore study and practise the art with as much care and assiduity as the racing man, as he w^ill always find it of the very greatest service in all branches of active cycling. The accurate arrangement of the reach of the machine is an important point, and has a notable effect upon the success or otherwise of the rider. The question, as far as it deals with racing machines, will be found fully treated in the chapter devoted to this branch of the subject. The choice and ar- rangements of a roadster will, however, interest a much larger section of readers, and is, therefore, described at greater length here. It is an absolute necessity that the machine for use on the road should be well under control so as to ensure the complete safety of the rider, and this desideratum can only be secured by having the roadster machine as nearly as possible an exact fit. Though in this case the bicycle only is spoken of, the popular Humber type in tricycles may be considered under the same head ; most other tricycles are made adjustable as regards the saddle, and thus the difficulties to which w^e are alluding do not of necessity arise. Too long a reach on a bicycle is dangerous, as the rider 158 CYCLING. loses his pedals at the bottom of the stroke, and is thus unable to steady the machine with his feet at high speeds, whilst too short a reach, though infinitely preferable to the other extreme, is also likely to cause trouble, as the cramped position prevents the free action of the limbs, and as high- speed pedalling is thereby rendered very difficult, the result is unsteadiness, together with bad and irregular steering. To meet these objections the bicyclist, who has passed through the novice stage, must make an effort to secure a machine which exactly suits him, and although he may possibly get suited by chance, it is very much better to try a few machines as occasion serves, and also to get the assistance of a practical friend, before he finally decides on buying any one mount. It is characteristic of the novice that he wants to ride a high wheel, but he will do well to curb this aspiration. Another idea which often takes this class of aspirant is that because an old and experienced cyclist of five feet nine inches rides a certain height of wheel, the novice of the same height can do the same. Putting aside the possibility of the older rider being abnormally long in the leg, there remains the undoubted fact that the effective length of a cyclist's leg is, up to a certain point, increased by practice. This is to be accounted for by the stretching and great freedom of the muscles ; and the beginner will do well to remember this. The measurement to decide the right size of wheel which a novice should adopt must be taken down the inside of the leg, from the fork to the ball of the foot. The most convenient method of measuring is for the rider to put the inside of the front sole of his boot either on the end of the tape or on a piece of wood, over which the tape ring may be slipped ; the tape should then be drawn tightly over the first finger of the right hand and pulled well up to the fork, along the inside seam of the trousers. This will be the theoretical reach of the leg. For example, say it is 35 inches. From this certain deductions must be made, say 5^ inches for crank throw, inasmuch as the pedal drops that much below the centre of the wheel at each RIDING. 159 revolution, whilst another 2\ inches must be deducted to allow for the set of the saddle above the backbone and the wheel. These deductions will give the rider 27 inches as his effective reach or radius, and this being doubled indicates approximately the correct size of his wheel, viz. about 54 inches. A rather smaller size may suit one rider, a slightly larger one another ; but the above measurements, if carefully carried out, will give very fair and convenient results, at any rate for the guidance THE KEAR-DRIVING SAFETY BICYCLE. ' Jog on, jog on the footpath way.' — Wmter's Tale, Act iv, Sc. iii. of the beginner. After a time the effective reach of the rider becomes longer ; the muscles act more freely, the Hmbs are used wuth greater boldness, and then a compensating increase in the size of the wheel used may be found advan- tageous, or the spring may be altered, or a more open Arab cradle spring adopted, and the reach of the original machine thereby lengthened. Those riders who do not intend to tempt fortune upon the racing path will do well to content i6o CYCLING. themselves with a machine which has an easy reach, although, as pointed out above, care must be taken not to adopt so small a mount as to cramp the action of the limbs. For winter riding or for use in very rough or hilly country, a machine with a relatively smaller driving wheel is recom- mended, and should the user desire not to get out of his stride, he can easily have the winter machine built with the same reach, &c., as his summer mount ; others, again, who desire to use the same machines, but who find the work rather laborious in winter, will find very great benefit from having the cranks so arranged as to allow of adjustment from five to six inches — tricycle cranks, on central geared machines, have mostly this arrangement. Riders who have not practically tested the matter can hardly appreciate the power, ease, and comfort obtainable during the worst and most inclement season by the use of the longer crank throw. The new class of Safety bicycles just introduced afford added facihties to the winter rider, as he can have his summer mount geared down for winter use, and a machine which has been used all the summer geared up to 58 inches will be found a model winter roadster when geared down to 50 or 52 inches during the inclement season. Tricyclists are of course much better circumstanced as re- gards both winter riding and the arrangement of the leg reach. Many machines of all types have adjustable seats, whilst even the Humber tricycle, with its unadjustable saddle, can be adjusted to a limited extent by shortening or lengthening the chain and correspondingly shifting the lower bracket. As regards winter work, the practical success of the two-speed gears has placed almost unlimited powers at the service of tricyclists, as they give a lower power for use when, by stress of weather or badness of the roads, it is required. As pointed out above, adjustment is easily obtained on most tricycles, and the rider should not shirk the trouble of frequent alteration and readjust- ment until he has found out, by practical experience, exacdy the reach which suits him. The careful tricyclist, having dis- RIDING. i6i covered this exact adjustment, will cut with a small file a very slight nick on the standard to mark the correct point, so that should the bolt by any chance slip, or the standard be altered to suit a taller or shorter friend at any time, he will at once be able to replace it at the most effective position for his own use — a hint, the value of which will be found to lie ' in the application thereof,' like the aphorisms of the great Jack Bunsby. Humber type tricycles are best built to measure in the same manner as bicycles, as the efforts made to secure adjustabiUty by means of standards or kindred arrangements passing through the back- bone have not on the whole proved conspicuously successful. The objection lies in the enormous leverage which the vertical plunger or standard has over the backbone and hind wheel, the weight of the rider being thus in a position to produce tre- mendous strains, which are obviously increased for every inch the saddle is raised ; and as this twisting or wringing of the backbone is communicated directly to the hind wheel, the steadi- ness of the machine, especially at high speed, is much impaired. Purchasers, therefore, of any of the Humber type machines will do well to have the spring put close to the backbone, as added steadiness is thereby secured. The proper adjustment and placing of the saddle is another very important point in the curriculum of the cycling novice, as on this one thing depends to a very great extent the personal comfort of the rider ; and there is no one item in the whole arrangement of the fittings and accessories of any class of machines on which so great a diversity of opinion is to be found. In fact, the rider, whatever his mount may be, must suit himself ; but practical experience teaches that, by the exercise of a little judgment, he can find exactly what he wants, and at the same time so fashion his seat that it may assist him in forming a good style of riding. The main point to be studied is to place the saddle as nearly as possible in a horizontal position. The cyclist, on the path as well as on the road, should sit upon his saddle, and not cling to it by means of the handle, or slide off it because of its awkward position, as so many riders may be noticed 1 62 CYCLING, doing every few yards. A theory which once found a great many practical supporters was that if the saddle was raised high up behind and tipped well forward the rider was thrown on to his pedals continuously, and was thus kept at, or on, his work. Nothing could, in truth, be more fallacious, as the awkward pitch of the saddle threw almost all the bodily weight upon the wrists and thus tired them, and at the same time defeated the very object it was supposed to attain, whilst back action and ankle work became practically impossible ; and this error has been recently revived in the safety bicycle of the rear- driving type. At the same time, many racing men have their saddles very sharply curved up at the back, but on inspection it will be found that the front part of the saddle affords ample space for sitting on, the curved-up back being simply a sort of steadier for cutting round the sharp corners of a cinder path. If the saddle is bodily pitched forward it entails endless annoyance, as the rider is himself thrown forward, and he has to lean very much to the front to carry his weight on the saddle with any approach to comfort, whilst the temptation to get off the saddle and on to the handles is very great, but if adopted, cramped and strained wrists, awkward and constrained leg action, and last, but by no means least, erratic steering owing to insufficient weight on the hind wheel, must inevitably follow. Experienced riders are nearly all able to recall instances in which a saddle so pitched was used by a novice, and they will recognise as characteristic the frequent assertion of the user that he could surmount hills better with his saddle in that position than when it was placed in any other. To the expert the reason was obvious. For going up a hill the pitched saddle becomes nearly, if not quite, horizontal, and the rider for once in a way sits at ease and can use all his muscular power for the propulsion of the machine. The opposite trouble, when the saddle is raised unnecessarily high in front, is possibly quite as annoying and objectionable. It was a very favourite arrange- ment on the old class of single-driving rear-steering tricycles, RIDING. 163 the object doubtless being to throw the rider's weight well back on to the steering wheel, and to prevent his falling out of the open front when the single-driving arrangement allowed the machine to swerve round on greasy roads. A high peak is exceedingly awkward for the rider, likely to prove very injurious, and to bring about accidents similar to that which caused the death of William the Conqueror. The victim of this error in the arrangement of the saddle has to cling with great tenacity to his handles to overcome the constant tendency to slide off his work and over the back of the saddle, whilst every bump on a rough road shoots him backwards, causes him to lose his pedals, and, in fact, generally prevents him from doing the full amount of work he is capable of. All these errors clearly point to one conclusion, viz., the pan- acea suggested above, a horizontal saddle. Elsewhere — in the chapter devoted to this subject— the various makes of saddles are carefully discussed, but no practical arrangement has as yet been brought forward to enable the user to adjust the saddle in the way indicated, and it therefore becomes neces- sary for every cyclist to carefully look after the saddle for himself^ The first point is to note if the spring is fairly hori- zontal, and if it is not its fall should be observed so that it may be corrected. The saddle, in most cases, has an iron base plate, and the general pattern has a tip forward, so that when the base plate is placed flat upon a horizontal bar, the peak is a little lower than the back ; this very nearly compensates for the slight backward pitch of nearly all the springs fitted to bicycles, and also to Arab cradle springs which are clamped round the backbone. The saddle being placed upon the spring and screwed up just tight, the user should place the machine upon a level floor and see if the saddle is horizontal. Should it require any adjustment it can be effected in several ways ; if much is necessary, say a quarter or half an inch, the best plan is the wooden wedge, which should be cut out of some hard wood, such as oak, and finished rather thicker than will ^ lianington's new lilt angle red purports to fulfil this requirement. 1 64 CYCLING. be actually necessary to allow for slight alterations. The wedge is shown in fig. 7, the two notches in either side being for the saddle screws to pass through, as the block cannot then slip out. It is shown in section at fig. 8, and the thick end can be put either in front or at the back, as may be re- quired to accomplish the adjustment. A rough file may be used to reduce the thickness so as to secure a very accurate arrangement, and the alterations should be carefully made until on a practical trial the user is satisfied with the position of the saddle. A small piece of emery paper, brown paper, or leather may be glued or tacked or sewn over the block, and will afford a good grip on the spring. If, however, only a very slight amount of adjustment is necessary, a strip of stout brown paper may be cut a trifle wider than the space between the saddle screws, and this being carefully folded, two nicks [ZD 1 Fig. 7. Fig. 8. Fig. 9. can be cut out of it with an ordinary small gouge, for the same purpose as the nicks cut in the wood block, and being then laid flat on the spring can be thickened at one end or the other by the addition of further pieces, as shown rather exaggeratedly in fig. 9. Seeing that the rider's ease and com- fort absolutely depend upon the suitability of his saddle and its proper adjustment upon the machine, too much time can scarcely be spent upon the alterations necessary to secure complete satisfaction. It is needless to say, as in fact any reader will have gathered, that the above remarks apply equally to bicyclists and tricyclists. If a rider of either class of machine discovers on consideration that he has fallen into bad habits and traces some hitherto unaccounted-for cramps and pains to the adoption of an awkwardly arranged saddle, he will do well to proceed at once carefully to remedy the defects; and here, again, a practical and well-tested method RIDING. ' 165 whereby the necessary alterations can be best effected will doubtless be of service to many who have long passed out of the novice stage. Suppose, for the sake of example, that a rider has been using a saddle very much raised up behind, so much so that his bodily weight has for the most part been carried on his hands and wrists. The fact that this is so, and that it is wrong, possibly dawns upon the rider after an un- usually lengthy spin, owing to the circumstance that those limbs have become exceedingly stiff and painful. The remedy is both simple and rapid. The pitched forward position must be done away with, and yet the rider must not feel by com- parison as if his saddle was too much raised in front. The shortest way to rectify the error is as follows. Take off the saddle, and by means of a wooden block, paper packing or other material, raise the peak as high as the back was previously, in fact, go quite to the other extreme ; then, after carefully seeing that it is safely fixed and not likely to slip, the rider should mount and use it thus for an hour or more, not heeding the discomfort of the position, which will be considerable. Should it be possible to ride it on several occasions thus for a short time, say every day for a week, the rider will get almost re- conciled to the new style. Then, and not till then, the saddle may be again removed, and most carefully adjusted as recom- mended above in a horizontal position. The result of this partial return, as of course it practically is, to its original position, will be that the rider feels quite at home in the saddle as com- pared with the discomforts he endured during the rides under- taken with the saddle in what may be termed the 'second position.' Should the rider's original fault have been in the other direction, the reverse arrangement should be carried out exactly on the same lines, the only caution necessary being to take great care not to slip the pedals when the forward pitched saddle is being used. Mounting will also require a litde extra caution during the period of the second stage. One of the most danger- ous accidents which can happen either to the expert rider or to the beginner is that caused by the slipping of the saddle, an 1 66 CYCLING. accident more likely to prove dangerous on the ordinary flat springs than on the Arab cradle spring (which, having a turned- up end, does not allow the saddle to slip far, supposing, of course, that the saddle-nuts hold). Every cyclist, therefore, should take care that his saddle is properly fixed, whether it be a bicycle or a tricycle. This very important point can be ensured in many ways, although in most cases it is sufficient to screw up the nuts under the saddle as tight as possible. Some of the cycling saddlers do not see that their iron-workers cut the threads far enough up the screw to admit of a proper grip being obtained, an inexcusable error ; and this being so, each cyclist should look and see if the thread of the screw goes be3'0nd the nut when he has screwed it up, as if it does not, and he tries to force it further on, the result will be that the worm will strip, and the nut slip, possibly when the rider is flying dovm hill or at some other equally dangerous period. Should a cyclist be compelled to use such a saddle, two thick pieces of sole leather, one on the spring under the saddle and another under the spring between it and the saddle cross-bar, will secure the necessary grip — a result which will be more satisfactorily attained if the leather is soaked in water for a few hours before being used. A rider who desires to make absolutely sure of the firmness of his saddle can do so by using the strips of brown paper advised above, or, if he desires to make a more than usually trustworthy and permanent job of it, the following plan can be confidently recommended from practical experience. Out of the long strip of brown paper, before alluded to, cut several pieces three inches in length — three or four will probably be enough— also cut out four similar pieces of stout emery paper or cloth ; lay them all together, and with the gouge cut out the necessary notches on either side ; before taking off the saddle, mark with a file or other convenient tool on either side of each saddle screw on the edge of the spring. Then remove the saddle and proceed as follows. Paint a couple of inches (one on each side of the screw marks) with iBrunswick Black, Ardcll's Enamel, or some similar medium, RIDING. 167 and put one piece of the emery cloth, 'business-side' down, upon the wet paint ; put a coat of paint as thinly as possible upon the uppermost (plain) side of the emery cloth, and lay a second piece of the emery cloth with the rough side upper- most upon it. Then proceed in the same way with three or four layers of brown paper, and finish off with two more pieces of the emery cloth, their plain sides being put together, so that the rough sides bite both the saddle and the brown paper packing. Put the saddle very carefully in its place, having just dabbed a brushful of paint between the screws on the iron plate ; see that it is exactly straight, put another dab of paint on the under side of the spring where the cross-bar will come, and then screw up the nuts very carefully and very evenly, just one turn each as soon as they bite, so as not to pull the saddle to one side or the other. Keep running the eye over it from behind, and getting it in a line with the handle-bar to see that it is true, and thus go on with great care until it is quite tight. When it has been tested and found taut, true, and comfortable, a final touch may be given to the nuts with a big screw hammer; and if they and the screws, together wath the cross-bar, are finally finished off with black paint or enamel, the job will look neat and business-like, and the saddle may be relied on never to shift or shp whatever strains it may have to endure. The saddle on bicycles and Humber pattern tricycles should never be put close up to the head, as, although this secures for the rider more vertical action, it also diminishes very materially his safety, by bringing him much nearer the vertical line from the centre of the driving wheel and thus taking the weight off the hind wheel, making it more liable to fly up, and also very unsteady at high rates of speed. The proper position is some four or five inches back on bi- cycles built without any rake on the front forks, and a little bit farther back still on Humber pattern tricycles, as in their case the work (i.e. the pedal axle) is carried some way back from the wheel centres, and the rider can secure additional safety by taking advantage of the fact. For very nervous riders it is a i68 CYCLING. good plan to have the roadster bicycle built with a good rake on the front fork, as this increases the steadiness and safety of the machine. This plan has been exaggerated with marked success in the ' Xtraordinary ' bicycle made by Singer & Co., which is without doubt one of the safest of the old class of machines. In the case of all springs, great care should be taken to keep the nuts fastening the pins well screwed up, as any THE XTRAORDINARY BICYCLE. side shake or looseness in the spring attachments will very soon cause irremediable damage if not at once taken up, and a loose spring will sometimes injure an incautious novice's style very materially, especially if, as is frequently the case, he is riding a relatively small machine, in which for con- venience sake the spring has been raised some considerable height above the backbone. The looseness of the attach- ments is magnified by the height of the spring above them, RIDING. 169 and the rider rolls slightly from side to side; this unstcadies his steering and gets him into the bad habit of slightly swaying from side to side to maintain his balance, which of course pre- vents him from using his legs or ankles truly, and soon leads to awkward and clumsy action. It is the fact that the wear is practically nil as far as the attachments are concerned that so strongly recommends to all practical riders that very best of cycling inventions the Arab cradle spring. Its dual construction allows of a limited amount of vertical play, and a gentle and equal oscillation which tends to ease the rider without un- steadying him ; the action being in marked contrast to the jerky and uncomfortable movements of an ordinary spring with worn fastenings. Should the beginner not be in possession of a cradle spring, the precautions recommended above must be most carefully followed out to ensure a steady course and accu- rate steering. A careful adjustment of the head or centres of bicycles and tricycles is also an absolute necessity, as a loose head will inevitably cause the steering to become very unsteady and erratic down-hill or at high speed, whilst in the case of a bicycle the backbone will be wTung, and the wheels will not ' track ' or follow accurately one after the other. Moreover, the machine itself is sure to be very seriously injured if the care- lessness of its OAvner allows the mischief to continue for any length of time ; for the loose head plays backwards and forwards in the top and bottom sockets or centres, which are thus very soon cut oval-shaped instead of remaining accurately circular, with the obviously inevitable result that they can never be sub- sequently satisfactorily adjusted owing to this irregular wear. By far the larger number of heads now fitted are of the 'Stanley' pattern, consisting of a backbone head carrying two coned ends, one upwards and one downwards. These coned ends fit into two coned sockets, one a fixture in the fork head, the other cut in the end of the adjusting screw fitted into the top of the head; and the adjustment is effected by screwing the top cone down upon the upward cone of the backbone head. Too much pressure at this point rna)- possibly prove a serious danger 170 CYCLING. to the head itself, as it will sometimes cause it to break off at the base of the opening just above the shoulder, so the rider will do well to take especial care to keep this vital part of his machine very carefully adjusted. To effect this satisfactorily the lock nut, which fixes the top or adjusting screw, must be loosened, and the latter screwed down upon the top of the backbone head until the backbone moves stifdy in the head ; the adjustment may then be unscrewed half a turn at a time until the backbone moves quite freely ; then, when this point has been reached, two tests may be applied : (i) the backbone may be lifted up and down, the rider standing a little above the machine, on a chair for example, and if it appears to move up and down in the head it requires further tightening ; or (2) the backbone being held firmly with the right hand, the left thumb may be laid across the opening of the head so that it touches both the sides of the slit, and also the backbone head within : if the machine is now shaken backwards and forwards the slightest looseness jrj(-.^ jq" intheadjustment will befeltby the ball of the thumb and can be taken up with care. Before either of these tests is applied the top lock nut should have been screwed up tight, as it often happens that an accurate adjustment before this is done is found quite tight and immovable after it has been locked up. As pointed out above, and again emphasised here, the rider should be very careful to ascertain that the adjustment is accurate and not over-tight, otherwise the strain on the head may injure the machine itself. At the same time the beginner will do well to remember that there is a point of perfect adjustment which can be attained, provided that the machine has not been ill- used and that the centres have been fairly worn, although he will find it necessary sometimes to exercise a good deal of patience and some little care before the required point is reached. RIDING. 171 Without neglecting the machine, if it obviously requires atten- tion, it is \\q\\ to let the head alone as much as possible, and perhaps at first to get some experienced friend to do the need- ful job, especially in the case of an expensive new machine, as it oftens happens that such a machine requires considerable adjustment at first, but after a litde steady wear it setdes down and remains in a practically satisfactory state for a long time with very little further attention. The next points that will require looking to will be the wheels themselves and their bearings, and the axles and bear- ings of tricycles. These may require a little screwing up, though the anxiety of the novice to do away with any side shake in his bicycle wheel is not to be encouraged; a very little looseness at this point does no harm, and shows that the bear- ings are not screwed up too tight, whilst it often happens that to readjust the bearings of an old and well-worn machine causes the balls to break, owing doubtless to the alteration of the positions of the coned surfaces on which they run presenting some irregularity which has been worn there by constant and careless use. Obviously untrue wheels are necessarily unsafe to begin with, and also a serious detriment to the rider who desires to steer a straight and steady course ; and thus it is always well to have such wheels at once put right by a compe- tent repairer, who should be also asked to run his eye over the cranks and see that they are straight. This fact being esta- blished, the pedals should be put on. These should be prefer- ably rat-traps which afford a good hold for the feet, and tend to prevent the rider from slipping his pedal. They should be true and straight, and if they are bought second hand they should be carefully examined. If any suspicion of un- trueness is entertained the pins should be taken out and put between the centres of a lathe and rapidly rotated, when any bend will be easily detected, and should be at once put right, as a crooked pedal pin gives a very uncomfortable twist to the ankle joint, and very soon tires the rider, whilst constant use will give the cyclist a permanent bad habit of screwing with the 172 CYCLING. foot, a most unfortunate habit, and one which causes the action to look particularly ugly. The step, if not an adjustable one (some excellent adjustable steps are made by Messrs. Hill- man, Herbert & Cooper, of Coventry ; these can be arranged at any desired height, which is something of a desideratum for a beginner), should be conveniently placed not too far off the ground, but at the same time at a fair reach from the saddle, whilst if there is any difficulty in the matter it is better for the step to be convenient for the saddle and rather higher than is quite comfortable from the ground than vice versa, as the rider will be more likely to get from the ground on to the step than from the step to the saddle, under adverse conditions. In every case the edge of the step should be frequently rounded off with a file, as the constant friction sharpens it up to such an extent that it inflicts a very ugly wound should the rider be so unfortunate, from wet boots or other cause, as to miss it in the hurry of mounting or dismounting. The teeth of the step, as well as of the rat-trap pedals, should also be kept moderately sharp, at any rate at first, until the rider has arrived at that stage of his experiences in which he recognises the necessity of watching with care all these minor details of his steed's accoutrements, every one of which has a direct bearing upon his comfort and, what is still more important, his safety, ACCIDENTS. Falls on the road or path are of course of occasional occur- rence amongst cyclists. Although their frequency has been much exaggerated, a skilful rider will escape many an accident where an unskilful cychst is certain to come to earth. Many accidents are caused by the failure of some part of the machine, and are practically inevitable and unavoidable ; beyond, of course, the exercise of a certain amount of care and supervision, an examination of all parts of the machine for cracks and flaws and so on will obviate many falls. The habit of flying hills at a reckless pace, or run-aways COMING EVENTS CAST THEIR SHADOWS i:EiORS RIDING. 173 through inadequate break power, will often be found at the bottom of some of the most serious accidents on the wheel ; and though caution may add to the time taken on the journey, it vastly improves the rider's chance of completing the trip in safety. A sound and well fitted break is of course a sine qua 11071 to the road-riding cyclist. A stout pair of gloves is a great protection to the hands in the case of a header, and when a cropper at high speed seems inevitable the rider should avoid as far as possible falling against banks or similar obstructions. A fair fall on the road, especially if the shoulder can be made to come first to the ground, generally results in a series of somersaults, which, though damaging to the cuticle and the angles of the frame, is nothing like so serious in its results as a dead stop against a bank or wall. It may seem absurd to offer hints how to fall, but it is quite an art of itself, for which many riders develop quite a peculiar talent. If the rider can by any little ingenuity twist or turn on to his back, the resulting injuries will be very slight. A case in point occurred, when a well-known rider came into violent collision with another on the track ; throwing his shoulder forward, he managed to fall flat on his back, and beyond the shaking felt no ill effects, Down hill on a bicycle the safest position is without doubt that in which the legs are placed on the handle-bar, as not only will a sharp application of the brake bring the rider over the front wheel and on to his feet, a somewhat jerky method ot dismounting, but singularly serviceable in cases of emergency ; but in cases of a bad fall the rider gets at once clear of his machine, and all practical cyclists know that the most painful injuries are caused by the handle-bars striking the front of the legs, so that, provided the rider has full confidence in his break, the legs-over-handles position is the safest. Should a rider fall on the road, as soon as the first pain has gone off he should essay to move. If his machine is uninjured and the cause of the cropper— a stone for example — clearly apparent, he should get on at once and make for the nearest doctor. If, on the other hand, he suspects a broken spring or a damaged bearing 174 CYCLING, he will do well to walk, but in any case he should move off at once ere his wounds get stiff. Careful bandaging and the application of vaseline on lint will enable him to get home, and warm water and a soft sponge should be courageously employed to extract the grit and dust from the wounded surfaces ; their subsequent treatment should be left in the hands of the doctor. The path falls are decidedly the most serious in one respect, for if a rider has the misfortune to fall on cinders the results will be very disfiguring, blue marks exactly like tattoo and much of the same nature being the results of cinders being left in the wounds. Some of the best racing men have been sadly dis- figured about the face, elbows, and knees in this way. It is therefore necessary for the rider or his friends to take instant action after an accident on the cinder path. Warm water if possible should be used, and the wounds superficially sponged over quickly to remove the surface cinder, then the edges of the wound which resemble a series of parallel deep scratches should be pulled gently apart and the cinders which lie in them gently removed with the corner of a towel or a bit of sponge, frequent washing with water being necessary. The pain in some cases is considerable, in ochers the force of the blow temporarily dulls the nerves, and advantage should be taken of the fact. In cases of insensibility similar steps should be taken. On one occasion within our knowledge a friend seized a stiff nail-brush and brushed out a deep wound, with the double result of bringing the patient to by the combined effect of pain and blood-letting and of extracting all the cinder at the same time. Heroic reminders Hke these should however be gently used, under the eye of a doctor if by any means possible. Face wounds should always be well cared for, and the victim should be encouraged to permit the painful process as long as possible. If a companion will firmly grasp both wrists it will be found of assistance in the more painful moments. As in the case of road falls, vaseline should be freely applied and a handkerchief tied round to prevent rubbing, and then the rider should be sent home as quickly as possible. Gentle fomentations with warm RIDIXG. 175 water will assist in keeping the wound open and extracting the foreign matter. Dr. G. B. Partridge, of Anerley, in a letter on this subject says : — ' The best treatment undoubtedly is copious washing with warm water ; it need not to be desperately hot, and much of the foreign matter may thus be got rid of with the aid of a soft rag or a sponge. Very often larger fragments more or less imbedded in the skin may be removed at the time with a needle point, and this will be a considerable gain as to speed of recovery, and subsequently large soft ii?iseed-j?ieal poultices will materially hasten the separation of the particles too deeply imbedded for such mechanical treatment. I do not think anything else can be done in aid of Nature's own process of cure, which is in itself fortunately a fairly rapid one, the super- ficial layers of the skin undergoing frequent removal.' Rest is a very great assistance to convalescence, and it is im- perative in the worst cases. Of course broken bones need the surgeon's care, as also do more serious wounds than those alluded to above. The great thing is not to desire too rapid a recovery, and to give Nature time to re-establish the disinte- grated membranes. Cyclists, being usually in good health, and fair condition, recover rapidly. There are numerous nostrums in the market, some of which are very successful in removing stiffness, sprains, and bruises. Elliman's Embrocation and Henry's Thilum are both of service to the cyclist, and should be found in every dressing-room. 176 CYCLING, CHAPTER IV. RACING. THE racing section of the cycling sport presents both advantages and disadvantages to the rider ; but there is no doubt that on the whole racing has done good ser- vice to the sport, and that cycling owes much of its suc- cess to the racing man. He is in fact largely responsible for its phenomenal develop- ment : a development which is far in advance of any parallel growth of a sport in this country. Nor is the reason difficult to discover : the suc- cessful athlete uses his head : his mental, as well as his physical, powers are called into play. The successful cyclist, as well as the runner and the jockey, must think as well as act. It is only when sound judgment co-exists with suitable physical powers that excellence in any branch of athletics is obtained, The racing cyclist very soon decided that it was necessary to demand from the manufacturers an improved vehicle. Mr, Frederick Cooper, the ex-professional champion, was among the earliest of these reformers. He was fortunate enough to find RACING. 177 an able seconder in Mr. Thomas Humber, of Nottingham, now one of the best-known manufacturers. Finding that the machines then made were unnecessarily heavy, the present head of the well-known Nottingham firm was soon convinced that im- provement was imperative and possible. The result of con- siderable labour was a vehicle which was then considered a marvel of lightness and strength. The existence of a demand very soon created a supply. The makers vied with each other in their attempts to meet the requirements of their customers, and in due course produced the thirty- five pound machine of 1879. This w^as generally considered as light a machine as it was possible to make consistently with the strength and stability required: yet in 1884 that weight was practically ap- proached by roadster machines of sound and serviceable pattern. Once having discovered the advantages derivable from a saving in the weight of a machine, the racing men incessantly clam- oured for further reduction and obtained it. As a matter of fact the craze was carried to the opposite extreme, and machines very much too light for any but feather-weight riders were sold to heavy men without any consideration on the part of their constructors. The heaviest of our racing men got across the flimsiest of racers, with the only possible result : breakdowns and consequent injury to both rider and machine. A reaction followed, and racing machines of from twenty to twenty-six pounds weight are now made amply strong enough to carry men of nearly twelve stone weight over the beautifully pre- pared cinder paths on which cycling contests are run, whilst the weightier racing men have learned by somewhat painful experi- ence that they 7nust have their machines built of sufficient strength and solidity to withstand the strain of their weight and power in the course of a long and severe race. The manufacturers, thus constrained to cut down the weight of the racing machines, were enabled, by the practical experiments they made, to arrive at some rather startling discoveries as to the amount of unnecessary metal hitherto introduced into the. frame and fittings of their roadsters, and ere long the experience N 178 CYCLING. thus gained enabled them notably to reduce the weight of that very much larger class of machine represented by the roadster cycles. Heavy joints, clumsy tubes, and preposterous solids were eliminated from the standard patterns, and tube frames of light gauge, ingeniously curved and fitted, replaced the hap- hazard constructions of the dark ages of cycling; thus the road- riding contingent, on whatever style of vehicle they disported themselves, were actually benefited by the practical and some- times painful experiences of their racing confreres. This gradual development and improvement in the machine was almost entirely confined to the bicycle, and it was not until after that machine in its roadster form had been thus benefited by the experiences of racing men, and cut down by successive steps to a wonderfully light weight, comparatively speaking, that the attention of the makers was directed to the hitherto almost unnoticed tricycle, a machine which, as we have shown, was really very much older than the bicycle. The original velocipedes were clumsy and hea\y, and at first the adapters of bicycle construction to the three-wheeler followed too much the old lines, and attempted to secure success with a lever action ; this phase did not, however, last long, and the modern tricycle with its balance gear became an accomplished fact. At first it seemed as if tricycle making had sprung at once to perfection, for the novel materials were introduced after complete and exhaustive testing in the bicycle, and all the ' latest improvements ' as fitted to the bicycle were adapted to its new and popular congener, which thus 'on paper'" seemed abnormally advanced for so new an introduction. This, however, was not an unmixed blessing, this adaptation of bicycling details to the tricycle, inasmuch as many of the additions to bicycles proved inadequate or unsuited to the requirements of the tricyclist. Thus the spoon break, much employed by some makers of tricycles in the earlier days and persistently affixed even now to the most dangerous samples of rear-steering machines, was, and is, by no means suitable for use in connexion with the tricycle, whilst in many other minor RACING. 179 points inadequate contrivances were adopted, solely because they had been found suitable and sufficient upon the bicycle of the day. Thus those cyclists who imagined that the suddenly developed tricycle was ' improved ' beyond improvement were considerably mistaken. An opportunity occurred not long ago of comparing the 60-inch Huinber tricycle upon which Mr. L>acy Hillier trained for the 18S0 championship with the 44-inch Humber racer constructed in January, 1885, for Mr. George Gatehouse, the C.U.Bi.C. man ; the difference between the original type and its improved 'descendant' is very marked, more marked in fact than is the variation between the earUest ' spider-wheeled bi- cycle' and the 'racer for 1886;' and tri cyclists may feel assured that the development of their favourite mount will in point of rapidity compare favourably with that of the bicycle, inasmuch as scarcely six years have elapsed since the tricycle began to assume a position as a practical vehicle side by side with the bicycle. We venture to credit the comparatively small section of racing men with being the ' original cause ' of the rapid improvement which has been made in both classes of veloci- pedes. Possibly the manufacturers would tell us that the racing men gave them more trouble, and were more difficult to please, than any other section of their customers, and doubtless this would be quite true ; but it is particularly this fact which has brought about a desire on the part of the manufacturers to meet these particular gentlemen, and in that endeavour they have vastly improved the machines they manufacture, not only for the small class of racing men, but also for the much larger body of general riders. The very first thing that a man who decides upon taking up bicycle or tricycle racing should do is to take competent medical opinion as to his physical capabilities for the work. And we would venture to suggest that the intending racing man should ask the opinion of some medical man who is also either a rider or an athlete in some way or another. We say this sim- ply because some medical men set their faces against the sport N 2 i8o CYCLING. without taking the trouble to consider the question at alh They arbitrarily assert the danger of cycling and threaten the would-be cyclist with all sorts of pains and penalties if he rides. Some medical men — their numbers are becoming daily fewer — ■ assert that the sport is especially productive of hernia, although long experience' has shown not only that this is seldom or never caused by cycling (unless a severe fall produces it), but that persons suffering from it can yet ride and cover long distances without any trouble or suffering. It is for this reason, therefore, that it is suggested to the novice that he should go to a doctor who has some knowledge of athletics. There are many, unfor- tunately, who cannot stand the mild strain of a ride upon the road, and such men would not of course venture to tempt fortune on the racing path ; there are others also who, although they are free from disease, anight possibly damage themselves by a vigor- ous course of cycling, and they also should avoid the path and its concomitant excitement and exertion; but there are men — ■ many of them — to whom the hardest physical exertion is, or would be, of the greatest practical benefit. These are men with good physical powers, sound in wind and limb, with- out any heart or lung trouble, and with an active digestion. Such men, unless they can take a sufficiency of exercise, abso- lutely suffer from those very physical advantages which they enjoy. They grow fat and unwieldy, and in the train of the abnormal development of adipose tissue follows any number of ailments which might have been avoided by exercise. 'But,' one of these physically favoured individuals may say, ' I cannot take exercise enough. I have got to work, and the time at my disposal for recreation is limited.' To such a one the obvious reply would be, ' Although your time is hmited, you can take quite enough exercise therein to keep you fit and well. Re- member it is the pace that kills, and if instead of a slow walk, or a quiet ride, you go in for a rapid run or a sharp burst upon a cycle, you will put into a few minutes the equivalent exertion of hours of slow exercise with equal advantage to yourself; always supposing, as premised above, that some competent and un- RACING. i8i biassed medical man has said that you are physically fit for the exertion you propose to undergo.' It is well for the prospec- tive racing man to consider whether there are any other draw- backs which may prevent his success. Varicose veins do not seem so seriously to interfere with the pursuit of the sport as they do with running and walking. The reason is obvious. There is an absence of any direct Tertical jar such as is experienced in running each time the foot comes to the ground, whilst the action is necessarily smoother, and with the aid of an elastic stocking a person suffering in this way may in most cases ride without injury or discomfort. In the same way, as was pointed out above, hernia, if properly supported, is no bar to riding or even racing, although the latter is by no means an advisable recreation for those who have the misfortune to be thus afflicted. Myopy, or near sight, is sometimes a great bar to success on the path ; the sufferer, being afraid to wear glasses in case of a fall, yet being unable clearly to see his opponents, is always nervous when near them. This is the best explanation of the unsatisfactoiy performances of some of our racing men, who can do good work when alone in practice, but who, after overhauling their men in open races, seem nervous or afraid to pass them. The only remedy is to wear glasses, and the danger in case of a fall would be very slight, as the glasses would be flat to the eyes, and these are in nearly every case protected by the nose, frequently to its serious disfigurement Many good men in the past have constantly ridden in glasses, and although occasionally they have fallen badly, no injuries to the eyes have been recorded as a consequence. If after a careful examination a rider has ascertained that he is physically fit for the severe exertions of the racing path, and can undertake the labour without injury to wind or limb, his first step should be a little preliminary work upon the road on his ordinary roadster machine; and here once again the necessity must be urged of cultivating carefully, at the com- paratively easy pace of road riding, that skill of ankle action without which a rider is always at a disadvantage. On the 1 82 CYCLING. road the rider, whether bicyclist or tricyclist, should try and remember the rules laid down for successful pedalling, and should, so as to get every muscle properly set in place, have his racing machine as nearly identical as possible in pose and measurement with the roadster he is accustomed to ride. It is a very good plan for a beginner to race a few times upon his roadster, as he will be well set to the machine and thus will be enabled to ' feel his feet,' so to speak, without the dangers which must always attend anyone who makes his first essay on the path as a racer. When, however, he has gained a little expe- rience and can keep his head during the few exciting moments from the crack of the pistol to the crossing of the tape by the winner, he may purchase a racing machine, and this he should use in all his practice spins upon the path, so that he may get well set to it ere he ventures upon it in an actual contest. The choice of a machine which is to carry its owner at the highest possible rate of speed through a contest on the path is a serious matter, inasmuch as the slightest flaw or unexpected weakness in any part may lead in a moment to a serious if not fatal accident, and it is therefore a necessity that the would-be racing man should exercise great care in his selection of a mount. No complete novice at the sport would contemplate purchasing a racer, but even a fairly accomplished rider may be warned against purchasing a racing machine entirely upon his own responsibility. Some of the best makers of roadster machines do not make satisfactory racers, and therefore when a rider decides upon buying a racer he will do well to obtain the assistance and advice of a competent and able friend, who must of necessity be a racing man. In the choice of such a friend avoid the rider who is known or rumoured to be interested in any one or other of the manufacturing firms ; his advice is naturally not free from bias. The machine chosen should be of a make which has secured a reputation for trustworthiness upon the path; for, as we have pointed out above, a reputation for the construction of sound and serviceable roadster machines does not of necessity imply that the firm shines as brightly in RACJXG. 183 the construction of path machines. It is only by the severest of all tests, a practical one, that the merits of a racer can be gauged, and the disinterested advice of an old and experienced racing man will, therefore, be of the veiy greatest value. We regard with the sincerest sympathy the adventurous rider, and there are a few such, who for the first time ventures upon a ' racer ' of phenomenally small weight, constructed by a new and untried maker. The frame in such vehicles is cut down RUSHING A RISE. as light as it can be, the lowest possible effective strength being relied upon, and a very slight and probably undetectable fault or flaw will bring about very serious results. It may be that the new maker who has ventured on the experiment of construct- ing a racing machine has overlooked, in his heavier work, the bad quality of one particular casting, or other part of the rough material. This fault, when the casting, only just finished, and still with plenty of extra metal about it, was used in a roadster ]S4 CYCLING. machine, was not apparent, but when cut down to the extreme of lightness, so as to compare favourably 07i sight with a similar fitting in a well-tried and popular make of racer, its w^eakness declares itself, of course, at the wrong moment, and a dangerous accident probably ensues. Then there is another class of maker — the firms who simply make up machines y^rW^. The main features of their manufactures are an exact similarity in design and construction throughout, and they supply a machine of just the same weight for the rider of thirteen s<-one as for the rider of eight stone. Such machines are invariably ill-fitted, and inadequate in ninet}^ per cent, of the cases in which they find unsuspecting and unfortunate purchasers. The machine, to he successful, should always be built for the rider, and with a careful consideration of his weight, proportions, and style of riding. The maxim above is closely adhered to by every rider of note, and also by every trustworthy firm of racing -machme makers, and no novice can hope to be really suited unless he takes some trouble to inform the makers to whom he gives his order as to the especial points which he requires modified to suit his individual peculiarities. Thus the effective reach of his leg can only be ascertained by practical experiment, and it is for this reason that an adjustable crank is fitted to all racers. IMany men on the racing path use too short a throw. Five inches, except in the case of particularly short-legged riders, should be the minimum, whilst men of lengthy reach may well avail themselves of their physical advantages, and by using a five and a half or even a five and three-quarter inch throw, make the work proportionately easier without any inconvenience to themselves as soon as the first novelty has worn off. A wild theory once obtained amongst racing men that a very short throw (as short as four and a quarter inches in some cases) tended to assist and improve the sprinting powers of the rider. This error was due to the relatively slower action of the limbs with so short a throw, and as the pioneers of path-racing were mostly heavily muscled road riders there is little doubt that they really could go faster by exerting their strength, in place of RACING. 185 undergoing the exhaustion of a rapid h"ght action, just as now- a-days a weighty tricydist finds it easier to propel a geared-up machine with a slow action requiring more power, than a low- geared mount which requires not so much muscular exertion, but a more accelerated action of the limbs. When in due course the path ' flyer,' as distinguished from the steady road rider, became developed, the light, compact, and easily moving muscles of the trained racing man found ease and comfort in increased leverage in the throw. Heavy muscles, if put into unduly rapid action, are soon exhausted, but the light and flexible muscles of the path rider can more easily meet the strain of rapidity of action, as opposed to the slow yet powerful exer- tions of the road rider. Then again very much depends upon the position of the handles ; notliing conduces more to an easy and efi'ective style than a properly adjusted length of arm-reach, nothing will sooner destroy a rider's style than an awkwardly placed handle-bar, or an ill-arranged pair of tricycle handles. The position productive of the best results is that in \vhich the rider has his arms just flexed whilst sitting upright upon his saddle in a free and unconstrained position, and albeit men may, and often do, assume veryaAvkward-looking positions when engaged in a race, yet, whatever attitude they may take, the position of the handles suggested above will usually be found the most suitable ; this therefore is another point which should be studied by the maker of the machine. If the rider when racing is given to leaning ver}^ far forward,^ the maker will provide for this by putting a slight rake on the forks, or else the rider will do well to move his saddle some little way back from the head, thus put- ting a sufficient weight on the hind wheel, and at the same time carrying it forward w^hen in action by leaning over the handles in the manner known as the ' grasshopper style.' One of the most successful of our racing men — Fred East — set this fashion in 1879 '} his racing machine was made with upright forks, and his saddle was placed some inches back, this at that period 1 The illustration on pnge 176 shows just how a racing man should not sit. I £6 CYCLING. being a noticeable fact, inasmuch as most riders then put their saddles close up to the head of the machine, following an example set by the then champion, John Keen. All these little matters require a certain amount of consideration, and that rider will succeed best who has most fully gauged his own requirements in all the above points, w^hilst he should not hesitate a moment about having any alterations or modifications made which, after a practical trial, may appear to him advisable or necessary, for ' a good fit ' is as necessary to a cyclist on a racing bicycle as it is to a runner in the matter of shoes, or to a rowing man in the shell which is to carry him in a race. Unless a man be fitted and suited, and unless he himself believes that he is fitted and suited, he cannot expect to ride with confidence or courage, which can only be cultivated by having every litde item throughout exactly to fit his ideas and experiences as to comfort and safety. The choice of a maker, then, should not be unduly hurried, and the order for a racing machine should only be entrusted to a firm whose manufactures have already made a name for themselves amongst practical and disinterested racing men. The best and most convincing testimonial an independent racing man can give a maker, is to ride the machine he makes, and when an intending purchaser finds that a largely advertised machine is ridden by only a few inexperienced bo7ia fide ama- teurs, outside the circle of 'salaried representatives' or 'em- ployes ' of the firm, he may feel assured that the machine, as made for the ordinary purchaser, is not good, and that for that reason it does not find favour wnth the genuine independent amateur, who invariably consults solely his own comfort and safety. Any racing man can tick off on his fingers the names of the few firms who have made and kept a reputation as makers of racing machines, and a beginner on the path will do w^ell to compare notes with the disinterested section of path- riders before he gives his order. This important point decided, let us say a word of warning to the would-be lacing man him- self. First, let us urge him not to run to extremes, and to permit RACING. 187 the maker, who has had much experience in the matter, to decide as to what ought to be the weight of the proposed machine. A craze for Hghtness is one of the earHest symptoms of the racing fever, and the rider, obhvious of his actual bodily weight, his clumsy strength, and his general inability to properly ' nurse ' his machine, insists upon having a cycle so light that it would need all the accurate pedalling of a Hamilton — the Prince of Pedallers — to keep it from injury. In most cases where the novice makes this absurd demand an experienced maker acquiesces for comfort's sake, and then sends home the machine of a reasonable and safe weight. Perhaps the purchaser does not weigh it. He finds that it suits him, and is satisfied, and perhaps long after he has got the fullest con- fidence in it, he is surprised to discover that it is three or four pounds heavier than he imagined But, if he is wise, he will be content with the clever combination of lightness and strength, the happy mean between unnecessary weight and undue w^eak- ness, so successfully struck by the experienced, though often sadly abused, manufacturer. A well-known rider writes as follo'.vs in the editorial columns over which he presides. It is valuable as the opinion of a practical man whose authority is acknowledged among cyclists : — We can give from our own experiences (experiences which are bound to be accurately recorded if somewhat egotistical) a case in point. In the early days of our racing, without a mentor to advise us, we demanded from the makers of our racing machine lightness^ and lightness only. Despite the remonstrances and sound argu- ments of the firm's most practical chief, we still reiterated our re- quest, threatened to put the machine in the scale immediately on its arrival, and, if it weighed over thirty pounds, to return it. In due course we got it, placed it in the scale, and found it just a shade over twenty-nine pounds (this occurred some years back of course). Duly satisfied, we commenced to ride it, but it was by no means satisfactory ; it did not run rigidly at all, the forks whipped at the corner — in fact, at our then weight (nearly twelve stone) it was eminently unsatisfactory, so much so that we complained to the maker, whose reply may be easily supposed. We had asked 1 88 CYCLING. for, nay demanded too light a machine. In due course the twenty- nine pounder was replaced by a vehicle of exactly the same measurements and proportions, which weighed thirty-one and a quarter pounds, and this proved in every way eminently satisfactory — in fact, we won all our championships and many other races thereon in 1881. The extra weight had not been put on at any especially weak spot, it had been introduced generally into the frame, and thus enabled it to bear our weight and withstand our exertion. In the same way may be instanced the machine ridden a few times in 1882 by the Hon. Ion Keith- Falconer. This, though a beautiful specimen of the bicycle- maker's art, w^as not sufficiently strong to carry his relatively heavy weight, and no sooner did he begin to spurt on it than the deflec- tion of the forks caused the bearing balls to bite, and made the work very hard ; a very slight additional weight, scarcely two pounds we believe, made a machine amply rigid enough for the fifty mile record-holder of 1882. We could multiply instances if it were necessary. Mr. F. L. Adam, for instance, once came out on a really beautifully finished racer by a very prominent firm of makers. There w^as but one fault to find with it — it was too light for so strong and heavy a man. The backbone sprung beneath his weight, and try as he would he could not get any pace out of it. He replaced it with a racer of another make some three or four pounds heavier, and immediately did well. Thus the novice will do well to avoid undue and excessive lightness, and as the question is not solely one of bodily weight, but of weight and skill considered together, he will, in the first instance at any rate, be well advised if he allows the more experienced maker to decide for him the actual weight necessary to carry him safely and satisfactorily. That important point being decided, the rider must next con- sider what shall be the size of his machine. It is obvious that, to do his best, his machine must be comfortable, he must have full confidence in it as well as in himself, and it must of course correspond very closely with his roadster machine, unless he has found in the latter any points and peculiarities which he would RACING. i8g prefer to have altered in the new madune, whilst it will be vastly to his benefit if the roadster is altered at the same time, so as to bring the measurements as nearly as possible together. Thus if a man is riding an ordinary fifty-eight inch roadster, it is clear that a closely built fifty-eight inch racer will be noticeably too short in the reach for him, and he will feel that he is what cyclists call 'tucked up,' 'cramped,' or 'going short' To meet this trouble the rider should carefully measure, or rather get. carefully measured, while on his roadster machine, the exact reach from the saddle to the pedal at its lowest point, and then have the racer constructed as nearly as possible to fit that measurement ; if he can measure in the same way the reach of a close-built fifry-eight inch racer by the same maker, it will assist him in his decision ; for should the racer reach I^rove shorter than that of the roadster by one and a half or more inches he can, without danger of over-reaching, have his racer built an inch higher than the roadster. So, in the instance given above, the user of the fifty-eight inch roadster would probably get the nearest ' fit ' by having a fifty-nine inch racer. Thus each item of the order should be compared with the roadster, and where the latter has been found unsuitable, the racer should be modified to meet the ideas of the prospec- tive user; but, as has been once or twice suggested, the roadster machine should, if possible, also be altered so as to correspond pretty closely with the measurements of the lighter machine. The relative positions should as much as possible be the same all through. The saddle should be put in just about the same place and just as far from the head, or, should the roadster have a good deal of rake on the front forks, put the same dis- tance back from a vertical line drawn through the axle of the driving wheel. The saddle will then be in each case in the same relative position to the pedals, a somewhat important point. The arrangement of the handles must also correspond as regards the saddle and pedals, and so on. When all these points have been carefully studied the practical rider will benefit by his work on the road as well as by his practice on the path. 190 CYCLIXG. THE MANAGEMENT OF A RACE MEETING. It should be first noted that race meetings, whenever and wherever held, must, if they include amateur cycling events, be held under the rules of the National Cyclists' Union, and in the case of clubs not affiliated to that body, the committee must obtain a special permit to hold such a meeting. Unless this is done, any amateur riding at the gathering will be liable to suspension. A great many incompetent persons are too often to be found assisting, or attempting to assist, in the manage- ment of race meetings, especially in the country, where gen- tlemen are chosen to officiate in important posts who have not the shghtest practical knowledge of the duties they are asked to perform. For example, at one race meeting, wherein one good rider beat another by a foot, the mayor who was judging admitted he did so, but gave it a dead heat, 'because the other one had ridden such a plucky race.' Such little inci- dents as these disgust the riders, and they stay away another year. Great care should be taken to avoid that fruitful source of trouble — Local or Committee handicapping. One of tw^o faults is almost always committed. The locals are so tremendously underrated that they win the open events anyhow, or else the Committee so far over-estimate the merits of local contestants, and allot such short starts to their own men as to put them out of it altogether, which is just as serious a mistake. The handicapping of open events should always be placed in the hands of the National Cyclists' Union official, who should be given as miuch assistance as possible by the local authorities. Certain rules have been drawn up by the executive of the National Cyclists' Union for the guidance of those who essay to manage race meetings, and they will be found of the very greatest value. The officials most necessary to the complete success of a race meeting are the honorary secretary, the judge, the time-keeper, the starter, the dressing-room clerk and the telegraph-board steward. The honorary secretary must, of RACING. 191 course, be energetic and untiring. He should be a well-known man if possible, and one in whom racing men will have confi- dence, and he should be backed by a small practical committee. Have as many good names as possible connected with the thing, as President, Patrons, and Vice-presidents, but avoid having any but the practical section on the working committee. The meeting should be announced as long beforehand as possible, in the Cycling and local Press, and moderate advertising should be arranged for some six weeks or so before it comes off. The duties of the honorary secretary will be various. He must write to the best riders, and press them to come ; he must obtain all the addresses he can of racing men who are likely to compete, and send them prospectuses : he will see that the cycling editors are supplied with copies of the same document, and also that a supply is sent to all the training tracks, the latter lots having a piece of string tied through one corner for the convenience of the attendant, who should be asked to hang the forms upon a hook in the dressing-room under his charge. The secretary should be in charge of the affair on the day, outside the ring, withm which is the domain of the judge, wherein that official rules absolutely. The judge, as the Union points out, is a supreme official, and should be most carefully chosen, for if he is incompetent all will go wrong. There should be only one judge, and his decision is final and absolute, and thus the choice of the right man is disine qica noii. The judge takes absolute charge inside the ring, and should work with the secretary in timing the calling out of the heats and the general run of the meeting. The time- keeper is another vasdy important official, and should also be selected with very great care, as it is very annoying to have a grand performance done at the meeting and then to find it disallowed because the time-keeper was not sufficiendy reliable. There are a number of trustworthy dockers with public reputations to uphold, and one or other of these gentlemen should be secured even at some expense, so that in future years good men may be induced to enter and run by the knowledge that, should they do a good 192 CYCLING. performance, they will get the credit of it. The starter is an- other official of importance from every point of view, as with an incompetent starter men may take an unfair advantage, and any amount of heartburning will be caused thereby. When athletic events are also included in the programme, a profes- sional starter is a great attraction, but it is always advisable in the case of a newly employed man to give him a word of cau- tion not to hurry the pistol, as it often happens that a starter accustomed to starting sprint races is very much too quick in starting bicycle races. He should be asked to substitute ' Are you ready ?' for his habitual ' Get ready,' and to give time for any one of the competitors to answer ere he fires his pistol, otherwise the men will be hurried unprepared off their marks, and accidents are bound to ensue. Perhaps the most thankless task of all is that of the dressing-room clerk, who is compelled to stay in the room or tent throughout the meeting, and to look after the men for each heat. This official should set his watch with that of the secretary, and by that should send the men out in due course. He should have three copies of the pro- gramme, one fastened to the table with drawing pins, for his own especial use, and two to be handed alternately to the tele- graph-board steward, with the starters in each heat marked. He should also see that every man has his number, and should call out at least twice the names of the contestants in the next heat. The telegraph-board steward should be specially de- tailed for the job, and should be unmolested throughout the afternoon, as on him depends the information of the spectators, which, if not satisfactorily accomplished, will disgust them, and cause them to stay away in future. The telegraph steward should see that he has all the necessary appliances ready at hand, and should, as soon as a heat is over, get up the numbers of the next. In the case of extensive grounds, two telegraph boards are an excellent institution, and if worked competently assist much in popularising the meeting. The telegraph stewards should be allowed the assistance of a smart boy, or under-steward, to run for the list of starters during each heat, RACING. 193 nnd also for the times accomplished. In the case of big meetings this task may well be entrusted to a professional, and some have made quite a name for themselves for reliability, and as has been pointed out above, the spectators round the track depend entirely upon the services of the board official for their information in many cases. Umpires are a necessity, and should be very carefully chosen, the judge being consulted as to the men to be asked ; whilst lap scorers and clerks of the course must also be selected. It is also advisable to appoint an offi- cial to keep the enclosure clear of unauthorised persons, and as this is somewhat of an invidious task, it would be w^ell to give such an individual the assistance of a poHce officer, who should take his orders from the appointed official. This is a particu- larly necessary appointment at country meetings, but needs muchtactonthepart of the person appointed ; still 'it is neces- sary for the comfort of all concerned. A very ingenious plan was successfully adopted at a certain meeting. A number of gentlemen connected with a cricket cl b, whose field had been duly hired and paid for, forced themselves into the centre of the ring, and insisted on staying there, despite the remonstrances of the official that the public who had paid could not see the finishes because of the crowd. Suddenly a happy thought struck him. It had been raining heavily, and he suddenly gave the order that all inside the ring should he down ; the youthful cyclists did so, but the rheumaticky elderly gentlemen, after a moment's consideration, sought seats in the grand stand as a safer resort, and the public viewed the races with comfort. The enclosure should be carefully cleared of unauthorised persons after each heat, and attendants and starters should be got out- side as soon as their men have finished. Some racing men fancy they have the right to stroll about inside the ring, but they should be at once disabused of the idea, as they interfere with the view. A certain section of press men also fancy that their journal is entitled to any number of representatives within the charmed circle, but this should be at once put a stop to, one representative being ample and all that can properly be o 194 CYCLING. iillowed, whilst it is an excellent plan to reserve a space outside the track, properly fenced in and provided with seats and tables, for the accommodation of the representatives of the fourth estate. They can from this position see all the incidents of the racing, and a special messenger should be told off to keep them posted with the times, and so on. Great care should be taken to keep up the character of the meeting in every way ; the prizes should be of full value, and a special effort should be made to secure good dressing accom- modation for the competitors. In country towns the local lights should be invited to present a good prize, which should be called by some appropriate name, 'The Mayor's Cup,' for example, and the precedent once established, the prize will become an annual one. A ' Ladies' Prize ' should also be ar- ranged for, or a 'Town Cup ' may be secured by judicious can- vassing amongst the tradesmen and others. If the competitors enjoy the meeting, they and others will revisit the town, and the racing will be kept up to the mark, and each year will attract more and more attention and consequent gate-money. In a great number of provincial towns the cycle races are re- garded as an annual event, and the possibiHties of the amateur champion coming to contend for 'The Cup,' or the chances of the local favourite, are the subjects of lengthy discussion for weeks before the date of the fixture. The rules and regulations of the National Cyclists' Union bearing upon amateur race meetings will be found in the chapter devoted to that institution. 19; CHAPTER V. TOURING. There is little doubt that by far the largest number of active cyclists find their pleasure in touring on their machines. The racing man has to undergo an elaborate and strict preparation marked by many rules and precautions, and although his enthusiasm may carry him through, yet it must be admitted that for the most part the work is very severe. On the other hand, the pottering cyclist who never ventures far from home has no idea of the enjoyments to be found in country rambles on the wheel. Many men are precluded by business engage- ments or physical incapacity from indulging in the fierce joys of competition, but the touring field is practically open to any rider who has the time to devote to it, and the number of quiet cyclists who thus spend their hohdays is yearly increasing, as the records of many an old wayside inn on the more favoured routes will abundantly testify. These holiday tourists, guided by the experience which they have obtained in previous years, or by the advice of their more practical fellows, plan out their trips with an eye to personal comfort, and after a few days of enjoyable riding return home invigorated and instructed. If they wield the pen with facility they fight their battles over again in the pages of the wheel press, and the short summer tour becomes a fund of lasting amusement, an event to be loolied back to with pleasure or anticipated with delight. To this important and daily growing section of cyclists it is intended to offer a few hints on the proper methods of 02 196 CYCLING, planning and carrying out a tour. As to the machine which should be adopted, this will be best answered by a reference to the chapter on cycles of various kinds, always, of course, bearing in mind that too light a carriage, or one not fitted with adequate break power, is merely a source of trouble and annoyance for the purposes of legitimate touring. Dress, too, will be found duly considered elsewhere. The first step a tourist should take after he has acquired a sufficient knowledge of his vehicle and confidence in himself is to join the Cyclists' Touring Club, an association formed especially to promote the interests of tourists in every way. The subscription is but 2S. 6d. with an entrance fee of is., and the rider having filled up a form will have to wait a longer or shorter time for his ticket. He should then purchase the ' C. T. C. Handbook,' which contains an infinity of valuable information. This preliminary is given a foremost place in the present chapter as there is some delay in election, owing to the name of the candidate having to appear in the monthly gazette of the club, and it is therefore highly desirable that the intending tourist should lose no time in putting up for election. This matter having been duly arranged, the next thing necessary is to plan out the tour and select the route to be followed. This can best be done with the aid of the various maps, road- books and guides, a number of which have been placed before the pubhc. In general, some objective point is selected ; the tourist, perhaps, has friends in a distant town towards which he makes his way, or else he takes a circular route, which will eventually bring him home over new and unridden roads. Maps are of course of great service, especially for the purpose of learning the general direction of a place or a district, and shaping the course of the proposed tour accordingly. The 'Cyclist's Pocket Road Guides,' pubhshed by R. E. PhilHps of Selhurst Road, S.E., are very useful, whilst the ' Cyclists' and Wheel-World Annual,' and the earlier ' Bicycle Annuals,' those especially for 1879 and 1880, together with as modern a copy of ' Paterson's Roads ' as may be obtainable, will, with the aid TOURING. 197 of a decent map, enable the tourist to work out his route with suflicient completeness. This task having been accomplished, it becomes necessary to decide as to the average day's journey, and on this point it is necessary to utter a very emphatic warning against the error into which so many tourists fall, of fixing a ridiculously high standard which they find it practically impossible to accomplish. A large number of beginners fancy that they can ride with ease from sixty to a hundred miles daily for a week at a stretch, and on this basis they arrange their tours, with the result that they either break down utterly and are compelled to take the train home, or else they spend a miserable ' holiday,' riding hard against time during the whole of the trip, thus converting what should have been a pleasant outing into a period of hard labour and discomfort. The experienced tourist, on the other hand, does not attempt to fix arbitrarily the distance to be covered each day or the places where halts shall be made. He rather shortens the day's journey, being quite satisfied with forty or fifty miles at the outside, and generally has a spare day in the middle of the week as well, thus letting himself off as lightly as possible with a view to the more complete enjoyment of the tour as a whole. For the beginner even shorter distances are advisable. From twenty to forty miles, more or less, as occasion serves, will be found quite enough to count upon, at any rate until the rider has gauged his powers for road work day after day. This is a serious point, for a man who can ride sixty or seventy miles right off will find forty miles a day for a week rather a task, until by lengthened experience he has learnt how to economise and save his physical powers. The next necessary point, if the tour is to be a long one, is to fix upon one or two inns (headquarters of the C. T. C, as set forth in the Guide, to be preferred of course if the traveller desires, as it were, to identify himself with the interests and followers of the sport), where changes of underclothing should be forwarded, with a request that they may be aired and laid by ready for the tourist on his arrival. 198 CYCLING. Except in the cases of some few peculiarly constituted riders, a solitary trip is a very slow performance, and the presence of at least one companion brightens things up materially ; yet the rider had better go alone than journey with a disagreeable companion (though this is a truism appli- cable to every step in life), or a man very much slower than himself. Two fairly equal riders greatly assist one another in maintaining a good rate of progression, as when one is a little tired the other brings him along, and when this man tires the other has perhaps again got into his stride. Large parties are scarcely so satisfactory, especially where club rules are rigidly enforced, as the men are then required to keep together, and this of course means that the whole party proceeds at the pace of the slowest rider, which after a few miles becomes very irk- some to the faster riders. Under such conditions loose riding should always be permitted, and, if possible, the slower men should be persuaded to start somewhat earlier than their more speedy companions. If a man can find no one to travel with him among his immediate friends, and if he is so bent on companion- ship as to be willing to take his chance of finding a congenial spirit, a notification may be put in the ' C. T. C. Gazette,' asking for a consort. It is always well for riders who put in such a request to state as clearly as possible their social position, so that the associate chosen may be suitable. Under these circumstances many a pleasant tour has been made and many a hearty friendship established. The intending tourist should not start upon his fortnight or more of active work without some sort of training and pre- paration, as this course very often produces most unfortunate results. The mere task of sitting in the saddle for several hours per day is painful to a rider who has not taken the pre- caution of undergoing previous practice and seasoning for the work contemplated, and it is for this reason that at least a fortnight's preliminary work is strongly recommended. Of course, if a cyclist has been on his machine daily for a time, he will soon get into sufficient condition to undertake a lOURING. '99 moderate tour without any extra preparation ; but where riders only get out for the Saturday's spin, it is advisable that for ^ ^il^ LUDGATE HILL. some time before the advent of the lookcd-for day they should ride at least three times a week, either early in the morning or 200 CYCLING. in the evening, whichever is most convenient to them ; this riding should occupy as nearly as possible an hour, and should include a bit of hill climbing as well as some sharp dashes along the flat. Nothing like high training is needed, but still something more than the easy dawdling which so many riders are fond of indulging in during ordinary rides. It is an excellent plan for the prospective tourist to fix upon a given route, say eight or ten miles for a tricycUst, and ten or twelve for a bicyclist, and to ride over it at the most convenient period of the day, say three or four times a week. The trip should of course be carefully timed, and the rider should try to do better time on each occasion ; this will seem somewhat of a task, but it will vastly develop the muscles and increase the powers of the rider for average work. For this training the rider should put on some old flannels, and devote himself steadily to the business in hand. If this course be carefully followed out for a fortnight or three weeks before the tour, it will make a vast difference in the rider's capabilities, and, as a natural result, will decidedly add to his comfort, for of course it is scarcely necessary to remark that when touring the highest possible pace should not be attempted, but a fair, easy, and regular rate of going should be adhered to throughout. This steady and regular pace will be all the easier if the rider has learnt, by means of the training advised above, the knack of going a great deal faster, and it is just this theory of training which has succeeded so well upon the path. This precaution having been taken, and the rider having fairly developed his powers by careful practice, it will next be necessary for him to seriously consider what are the necessaries which he will have to take with him, or to send on, to the various important places where he will stop eii route ; and here again great latitude must be allowed, as tastes in these matters differ most notably. Thus one rider may regard a tooth-brush and a piece of soap as an ample equipment for a trip from Land's f2nd to John o' Groat's, whilst another rider may be seen laden with packages cunningly contrived and ingeniously TOURING. 20I fitted, all of which contain 'necessaries' from his point ol view. The bicyclist is in this matter obviously less favoured than the tricyclist, who has ample facilities for carrying the greatest comfort a tourist can wish for, viz., a 'complete change.' But the ingenuity of riders of the narrow gauge machine has met the obvious want, and many cleverly designed bags and carriers have been placed upon the market, some remarks upon which will be found elsewhere under the head of accessories. One general caution is absolutely necessary, and that is that luggage should never be carried on the spring. Several of the newly- invented carriers and bags are designed especially to be attached to the very tempting little loops placed at the back of the saddle, or to the upper bow of an Arab cradle spring, but the result is obvious and inevitable. If the saddle has been properly and carefully adjusted, and is absolutely comfortable without the luggage attached, it is clear that to hang upon the back of it a heavily laden bag must necessarily disturb its poise and cause it to rise awkwardly in front, a result which disturbs altogether the pose of the saddle, and, as a natural sequence, the comfort of the rider, supposing him to have been comfortably seated at first. Touring riders, therefore, will do well to avoid all such contrivances, and to adopt only those which do not interfere with the set of the spring or saddle. All the luggage to be carried should be carefully affixed by means of one or other of the carriers described elsewhere to the solid frame of the machine, although a strap may be run through the lower curl of an Arab cradle spring on a bicycle to prevent the load from slipping backwards. This, however, should not be done unless there is an actual necessity for it, and the strap should in no case be put through the saddle loops or through the top loops of an Arab spring. These cautions are absolutely necessary, as anyone can easily see who will cast a glance at the bags, &c., carried by many touring cyclists, which he will note are often affixed in such a way as to utterly nullify the effect of the spring as far as the rider is concerned On a tricycle the 202 CYCLING. difficulty of carrying luggage is very much lessened, nearly every maker of a machine of this type designmg and fitting a sound and well-planned carrier, which will accommodate any reasonable amount of luggage : and although it is not advisable for the tricycling tourist to unnecessarily load his machine w^ith impedimenta, yet this possibiHty gives him the opportunity of carrying a small but well-chosen selection of convenient gar- ments, and so being to a very great extent independent of the troubles and annoyances which always environ the sending of clothing by railways, owing to mistakes and difficulties as to the carriage and deUvery of luggage, drawbacks which every tourist has experienced. Elsewhere carriers are fully discussed, and it will therefore be only advisable here to specify the various necessaries to be taken say for a week's tour. The bicyclist will in many cases fly light in the matter of luggage, and trust to chance for those changes which may be necessary, whilst he has always the option of retiring to bed should he be unable to obtain dry garments in which to sit up. But the cautious rider, be he bicyclist or tricyclist, who has once suffered from the incon- venience and discomfort experienced by the man who travels without a change, more especially of such articles as are made of cotton fabrics, will take care to provide himself with at least one complete change of undergarments, one uf the best and most convenient forms of which wull be found in the long pure wool Combination Garments, now placed upon the market by the Sanitary Woollen Company, of 42 Fore Street, INIessrs. E. Ward, of Eldon Buildings, Bradford, and some other firms. A medium thickness Combination will roll up into very small compass, and when put on it completely clothes the body from neck to ankles in dry woollen attire, over which damp woollen things may be put on again without danger, if not without some little discomfort. The Combination garment in short affords that complete change which will ensure im- munity from colds and chills, and it can be carried with ease, even by the bicyclist, as it will roll up into a small package and TOURING. 203 can be placed along the handle-bar of the bicycle with a couple of straps. As it is of a very soft texture most riders can sleep in it at night, instead of using an ordinary nightshirt, always a bulky matter to pack up when space is Hmited. The fact of the woollen underclothes being a notable protection in case of damp sheets is also a strong recommendation for its adoption by the tourist. At the outset the bulk of the kit is thus materially reduced by making one article serve in place of two or more ; and if the Combination garment be only used in the evening and at night, and, of course, not ridden in, it will serve very well for the week. The kit carried must include toilet requisites, such as tooth-brush, hair-brush, comb, and razor. Of these the hair-brush is often omitted, as the rider wears his hair short, and the comb suffices. Some very excellent little cases known as the ' Cyclist's Pocket Dressing-Case ' are ob- tainable from the ' Cyclist ' office, 12 Smithford Street, Coventry. This miniature dressing-case is \\ inches long, \\ inch wide, and I inch thick, and so takes little space in the bag or package, and it contains a very cleverly arranged telescopic razor, a looking-glass, a tube of shaving soap, a comb, and a tooth-brush. Some handkerchiefs of small size, not too thin, and carefully marked with the full name of the rider, are very useful for anyone who is given to touring a great deal, as, if left to be washed at any hotel, they are easily identified. These handkerchiefs will roll up in the Combination garment. One neck wrap should be either worn or carried in the pocket to put on when stopping, and another may be with great advan- tage carried in the luggage for use in the evenings. Clean stockings will also, of course, be necessary. The articles required will easily roll up into a long bundle in a piece of waterproof, purchasable at any waterproof or india-rubber shop. The Combination should be folded till it is about twenty inches across. The bundle thus made may be held together by a couple of stout india-rubber bands, wrapped in the square of waterproof, and then affixed with straps to the handle ; the whole will make a sausage-shaped parcel, which will 204 CYCLING, ride safely anywhere if properly strapped on or placed in a Nagel carrier, care, of course, being taken that it does not interfere "svith the action of the break. This parcel will also be found to answer a double purpose, as it affords a very comfortable rest for the legs when they are put over the handles for down-hill work. The rider who ventures far afield with this limited outfit will have to exercise a little care in his proceedings ; as soon as he has quite finished his work for the day he should get out of his damp underclothing and get into his dry Com- bination as quickly as possible ; over it he may, if necessity requires, safely put his damp shirt — of course supposing it to be flannel — whilst the dry neck wrapper should be put on under the band of the shirt. The dry and clean stock- ings, which should be kept for this purpose and not used for riding in, will prove an immense comfort. They should be long, and the wearer should draw them up as far as they will come over the knee ; thus next the skin all over he will have a dry change. Next morning his convenient little pocket-case will enable him comfortably to conduct his toilet. The tricyclist, as was pointed out above, is decidedly better off in this matter, and can easily carry more luggage ; at the same time the weight carried is decidedly a factor to be con- sidered in studying the convenience of the rider. Even the strongest and most steadygoing of cyclists will do well to take care not to overweight himself in this direction. The following will be found to be the best and most useful additions to the kit, which may also be carried by a bicyclist with a little extra trouble and care. The Combination garment will still be found of the greatest service, and should, of course, be taken ; but a flannel shirt, preferably with a collar, should be added and used solely for the evening wear, whilst the riding shirt is being care- fully dried. The pocket dressing-case will also be still used, but a stout sponge-bag should be carried with a rubber band round it, containing sponge, tooth-powder, and brush. A soft cloth hat of the deer-stalker shape, which folds up flat, should be added, and the handkerchiefs, neck wrap, and stockings, as I ' / Sii«Siki'^"3^^' ,?'!vwV M^'^M TOURING. 205 before. One or other of the larger bags used by tricychsts will generally hold this outfit. The bag should be fastened when packed on to the carrier, which will of course have been fitted to the machine. If the Clytie or Humber bag be used, it should be so arranged that it can be easily unlocked and opened without removal from its fastenings on the machine, as this will be found a great con- venience when riding. For a longer tour, especially if the direction is uncertain, the baggage must, it is hardly necessary to say, be increased, or the rider must make up his mind to stop for at least one clear working day to have his things washed ; but, wherever possible, arrangements should be made to avoid carrying much more than the outfits detailed above. To do this it will be necessary to forward the requisite changes, preferably by parcels post, to various points e7i route. Half a dozen of the squares of waterproof mentioned above should be purchased, and when the tourist has decided on a lengthy trip, the route should be approximately fixed upon and certain houses picked out, to which changes should be sent. A parcel should be made up for each week of the tour : thus, if the rider is going away for five weeks, he will need to send on four parcels, including, in each, Combination garment, flannel shirt, handker- chiefs and stockings. These, having been well aired, should be tightly rolled up in the waterproof or otherwise securely packed and the fastening sealed, and a label should then be attached bearing clearly the name of the sender thus : Frojii J. SMITH, To Normans Cross Hotel, Near Stilton. On the back in smaller characters should be carefully inscribed Mr. Smith's name and home address, whilst it is always a good plan to have the same name and address clearly written on the 2o6 CYCLING. inside of the bag or piece of waterproof used. The hotel people should be advised by letter and asked to keep the parcel in a dry place, and a couple of days before the rider gets to the hotel he can (in the case of a parcel) send on a note asking the people to open the package, and get the things therein aired. The parcels can be sent on to the C. T. C, or other houses, either before the rider starts on his tour — which is the best plan for a single man in lodgings or otherwise situated in such a way that he cannot be sure of his orders being attended to at once — or else from home on receipt of instructions as to when and where they are to be sent. At the end of each week the rider will get his change of clothes, and will send the used ones home in the same package by parcels post (which is in many cases quicker and more certain than the railway carriers' delivery), and they can, if necessary, be washed and aired and sent on again to another point on the route followed. The more luxurious of our tricychng tourists go even further in the matter of changes which they carry, as they not only take a complete suit of underwear, but also a complete change of outer garments ; this is of course the acme of sybaritism, but it is doubtless a great comfort to a good many riders. Some take a pair of trousers made of the same material as their riding suit, but without any linings, and they generally choose a cloth hat of the same stuff, constituting the traditional 'suit of dittoes ' of the British tourist. The advantage of making the wearer inconspicuous as a pedestrian is gained, although the cycling uniform is now so common an object in all towns during the riding season that it may be worn without annoy- ance almost anywhere. Others, again, have a suit made for the purpose of carrying with them whilst on tour. This suit will pack up into a very small space and is very light, and, if put on immediately on arriving at the hotel, it will soon lose the creases due to close packing. A pair of woollen socks, a dry flannel shirt, and a pair of shoes, complete the costume. The extra shirt should in most cases be of flannel, preferably a thin flannel, but in the heat of the summer and for short trips, TOURING. 207 the lounging shirt — as distinguished from the working one — may be of liglit cashmere or stockingnette, some of the gar- ments of this type being excellent. Whatever may be the class of shirt chosen, these points should be insisted on : it should open down the front, come well up to the throat, and have a good-sized lay-down collar as a part of the shirt. A long stocking cap, or sailor's cap, of knitted material is a very useful addition to the kit. It can be used for night riding, being drawn down well over the ears, whilst, should the tourist entertain the slightest suspicion of the dr)'ness of his sheets at night, he can obviate cold in the head or worse dangers by sleeping in this cap. For campers, whether it be a hot summer night or not, the stocking cap, which is light and takes up very little space, is almost a sine qua non. For those who when touring will insist on carrying an im- mense amount of luggage there is no excuse, as any amount of baggage can be sent on to various points through the usual channels, and a rider is not supposed, even by the most punc- tilious of his friends, to carry an elaborate wardrobe with him. If a host really expects this, the guest had better either go by train himself, or forward his portmanteau before him. On the other hand, it is not necessary for the cycling tourist to be always in dhhahille ; a very small amount of forethought will enable him to appear carefully and appropriately dressed if nothing more. For further remarks upon dress as applied to touring the reader is referred to the chapter on dress. The tourist, with his luggage arranged and his route chosen, is ready to start ; but before he gets away from home he will do well to look over his machine, and in fact the careful rider will do this a day or two before the start, so as to allow time for the rectification of any little breakage or damage which may be discovered. The machine should be carefully overhauled ; the head should be adjusted, not too loosely or too tightly, but just at the happy mean ; the break fittings should be cleaned up and scrutinised with a careful eye, the hinges oiled, and a very strict search made for any flaw or crack or unexpected wear — 2o8 CYCLING. the slightest weakness in this important point may endanger the Hfe or hmb of the rider. If the break of a tricycle does not seem to act with sufficient strength, the band should be carefully removed and the black shiny places on the leather lining cut away with a rasp or rough file. If a httle powdered resin is then dusted over the leather, it will add to the efficacy of the break (in front steerers, but it is dangerous in Humber type machines, being jerky in its action), and a small supply of powdered resin should be taken in case of a long tour. The bearings throughout the machine should be carefully adjusted if any looseness is apparent; but it is never right to screw them up so that there is no side shake at all, as the balls are thus liable to be broken, and any slight stiffness which may result from the closer adjustment should be worked off some time before the start for the tour. The bearings should be dosed with paraffin, which should be put in with an ordinary oil-can and the wheels rotated rapidly, when the coagulated oil will be liquefied and the grit brought out with it. After the exudations from the bearings have been wiped off they may be carefully oiled up anew with good oil. The spring screws should be looked to and tightened, and the saddle firmly fixed in a com- fortable position ; if the saddle itself is very hard, it may be washed with soft soap, which should be rubbed quickly on and off, carefully cleansed with a sponge full of warm water, then dried with a cloth and left for some hours to get quite dry. The wallet should be looked over carefully and the necessary spanners placed therein ; unless they fit every nut (a most un- usual occurrence with most firms in the cycle manufacturing trade), a good adjustable wrench should also be carried. The spanners, &-c., should be wrapped up in a stout piece of rag to prevent them from rattling, the oil-can should be rinsed out with a drop of paraffin and the nozzle carefully cleansed with a bit of wire, and then a pin may be put down it and the cap screwed on, after which it should be filled with a good sound oil with plenty of body; some string and a couple of feet of fine copper wire will often come in useful, and an extra nut or two A MIDDAY HALT TOURING. 209 may be added to fill up an unoccupied corner. A spoke- tightener is necessary with some machines, but it is not a good plan to ride the class of vehicle which requires this appliance ; the tourist's wallet will therefore contain the following items : — The spanners supplied with the machine. One adjustable wrench. One oil-can carefully filled. A piece of copper wire. A yard or two of string. A piece of rag to wrap spanners in. Some nuts and other odds and ends. The lamp will next require attention ; the bicyclist will of course examine the fittings to see that they are sound, especially if it be a hub lamp, as any failure of the rivets will be certain to cause an accident, which will involve the ripping of a good many spokes out of the machine as well as very serious results to the rider. It is well to take a bit of wick in the wallet if the tour is to be a very long one, whilst the lamp should be charged with colza or some other easily obtainable oil, so that there may be no trouble in getting the lamp refilled, a serious drawback to the use of some fancy oils for lamps. The lamp being found all right, the bell or gong should be seen to, and any alteration that may be necessary having regard to the luggage carried on bicycles or any other matter in connexion therewith should be made. The tires should be examined all round to see that they are firmly cemented into the rim, and should any portion however small prove to be loose, it should be at once refixed and made sound to undergo with safety the work before it. The man and the machine being ready, the baggage packed and the route selected, it only remains for the tourist to jump upon his carriage and depart upon his journey. 2IO CYCLING. CHAPTER VL TRAINING. Training, as applied to athletics, may be defined as the pre- paration of the body for new and unaccustomed strains, and the gradual fitting of the human frame to undergo the severest physical exertion. The systems whereby this result is sought to be obtained vary greatly in character ; some are sensible and practical, some — and it is to be feared the greater number — are very much the reverse. Even now many of the authorities who superintend the preparation of our athletes are ignorant and ilHterate, and work by rule of thumb without any accurate knowledge, guide, or intelligence. In former times this was even more conspicuously the case. Till a comparatively recent period the only persons who underwent serious training were men who made the sport they practised a profession — 'profes- sionals,' as by the colloquial employment of the adjective they are ungrammatically called. An amateur who competed with other amateurs in boxing, running, walking, and similar exer- cises, rarely trained at all. He took the matter much less seriously than his successor at the present day, who knows that to have the smallest chance of success he must be fully pre- pared. As a result, most of the training lore that has come down to us is of the professional stamp, the outcome of much hard and sharp experience, largely diluted with ignorance and absurdity. The professional athlete was in many cases a very vulgar creature, whose idea of recreation and relaxation was TRAINING. 211 indulgence in unlimited liquor, and whose habitation was among the lowest class. His patron, or master, backed him, made a match for him, or laid a wager on his prowess, as he might on a horse or bulldog in his possession, without greatly .troubhng himself about the feelings or desires of the human animal he controlled. The patron when he had made a match sought not the athlete himself, but the trainer, the professional A PRACTICE SPIN. manager of such refractory creatures. The trainer, acting on instructions, dislodged his promising charge from his favourite haunts, and in all probability found him — if the last match had been won, and the patron had ' behaved handsome ' — fleshy, dull, and ill, with physical powers degraded by debauchery. Under such circumstances, no half measures were possible. The trainer, having got his charge in hand, forthwith dosed him with aperient salts until he had half killed him ; that, p 2 212 CYCLING, indeed, was the usual practice, even in a higher class of hfe when health failed in the good old days. A course of drastic treat- ment soon brought the unlucky gladiator down, and reduced him to a humble and tractable state of mind and body. Having thus overcome to a certain extent the active effects of his excesses, the trainer commenced the 'building-up' process, which culminated, if all went well, in the delivery of the athlete, as 'fit as hands could make him,' at the appointed spot on the day of the match. Not only had the sorely-tried mentor to train his man, regulate his diet, watch over his work, and keep him at it, but he had to guard night and day against an outbreak of drunkenness, which destroyed in a few hours the careful preparation of weeks. Knowing from long experience that his charge was certain to transgress if not closely watched, the main idea of the trainer gradually centred on the best means of keeping him from drink. It may readily be supposed that such a system was wholly inapplicable when the subject was no longer a mere animal, but an intelligent and well-educated man. A few years ago a great revival of athletics took place. Enghsh youths began to recur to the example of ancient Rome, and to fashion themselves as did the Romans of old— ^^^^^^ More Palaestrae. The enthusiastic amateurs, with all the energy of men following hotly a new idea, sought assistance from the only guide at their disposal, some old-fashioned trainer, who could see no difference between the ardent young athlete and the men on whom he had formerly operated. Sauce for the goose, argued the ancient gladiator, was sauce for the gander. The disciple who hung upon his words did not dream of suggesting that the system which had been found necessary and efficacious for so many generations was inapplicable in his case. The new pupil did not urge that he was a well-behaved young man, that he had no sort of inclination to excess of any kind, and that from previous habits he had no acquired maladies to shake off. TRAINING. 213 The trainer felt sure, from long experience, that, whatever he might prescribe, his patient would be sure to drink enough, if not decidedly too much ; and so, when the rules and regulations laid down orally by these athletic fossils were reduced to print, the prohibition of liquid refreshment was found to be absolute. Thirst was utterly ignored, or was treated as an enemy to be resolutely defied. A man in training, said the ancient trainer, must drink nothing. He did not recognise the fact that, whereas his charge of the past had to be coerced into doing what he was wanted to do, and watched and prevented from doing what he was not wanted to do, his charge of the present — the young and ardent amateur — was as likely as not to go to the other extreme, and to overwork himself, over-diet himself, nay, ' starve ' him- self for want of a reasonable amount of liquid, out of deference to Draconic laws laid down in the faith that whatever a trainer said would be only partially obeyed. But experience keeps a hard school, and, after a somewhat lengthy thraldom, amateur athletes began to exercise their own common sense and to emancipate themselves from the Spartan regimen of work, diet, and drink laid down for them by their earlier mentors. When once intelligent medical attention was directed to the system of training, very little consideration suf- ficed to show that the old rules were only made for men who were expected to carry them out half-heartedly, whereas the new school of amateurs carried them out to the letter, and even exceeded them, with very evil results. So after a time the old system fell into desuetude, its professors became discredited, and a style of training more appropriate to the new circum- stances and surroundings rose in its place. The old athletes who still survive sneer at the men of to-day, whose training, from their point of view, is no training at all ; but the fact is undoubted that amateurs to-day get into better condition and go faster than the best of the old-time professionals, who, with dosing and work, were often ' done to death ' by the time their match was over. Of course, once in a way an athlete is found who not only can stand, but actually requires, the very hardest 214 CYCLING. work. On the other hand, we have plenty of instances of men who, with but Httle training in the truest sense of the word, and with only a slight amount of careful practice, can show their very best form at very short notice. The racing cychst of to-day should avoid the old system altogether, and do his best to get the assistance of a modern adviser who works upon reasonable and rational lines. The main idea of the modern school is that every precept laid down is to be carried out to the letter. Preparation of the frame and the physical powers for severe exertion is not a task which should be undertaken in haste. If a man has but a few days in which to prepare for an important contest, his mentor will do well to keep him off the track altogether, and thus let him start quite unfit, so that his miseries may cause him to desist early in the struggle. To start in a contest when out of condition is a very serious matter, both to the novice and the rider who has once been highly trained. The novice, unless he has undergone an ade- quate preparation, may very easily damage or strain himself. The once highly-trained rider is in still greater danger. There is no doubt that in athletics a mental training goes on side by side with the physical development — a quickening of the mind, an enlarged nervous control over the limbs ; in short, a. reflex action of the mental over the physical powers, which has very much to do with success. Physical training is easily lost ; a very short spell of idleness will cause the rider to lose much of his power for sustaining prolonged exertion ; he gets fat, and his wind gets short— in fact, ail the results on his bodily func- tions of hard and careful training pass away, and he is ' unfit ' in every sense of the word. But, although the subject is left with but little of the muscular fitness that once distinguished him, and with skill impaired by want of condition, the mental training remains, and is to a very great extent permanent. That supreme command, which the mind in a moment of highly-strung excitement — such, for example, as the sharp finish of a race — brings to bear upon the ph^^sical powers, takes con- TRAINING. 215 siderably longer than mere physical powers to develop ; but, once developed, is ver}^ rarely altogether lost. Though the athlete may be physically unfit and out of training, the tyrant mind remains imperative. The flaccid, fat-laden muscles, the stiff, unexercised limbs, the clogged and unexpanded lungs, when called upon for a tremendous effort, hke the soldiers of Hannibal after their stay in Capua, are not ready for the task. The result is an inevitable breakdown. Lucky is the athlete who, under such circumstances, only strains a ligament, or ricks a joint, and escapes heart-disease or other insidious ills. A very keen observer, a splendid athlete (and a tricyclist also) — Mr. Horace Davenport — who has so long been the champion swimmer, in a letter to a journal that has now disappeared — the 'Athletic Review ' — says: ' I fancy that in all competitions where staying power is required, the mind has far more to do with keep- ing going than has the body, though, of course, the latter must be in good condition to answer the call of the brain, otherwise there is a breakdown, probably with permanent consequences. Train- ing undoubtedly gives the mind a great power over the body, and my experience goes to show that, after training has been given up, the mind retams the power it has developed far longer than does the body ; and this is where the danger of athletics comes in, for many a man who has trained is induced, on the spur of the moment, to make some foolish match. His body is out of condition, yet it is likely his mind enables him to pull off the event ; but the feat will probably be followed by prostra- tion of the system. There would not be nearly the same danger to a man who had never trained were he to try his level best at anything, for in his case most hkely the body would decide when it had had enough, and would " cave in " accordingly.' This opinion, coming from so practical an authority, should carry weight. Unless an athlete is well prepared he should exercise a wise discretion, and abstain from entering on any sort of competition, even if he only goes in for the purposes of exercise ; in fact, it is always safer for one who enters any contest with that object to choose one outside his specialite 2i6 CYCLING, at which he does not mind being beaten. Say, for example, a once prominent cycHst desires to keep up a certain amount of exercise, but does not intend seriously to train. Let him take as much exercise as he pleases upon his machine ; but, if he is pressed to enter in some open competition, or at the sports of clubs to which he belongs, let him take up some other branch of athletics ; for, if he rides in any contest half-trained, he will assuredly find himself in an awkward and uncomfortable predi- cament. Perhaps, for example, half a mile from the winning post he wall be racing side by side with some old rival. In a moment all the old Adam stirs within him. There is the old familiar whirr of the wheels, the w^ell-remembered shouts of the spectators, and the encouraging cries of friends. His caution and the determination to give up when he has had enough are forgotten. The clang of the bell as he enters the last lap strikes his ear. His mental training involuntarily calls upon the phy- sical powers for the old spurt, the old well-timed muscular effort. What though he be exhausted, if giddiness and sickness almost overcome him ? He simply sets his teeth the firmer, grips his handles, and makes the fierce and final effort as of old. jNIuscles and lungs are not fit or ready for the task, and, unless he stops from sheer exhaustion, something must go, and injur}^, perhaps for life, ensue. This is what should be most carefully avoided, and a once trained athlete should exercise the greatest caution in after years as to the exertions he sets himself to undertake. Bearing all these facts in mind, the rider, when commencing to train, should seek to develop, not only his mere animal or physical powers of wind and limb, but his mental powers as well. His trainer, if he has one, should study as much as pos- sible his temperament and pecuUarities. Should he, however, decide to train himself, some observant and experienced friend must be persuaded to watch him, and, as far as possible, point out his errors. There is nothing more beneficial to the beginner than the care and treatment which a competent trainer can bestow. The very things which a rider does not want to do TRAINING. 217 are frequently the particular exercises most necessary to his success. Racing men, like race horses, have their tempers and their peculiarities. Some horses must lead all the way, others prefer to wait ; some are lazy, others too fiery. So with the racing man. One cannot 'make the pace' — i.e. go fast — when in front ; another cannot go fast when alone on the track ; others go fastest when they have an adversary ' dogging ' their hind wheels. Some riders feel compelled to wait behind the leader, and only come out for the final rush ; others like to ride first, and race from start to finish. All these varying tem- peraments are represented upon the path, and their various exponents show the highest quality an athlete can possess — judgment — when they succeed in winning on their own precon- ceived plan. It w^ould be easy to name individual riders whom the descriptions given above would fit. Mr. R. H. English, of Newcastle, is a type of the rider who simply ' goes all the way.' He puts down his head and never looks behind him. Mr. H. W. Gaskell was a typical 'waiter'; w^hatever the dis- tance of the race, he never led until the last 300 yards, and then he threw all his energies into one supreme effort. Of late years we have had perhaps too many 'waiters'; and scratch races— that is, races in which men start level — have, in conse- quence, been very slow for the spectators — the one mile cham- pionship of 1884 occupied three minutes and thirty seconds. Sometimes, in an important contest, such as a five-mile scratch race, all the men who have a chance for the race wait upon each other, and leave an unimportant outsider to make the pace. They start, but no one wants to go in front ; they lite- rally crawl round the path. Presently an ambitious rider— an outsider— without the ghost of a chance, dashes to the front and takes the field along for a mile or two at an improved pace ; then another outsider takes his place, and makes the pace for another mile ; the two or ihree ' crack riders ' stick close together for some sixteen or seventeen minutes. Sud- denly there is a change. ' Two more laps ! ' shouts the judge. The ambitious outsiders suddenly collapse, and the three cracks 2i8 CYCLING. draw out from the ruck and race to the front. One of them secures a momentary lead, the others in close pursuit ; they close up ; wheel overlaps wheel ; the three riders are nearly abreast as the tape is reached for the last time round ; the bell rings, away they go for a furious spurt of 440 yards, and the speediest sprinter wins what is nominally a long-distance race. Nearly all our men during the last few seasons, if indeed there are any exceptions, have trained for sprints and sharp finishes only ; as a natural consequence beginners have followed in their footsteps, and a good final spurt has been regarded as the great object of a racing cyclist's ambition. Happily a change has already begun in this matter, and a more careful preparation for long and well-sustained effort is being undertaken by some of the best men. Among professionals several well-known riders, such as Battensby and Lees, go long distances in training. Profiting by the example of the former rider, Mr. R. H. English, the sturdy amateur from Newcastle, set a grand example by ' going all the way ' in the Crystal Palace and Kildare Challenge Cups in 1884 ; and our amateurs, more especially those whose forte lies in staying, as compared to sprinting, will do well to study the successful system of preparation undergone by Mr. English and other long-distance riders. In the following notes we shall treat of the riders in two classes : short- and long-distance men. In the immediate future these two classes of racing cyclists will probably become more and more distinct. The long-distance man, as distinguished from the sprinter, will stick to distance races. The * sprinter ' will go in for what Americans aptly call ' dashes. ' Of course racing cyclists are as diverse in their powers as are running, walking, swimming, or rowing men. Amateurs of running would be surprised to see Mr. J. \l. Cowie, the loo-yards amateur ex-champion sprinter, start in a one-mile race, yet no one seems to think it at all surprising that a bicyclist hke Mr. Gaskell, who is extraordinarily speedy for a single mile, should start for the 25-mile championship. In the same way when George, the distance running champion, enters for a short race for the TRALXIAG. 219 purpose of improving his pace, he gets a long start — and a beating ; yet in cycling Mr. H. F. Wilson, a man who held many records over 30 miles, persistently enters and runs for one-mile handicaps. The whole theory and system on which cyclists have been working of late years have been vitiated by this effort on the part of the riders to succeed at the distance for which their physical powers most unfit them. Cyclists must look to it : the * stayer ' must stick to distance riding, and the ' sprinter ' to short ' dashes.' The sprinter, when training, should never ride either a long distance or a long race, as it is certain to stiffen his muscles and make him slow. The long-distance man on the other hand may in moderation ride in short-distance races to improve his pace, always taking care not to train for short distances, and to keep his attention fixed upon long work. A fatal error into which many racing men fall is over- work, or rather over-competition. Anyone who carefully con- siders the principles of exercise and training will see that it is impossible for a man to be actually in perfect condition for a long consecutive period of time. Many riders, by careful and judicious training, maintain a wonderfully high average of condi- tion, but this falls short of their best form. Without doubt the better times accomplished in running and cycling by ' profes- sionals,' as compared with those of amateurs, are due to a very great extent to the fact that the professional never thinks of running or riding a serious race at frequent intervals. For each serious match in which he is engaged he undergoes care- ful preparation, preceded and followed by a period of complete relaxation. On the other hand a file of the sporting or cycling papers records the regular appearance, week after week, of m.any prominent riders, who are to be found every succeeding Saturday — with an occasional mid-week meeting thrown in — riding xtxy hard, in open races. These riders probably regard the races in which they engage as a sort of training ; but the cyclist who calmly and deliberately winds himself up for a great effort on some important occasion is likely to do better than one who is constantly racing. 220 CYCLING. la Chapter VII. of this work will be found some notes on dress, and especially on the shoes to be adopted. A couple of pairs of soft and rather thick merino socks will be neces- sary, to be used alternately and very carefully dried by the attendant on each occasion ; a stout pair of plain white flannel drawers, of the same cut as the racing drawers, or a pair of elastic web pants of stouter make than those worn for racing ; and finally a jersey, or singlet. A cap may be worn and also a woollen neck wrap if the throat is very delicate, but this is not much to be recommended. The novice must at first depend very much upon himself, and it is an excellent thing for a young racing man to train himself for his first season under the mentorship of some candid friend. He thus, if he is at all observant, learns his own peculiarities, and is as a consequence able to tell his trainer, when he engages the services of such an assistant, what are his especial requirements. One piece of advice is important : always train with an object. Thus if the novice fancies he can stay, let him decide to go for the ten-mile championship of the club he belongs to, never mind even if the amateur champion himself belongs to it as well, go for it and it will be an object to train for ; if on the other hand the novice thinks that his forte lies in sprinting, let him enter for a club mile race, or an open contest for that distance on some safe track, and then train for that particular race. The first thing every trainer does when he takes a man in hand is to weigh him : the novice should get weighed and make a note of his exact weight, stripped. He should then consider whether he is fat or not ; if of spare habit he will not require, nor indeed endure, so much hard work as another who carries a superfluity of adipose tissue. He should begin work for the chosen event at least a month before it is fixed to take place. If the event he has pitched upon for his first venture is a one- mile open handicap, he should consider that he will have to possibly ride in two rounds and a final, and that he will have to ride all through the race to win. The track chosen for his work should be easy of access, safe, with easy corners ; and, if TRAINING. 231 possible, he should secure a companion or two — who would in most cases be his fellow club-men — to assist him and ride with him. A stop-watch is also useful to gauge the progress. Of course he has done some road riding and is in sufficient rough form for that work. Should it be possible for him to visit the track twice a day, he should after breakfast take a sharp walk for half an hour or so, not too heavily clad, and then returning home or to his office rest quietly, attending to business or other cares until 11.30 or 12 o'clock, when he should visit the track and take half-an-hour's steady work at half speed. Rattling along at a smart pace, but carefully refraining from spurting, a healthy perspiration will be induced, and the pace may be slightly accelerated for the last mile. As soon as the half- hour has expired, let the rider dismount and, without loitering, go straight into the dressing-room and sit in a corner out of the draught, put a towel round his neck and remain quiet. In a few moments a profuse perspiration will follow, which should be encouraged by a gentle friction with a towel folded over the hand, whilst if an attendant is present he may, by more vigorous rubbing, set up a glow over the whole surface of the body. A good many attendants hurry the ' rubbing down ' process, especially those who have a number of men to look after, and thus defeat the very object they are desired to accomplish. In nearly every case under these conditions there is a second flow of perspiration after the man has been completely dried ; when this has been removed, and not till then, the rider may guard against cold by taking a showerbath of cold water, an appliance which should be found in every training dressing-room. This closes the pores of the skin and precludes the possibility of catching cold ; the rider should then dress, preferably in flannel, at least with some thin flannel garment next the skin, and go about his business, dining about 2 o'clock. In the evening he should revisit the track between 5 and 7 P.M., according to the season, for the real work of the day. This in the case of a short race will consist of ' short ' work with a view to the improvement and knowledge of pace 222 CYCLING. necessary for a one-mile race. A second set of flannels should be put on, and the rider now more especially needs the services of his friends to clock, or ride with him. His work should consist of quarter-mile spurts, with an occasional half-mile spin, and perhaps once a week a regular mile trial against the watch. A ' pacemaker ' is of the very greatest service at this juncture, and on most of our tracks, especially in London, there are generally at hand amateur riders who will so far assist a novice, if he asks them, as to give him a lead and even some valuable hints. In doing his work the rider should be very careful to note the following points and see that he is carrying them out : — (i) Always to look ivherehe is goiiig. — This is very essential, especially for a man who trains much alone, as such riders often get unconsciously into a trick of guiding themselves by the edge of the track, and thus in actual competition may run into a man before they can avoid it. (2) Always sit straight. — When a man is riding on a small track, or on a path with bad corners, he often picks up a trick of sitting all on one side, and thus ' throws ' his outside knee very awkwardly. It is essential that a beginner should think of it when at work. The saddle should, of course, be set quite straight. (3) Pedal evenly and use both legs. — Those who have no practical experience will hardly believe how often a rider ' favours ' one leg more than the other. A blister, a strain, or a bruise will often start it, and it is only when an experienced rider, who has been ' hanging on ' behind the other man, notices and mentions it that the victim becomes alive to his defect. A bad or incomplete ankle action with one leg is often the cause, and therefore, when at his spurting work, the novice should be constantly watchful to keep up the same power with both legs. (4) Fedal straight. — This is also a point which must be watched. Very often a rider pedals beautifully on the road, but throws his knees very awkwardly out or in when on the path. This fault is often traceable to the difference in the width TRAINING, 223 of the tread of his roadster and racer machines, or to an uncon- scious sympathy between the arms and legs, the former Hmbs being often bent outwardly when leaning forward in the grass- hopper style. The novice, therefore, should watch his knees in the manner suggested in our chapter on learning to ride, the action in each case being exactly similar. (5) Keep the foot straight. — This is usually effected by me- chanical means. The wriggling action of the foot is often caused by a crooked crank, or pedal pin, and in any case it must be corrected. The racing shoes often tell the tale by the slots in which the pedals fit being found worn to unequal depths on either side ; and the rider will find that this denotes a bad foot-action, which must be carefully corrected ere he can hope to do good work. (6) Hold the handles 7iaturally. — If the rider can race nearly upright, he may hold his handles either way — ' over ' or ' under ' ; but, if he rides ' grasshopper ' fashion, he must hold them 'under.' If anyone will put his hands in the position described, about twenty-six inches apart, on the edge of a table, and then lean forward in the ' grasshopper ' style, he will dis- cover that, awkward as it looks, it fully opens the chest and permits full play to the lungs, whilst the position allows of a very nice adjustment of the weight. (7) Don't wobble the shoulders. — Some men seem to think that pace is developed by moving the shoulders as if they were throwing all their bodily weight on the pedals. This is a very grave error. Without too rigidly setting the muscles of the trunk, the shoulders should be kept comparatively steady. This will assist very materially in keeping the machine straight. A very little up and down movement may be allowable, but beyond this nothing of the sort should be permitted. (8) Hold the body still and sit dozen. — A great many riders get up off the saddle when spurting. This is a serious fault ; it unsteadies the steering and diminishes the available power. The arms should assist in keeping the body steady, and the saddle should touch always. A very slight grip of the peak of 224 CYCLING. the saddle between the legs will be found of notable assistance in steering round awkward corners. (9) Don't shake the head. — Some flyers of note do wonderful things with their heads when spurting. It is hardly possible for the rider to watch his opponents and judge his course when his head is in constant motion. The head, in the 'grass- hopper ' style of riding, should be thrown back, the face to the front, almost in the position of that of a swimmer ; it should be held still right over the driving wheel, with the eyes directed well forward. Some riders turn the head a httle to one side, so as to listen for the opponent behind them ; and this may be done, if the above caution is carried out. But in this case, in practice, the rider should turn his head away from the inside of the path, and should stop the ear which is directed forward with cotton wool, as the wind blowing in often sets up a cold. Owing to this fact a large number of well-known riders are a httle deaf in one ear. Always supposing that the tiro has given a fair amount of time to acquiring a good ankle action, the above hints will assist him in forming his style on a good model. It is essential that he should not get over the front of his wheel too much, or, the weight being taken off the rear wheel, the steering is sure to become erratic and the danger of a ' header ' is thereby vastly increased.^ For this reason hint No. 8 should always be kept in view. Bearing all these precepts in mind, the tiro should turn out for his evening work. After a quiet paddle for a lap or two, he should mentally resolve to spurt, say one lap ; and here it is necessary to point out that the mental training alluded to will have to begin. Having resolved to go the one lap, or even if very new at the game the half lap, the novice must ride it out however exhausted he may feel. This will not, perhaps, be possible the first time, owing to the insufficient development of the mental power, and the consequent inability 1 The illustration on page 176, entitled ' Going it,' shows a rider placed so dose to the head o'" his machine that his hind wheel would be in the air before he had gone a hundred yards. TRAINING. 225 to push the muscular powers to the utmost. But nevertheless, the rider should set his teeth and struggle on to the point on which he mentally decided before starting. Here he should ease up and ride round quietly until he has regained his breath. When he feels all right he may essay the same spin again, and do this half-a-dozen times or so during the half hour he remains on the path. He should then finish up with an easy pace mile or so, and retiring into the dressing-room, follow out with equal exactitude and care the proceedings of the mornmg. After each of these exercises, the rider, or preferably his attendant, should rub the legs, especially the front of the shins and the calves, with his bare hand, the rider relaxing the tension of the muscles whilst this process is going on. This assists the muscle in throwing off the fat which may lie in its tissues, and also strengthens it by aiding the flow of the blood through the vessels. This hand rubbing is the secret of training success, and the attendant who gives most time to this portion of the work when his charge has got rid of superfluous flesh will assuredly turn out better men than the trainer who shirks the necessarily irksome task. It may be well here to insert a caution against too much faith in the times made in the early stages of the work. Many a novice has been disappointed to find that after a week's hard work, he is going decidedly slower than he went in his half-trained state. This of course is very natural ; he has exhausted and used up his rough muscular power, and sufficient time has not elapsed to allow of its natural replacement by the development and training of his powers for the special work contemplated. But although he is momentarily a worse man than he was, yet very shortly nature will respond to the call and supply him with muscles, or rather muscular developments, which will fully atone for his disappoint- ments. Should the rider's trainer or friend find the fnne com- pare badly with earlier efforts, he will do well to put the watch in his pocket and make an excuse to the rider, or else explain to him the why and wherefore, and encourage him to keep on, carefully watching his progress until the sudden Q 226 CYCLING. improvement of the times points to the fact that the muscles are becoming accustomed to the task. During all this period our typical novice must be studying himself and trying to reason out the various surroundings of the exercise. He must be continually thinking and making little changes and alterations such as he may fancy will suit him. Time and trouble should never be grudged when devoted to getting the racer exactly right, and it is only those who take an infinity of trouble to have everything comfortable that can hope to succeed. A thousand and one aches and pains will probably trouble the tiro, but unless he feels very sick and faint after his work, or detects any sensation of lung trouble, he need not go to a medical man ; and, as we have said before, if he does experience such sen- sations he should go to some doctor who has had experience of athletics and athletes. Pains in the calf of the leg, the thigh, or the back, due to straining or cramp, will mostly give way before easy work, Elhman's Embrocation or ' Thilum,' whilst a good hand-rubbing will ease the stiffness of the limbs in the earlier stages ; and all this time, as suggested above, the beginner must be studying and gauging his own powers, and storing up information to aid his judgment when the actual contest arrives. A very good rule for a beginner to carry out (and for a veteran, too, for the matter of that) is to try seriously to succeed in the special point in which he fancies himself deficient; thus, if a rider fancies he cannot stay, let him try a distance spin merely for his own instruction. If he thinks he cannot spurt, let him essay spurting; if he cannot negotiate corners, he should go and train for a little while on a track with bad ones; whether the plan is successful or not the rider will begin to know all his own points. The period of efficiency depends of course upon the recovery of the muscles from the first strains of the novel exercise, and this will be much influenced by the previous use to which they have been put. If they have been abnormally developed in any other direction, the time may be considerably lengthened ; for example, running or gymnastics will often develop muscle of no service in cycling, and a considerable TRAIXIXG. 227 time may therefore elapse ere the Hmbs get fitted to the new work. Only one sport ' nicks ' with cycling, and that is fair toe and heel walking, doubtless owing to the strengthening of the legs generally, and the ankle work. Rowing, when the sliding seat has been used, makes the legs powerful enough for cycling, but very slow, whilst the development of the upper pectoral muscles by gymnastics is sometimes so great as to cause them when set to interfere with the rapid respirations of a spurting cyclist, an event which does not noticeably occur in the inter- mittent, and above all, slower exertions of the gymnasium, but which asserts itself somewhat emphatically when the gymnast on the bicycle sets his chest muscles, by gripping his handles in the fierce rush of a final spurt; we remember at least one rider whose apparent 'softness' in a sharp finish was undoubtedly to be attributed to this cause. ■■tn Es gingen drei Jiiger wohl fiuf die Birsch; Sie wollten erjagen den wtissen H'nsch.— Uhland. Q 2 228 CYCLING. CHAPTER VII. DRESS. Exhilarating and enjoyable as is the sport of cycling, and nealthy as it has proved itself to be, its enjoyment and its health-giving qualities are wholly dependent upon one very im- portant point : a correct and suitable costume. It must not be forgotten that cycling is, after all, an athletic exercise, that it causes perspiration when ardently followed out, and for that reason alone it requires its votaries to be properly costumed in a dress suitable and convenient for the work in hand. It may be well to say a few words on this question of appropriate attire, as a good many riders are even now doubtful about the propriety of donning a regular cycling dress. In the earlier days of the sport, a pedestrian or a rider in cycling garb was sufficiently a novelty to attract a good deal of annoying atten- tion in any town he might visit. But this is no longer the case, and a correctly dressed cyclist, more especially if he adopts the C. T. C. costume, is so common an object, that he passes without special notice. One reason for the protection which ladies undoubtedly find in the C. T. C. grey uniform lies in the fact that it is so little remarkable, and so closely re- sembles that ordinarily worn by the wife of the parson or doctor, and therefore the bucolic intelligence sets down the passing stranger in his mind as probably a friend or acquain- tance of the local lady. Every day the public outside the sport become more and more used to the sight of a correctly dressed cyclist, and the familiar grey dress of the lady rider, and the DRESS. 229 knee breeches, stockings, and short jackets of the sterner sex, occasion no remark. That every rider who cycles, whatever his age, should wear a cycling costume appropriately cut needs no proof. The rider of a cycle who ventures out in an inappropriate costume is regarded as one who does not know the right thing to do when pursuing the sport, and proclaims himself as either an ignoramus or a novice. The cyclist therefore should seek to be comfortably and scientifically clad, making the mere ornamental question as it affects the costume subservient to the necessity of having a practically useful dress in which to ride. The essential points are few and simple ; they should be carefully studied by every cyclist who wishes to ride in comfort. 1. The dress must be fully protective — that is to say, it must afford an even and adequate warmth all over the body, without unduly confining the action of the Umbs ; and there must not be too much of it. 2. It must be of some very sound and serviceable cloth, which can stand hard wear. Loosely woven cloth holds the dust ; so the material chosen should be a wiry and closely woven stuff of some medium colour, and the costume as a whole should be neat and quiet in appearance. A practical costume, meeting all the requirements of the rider, requires the experiences of many riders under varying conditions to bring it up to the point of practical perfection, and the ingenuity of cyclist after cyclist has been exercised on the many minor points which go to make it a complete and com- fortable whole. Not only must the outer garments be suitable to the work and its surroundings, but the under garments must correspond. This remark applies with peculiar force to the clothing worn by ladies. OUTER GARMENTS. These consist of the uniform, or cycling costume proper, viz., the coat or jacket, the waistcoat (if worn), the breeches or knickerbockers, the stockings, and the hat or helmet. No 230 CYCLING. cheap material can withstand for any time the hard usage to which a cychng dress is of necessity subjected, and the truest economy is to pay a fair price for some tested material which experience has proved in every way suitable for the purpose. The solitary cyclist might spend his life and a small fortune trying and testing various goods which would be highly recom- mended to him as suitable for cycling, and the lady rider would probably find that any garment which the shopkeeper had in stock w^as pronounced to be eminently adapted for her pur- pose. Happily for cyclists generally, expert assistance has long since been called in, and materials suited to all classes of riders are now supplied. A cloth which par excellence finds acceptance amongst a large class of wheelmen is that sold by the Cyclists' Touring Club. It was originally decided upon by a jury of experts, who also happened fortunately to be cyclists. It is a West of England tweed, a very small check pattern in grey ; it is excellent in wear, does not show the dust, and will stand any amount of knocking about ; it will also wash, which is a great point, as a cyclist is apt occasionally to come in contact with oily parts of his machine. The C. T. C. cloth, as it is usually termed, cleans remarkably well. When braid is worn, it should be sewn on the inside of the seams : the primary object of braid was doubtless to strengthen the seams, and also to strengthen the garment generally. Flat bars of broad braid sewn inside, across the chest of a military or cycling uniform, are remarkably efficacious in preventing the jacket from stretching, and losing its shape. This fact was clearly proved by a well-known cyclist who had two jackets of the same material and shape made at the same time, one braided and the other plain ; the braided one, though decidedly shabby, still keeps its shape and is usable, but the plain jacket has long since been destroyed as shapeless and unwearable. Those, therefore, who wish tb get the greatest possible amount of wear out of a costume, will do well to have it braided, but in place of braiding it outside, which looks conspicuous, it should be 1)7^ ESS. 231 braided inside, the braid being run down the seams and across the breast to the buttonholes on the inside of the coat through- out. The jacket thus treated will be found to wear for a very long time, and it will in most cases retain its shape to the end, a point worth consideration by those whose means are limited. The material having been chosen, the make and shape must be decided upon ; and here again experience has laid down certain principles which have been esiablished by the slow process of discussion and trial. The result of these practical discussions has been the establishment of a few points as imperative rules for the comfort of the cyclist, and first and foremost stands the dictum : ' That every garment worn whilst cycling should be of flannel or woollen material, without any admixture of cotton or linen in any form.' The past experiences of many well-known and prominent riders in the early days of the sport taught them in the most emphatic manner, and sometimes with unpleasant emphasis, the imperative necessity of doing away with every atom of cotton or linen used in any one of the garments worn, as these materials when damp from perspiration or rain are found to strike very cold and chilly wherever they may be situated ; and this becomes more parti- cularly apparent should the rider sit about after a hard day's work, when he feels chilled to the bone, and in many cases catches a very severe cold, if nothing worse, whilst some very bad cases of inflammation of the kidneys have been traced directly to the wearing of a linen waistband in the knicker- bockers or trousers. As a number of elderly tricyclists will insist on riding in trousers, and will of course equally insist on riding in an old pair of ordinary nether garments, they often suffer as above described, and cychng is blamed for an illness which can be directly traced to the folly of the victim himself Sore throat is often to be traced to the linen band which so many tailors and shirtmakers will fit round the neck of a flannel shirt, whilst there is often in addition a little square of linen marked vrith the maker's name and address, which, when it is damp, can be readily felt, especially if the wind blows up 232 CYCLING. coldly after a long run as evening falls. Throughout the whole list of garments used by cydists the same fault extends, the merino or woollen vest has a strip of linen down the front right over the throat, and so placed as to be likely to produce the very worst results ; the drawers, if worn, have a linen waistband and a linen front, the knee-breeches or knickerbockers are lined round the knees and at the waist with Itahan cloth or some other *cold' material; the coat is strengthened with a linen stifTener wherever necessar)^, and the arms are lined with Imen or some kindred material. The waistcoat is backed with cotton and lined with cotton, and is altogether about as bad as it can be in this respect, seeing that the cold-giving material is stretched over the loins and round the stomach. The flannel shirt, espe- cially of the non-shrinkable and fancy class, contains a large proportion of cotton, and the result is that the rider after a long run is cold, clammy and chilly, loses his appetite instead of improving it, feels quite out of sorts, and may consider himself lucky if, in addition to all these discomforts, he does not get a heavy cold, or, w^orse still, a local chill. More especially is this likely to occur if the victim has a few hours of night riding at the finish of his day's work, when his only chance is to button his coat right up to the neck and keep moving until the very end of the trip ; standing about, or trying to get warm by the fire, will only add to the chances of illness. On the other hand, the rider clothed from head to foot in complete flannel, or pure woollen garments, is comparatively safe. He may get wet through half-a-dozen times, and although the situation is in no wise comfortable, it is at any rate the next best thing to being comfortable, viz. it is safe ; and every rider, whatever his age, svho values his health and wishes to avoid the very worst results that can follow from cycling, will do well to see that this all- wool programme is fully carried out. Some young or inexpe- rienced cyclists will scoff at the above views, but experienced riders will simply advise them to wait until two or three weeks on a sick bed shall have convinced them of the folly of casting aside as useless the experiences of their predecessors. DI^ESS. 233 In the earlier days of cycling it was difficult to procure all the articles which a modern practical tourist looks upon as actual necessaries of the most ordinary type ; but now, a number of well-known firms specially connected with the cycling trade are laying themselves out to meet the requirements of the touring riders and to supply guaranteed pure woollen goods and materials for the use of the riding public, who are thus spared the trouble of looking for them, and the suffering of the pioneers has not been without fruit. Riders desirous of availing themselves of the resources of civilisation in this direction will therefore have no difficulty in getting the necessary garments when contemplating a tour. It is needless to add that these remarks apply with even added force to the clothing required by lady riders, who are at any rate quite as liable as men to chills and other evils, and should of course take equal precautions. The ' body garment,' the coat or jacket, is the first item to be considered, and there are plenty of designs and shapes to choose from. A jacket for bicycling should not be too long, but when the rider is seated upon the machine it should just reach below the saddle. For tricycling, and especially in the case of elderly riders who use an ordinary pattern front steerer, the jacket may be cut a little longer. The usual type, and one most popular with the general run of riders, may be de- scribed as follows : it should be single breasted, buttoning up with not too many buttons, it should be cut pretty high up round the throat, and fitted with a good wide lay-down collar, which should be finished in front with a small lappel, so arranged that when the collar is turned up the lappel may button across the throat. If a triangular ' tab ' which can be buttoned across the opening of the turned-up collar be also fitted, and its lower corner hooked or buttoned over the lappel itself, it will be found a very complete protection for the throat and neck. For bicy- cling the bottom of the front of the jacket should be cut away in two curves, so as not to rub against the head and get oily, and the same plan should be adopted in costumes for tricyclists who 234 CYCLIAG. ride Humber pattern machines. For the other class of tricyclists the front may be left square as affording more protection, especi- ally in the case of rain. Two pockets on either side, in front of the hips, and a breast pocket, are ample provision in this direction, but a watch pocket will be found a convenient ad- dition, and should be put very high up on the left-hand side, • when, if it has been properly arranged so as to come just below the projection of the collar bone in front, the watch \\\\\ lie safely and will not disturb the set of the coat. The arms should be rather looser than ordinary, and the armholes cut a trifle larger to allow for extra garments at night and in the winter, and also to facilitate the putting on of the jacket over woollen underclothing. This enlargement should be very slight, not more than one inch at the most, but in actual prac- tice this makes all the difference between comfort and discom- fort. The sleeves should not be too long, or they will worry the rider very much, especially in case they get wet with rain or perspiration, and the cuff's should be fitted with a couple of buttons so that they may be opened and turned back in hot weather. An ordinary link button is a capital thing to carry when on a tour, as with its aid the coat can be unbuttoned and then just linked across the chest to prevent its flying about, and at the same time there will be plenty of freedom and fresh air for the chest and arms. For winter use the coat may be lined throughout with thin sound flannel, but in the summer this will be found oppressive unless very little underclothing is worn. For a summer jacket the very smallest amount of lining and stiffening, which should invariably be all of woollen material, should be used. The armholes, button-holes, and the backs of the buttons, together with the collar, are practically the only points which will require lining, and a summer coat cut as we have suggested has the additional advantage of being quite as serviceable in winter, as owing to the slightly enlarged sleeves a considerable addition can be made to the underclothing with- out any inconvenience being felt when the coat is put on. This type of jacket may therefore be considered the main stay of a DIvESS. 235 cycling uniform, and will in most cases be found the very best style which can be adopted. Next in order of merit as a useful garment for ordinary wear comes the ' Norfolk jacket.' This shape is well known to most sportsmen ; it is light and easy, and commends itself par- ticularly to those who are inclined to be stout. The same rules, as far as cut and make go, will apply to this jacket ; it should be made to fit loosely, and the belt should be fixed to the jacket above the hips ; the pockets are usually put in the breast folds, and ^Yhen the Norfolk jacket is made in C. T. C. cloth it looks exceedingly well. It is particularly suitable for couples upon sociables and tandems, as it is a type of jacket which suits many ladies excellently, and the couple being in the same cut of jacket undoubtedly adds to the neatness of the turn out. The arrangements as to the collar, &:c., will be the same as in the case of the ordinary round jacket. Another type much affected in some quarters is the military collar, on one or other of these jackets. In this case the jacket buttons or hooks right up to the throat, and is finished off with an up- standing collar all round the neck. This looks neat and may suit some people, but in general it confines the throat too much and prevents the air circulating around the neck, more espe- cially round the nape of the neck, and this is liable to cause sunstroke and headache. In any case it must fit closely to look well, and if it fits so it is bound to be stuffy and unsatisfactory, and is not therefore to be recommended. Some of the newest cycling jackets now in the market are woven or knitted, and they are very comfortable, but in some cases lose their shape rapidly. Some of the webbing jackets, however, withstood the severest tests, and they are very good for touring work, as they prevent the wearer from catching cold, and yet are by no means so stuffy as thick cloth garments. For winter use a jacket which comes right across the chest and is buttoned under the left arm and across the top of the left shoulder may be recom- mended. This construction effectually prevents the wind from blowing in, whilst the even distribution of warmth all over the 2.36 CYCLING. body, without an undue thickness in one place, makes it very effective in warding off colds and chills. For winter riding and night work it has proved practically useful. Of the same class is the * Weather Defiance ' made by the Sanitary Woollen Com- pany of Fore Street, though the double thickness over the chest seems scarcely necessary in a garment made like this one, of a very thick camel's-hair rug-hke material. This also protects the throat, and is a most serviceable garment for those who go in for much night riding, which is always attended with some danger, as the wind is often very chilly even in the middle of summer. The ' Weather Defiance ' is very well made and very light, whilst at the same time it is warm and porous, allowing the free escape of the perspiration. All the garments mentioned are specialities which find favour with various riders, but the general choice for all-round use will be either the ordinary round jacket or the Norfolk jacket. The waistcoat is a garment not much worn by active cyclists, although the tourist will in many cases find it a most useful addition to his outfit. There is nothing special about the waistcoat except that it should be cut high, in fact the square clerical cut may be best adopted. The back and lining of such a waistcoat should always be of flannel and need not be so heavy as it is ordinarily made. A combina- tion garment has been suggested combining the waistcoat and jacket, by having an all-cloth waistcoat fitted with arms and cut a trifle longer than usual, and then putting on over it a sleeve- less coat, which, when the rider gets out into the country, could be taken off and easily packed away. The idea seems practical, and might be adopted. The nether garments may be either knickerbockers, knee- breeches, or trousers ; the latter are the least suitable, as having no support at the knee they are sure to slip downwards, and drag if the rider assumes the only proper position, viz. the vertical, whilst any scheme for looping them up or fixing them, though it may effect its object so far as to allow the rider to use the machine without fear of accident, invariably makes them look awkward and uncomfortable. The gaiters adopted by the D/^ESS. 237 C. T. C have their advocates, but they are hotter than stockings, and if a rider wears gaiters there seems no good reason why he could not as well wear stockings. This brings the matter to the much-vexed question, knee-breeches or knickerbockers ? and there is much to say on both sides. Riders with abnormal calves will do well to tone them down with wide and somewhat baggy knickerbockers, but the youth with attenuated limbs should encase them in pretty closely fitting knee-breeches. In general the bicyclist will be found to adopt the tighter knee- breeches, whilst the tricyclist will affect the loose knicker- bockers. The reason is obvious, as a fold of loose cloth has been known before now to throw a bicyclist, whilst the tricyclist is quite safe from any such accident. Knee-breeches require careful making ; they must fit without being tight, and they must not grip the limb at any time during the action. When a rider goes to his own tailor for knee- breeches, it very frequently happens that they are very nice as long as the rider only walks in them, but the moment he begins to ride he finds them tight, stiff, and awkward. For this reason it is always best to go for these special garments to some firm which thoroughly understands the requirements of the cyclist in the matter of freedom in the muscular action. Breeches should never be tight round the knee, a remark which apphes to all classes of leg gear, but they should just fit and no more at that point, as if they are accurately adjusted they will uphold the stockings without the necessity of garters, a somewhat valuable point, and one which should be carefully attended to. Knee-breeches should be lined where required with thin flannel, and the stiffening which may be necessary should be effected with all-wool stiffener in place of the linen material which is so usually used now. A strap and buckle should not be necessary, as a wise cyclist will invariably wear braces (of which more anon). Knickerbockers require careful cutting to look well, and the same remarks apply to them as to knee-breeches. Flannel hnings should be used throughout, and the garments should be very carefully fitted, and not cut too high. They are 238 CYCLING, best fastened with a cloth strap and buckle at the knee, which should not be drawn too tight ; they should be made with a view to the position assumed by the rider when on his machine. Knitted or webbing breeches are very suitable for work of all kinds, though in the winter they may require supplementing with some sort of underwear ; they are cool, and though rain goes through them at once, it gets out of them with equal rapidity, as they dry very fast indeed. They should be all lined with flannel around the waist, and should be worn with braces. Double seating for cloth breeches was at one time much insisted on by riders, but it is not now quite so popular, as the edges of the sewing have been found to give rise to blisters, and the great thickness is also clumsy and awkward. Single seats are therefore now most popular, though in the case of the webbing garments above alluded to, the seat is strengthened by the run- ning of an extra thread through the stuff at this point, which notably strengthens it. Washleather seats were also once in great favour, but they have not proved on the whole satisfac- tory. When sewn into ordinary breeches the leather soon stretched and then went into rucks and folds which hardened, and, as a natural consequence, produced great discomfort. The only practical way in which the washleather seat can be successfully used is to have two or more, made entirely inde- pendent of the breeches they are to be used in, and then after getting them washed and pulled into shape, having them either stitched in, so as to be easily removable, or else buttoned in, to some permanently fixed buttons. In any case it is a question whether the game is worth the candle, as a carefully finished pair of breeches, with the seam neatly sewn down, and if necessary rubbed over with a bit of soap at first, will soon become quite comfortable. In all cases the breeches should be worn well braced up, so as not to hang in a loose and baggy manner, which may cause an accident, especially to a bicyclist, as a fold of the loose gar- ment will catch upon the back of the saddle and cause the rider to fall when trying to mount. On the ether hand, too DRESS. 239 tight bracing up will cause endless discomfort, and induce the cychst to stoop in an awkward and constrained position. Pockets in the breeches are not much recommended, but if they are adopted they are best placed high up in front, close under the brace buttons, and they should not be too large. A side-seam pocket is liable to gape when the rider is mounted, and unless made very deep, and consequently clumsy to get at, the articles contained in it are liable to be lost. If the rider wears a loosely cut jacket, say a Norfolk jacket, a breeches pocket on the back of the hips is a very good addition ; this should be moderate in dimensions, the opening being diagonal, so as to admit of the easy insertion of the hand, and it should have a button to fasten it If there be no watch pocket in the jacket, it can be very comfortably added to the breeches, put close up to one of the brace buttons, and having a hole in front of the pocket to pass the chain through. There are several very dangerous ideas which some practical riders have adopted ; thus one rider has a long pocket just in- side the opening of his jacket in which he carries an adjustable spanner. "Were he to fall heavily on his chest, the chances are that this spanner would break one of his ribs, or inflict other serious injuries. The same remark applies to those riders who carry a bell in their breast pocket when not in use. All jacket pockets wherever placed should have flaps fitted, as in the case of wet the flap will protect the contents of the pocket for a con- siderable time; in the case of the breast pocket, it is sometimes an excellent plan to have a small flat black button to fasten it with. An inner pocket can be made in fully lined garments in- side the right breast to take the C. T. C. ticket, but overloading a suit with pockets inevitably spoils its look, and eventually its shape, so it should be avoided as far as possible. Possibly it may not strike a casual observer that there could be much variety in the matter of stockings, but the ingenuity of hosiery manufacturers has supplied the cycling world with a pretty extensive choice in this important item. Well- fitting leg gear is a si?ie qua 71071 in the outfit of a rider. The most usual 240 CYCLING. error into which cyclists, as well as manufacturers, fall, is the wearing or making of too long stockings. Thus stockings reaching half-way up the thigh have been offered as suitable for cycling, whereas the less stocking a rider can wear with comfort and decency the better, always supposing that the breeches or knickerbockers are well cut, and reach, as they should do, well below the knee. Some of the more elabo- rate double-kneed arrangements are hot, heavy, clumsy, and decidedly uncomfortable, whilst they seriously interfere with the free action of the knee-joints, and should be avoided. If adequate arrangements are made for holding the stocking up, the less strained it is the better, so long as it does not fall into creases or folds. For all round wear an ordinary fairly stout ribbed stocking will be found the best. In the case of new stockings, put on for the first time, it is an excellent plan to soap the joints and edges carefully with a piece of common yellow soap, as this will prevent the stocking from rubbing the foot in any part, and abrading the skin. Attention to this little point will often save a rider hours of painful work. In the summer time, and for short runs, a much thinner stocking may be worn. Thread stockings, to say the least of it, are unwise. The tourist should therefore adhere rigidly to wool, and wear fairly stout stockings of that material. The great question with all stocking wearers at all times has been how to hold them up, as although a new pair if well made will cling to the limb, and look smooth and neat, yet as soon as they get a little worn and loose they will slip down and look very bad indeed. The various slings and kindred arrangements are by no means suitable for the use of cyclists, as they are arranged for the upright position of a man when standing, and are not a success when used by a rider in active work; moreover, most of them merely transfer the drag from the knee to the waist or shoulder, and they are therefore to be avoided. The constant motion, too, causes the metal clips or fastenings to rub the skin, thus setting up an annoying soreness, and in some cases VJ^ESS. 241 causing worse troubles. The garter, though by no means wholly satisfactory, seems to be the only practical plan. Non- elastic garters should in no case be worn. The slight drag of the stocking causes the hard and unyielding garter to press tightly upon the muscles and vessels at the top of the calf, and may give rise to varicose veins. Some of the spiral wire arrange- ments, if carefully adjusted so as to be exactly the right length and no less, are very good, as the slight gaps between the wires permit circulation, and are more likely, when in action, to shift a little, so as to alter the points upon which the pressure comes. The most frequent error in using these garters is having them much too tight, and this should be most carefully avoided. The broad flat elastic garter made for ladies' use is fairly good, but the buckle or latching arrangement is alto- gether too elaborate, and might possibly cause a severe injury if driven into the leg, in the event of a fall. After a careful testing of every contrivance in the market, it is probable that the practical cyclist will eventually come back to the original plan of a plain broad elastic garter, which, if carefully made, will be found the most comfortable and serviceable. Double heels and toes are a mistake in cycling stockings, and in fact in stockings used in any athletic sport, as the double portions have a very marked tendency to stretch un- equally, with the obvious result that they go into rucks and creases, and cause endless trouble. There should be little or no actual friction, that is if a well-fitting shoe be worn, properly laced up over a well-fitting stocking. The main idea in all sorts of cycling work is to allow the foot plenty of play, and to keep it as cool as possible. The next point to be considered in the outer garments is the head gear, and here again the individual fancies of the rider must be consulted. The hat or cap most identified with cycling is that most unpractical and unsuitable of head gears, the so- called polo cap, a litde circular cloth saucer which is of literally no service at all. The wideawake, deer-stalker, and others o[ this class will be found of more general service than any other. R 242 CYCLING. A good wide brim is an essential in a cycling hat, aixd it should also be light, well ventilated, and durable. If a felt be chosen, it should be a soft one, of a colour either matching the coat worn, or very distinct from it. Some of the lighter greys and browns are very suitable for summer touring. They should have a moderately high crown, which should be fully ventilated by means of a number of metal-edged eyelet holes, and a hat guard is a necessity, as if the hat is crammed on tight, when the wind is blowing it is almost certain to cause headache and similar troubles. The brim should be wide, but not too wide. It should be just stiff enough to retain its shape against an ordinary breeze, as to have one's hat brim flapping over one's eyes, perhaps when half-way down a hill, or at any other similarly awkward time, is troublesome or even dangerous. For winter riding a plain black felt wideawake may be recom- mended. A high-crowned hard felt affords a very great pro- tection from the rays of the sun, though it is hardly so useful m wet weather, and catches the dust. The helmet is perhaps the very best head gear for touring work in all weathers. In this alone will be found those proper provisions for complete ventilation which are usually so conspicuous by their absence in ordinary hats and caps, whilst the protection afforded to the nape of the neck, and the freely ventilated space between the top of the head and the top of the helmet are all of the greatest value to the rider who goes a-cyclihg in the hot sun of summer. The practical tourist need look no further for a head dress than the C. T. C. helmet of the hard pattern. The soft type of C. T. C. helmet, which is simply a small cap with peaks before and behind, is by no means to be recommended. The ventila- tion, owing to its close fit, is practically nil, and the protection it affords is very limited. There are, of course, other designs besides that sold to its members by the C. T. C. The Canonbury Cycling Club have had made for them a very good shape rather different from the C. T. C. The Canonbury helmet is considerably wider and lower in the crown, and it is also lighter in weight. The Stanley C. C. have also a very good type of DJ^ESS 243 helmet. The best of these are made upon cork bases and are hght, but their durability is open to question. Except in the hottest weather the neat, light and comfortable cricket cap may be worn with safety and comfort, and its use is daily becoming more universal. The cap should be of flannel, unlined, and with a stiff peak also of flannel, which may be stiffened with a piece of leather not too thick. This cap has many points to recommend it for ordinary wear (except in the hottest part of the summer) ; it is very light, fully ventilated, seeing that it is of thin and very open flannel, without lining. The peak affords protection to the eyes, and can be turned round to shade the back of the neck, whilst it can never be lost, seeing that it can be rolled up and put in the pocket with ease. The great question of boots v. shoes was for a long time debated, but time which settles all things has most decidedly settled this question in favour of shoes. At one time a theory was strongly advanced that it was necessary to wear boots to support the ankle, and the sport of skating was adduced as evidence of the necessity of that support being given. It did not occur to the advocates of the boot side of the ars^ument that on a cycle the bodily weight of the individual was carried by the machine, and that the muscles which carried the body in ordinary case were, whether strong or weak, available for the support of the ankles and the propulsion of the machine ; added to which the tendency of the pedalling was to keep the foot and ankle straight, and the theory of support for the ankle was thus absolutely negatived by facts. It is interesting when considering this fact to remember that medical men are now prescribing tricycle exercise for children who suffer from weak joints, either at the knee or ankle, as they find that as the weight of the body is not thrown upon the joints, the exercise they thus obtain tends to gradually strengthen them. The theory that weak joints require support for cycling work is consequently untenable, and those who are victims of this evil will do well to undergo a short course of tricycle or bicycle exercise, which will strengthen the muscles and joints without the otherwise 244 CYCLING. unavoidable strain of the bodily Nveight upon the tender parts. Foot gear, however, to return from this digression, becomes simply a question as to what shoes shall be worn, and it will be w^ell to consider the uses to which the foot is put. It is an absolute necessity that the foot should be {yqq to extend itself and to carry out untrammelled all the varied actions described in the foregoing chapters on ankle action and pedalling generally. To secure this desideratum the shoe must be light, flexible, and easy. The sole, too, must be of sufficient thick- ness to preserve the bottom of the foot from feeling the bars of the pedals, and should be as stiff as possible, as in this case the rider practically gets the whole surface of the sole whereon to apply his power, instead of having to push at two narrow bars of iron. The sole of the shoe may with advantage have a piece of steel run up the middle, that is the middle of the front sole from the waist to the toe, not from the waist to the heel. The piece of steel should be flat and broad, and it will be found of the very greatest assistance in keeping the sole flat, and thus precluding in most cases the possibility of cramp in the toe joints, especially in that of the great toe. The rider should be very careful to see that the shoemaker uses a flat piece of steel, as many shoemakers, to save themselves trouble, will use a bent waist spring which invariably bends the sole very awkwardly in time. This stout sole is the mainstay of a sound shoe ; the toe should be made rather wide, the ' uppers ' should be cut rather high up over the instep, and the grip of the shoe, whereby it is retained on the foot, should be arranged to come just round the waist of the foot, about three or four fingers broad at the most. The waist of the shoe itself should be as light and flexible as possible, as light as a running-pump. Shoemakers generally have a strong objection to making so light a waist behind so comparatively heavy a front sole, but the rider who wants to be well shod should insist upon this part of the plan being fully carried out. The whole of the back part of the shoe ri^Ess. 245 may be as light as possible, the upper-heel, however, being stiffened; whilst on to the pump- like heel of the shoe may be affixed one thickness of stoutish sole leather in the shape of a broad flat heel, so as to protect that part of the foot from injury in case of a dismount on rough ground. For touring and men's wear, hooks all up the front are the best method of lacing the shoe, as the laces are thus kept from pressing on the delicate bones and muscles of the front of the foot. It is also a good plan to have the shoes to open a good way down, as by adopting this fashion the shoe can be easily and comfort- ably put on even when wet, and can be' wiped out and quickly dried. This is another of those minor points the value of which will only be appreciated after a tour of some duration. The shoe which meets these various points has been devised after lengthy experience and many experiments on the part of a well-known cyclist, and it is made by Messrs. Goy, of 2 Praed Street, under the title of the ' Perfecta Shoe.' It is, as has been pointed out before, always advisable to go for these specialities to some maker who is acquainted practically with the reasons which guide their construction, as in many cases the maker who is not so informed is very obstinate in his ideas and refuses to make the necessary changes in his usual methods. One point, for example, which has been alluded to above, may be cited ; many ordinary shoemakers steadily refuse to make a light running-shoe waist to a shoe with a stout sole, w^hilst the effort to make the shoe look well by having it narrow in the toe is fatal to a good cycling foot-gear, which should be especially broad and roomy at that point to allow of the natural play of the foot. There are many other very good patterns of shoe all of which possess especial points to recommend them to riders, whilst there are as many more w^hich show no practical ac- quaintance with their wants. Thus a shoe very much cut out, so as to make it as light and open as possible, would perhaps be cool and comfortable once in a way, but for riding over dusty or muddy roads, and more especially if worn w^hen many hills had to be walked, it would prove a terrible drawback, owing to 246 CYCLING. the easy access provided for grit and dust, which is fatal to com- fort when it gets into the stockings, from which it is not easily dislodged. Thus far the cuter garments suitable for men, the larger section of cyclists, have been described ; but before passing to the next section it will be well to say a few words as to ladies' dress for cycling purposes; and it is also advisable to note that in the main the divergence between the appropriate cychng costume of the two sexes is confined solely to the outer garments, as the under-wear is of necessity very similar in either case, ladies having taken advantage of the experiences gained by their husbands and brothers, and adopted with but slight modification the underclothing which they have found most suitable for wear whilst indulging in the sport. A well-designed tricycle costume will allow of the greatest freedom of action, and thus enable its wearer to ride a machine without the troublesome and tiring drag which is always felt if an ordinarily dressed woman mounts a velocipede. On the other hand, the would-be dress reformers seized upon these undoubted facts and desired to use the tricycling ladies as a medium whereby they might introduce to the public their crude notions of a suitable and hygienic dress. Seeing that the spectacle of a lady on a tricycle was at that time a novelty sure to attract remark, it was some- what unreasonable that those who were courageous enough to ride should be asked to render themselves doubly conspicuous by putting on a novel and outre costume. But, although the reform was not adopted in its entirety, the ladies interested took up the question, and at a meeting called by the C. T. C. the matter was carefully discussed, and the following decisions arrived at, which embody a full description of a cycling dress for ladies, and which is reproduced from the official gazette of the Touring Club. Ladies : — It has already been announced that in addition to the thin cloth specially manufactured for their use — which weighed 1 6 oz. per yard run, 58 to 60 inches wide — a new substance, identi- cal in pattern and width, is preparing to weigh 12 oz. only. This we conceive to be as light as in any case desirable, for a lady who DA'A'SS. 247 dresses from a practical hygienic point of view, invariably discards the majority of the garments usually worn, and assumes those more in consonance with the taking of healthy athletic exercise, with its concomitant need of freedom of movement— the result being that the few articles assumed have to compensate for the inevitable loss of warmth which must otherwise ensue. A considerable amount of latitude must necessarily be allowed, and the rules may in some respects be considered recommenda- tory only, i.e., any lady who upon principle objects to implicitly follow them is at liberty to introduce any reasonable modification. It may not, however, be amiss to remark that the most careful con- sideration has been given to the question in all its bearings, and the result has been arrived at only after consultation with, and re- ceiving the openly expressed opinion of hundreds of the best known cycHsts of both sexes. The uniform designed and strongly recom- mended embraces the following. (i) A combination merino or woollen garment to be worn next the body. (2) A pair of dark grey woollen or merino stockings. (3) A pair of loose knickerbockers, of the Club cloth, fastened with elastic, or by a cloth strap and buckle, under the knee ; to be suspended from the hips or the shoulders at the option of the wearer ; or (4) A pair of trousers cut loose to just below the knee, and thence tighter just down to the foot ; to be suspended from the hips or shoulders at the option of the wearer. (5) A plain skirt, of the Club cloth, without kilting, and of suffi- cient fulness to admit of absolute freedom of movement without undue bulk. (6) A bodice or jacket, at option of wearer, cut either to fit the figure, or of Norfolk' shape, lined throughout (including sleeves) with the Club flannel, and provided with an adjustable belt if so desired. (7) A helmet or hat of the Club cloth, or of straw, with a special and registered ribbon, in any of the shapes that may be provided by the Club from time to time. (8) A pair of soft ' Tilbury'd ' doeskin gloves. Cos^ of Special Items. Knickerbockers or Trousers . . .1100 Skirt , I 15 6 Coat Bodice, or ' Norfolk' Jacket . o 18 6 440 248 CYCLING. This costume, adopted in February 1884, has since been worn by many practical and successful lady riders with complete satisfaction, and it embodies all the necessary points of a hygienic riding costume. The cloth should be closely woven and not fluffy or rough, as in either of these cases it will hold the dust and defy brushing ; neither should it be too thick, or too hea\^, and it should be neither too light nor too dark in colour, a happy grey medium being undoubtedly the most serviceable. That ladies generally will be fully competent to suit themselves in this matter there can be litde doubt, but a very large consen- sus of opinion is at present in favour of the lighter class of C. T. C. cloth for ladies' use. As with the bicyclists' costume, the ladies' tricycling dress was not designed at once, but was gradually perfected by active riders in constant work. The all-flannel, or rather the all-woollen, costume is even of more moment in this case, as the danger of colds is possibly greater with those who do not so frequently indulge in exercise, and no rider should wear anything but wool. One drawback which has existed for some time in this connexion has now been re- moved, as all-wool corsets are obtainable as well as every other requisite for a lady's cychng costume. The choice of a body garment is not a difficult one, but unfortunately lady riders are very fond of a tight-fitting bodice or jacket, which, however well it may look, must of necessity be hot and uncomfortable, and a ' shaped ' jacket should be carefully avoided if the rider means to ride in earnest and not to play at cycling. Of all the different styles of jackets, nothing touches the Norfolk jacket for all-round use. If nicely cut it looks well, is comfortable, and appropriate, and as it can be worn by either sex, it is a most serviceable garb. In all material points, the instructions laid down for cutting the ordinary Norfolk jacket should be observed. Some of the closer fitting jackets with a military collar are suitable for cold weather. When ladies first began to ride they were constrained by prejudice to ride upon a seat placed low down and some dis- tance behind the pedals, and this position, besides being awk- Bj^ESS. 249 ward and uncomfortable, was also exceedingly dangerous. The dress in this case was constantly riding up over the knees, each alternate stroke lifting it higher, and many attempts were made to design some method of keeping it in place. Some riders sewed a considerable weight of shot into the lower edge so as to keep it down, whilst others fastened the front of the skirt to the front of their boots or shoes, with the very obvious result that the skirt dragged tremendously over the knees and rapidly tired the rider. Many cyclists of both sexes made experiments to see how best to overcome this serious difficulty, and a remedy was found, although not quite in the direction anticipated. Instead of altering the dress, it was the position of the rider which was altered ; instead of sitting low down, and a long way behind the pedals on a rear-steerinsj tricycle, she was placed upright, well over the pedals, upon a front-steerer. At first many ladies so placed insisted on still using the seat instead of the saddle, and were proportionately uncomfortable ; but in due time they were converted to the use of the saddle, and at once found their troubles were over. The knees, instead of awkwardly rising and falling in front of the body, were simply moved in a manner closely resembling the action of walking. The skirt was simply thrown out by either knee alternately, and still hung gracefully and comfortably in front of the rider. This was the solution of a difficulty which bade fair at one time to prevent many ladies from following the sport. The skirt should be just long enough for walking purposes, and no more. It should be of sufficient size to admit of the freest motion of the knees, and should be of some closely woven and wiry material which will not cling unduly to the figure. It may be a part of the jacket, or may be worn with a belt or suspended from one of the under garments, the latter plan being the best, as doing away with any tight cinctures around the body. It should be simple in design and not loaded with braiding. The stocking should be of thin and soft merino, as the extra garments worn make these somewhat oppressive if unne- 2 so CYCLING. cessarily thick. They should be treated in all cases as advised for the bicyclist above ; but a special caution may be here given against tight garters, as the exercise of cycling requires that the h'mbs should be as free as possible from tight ligatures, which may give rise to serious troubles. On the question of the head dress the ladies again will exercise their own choice, but in general a smallish hat is advisable, with some provision for the adequate protection of the neck and eyes. With the general caution not to have too large a hat to catch the wind, or too small a one, which would not afford adequate protection from the sun, this point can be dismissed. Ladies will of course adopt shoes when riding, and these should be light and of thin leather, with a thin waist as flexible as possible. Eyelet holes should replace the hooks which the bicyclist is advised to adopt, as the latter catch in the front of the dress and tear it, besides sometimes tripping up the rider. From a similar cause the shoe should open a good way down, and if it is neatly made this will cause the foot to look all the smaller and be of great service to the wearer. The steel in the sole is not an absolute necessity, but should any lady rider suffer from cramp, or be continually missing her pedal, a steel and grooves to take the rat-traps pedals should at once be fitted, as this will enable her to keep her foot straight, and at the same time will correct the error into which she has fallen. The garments worn under the skirt may be practically regarded as outer garments, as they are usually made of the same cloth and assimilated as much as possible to it. A choice is offered between trousers and knickerbockers, but the latter are much to be preferred, as trousers will inevitably drag very much over the knees and fatigue the rider. A carefully fitted pair of knicker- bockers, with a cloth strap and buckle at the knee, will be found the most useful garments to wear under the skirt, and if the stockings be either of some dark colour or else match the dress, and the skirt be cut the right length, it will both look well and prove comfortable, regarded merely as a cycling costume. Here again it is scarcely necessary to point out that ladies should go to ni^Ess. 251 a practical ladies' tailor for cycling clothes, as unless the maker is aware of the particular purpose for which they are wanted, and has some special knowledge of the requirements of the case, the garments when made will not be likely to prove successful. Outer garments being thus disposed of, the next section is the under wear, and it is of the very greatest importance that the under garments should be of an appropriate description, as unsuitable underclothing is certain to cause the wearer annoy- ance, which might easily have been obviated by taking a little trouble in the selection at first. Nothing but wool should be used, and this is more than usually important in the case of anything which is to be worn next the skin. The commonest error into which riders fall is putting on too many things. For short sharp runs too little clothing is infinitely pre- ferable to too much, and for long journeys too much clothing will weaken and tire the rider terribly. When he arrives at his journey's end, moreover, every one of his numerous garments is wet through and of no use at all ; whereas, if he had but tied one or two dry vests, Szc, to his handle-bar, they would have come in well at the end of the day. In ordinary summer weather, and when the rider can get home without riding long into the night, he will find that one good woollen sweater will be quite enough under an ordinary riding jacket, or a good and not too thick flannel shirt will be ample protection ; and if he be a cautious man, he will perhaps take a dr}' vest with him to put on whilst dining in the middle of the day. The tourist who does not mean to unduly hurry himself, but at the same time intends to have a few days' holiday, will perhaps wear an extra vest under the shirt as a preventative of cold, but even this in hot weather will be transferred to the luggage bag. The variety of undergarments is enormous, and the cycHst has a large selection from which to choose. It has been observed above that the woollen goods sold by the Sanitar)' Woollen Company of Fore Street are excellent, especially some of the vests, which are considerably longer than the ordinary vests, and 252 CYCLING. are thus usable as both shirt and vest in one. This, if worn beneath a buttoned-up coat, will be found ample for summer riding. The flannel shirts usuaUy sold for cycling purposes have one or two faults ; they are much too voluminous and much too long. The shirt of the future will be just shaped to the figure without fitting tightly, whilst the tails will be notably shortened so as to get rid of some of the extra material ; the sleeves will be made rather tighter and the neck band of woollen material, and not the linen or cotton now usually employed, this small piece of linen being responsible for many a sore throat. The flannel shirt should preferably button up the front and should be of a uniform thickness all over, made of the very best flannel, not too thick and just a nice fit. Pockets in the shirt are a failure, as they tend to pull it open when in use, and should not be adopted for that reason. A good many riders of both sexes prefer those excellent garments known as ^ Combina- tions.' They are especially useful for cold days and winter work, as they secure that great desideratum an even distribution of warmth all over the body, and at the same time combine the various advantages of many garments in one. For those who habitually wear under drawers, or other similar garments, the Combination is a great boon, and is certain to grow steadily in public favour. Cashmere neck handkerchiefs are to be preferred to any others, though a somewhat thicker woollen comforter may be used with advantage for night riding in the winter. There are also some cashmere collars in the market which are decidedly better than the waterproof goods, as the latter con- dense the perspiration in little beads upon the collar, and this strikes very cold to the neck. But a flannel collar attached to the shirt is much the best for all purposes. Ladies' under- clothing should be constructed very much on the same prin- ciples, the main idea to be carried out being to secure good fit without undue tightness, a point which may be attained by the use of merino and stockingnette carefully chosen. If the fit of each garment is carefully studied, the result will be satisfactory in every way, and the costume will as a consequence sit well. DT^ESS. 253 Having thus set forth at length the various details of dress ^Yhich are necessary, it may be well to recapitulate the whole of the items needed for a cyclist's outfit, together with the price as charged by the C. T. C, which may be taken as a very fair averas2;e cost : — Jacket ...... . J. 32 Breeches or knickerbockers . . 16 Waistcoat .... . 10 Shirt . . ... II 6 Gaiters . 8 6 Helmets, any size .... 6 6 Soft knockabout helmets, do . 4 6 White straw hats, rough or smooth plait, with registered ribbon, complete . 4 6 Straw hats, without ribbon 3 6 Registered ribbon, without hat . 2 Polo caps, do . 2 9 Deerstalker or wideawake . 5 9 Puggarees, for helmets . . 2 Cap covers . . . . . I 9 Stockings, any size . • . . . 4 Gloves, any size . . . . . 3 3 Silk handkerchiefs, or mufflers, in Club colours (grey checked ground , worked into amber and gold border) registered, 24 in. square .... . 6 6 30 in. ditto . 9 It is also advisable to conclude with the oft-repeated bit of advice, viz. when cycling clothing is wanted, go to a practical cycling tailor, who will appreciate the reason of the numerous little variations required from the regular model, and as a natural consequence will carry them out with accuracy and intelligence. The introduction lately of sound woollen stiffeners and other necessary materials for a garment, guaranteed all wool, have lightened the task of those who desire to ride in comfort and safety, as they will find all such things ready to their hands, whereas the pioneer cyclist had to go and seek for ihem all over the country. 254 CYCLING. The final maxims therefore are: (i), wear nothing but pure woollen garments ; (2), have them cut by a practical cycling tailor ; (3), study the even distribution of warmth ; (4), do not over-clothe the body ; and (5), in the event of a longish ride, always take a dry under-vest in case of accidents. By following out the above few precepts, the cyclist, lady or gentleman, will be enabled to ride in comfort and safety whatever may be the state of the weather. ' A merry heart goes all the way, Your sad tires in a mile, a.' — Shakespeare. CHAPTER VIII. CLUES. Club life was a ver}' important factor in the early development of cycling. The bicycle clubs were the rallying points for all novices, and the advice, instruction, and example obtainable in the ranks of such bodies were of \ery great value in assisting the beginners through their first cycling experiences. The club is a very favourite organisation with most Englishmen, and very early in the history of the modern bicycle, clubs were established, many of which did good work for the furtherance of the besi interests of the sport. To the clubs the originators of nearly all cycling schemes first appealed, and their united action did much to establish the present ' National Cyclists' Union,' and to bring it to its present important position. The oldest club in existence is the Pickwick B. C, formed in June 1870. It took its name from the work of Charles Dickens, and for some reason now forgotten the members each chose a ?iom de guerre from the pages of the ' Pickwick Papers,' the captain of the Club being ' Pickwick.' It is amusing now to look back at this early idea of club Hfe ; but so energetically was it then taken up that to this day the gentlemen who dubbed themselves ' Grummer,' ' Count Smorltork,' or * Smangle,' are as well known by those appellations as by their own patronymics. The 'Pickwick Fathers,' as the club men are called, have always been loyal supporters of all associations and movements founded for the good of the sport, and they have had good men on the racing path, such as Messrs. E. A. Runtz and 256 CYCLING. Sidney Kemp, and hard workers in the council chamber such as Mr. J. Beningfield, Mr. Mess, and many more. The old club is still a flourishing and vigorous association, although, like many other senior clubs, it has retired somewhat into private hfe. The London B. C, formed in 1874, is another important association which has been for a long time withdrawn from public notice. It has an extensive membership and enjoys the support of the universities, whose men, on leaving and settling near London, usually join the London B.C., of which they have been for some time privileged visitors if not honorary members. The London B. C, r Ithough one of the earliest clubs to with- draw from the Hampton Court meet and similar public demon- strations, has always — like the Pickwick — supported the ruling bodies of cycling, and has sent many representatives to the council-board of the N. C. U. Amongst these may be mentioned Messrs. T. E. Scrutton, Theo. Godlee, H. R. Reynolds, J. S. Whatton, W. A. Smith, and many more. On the path the club has had an amateur champion in Mr. Wadham Wyndham, one of the most popular of racing men, Mr. W. T. Thorn, Mr. O. Thorn, and many more prominent riders. Mr. G. P. Coleman, official handicapper and time-keeper from 1882 to, 1886 to the N. C. U., is also a member of the club. The London B. C. have of late somewhat altered their Hne of poHcy, and will be seen more prominently in cycling matters than they have been for the last few years. The Stanley C. C. is another prominent club, which, unlike the London B. C, has come very much before the public by reason of its promotion of an annual show of bicycles, tricycles and accessories, in the spring of the year. This event, which excites great interest in the cycling world, originated with the earliest captain of the Stanley Club, the late Mr. Airey, who promoted a conversazione at the Athenaeum, Camden Town, close to the club's head-quarters, where several makers showed by invitation specimen machines. From this small beginning the show grew year by year, until at the Floral CLUBS. 257 Hall in 1884, in a large canvas exhibition building erected on the Thames Embankment in 1885, and in the Royal Aquarium, ^^'estminster, in 1886, the Stanley C. C. have held shows at which hundreds of machines were on view. These shows are of great interest to the public who flock to see the novelties of the year, and the ' Stanley Show,' as it is called, is regarded as the formal opening of the active season. The Stanley has had several good representatives on the racing path, championship honours having been held by Mr. Lacy Hillier, whilst it has also sent to the council of the N. C. U., of w^hich association the club is a consistent supporter, many good men, prominent amongst them being Mr. Robert Todd, the industrious Hon, Secretary of that body, ]\Ir. J. H. Price, and others." The Surrey B. C, founded in 187 1, is another of the old clubs which did such good work in the earlier days of the sport. It is now best known by its Spring and Autumn race- meetings, the only cycling gatherings allowed to be held on the grass at Kennington Oval. The attendance is usually the largest of the season in the Metropolitan district, and the race for the Surrey Challenge Cup is, in everything but name, the race for the Ten Miles Championship, although run on a grass track. Most riders of note have competed for the cup, which has hitherto been almost invariably carried off by the champion of the year at the Autumn meeting, and invariably gives rise to a grand competition. The Surrey has possessed many good racing members, amongst them being Fred East, one of the best of the Surrey racers, Harry Osborn, J. F. Griffith, H. F. Wilson, who w^on the Fifty Miles Championship in 1883, C. D. Vesey, and many more. It has also sent good men to the council of the N. C. U., Mr. M. Goodman and Mr. Honeywell being amongst the first workers in the cause of that association. There are in the London district a very large number of other clubs which might be mentioned, the Temple, Canonbury, Rovers, Brixton Ramblers, Wanderers', West Kent (which sends Mr. W. B. Tanner to the N. C. U.) There are besides many clubs which promote enjoyable outings on the wheel every s 258 CYCLING. Saturday, and in many cases keep up a considerable amount of social intercourse during the dead season, going in for gym- nastic work, cross-country running, and so on throughout the winter months. Among clubs whose objects differ materially from those of the Surrey, mentioned above, is the Civil Service C. C, founded in February, 1877, with Lord Bury as its President. Although its sphere for recruiting is necessarily somewhat limited, it has managed to hold its place amongst the largest and most influential clubs in London, and to retain its popu- larity notwithstanding that it has not given an open race-meeting for many years. Indeed its principal aim is now, and always has been, the encouragement amongst its members of the highest possible standard of excellence in road riding (as dis- tinguished from road racing), and it numbers in its ranks some of the best cross-country riders of the day, both on the bicycle and tricycle. Club rides and tours form the principal part of its annual arrangement, and it may not unfairly be argued that the rational policy advocated by this club is completely in ac- cordance with the popular idea of what cycling ought to be. In addition to the name of its President, the names of Walter Risworth, E. H. Poole, Harry Venables, and A. P. Shaw will recall to the memories of the older school of cyclists many reminiscences of the hard struggle for popularity which engaged the energies of the pioneers of the sport. Tricycle clubs are of course younger in years than the bicycle clubs, the oldest being the Finchley T. C, established in 1880. It is pre-eminently a social club, the members all being personal friends, and it has always taken a very high position in the tricycling world. The ' Finchley Fathers ' do not go in for racing to any great extent, but they have sent some good men to the council of the union, prominent amongst them being Mr. Boverton Redwood. The London T. C, Holborn C. C, West London T. C, Ealing and Acton T. C, and other bodies are devoted to the interests of the three-wheel sport. In the country, a large number of vigorous and important CLUBS. 259 associations exist, scarcely any large town being without one or more cycling clubs. It would be impossible to give a com- plete list of these bodies, but one or two are deserving of mention. The North Warwickshire is one of the most promi- nent of the Birmingham Clubs, with a good membership and energetic officials, whilst the Speedwell B. C. is another institu- tion which may be fairly termed the ' Stanley Club ' of Birming - ham, as, like the Stanley C. C, the Speedwell promotes an annual exhibition at Bingley Hall, which has hitherto proved '"C'll ^^ ' THE ANCHOR AT RIPLEY. very successful. The Bradford Club, formed in 1874, is one of the oldest and best of the provincial organisations. The C. T. C. owes much of its success to the support afforded to it in its early days by the energetic members of this associa- tion, whilst the Harrogate Camp, one of the most pleasant outings of the year, is wholly managed by the B. B. C. men, who contrive to make it a pronounced success. The Brighton B. C, formed in 1873, is another influential club which has held 26o CYCLING. its own from the first in South Coast cycling. The Bristol B.C., formed in 1876, is a leading West of England club. The Uni- versity Clubs have always played an important part in the history of cycling, and possess a special interest inconsequence; the Oxford University B.C., for a long time known as 'The Dark Blue B. C.,' was formed in February 1873. ^^ has had in its ranks a number of good men, but has only once numbered a champion amongst its members in Mr. A. A. Weir, the Twenty- five Miles Champion of 1878. The Cambridge University B. C. was established one year later, in February 1874, and has had a remarkably successful career, having included many champions in its ranks, amongst them being the Hon. Ion Keith- Falconer, Two Miles Champion in 1878, and Fifty Miles Champion in 1882; J. S. Whatton, Five Miles Amateur Champion, 1882; and George Gatehouse, Twenty-five Miles Amateur Tricycle Cham- pion, 1885. A large number of first-class men have from time to lime belonged to the C. U. B. C, and both University clubs have w^ell supported the councils of the N. C. U., Mr. G. F. Cobb, M.A., being the man to whom the Union owes its success, if not its very existence. The Eastbourne B. C. is another old-established body, and the Leamington and South Warwickshire, formed in 1876, has also done good work in furthering the interests of the sport. The Anfield B. C. of Liverpool has, in its loyal support of the N. C. U. during the dispute which raged during 1885, established a permanent claim on the cycling world, and its officers, including Mr. Lawrence Fletcher, have greatly furthered the interests of cycling. The Newcastle Amateur B. C, formed in 1877, must also be specially mentioned, and in the South, the Portsmouth B.C. formed in 1874 has been for many years one of the most energetic of the South Coast clubs. The Red- ditch and District B. C, Rochdale Zingari, Runcorn Amateur, Wells B. C, York B. C. (which gave Mr. J. L. Varley to the councils of the C. T. C), and many more associations could be named which have done the sport some service. In Scotland a number of clubs are established, several in Edinburgh ; prominent amongst them being the Edinburgh CLUBS. 261 Amateur established in 1S74, the Midlothian CC, Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities B. C, and several more ; whilst the Caledonian and (jlasgow Tricycle Clubs look after riders of the steadier three-wheeler. Wales, Ireland, and the Colonies are all well supplied with cycling clubs, and Germany, France, Austria, Russia, and other countries, all possess extensive organisations devoted to the fostering and encouragement of the sport. One of the earliest Russian clubs, the Zarcoe Selo, was at one time debarred by the Government from wearing badge or uniform. The prohibition was, however, eventually withdrawn. In America a vast number of cycle clubs are esta- lished, and they are constituted somewhat differently from ours, the members being for the most part willing to pay a larger subscription than would be the case in England. As a result cycling clubs in America have usually very complete club-houses, and generally partake more of the nature of a social club than of a cycling club as it is understood in this country ; but cycling in the States will be found discussed at length in another chapter. The fear has been expressed in some quarters that clubs are decaying. It is only natural that the first rush of energy should be followed by a period of quiescence, but those bodies which have been managed on the right lines are morally stronger than ever, the cohesion and esprit de corps being more established than in the clubs of yesterday. Private friendships have gradually been cemented amongst the members, whilst those who made no such ties have slowly but surely dropped out, and as a result the men left are strongly knit together in a bond of union. Such cases are to be seen in some of our best clubs, and as long as this state of things continues the best features of club life will remain in cycling. Any rider desiring to join a club will do w^ell to make careful inquiries as to the status and position of the members of those in his immediate neighbourhood, and then to join the association which is most conveniently situated, and most suitable for his requirements. There are a number of athletic clubs which give a certain 262 CYCLING. amount of attention to cycling. 7'he London Athletic Club was at one time rather strong in its cycling division, Messrs. C. E. Liles and H. F. Wilson being members, but the position assumed by the club with regard to the dispute in 1885 has done much to interfere with its further development in cycling matters. The South London Harriers is another club which has a very strong cycling membership, and several other athletic bodies in town and country have cycling branches. THE UNIVERSITY BICYCLING CLUBS. TJie inter- University races. — As in other branches of athletics, the cychsts of the Universities formed clubs and entered into active competition with one another, and since 1874 the sister Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have met in friendly rivalry each season until 1885, when, owing to the absence of any prominent racing men, or any amount of cycling interest at Oxford, the annual meeting for the first time fell through, after being held for ten years. On the whole, Cambridge has won fourteen contests against thirteen won by Oxford, and thus stands one point to the good. But this scarcely represents the true state of the case, as the Cambridge cyclists have taken higher honours in cycling than Oxford men. Cambridge pos- sesses a singularly fast path when it is in condition, and the interest taken in cycling has always been greater in that uni- versity, which as far back as 1876 numbered an amateur cham- pion amongst its riders. The Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer won the Amateur Athletic Club's Four Miles Championship in that year, and thus aroused a permanent interest in the sport at his University. Since that time Cambridge has been credited with no less than five amateur championships, as follows : — 1876. Four Miles Amateur Championship. Hon. Ion Keith- Falconer. 1878. Two !\li]es Amateur Championship. Hon. Ion Keith- Falconer. d^hPMiij^'^ V ^ N \ ^ '<^-\f rl^ CLUBS. 263 18S2. Five Miles Amateur Championship. J. S. Whatton. „ Fifty Miles Amateur Championship. Hon. Ion Keilh- P^alconer. 1SS5. Twenty-five Miles Tricycle Championship. George Gatehouse. On the other hand, Oxford can claim only a single amateur champion — A. A. Weir, twenty-five miles amateur champion in 1S78 — although it has included in its ranks many other riders, who w^ould, had they taken care of themselves and per- severed, been amongst the first cychsts of the years in which they rode. The name of the Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer, a brother of the present Earl of Kintore, stands first in the list of Cam- bridge riders. He commenced riding veiy early in the seven- ties, and in 1874 one of his first long rides was recorded in ' The Field.' He rode from Bournemouth to Hitchin in nineteen and a quarter hours, the distance being 136 miles ; and this was followed by other successes upon the racing path and the road. He made one of the first bicycle journeys from Land's End to John o' Groat's, and took part in many races, and in May, 1879, niade the record for two miles, 5 mins. 36! sees., which withstood the successive onslaughts of Cortis, and only fell before the redoubtable English in 1884. Keith-Falconer, despite his splendid record, w^as an unreliable rider. Just when he was fittest and most expected to score, he either declined the contest or gave up ; thus, after training for several weeks in 1883 for the Fifty Miles Championship, he left the track for Brighton on the morning of the race and did not compete. On the memorable occasion when, after many efforts to bring them together, he at length met the late H. L. Cortis, that redoubtable rider ran him off his legs at seven miles, to the intense disgust of the Cantab's friends. Keith-Falconer was a very effective rider on the path. His style was excellent, though perhaps too upright for latter-day ideas. He sat close up to the head of his machine, and being a tall man (over six feet) he looked remarkably well, and rode with skill, his win in the Fifty Miles Championship of 1882 being accomplished by good 264 CYCLING. judgment and with consummate ease. J. S. Whatton is an- other of the Cambridge men who has done honour to his club and university by winning a championship ; the Five Miles in 1882 having fallen to hmi by a short length from Keith-Fal- coner. Whatton always raced on a singular bicycle, details of which will be found in a subsequent chapter of this book, and as the machine was absurdly heavy, it enhances the value of his performance, whilst the weakness of the lengthy handle-bars also deprived him of much of the advantage which a straight and rigid handle-bar would have given him. Whatton's style was excellent : sitting not too far forward, he used his ankles remarkably well, and his spurt was most effective. He held during his championship year the flying quarter record, 36i sees., since beaten. George Gatehouse, who is also a riding member of the Stanley and Chichester Clubs, went up to Cambridge with a reputation which he has fairly supported. His appearance at Cambridge took place at a bad time for him, inasmuch as no rider then at the university could extend him, and thus he had not that incentive to hard work which Falconer had, when Dodds and others pressed him closely, and which always makes a good man take care of himself. Gatehouse never received more than twenty-five yards in any open mile handicap, a convincing proof that his merits were known , and his victory in the Twenty-five Miles Tricycle Championship in 1885, fully described elsewhere, stamped him as a first-rate rider. Mr. Gatehouse is quite young, and does not, as the phrase goes, ride with his head. As a result, he has often been beaten by men to whom in mere speed he was much superior. He is the first man who ever rode twenty miles within the hour on a tricycle. Among Cambridge men who have not won championship honours may be named F. L. Dodds, A. P. Trotter, C. A. E. Pollock (who at one time held the mile record, 2 mins. 56^ sees., made on July 27, 1878, at the Alexandra Palace), G^ D. Day, F. Tower, F. G. Mayor, O. G. M. Leeds, CLUBS. 265 D. J. S. Bailey, H. Muir, and S. Swann. The latter, a good rowing and running man, would, had he given enough time to it, have been second to none in the cycling sport. Few of these riders, with the exception of Dodds, Pollock, and Leeds, made any prominent show on the racing path out of Cambridge. ASbbMHLE • 266 CYCLING, CHAPTER IX. TRICYCLING FOR LADIES. Tricycling has of late years been taken up by ladies in a manner which augurs well for the permanency and popularity of this branch of the sport. The bicycle was of necessity a soli- tary vehicle, and still more, a man's vehicle. The tricycle from its first advent, as a practical conveyance, attracted the attention of the ladies. In 1878, tradition told of a lady rider, who, in company with her husband, made an extended tour along the south coast, and in quiet lanes and private gardens feminine riders began to initiate themselves into the pastime which pre- sented itself, very soon arriving at the conclusion that the novel vehicle was singularly suited to their requirements. The sport of cycling, in which they had hitherto taken but Httle interest, now became of considerable importance in their eyes. Of course there was a great deal of opposition to be encountered. At first medical men without any practical knowledge of cycling, tabooed it, and any number of ills were confidently promised to ladies who rode the new machines. Progress, thus checked, was further retarded by the fact that the most unsuitable machines in the market were labelled 'ladies' tricycles.' If any machine possessed points about it which would inevitably have secured its rejection by a prac- tised rider ; if it was a single driver, with inadequate break power, rear steering and generally impracticable, that was the machine a lady was recommended to ride, and as she was usually provided with a seat placed well behind her work and TRICYCLING FOR LADIES. 267 too close to it, the pioneer Jady cyclists did not have a fair chance. It followed naturally that the progress made was very slow ; still, a few ladies were found who disregarded criticism, and pursued the sport with vigour and enthusiasm. Some of these had the good fortune to possess male relatives who were them- selves practical cyclists, and gave the learners valuable aid and advice. In one case the gentleman did his best to persuade his fair companion to adopt a saddle, vertical position, and a full easy reach, but she declined the trial, although the man she had promised to obey nearly ordered her to attempt it. At length one day, far in the country, away from the busy hum of men, the lady much against her will consented to the experi- ment. The seat was exchanged for a saddle, the standard which carried it was raised some inches, the saddle shifted forward, and then the experimentalist mounted. For a few hundred yards she averred that she was going to fall on her nose every moment, then she became more comfortable, and for some hours rode in the new position with considerable satisfac- tion. On nearing home, though it was late in the day, she in- sisted on having the standard lowered again, as she was under the impression that her skirt was not quite long enough for the city ; and then, and not till then, did she fully recognise the advantages of the vertical position and the saddle, the two miles or so in the old position being an ample and convincing proof of its fallacy. Other ladies were slowly but surely arriving at the same results, the advantages of the sport became more and more patent to its feminine votaries, and their example was followed until at the present time there are thousands of lady riders who enjoy more or less the pleasure of a spin upon the tricycle. Cycling provides a healthy, invigorating, and entirely novel form of exercise for ladies, and if not overdone is of marked benefit to the majority, who obtain a breath of fresh air combined with a certain amount of healthy exercise and mild excitement. By far the larger number of our lady riders began their 268 CYCLING. C5'cling experiences upon sociables or tandems, with their husbands and brothers, and thus gained by degrees the experi- ence and confidence necessary for the fullest enjoyment of a cruise upon wheels, eventually attaining the self-reliance necessary for a trip upon a single tricycle. It is perhaps upon a tandem with a gentleman companion that the lady rider looks most at home, and when, clad in a well-fitting and becoming cosLume, she flits by on the front seat of one of these light and speedy machines, the most sceptical observer is converted to the same view. This fact is fully recognised by the general public, who have been quite educated up to the sight of lady tricyclists perambulating the roads, and gaze upon them with the same sort of indifference with which a nineteenth-century horse gazes upon a railway train or a steam roller. In many crowded dis- tricts which would be more prolific of deterrent circumstances than quiet and out-of-the-way country corners, the efforts of individual lady riders have had very much to do with popularis- ing the sport amongst the ladies. To these pioneers cycling owes much. Ladies who now enjoy an unmolested spin upon the highway w^ill think with gratitude of these first lady cyclists — several of whom were identified with the South London T. C. After a transition period in which ladies whose names are now well known to cyclists courageously took the lead, the sport became popular among the sex, and they are to be found joining club runs, touring, and making short excursions in all parts of the country in search of fresh air and exercise. Many are amateurs of sketching, painting, or photography, and for these the tricycle soon becomes an almost indispensable adjunct — a convenient beast of burden which carries the impedimenta as well as the artist herself. Allusion has been made to the fact that at one time any vehicle, however unscientific and unsuitable, was considered good enough for ladies, and was labelled accordingly. That stage has happily passed, and their requirements in this direction are pretty fully met by the manufacturers. A lady's tricycle should be built especially for her and should not be used by any heavier i'4 ifi '^ ^' 270 CYCLTXG. attempts to in::;:L:e a lady mto the mjrsteries of cjdiiig finds most trouble, but uniil the noTice consents to don a shoe with a broad sc^ and a low hed thoe can be no safisfartory cyding. Thm sxAes or narrow shoes canse pain and inoooTenience. Tight boots interfere with the 6ee action of the ankk;, whilst high heels are paiticDlarly dangexoos and nttexiy oat of place CMi a tricjde ; a shoe cm the recommended lines gives the user freedom of action, comj^^e oomfcHt, and an adequate grip of the pedals. The general dress question is treated elsewhae. and for the rest may very wdl be left in the hands of the ladies th^nselves — a modified adc^iion <^ the dual garments has found much &¥our with the more practical of laity ridos, whilst^ on the other hand, the Tcduminous divided skirt has jHOTed singularly ill-adapted for the wcxk. Qothing which takes a dual form, dosety resemUing male costume, with a suitable skirt supa--added, is most usually adopted, and the general lin^ laid down as to the use of flannel garments, in the diapter on dress, may be recommended to the attention of ifi t^ rn ding lady riders. A large number of cy' club belonging to the local centre shall send in to the hon, sec of the centre — {a) The names and addresses of its representatives on the committee of the centre for the ensuing year (such representatives need not be members of the club they represent) ; {b) The number of members of the club, {c) The capitation fees for such members. 13. Between the ist and 20th of April a general meeting of all members of the local centre shall be held to receive the report of the outgoing officers and committee, and for general purposes of discussion. Not less than fourteen days' notice of such meeting shall be given to the hon. sec. of each club (whose duty it shall be to communicate such notice to the members of his club), and to each unattached member of the centre. 14. The newly appointed committee shall hold a meeting as soon THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION, 287 as possible after the ist of May in each year, at which they shall elect a chairman and hon. sec. for the year (not necessarily mem- bers of their own body), and shall appoint the delegates of the local centre to the Council of the Union. 15. The chairman and hon. sec. of each local centre shall be ex officio delegates to the Council of the Union. In addition, the committee shall elect delegates to the council (not necessarily members of the centre) in proportion to the number of their members, as follows : Fifty or less, two representatives ; and for every further complete fifty, one additional representative. 16. The hon. sec. shall, before the 20th of May, furnish to his divisional secretary — {a) The names and addresses of the officers, committee, and delegates of the centre for the ensuing year, {b) A list of the clubs belonging to the centre, with their respective numbers of members, {c) A list of the unattached members of the centre. 17. T' e hon sec. of each local centre shall make a report of the proceedings of all meetings to his divisional secretar}^, within ten days after such meeting. 18. Clubs joining a local centre after a general meeting shall appoint a representative or representatives to the committee, in accordance with rules 4 and 5, to hold office until the 30th of April then next ensuing. 19. Should the numbers of the centre increase between two annual general meetings so as to entitle the centre to an additional delegate or delegates to the Council, the committee shall thereupon appoint such delegate or delegates, and the hon. sec. shall forth- with forward the name or names of such delegate or delegates to his divisional secretary. 20. Clubs belonging to the Union shall have the option of appointing delegates direct to the Council of the Union, or of join- ing a local centre. 21. The hon. sec. of each local centre shall receive all subscrip- tions due from clubs and unattached members belonging to his centre. 22. The hon. sec. shall forward half such subscriptions to his divisional secretary every quarter, towards the general expenses of the Union. 23. The hon. sec. shall retain the other half of such subscriptions for the expenses of the centre, and shall forward a detailed cash statement to his divisional secretary on the 30th of April in each year. '288 CYCLING. 24. The executive shall have power to make special grants to any local centre. A motion for such special grant shall not be brought forward without a week's written notice to all members of the executive. 25. The committee shall transact all the Union business for the district, as defined by the resolution of the Council as follows, viz. : — ' Obtaining members, the erection of danger boards, the watching of bye-laws and local board action, the supervision of race meetings within the district, and the general conservation of cycling interests ; but any special business, such as assaults, legal cases, questions of amateur statics^ and applications in reference to amateur v. professional matches, shall be referred to the executive with full particulars of same.' 26. Any person feeling himself aggrieved by any action of a local centre, shall have the right to appeal to the executive of the Union, and from them to the Council of the Union. 27. The executive shall have full power over all proceedings of local centres, including their dissolution if necessary, subject to an appeal to the Council, and may add to or amend these rules as may seem desirable. As will be gathered from a perusal of these rules, each local centre is practically a local union banded w^ith other local unions for the purposes of more complete supervision and co- operation, and the local centres scheme, with the exception above alluded to, has proved a success. These rules, with considerable modifications from time to time, have resulted in the establishment of a network of centres extending over the whole of the country, and have proved of notable benefit to the Union. The centre formed at Bristol, for Bristol and the West of England, has simply assumed the completest control over the whole of its very large district. Birmingham has also a local centre which has done good service to the Union. It started the agitation for improved roads, which has accomplished so much to bring the ruling body of cycling prominently and favourably before the general public, and has always worked energetically for the furtherance of union interests. In Liverpool the second local centre exceeds numerically the first one estabhshed in the district — THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 2S5 which for reasons which need not now be specified was dissolved — and the record of the body is excellent. In Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Brighton, Portsmouth, centres of the Union exist, and aid the cause of the sport. The organisation which has thus enabled the cychsts of the United Kingdom to work together in opposing any attempt to interfere with the government of their own sport has much to commend it. When tricycling as a distinct branch of the sport began to come prominently to the front, the want of some ruling association for the tricyclist division was felt, and as the Bicycle Union was composed mainly of bicyclists, the tricycling section established a body of their own, under the title of the * Tricycle Association.' As a number of the gentlemen con - nected with it had no practical acquaintance with the rules of sport, they were easily led into adopting a somewhat impractic- able definition, and after a comparatively short independent existence, the Tricycle Association, led by its secretary, Mr. Boverton Redwood of the Finchley T. C, threw in its lot with the Bicycle Union, the combined associations being known by the somewhat cumbrous title of the ' Bicycle Union v^ith which is incorporated the Tricycle Association.' The tricycling section at this time were mostly what are sometimes known as * family men' and elderly riders, and these gentlemen were not sorry to relieve themselves of the necessity of attend- ing committee meetings, and such like useful but irksome gatherings. The management naturally therefore fell into the hands of the younger men, mostly at that time bicyclists. Difficulties arose into the history of which, however, it would be worse than useless to enter. The election of Lord Bury to the post of president, which he has ever since held, was marked as an era in the history of the Union, the president being a practical cyclist who took an active interest in the questions of the day. The desirability of having one governing body for the two varieties of the sport was apparent, and ultimately the Bicycle Union, acting on the suggestion of its president, u 290 CYCLING. decided to change its name and to adopt a title which would cover all classes of velocipedes, to use an old but compre- hensive term. Accordingly in June 1883, after a lengthy debate, the original style and title of the Union was changed to that under which it is now known, viz. the National Cyclists' Union. This was both politic and necessary, as the Union at that time included in its ranks a large majority of tricycling clubs, and a still larger majority of tricyclists, who were attached to the various mixed clubs in the kingdom ; and thus the word ' bicycle,' which had long been an eyesore to the tricycling section, w^as replaced by a name which will cover every sort of cycle which may in the future be placed upon the market. From October 1883, when the present president of the N. C. U. assumed office, the work went on vigorously for ' the conservation of the interests of cycling,' to quote the oft re- peated phrase. At this period the opening of the pubHc parks to wheel traffic was attracting much attention, and the president of the N. C. U. was successful in securing an experimental extension of certain privileges to all wheels, with results which were in every way satisfactory. County government and high- way bills and other enactments, which might directly or in- directly affect the right of w^heelmen on the roads, were carefully watched and action was taken when required. Dangerous gratings placed in the streets were reported on, and notices were issued to the vestries responsible for the arrangement, that they would be held liable for any accidents which might result there- from. Danger boards were erected, in conjunction with the C.T.C , at the top of dangerous hills; these 'boards' being sohd plates of iron bearing the words 'To cyclists, this hill is danger- ous,' and there is little doubt that these warning notices, w^hich are now to be found all over the country, have been of material service to the large class of touring riders. A reserve fund for use in cases of severe emergency was established and taken charge of by Major-General Christopher, a member of the executive whose energetic efforts on its behalf are worthy of all s,' H -'Mwy/^ ^W. "Ir', ^',-; ■.yWm THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 291 recognition. Tlie fund amounted in the spring of 1886 to some 300/., and of course frequent additions are being made to it from time to time. Assault cases have been taken up with a considerable amount of success, due to a great extent to the care which is exercised by the members of the executive who belong to the legal profession, prominent amongst them being the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Robert Todd of the Stanley C. C. The question of road repair, started by the Birming- ham local centre, has developed into a work of absolutely national importance. Many roadways, since the old coaches passed away, have been allowed to fall steadily into disrepair, and no effort was made to keep them in anything like a sound condition. This decay reached its maximum in the Birmingham district, and cyclists and others who had the misfortune to traverse the roads in question found them in a perfectly dis- graceful state. The Birmingham local centre therefore called a meeting of persons interested in the question, over which the Mayor of Birmingham presided, and the strange spectacle of the hitherto despised cychst heading a motion of reform and suppor- ted by a number of horse owners and drivers, showed how wise and politic a step had been taken. The road surveyors were at first inclined to regard the matter as a piece of impertinence on the part of the cyclists, some of them remarking that they were not called upon to make the roads good enough for that class of machine ; but the result of an action brought on behalf of the Union against eight road surveyors at the Halesowen Court speedily convinced them that the cyclists were in the right, and held powers sufficient to compel them to do the work. Since then this fact has been brought home rather forcibly to the understandings of many similar officials, and the improvement in the roads in some places is very noticeable. Mr. H. R. Reynolds, of the London and Oxford Bicycle Clubs, has gone very fully into the question of the right method of road-making, and has in an able article in the ' Nineteenth Century ' and in letters to the public and cycling press, pointed out how little the systems of Telford and Macadam are followed u 2 292 CYCLING. even on roads which are described as ' Macadamised.' In a pamphlet containing the gist of his remarks and advice, pre- pared at the instance of the N.C.U., Mr. Reynolds demonstrates clearly the saving in the rates which would accrue from an in- telligent adoption of Macadam's system ; and sho^ys further the very expensive nature of the unsatisfactory methods nowadopted. The result is that these facts are being daily brought before the most interested section of the pubUc, viz., the ratepayers, and the day is not far distant when the persons v/ho pay the piper will insist on the appointment of intelligent road surveyors, who are acquainted with the best and most scientific methods of road construction, instead of, as is too often the case, supinely permitting the election of any ignorant or careless person who wnll undertake to dump certain cartloads of rubbish haphazard over the highways. One of the surveyors who was interviewed by a Union official admitted that he had never heard of Telford or Macadam, and did not know who they were or what they had done. In addition to these, and many other matters affecting the majority of the cycling community, the road riders, the Union also assumes control of cycle racing throughout the country. The most important item in the racing work of the N. C. U. is the promotion of the annual amateur championships, which are duly recognised in the world of sport, and have completely replaced all the previous competitions that claimed to confer the honour. The first championships were held at Stamford Bridge on May ii, 1878, the distances chosen being 2 and 25 miles. In the first heat of the shorter race Mr. G. F. Beck won somewhat easily from Messrs. W. T. Thorn and E. York, whilst the Hon. Ion Keith Falconer walked over in the second. In the final Keith Falconer led throughout, and holding Beck safe won in 6 minutes 30, 1- seconds. Much regret was expressed at the absence of j\Ir. AVadham Wyndham, who was fancied to win right out. The 25 mile race fell to ^Ir. A. A. Weir of the Oxford University B.C. in i hour 27 mins. 47? sees. — a best on record at that date ; 1878 saw the practical extinction THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 253 of the 4 Miles Bicycle Championship hitherto promoted by the Amateur Athletic Club, and the Union then launched out in 1879, ^^d established four bicycling championships at i, 5, 25, and 50 miles. In 1882 it was considered advisable to establish a tricycle championship, and one was run over a distance of 5 miles and won by C. E. Liles. In 1883 the championships for tricycling were increased to two, the distances being i and 10 miles ; whilst in 18S4 three championships were run, i, 5 and 25 Mile Tricycle Championships being established. A complete record down to 1886 of all the championships run will be found at the end of this chapter. These events, the blue ribands of the cycling path, have yearly attracted more and more attention, and the best men of the year and of the country are usually to be found competing. In 1885, however, Percy Furnivall, who was no doubt absolutely the fastest rider of the season, for some reason refrained from competing in any of the bicycle championships, although he won the i Mile Tricycle Championship in a marvellous manner, beating record in his heat and winning, after running a dead heat with Percy Letchford of the Finchley T. C. ; the wonderful part of the affair being that it was absolutely Mr. Furnivall's first race on a tricycle, on which he had ridden but very few times previously to the championship. As Mr. Furnivall subsequently beat the men whom he would have met in the shorter bicycling championships, in still more decisive style, there is very htde doubt that, had he started for those contests, he would have held the i and 5 Miles Championships of 1885. One of the most interesting of the great races run has each year been the 25 Miles Tricycle Champion- ship. On its first establishment in 1884 it was contested at Lillie Bridge upon the new track, and a very representative entry was secured. The race fell to C. E. Liles after a very hardly fought contest, H. J. Webb being second, S. Lee third, and George Smith fourth. The pace was very fast from the first, and record was beaten from the 12th mile. 394 CYCLING. Hebblethwaite cut out the pace, but Lctchford, from whom much was expected, broke his machine and had to retire ; in the i6th mile Lilcs drew away from Webb and estabhshed a long lead, and at one time looked as if he was going to lap his opponent, but in the 19th mile it was Liles' turn to become weak, and this, with a touch of cramp, made him go slowly. Webb's friends seeing this encouraged the latter, and he made a desperate effort to overtake Liles, who, however, got better in the 22nd mile, and riding with great determination to the end won by 19 seconds. In 1885 the 25 Miles Tricycle Championship run at the Crystal Palace again afforded the spectators a rare treat, and as record was made the year before, so was record again beaten on this occasion. An excellent entry was secured, no less than 14 riders, comprising the pick of the cychng world, facing the starter. John Lee of Clay Cross dashed away as the pistol cracked, and was soon cutting out the running at a fast pace, whilst from amongst the crowd the brown headgear of the University man (^Gatehouse), and the flaming red jockey cap of English, from Tyneside, were to be seen creeping cautiously to the front ; Cripps, capless as usual, and Cousens, with a white handkerchief bound round his head, were also early to the fore, and this quintette raced rapidly away from the rank and file. John Lee secured the two miles record, 6 minutes 21 seconds, and Robert Cripps the three miles record, 9 minutes 38 seconds. But English and Gatehouse, though not letting their men get away from them, were yet riding carefully and without the sharp spurting which the others had indulged in. At six miles the pace had begun to tell seriously, Cousens, Cripps, Sid Lee, and others tailing off; whilst George Gatehouse, coached by his trainer Charley Wilson (the Crystal Palace track-man), was forcing the running at a fast but regular pace. Occasionally one or other of his opponents would spurt by him and get a few yards ahead, but his steady and powerful style very soon caused the leader to fall back and again resign the post of pacemaker to him. At 1 1 miles record THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 295 again began to fall, Cripps beating the previous figures by 16 seconds, whilst Gatehouse without an undue effort secured the 1 2th mile ; English the 13th, and then Gatehouse the i4t]i, 15th, i6th, and 17th miles. He covered 17 miles 986 yards within the hour, another best on record. The 21st mile fell to English and then Gatehouse scored every mile up to the finish. At 22 miles only English and Gatehouse had a chance, and both were riding with due caution, Gatehouse cutting out the pace and the North Shields man waiting on his hind wheels as lap after lap was reeled off. The spectators, who formed a goodly crowd, were worked up to fever heat. At throe laps from home Gatehouse bent to his work, and to the horror of his friends appeared to make his effort, crowding a lot of pace on and riding as if he imagined that it was the last lap. English on the other hand, very cool and collected, hung on to him, and those who had been predicting a \\m for the Cantab began to feel rather uncomfortable. Two more laps were called, and still Gatehouse was sw^inging along as if he was bent upon settling himself before the final rush, but a very happy smile at Furnivall who cheered him from the rails, revealed the fact that he had not as yet overdone it. English, on the contrary, looked rather drawn ; and the excitement grew in intensity as the men dashed round the far side and came rushing round by the dressing- room. ' Last lap ! ' is cried, the bell rings, when with a mar- vellous if ill-timed effort, English rushes up outside the leader, and the hearts of the Cambridge men sink as he slips past Gatehouse before the latter appreciates what has happened, and takes the inside berth. But for once in a way the big Tynesider has made a mistake. Gatehouse pulls himself together, and riding in possibly better form than he has shown all through, hotly pursues English. As the pair approach the wide clump of tall reed which momentarily hide the competi- tors at the Crystal Palace track from the occupants of the grand stand. Gatehouse is seen to be riding hard — they disappear and there is a momentary pause of expectancy, then a loud shout of applause, as Gatehouse emerges with a slight lead of 295 CYCLING. English. Neck and neck the two men ride to the entrance gate, 200 yards or so from the finish, English riding very wide by accident, and driving his opponent's off wheel on to the turf. Then, with a well-saved effort. Gatehouse draws out and wins one of the most exciting races by nearly 20 yards in i hour 26 minutes 29 1 seconds, a best on record. Such contests as these may be expected in the future in the championships promoted by the N. C. U., seeing that the best men from all parts of the kingdom are sure to compete, and the man who attains the highest honours of the racing path under the auspices of the Union will have to show to perfection every quality necessary in a racing man. In its deahngs with the racing path theN.C.U. was brought, early in 1885, into hostile contact with the Amateur Athletic Association. The Liverpool local centre of the Union had been for some time in a dissatisfied state, its rulers claiming for it the exercise of powers which would have made it practically inde- pendent of the supreme executive, and as such a policy could by no means be recognised, the executive felt bound to refuse the powers asked. These and other events produced an estrange- ment between the Metropolitan body and the first Liverpool loca' centre, whose members concerned themselves mostly with racing matters in the Liverpool district. Into this bygone dispute, and the circumstances which led to the summoning of a general meeting of the A. A. A. Committee at Anderton's Hotel on January 16, 1886, it would be un- profitable to enter. On that date, however, important events took place. A treaty was duly agreed to, securing to the N. C. U. all the points it claimed. This treaty recognised the right of the Union to rule cyclists, as such, and this was and is the sole claim which the N. C. U. made in this matter, and the position of the N. C. U. is now most fully admitted on all hands. The rules of the body run as follows : — THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 297 Regulations for the Government of Race Meetings held UNDER the Rules of the N.C.U. // is strongly recommended that all Competitions he confined to Amateurs ENTRIES. 1. All cycle races shall be held under the rules of the National Cyclists' Union. 2. The committee resen^e the right of refusing to receive, and having received, of cancelling any entry before the start, without giving any reason for so doing. All entries shall be accompanied by the entrance fee, but in case any entry shall have been accepted without the fee, and the competitor shall refuse or neglect to pay it when called upon to do so, whether he actually ride in the race or not, he shall be liable to suspension. 3. Competitors in handicaps shall be required to send, with their entries, a statement that they are amateurs according to the definition of the N. C. U., and also full and definite particulars of their last three performances. Furnishing false, misleading or in- complete information shall be a ground for disqualification, and in the event of a prize being won, will render the winner liable to prosecution. Note. — // is recom7ne?ided that the N. C. U. entry forms {ob- tainable at the rate of 2s. 6d. per 100 at the Offices^ 17 Iron- monger La7te^ E.C) beused^ as they suggest clearly what i?if or mat ion is required by the handicapper. 4. All entries must be made and races run in the real name of the competitor. PRIZES. 5. All prizes should be purchased /rz^r to the date of the meet- ing, and when practicable, engraved with the name and date of the meeting. 6. It is recommended that no prize be offered above the value of ten guineas ; except for challenge cups or shields or the like, which have to be won more than once in order to become the pro- perty of the winner. 7. Clubs or others offering challenge prizes, subject to a guaran- tee for their return, must, if required, state explicitly to each in- tending competitor the exact nature of the guarantee required, and 298 CYCLING, in case any difficulty shall arise, in arranging the terms, the decision of the N. C. U. executive in the matter shall be accepted by all parties as final. ATTENDANTS. 8. One attendant only shall be allowed to each competitor in any race, but no machine other than a bicycle shall be started by an attendant. 9. The judge shall have power to act as he may think fit in cases of misconduct by attendants. PROTESTS. 10. Any objection respecting foul riding, starting off a wrong mark, or other such like offence, committed during the race, shall be made to the judge as soon as possible after the heat, and before the distribution of prizes ; and all other protests against competi- tors, respecting their status as amateurs or otherwise, must be lodged with the committee before the prizes are distributed, and if possible before the race is run. 11. All protests must be made in writing, signed by the objector, and accompanied by a deposit of 5^., which will be forfeited if the protest be considered a frivolous one. 12. In the event of a protest or objection being lodged against a successful competitor, his prize shall be withheld until the judge or committee, as the case may be, shall have decided whether he is, or is not, entitled to the same. In the latter case, the first prize shall be given to the second man, the second prize to the third man, and so on. STARTING. 13. A bell shall be rung before each heat ; and after sufficient time has been allowed for competitors to get to their allotted marks, a start will be effected. 14. No competitor shall be allowed to start unless he wear half sleeves and complete clothing from the shoulders to the knees. 15. Attendants, when pushing off competitors, must keep both feet behind the mark from which the competitor actually starts. Should the attendant cross such mark with either foot while start- ing such competitor, the competitor shall be liable to disquaHfi- cation. 16. In starting, the /^r^;;/^j/ /c??-/ of the competitor's machine THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 299 in contact \\'\'Ci\\\\Q: ground, must be placed on thai mark from which the competitor actually starts. 17. Any competitor shall be at Hberty, with the consent of the judge, to start from a mark behind the one allotted him in the race ; but in such case, as in all others, the point of contact of the foremost part of the machine with the ground shall be considered the starting mark, which the attendant shall not overstep. 18. Any competitor starting before the signal may be put back, at the discretion of the starter, not exceeding 10 yards for the race in question ; and on a repetition of the offence, shall be dis- qualified. It shall be the duty of each competitor to see that he starts from his proper mark, and in default he may be disqualified for the race in question. A competitor, upon being disqualified, shall forfeit any fee or fees he may have paid. 19. As far as possible the times on the programme shall be ad- hered to, but no heat may be started befoT-e the stated time except with the consent of all the competitors in such heat. 20. In all races where more than one competitor starts from the same mark, lots shall be drawn by the competitors, who shall take precedence, counting from the inside of the track. ENCLOSURE. 21. None but the officials of the meeting, the press, the com- petitors and attendants, shall be allowed within the enclosure, ex- cept by special permission of the secretary of the meeting. 22. Competitors and their attendants shall be allowed within the enclosure only during the time between the heats preceding and following that in which they are engaged. GENERAL RULES. 23. The committee have no power to alter handicaps, after having received them from the official handicapper. Note. — It is recommended that the N. C. U. handicapper for the district be employed; and that entries for handicap races be closed 14 days before the race. 24. Every conipetitor will receive, in the dressing-room, a ticket bearing a number corresponding with his number on the programme, which ticket must be worn by him in a conspicuous place during the race. It is recommended that in all cases the 3CO CYCLING. ticket should be placed on the back of the competitor or of his machine. 25. Competitors may dismount during a race at their pleasure, and may run with their machines, but they must keep to the extreme outside of the track whenever dismounted. 26. A competitor overtaking another must always pass on the outside of the track (unless the man who is passed be dismounted or has retired from the contest), and must be a clear machine's length ahead before taking ground in front of his opponent. The inside man must allow room for his opponent to pass, and any competitor guilty of foul or unfair riding shall be liable to disquali- fication. 27. If a machine becomes disabled in the course of a race, the rider shall be allowed to use another, provided the substituted machine be not disapproved of by the judge. 28. The committee reserve the power of postponing all or any of the races in cases where they think it necessary. On no account will entrance fees be returned, or expenses allowed, to any compe- titor in case of such postponement. 29. The committee reserve the right of adjudicating on any questionable entry and on any other point not provided for, and of making any alteration in the programme that they may deem necessary. 30. All tracks shall be measured 12 inches from the inner side of the path, and all races shall be run left-hand inside when possible. 31. The finish of all races shall be judged by \}cv^ first part of the macJiiiie which touches the tape, which shall be fastened flat on the ground, at the winning post. OFFICIALS. 32. The officials shall consist of judge, umpires, starter, time- keeper or time-keepers, clerks of the course, lap-scorers, and the members of the race committee (including the secretary of the meeting). 2)2,. It shall be the duty of the judge to declare the placed m.en in every heat ; to instruct the umpires ; to give judgment on pro- tests received by him ; to act as he may think fit in cases of mis- conduct by attendants, and to disqualify any competitors who have become liable to disqualification. His decision shall in all cases be final. THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 301 Note. — As under these 7'icles the duties of the judge are of a jnost important character^ an experienced rider should be chosen for the post. 34. The judge shall have the power of refusing to allow any person to act as attendant who has infringed the rules, or refused to submit to his ruling. 35. In starting scratch races, the judge shall give his instructions to the competitors and attendants, and shall sje that the men are placed in position, after having caused them to draw lots ; and every competitor shall go to the mark so drawn, and any refusing to do so shall be liable to be disqualified by the judge. 36. It shall be the duty of the umpires to watch the riding, and to report to the judge any competitor or competitors whose riding they consider unfair ; and it shall also be the duty of the umpires to watch the starting, and to report to the starter any competitor or competitors whose starting they consider unfair. 'ij. It shall be the duty of the starter, when it has been reported to him by a clerk of the course that all the competitors are ready, to see that the time-keeper is warned, and before starting the men to say ' Mount,' in a few seconds after to say ' Are you ready ? ' and if no reply to the contrary be given, to effect the start by report of pistol. 38. The starter may, at his discretion, put back, to a distance not exceeding 10 yards, any competitor starting before the signal is given, and on a repetition of the offence shall disqualify him. 39. In case of a false start, the competitors shall be called back by the starter and re-started. Any competitor refusing to obey the starter shall be at once disqualified by him. 40. All questions as to starts in handicap races shall be in the absolute discretion of the starter. 41. It shall be the duty of the time-keeper or time- keepers to take the times of the first in each heat, and such other times as the secretary of the meeting may have previously arranged. 42. It shall be the duly of the clerks of the course to call over the names of the competitors in the dressing-room before the start- ing of each heat ; to ring the bell shortly before the time that each heat should be started, and at the commencement of the last lap in each heat ; and to see that the competitors are on their appointed marks, and have their numbers properly exhibited. 43. It shall be the duty of the lap scorers to check the number of laps ridden by every competitor, and to give the distance ridden 302 CYCLING. by any competitor at any point when requested to do so by time- keeper or judge. 44. It shall be the duty of the race committee to appoint the officers, to conduct generally the business of the meeting, and to adjudicate on any points not provided for. 45. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the meeting, under the direction of the committee, to see that the various officials are at their respective posts before the first race is started, to provide for any contingency that may arise, and generally to conduct the meeting. 46. The judge, umpires, starter and time-keepers shall not be permitted to compete in any race with which they are officially connected. 47. The judge and starter shall have the power to disqualify competitors without any protest being lodged by any other compe- titor. The foregoing 7'egulations are subject to revision by the executive of the N. C. U.^ which reserves to itself the right of adjudicating on any case of dispute or appeal. Note. — In all races stated to be held under the rules of the N. C. U., it shall be assumed {unless otherwise duly appearing) that the foregoing regulations are in force ^ a?td applicable. DEFINITIONS OF MACHINES. The following machines are eligible for cycle races held under N. C. U. rules :— 1. For Bicycle Races. Any two-wheeled one-tracked machine, carrying one rider. 2. For Tricycle Races. Any machine three or more wheeled, two or more tracked, carrying one rider. 3. For Safety Bicycle Races. Any two-wheeled one-tracked machine, carrying one rider, and fulfilling the special conditions laid down by the race committee or promoters of the sport, 4. For Ta?tdein Bicycle Races. Any two-wheeled one-tracked machine, carrying two riders. 5. For Tandem Tricycle Races. Any three or more wheeled, two or more tracked machine, carrying two riders, seated one directly behind the other. 6. For Sociable Tricycle Races. Any three or more wheeled two or more tracked machine, carrying two riders, seated side by side. THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 303 7. For Double 'Tricycle Races. Any three or more wheeled, two or more tracked machine, carrying two riders. Note. — No machine which cannot be included in one of the above classes may be used in cycle races held under N. C. U. rules. Any rider desirous of using a machine in any class of other than one of the patterns now ordinarily recognised in that class, must obtain permission to do so from the executive of the N. C. U. DEFINITION OF A NOVICE. A Novice, or person eligible to compete in a Novices' or Maiden race, is a rider who has never, up to the time of starting in such race, won any prize in any cycling race other than a race confined to members of his club. In any quahfied novices' race such as a race open to those who have not won a first prize, the definition of a novice as contained in the foregoing definition shall still be held to apply, so far as circumstances admit. 3^4 CYCLING. E S e s c c c a o o o o c c c a o o o o .o 0,0,0 i3 5 2 S c c c c 0000 c G c a 0000 6^ i i a" CQmeqpq e 6 E S iS i5 S 5 3 3 lU U jj J- (J 3 o 3 S ^ J£, 3 £ E§ 2 gooo O CO 3 "o W 1) u E c g c" c* ^ TS J2 "O "O bflC ws a tn c t^ c a CT3 C-O-U 3 >.3 >,>, OW Oc/3(/) *- y ^ y y 4) C3 q; C3 Q OP^ OfXifL, 3 5 C 5 2 <3 00 t^ H^A^-^O 10 in ID u^ H tr-. N N ID 1^ ^ W m M % H N m in 10 10 in N in in ro o H w O . ; V (u n o (U _4J (0 ,_j "y y'y. 00 o c? S* 00 p u u u ; S S pq 6 E 6 S Mm«H E E E e e M m in o m THE NATIONAL CYCLISTS' UNION. 5 S o = E = c rt i; c oj o o = rt o c o CA! O.yC/} Oc/3 j3 w "iJ '^ i) '^ Cl, o a, ofx, ^ J 07; '-'•-5 u ui c^ L. v: u U < c-i CJ < U t^ n n c c t:; g- i o o o :? Oiv to c c c o I- ta ^< o o o '-' O-"';^ ^' = = C ;/> O ?, E 6 '^ rt <-> r:r o ° I- I- 1- -^ c =.y o o c o E g-J . ,£"1. .h T » c c.t: p ilillil O ~ cij dT aTO cT . ^ o o o . o c I 2 rt rt j^ rt H rt t^'^ -*vo ■<^^ CO t^ >i >> to_>>_>^ >» \n \ri \ri xn \n N N ro fO IH 10 N N vo 00 >n 10 -^ -^ 01 1-1 ■>»- N vo ;z; ^ cQ iz; u rt rt o O '^ ^ D a; rt rt D_C 3 P3PHOOeQUQ >.y.o_u 'j.- 00 ca H"^ 00 pa r-1 Di)u4>«a> "^ 1)1)1) 'H'e'eI'I M m m o M o ' _u _y _o _ij — --H I) U CJ 1) U 1) 's'se'e'e's's . u 4J JJ JJ ^ "e'e's J _« _4) JJ _!) •; 00 ._ 00 pq 'e'e'e'e'e'e's 3o6 CYCLING. CHAPTER XII. THE cyclists' TOURING CLUB. The Cyclists' Touring Club \vas originally founded on August 5, 18785 as the Bicycle Touring Club, being the out- come of a number of letters and suggestions which had from time to time found their way into the Cycling Press. The Bradford Bicycle Club and a number of north country clubs took up the idea with characteristic energy, and under their auspices Mr. Stanley J. A. Cotter ell as honorary secretary was enabled to get the new association into shape, and to carry it on for some time. Its very rapid growth, however, soon caused it to outgrow the original scheme, and a certain amount of laxity having crept into the administration, troubles were fre- quent, and the Bicycle Touring Club, as it was called, was not growing at the rate which it should have done. Changes were tried ; new secretaries were appointed, and many efforts were made to carry the club over the dead point, and at length, after some stormy meetings, the work was done, and the Bicycle Touring Club began to go ahead on the new basis. Walter D. Welford was for some time secretary, and under his care the club prospered, until history repeated itself, and the machinery was found inadequate for the full discharge of the business required of it, and there again occurred dissensions and trou- bles, until at length it became obvious that another move would have to be made. The club had long possessed an organ known as the ' Monthly Circular,' and this, after being edited by Mr. E. R. Shipton for some time, was on his sugges- THE CYCLISTS' TOURING CLUB. 307 tion named the ' Gazette,' enlarged, and made into what is practically a monthly club magazine. The work of the hon- orary editor soon became practically overwhelming, and Mr. Shipton, in justice to himself, was contemplating the resignation of the office, when the train of circumstances above alluded to brought matters to a crisis. A new^ secretary was wanted, and just when the council was at their wits' ends to find a suitable and reliable man, it was found that Mr. Shipton w^ould be open to an offer. Seeing that this gentleman was already ^Yell known to the council for his very complete acquaintance with the work of the club, and also for his untiring energy in the discharge of his honorary duties, there need be little wonder that they soon came to terms with him, and he was duly installed as secretary and editor of the Bicycle Touring Club. Since then Mr. Shipton has conclusively demonstrated his fitness for the post, and the prosperity of the Cychsts' Touring Club may be dated from his accession to office. As it at present stands, the Cychsts' Touring Club is the largest athletic association in the world. Numbering over 20.000 members, its objects are best set forth in the prospectus of the club, which runs as follows : — As an essentially conservative nation, it is hardly a matter for surprise that Englishmen should have received with suspicion, which rapidly degenerated into factious opposition, the advent of the bicycle a decade and a half ago. Anything that tends to antagonise with the cherished traditions and old-fashioned habits of the average Britisher, is, by the more unthinking sections of the community, speedily condemned, aye, even widiout a semblance of a fair trial ; and it therefore need hardly be wondered at that a mode of progression hitherto almost unheard of, and which ran counter to all preconceived methods, should have met with disfavour almost as soon as it was introduced. The dogged and unreason- ing opposition of one section of society is, however, generally counterbalanced by the equally characteristic determination of a second section to adhere to its opinion ' though the skies should fall,' and it fortunately happens that the art of bicycle riding was no exception to the general rule. A few of its persistent adherents remained steadfast in the belief of the capabilities of the 3o8 CYCLING, new invention, and when by a combination of fortuitous circum- stances the wooden-wheeled vehicle of a dozen years since was superseded by the suspension and rubber-tired bicycle (which with countless improvements in detail remains in principle the same machine to the present day), the future of the two-wheeler was assured. With the establishment of a new pastime or sport, it was not long ere the shrewder of the people became alive to the advantages that followed in its wake, and that might, with a little ingenuity, be diverted into their channel. Foremost amongst these was the hotel proprietor in the country town, whose receipts had gradually diminished since the octopus-like feelers of the railway had pene- trated into the district, and diverted the traffic which formerly brought with it a handsome competence to himself, and to the keeper of each roadside hostelry. Recognising in the tourist on foot or on horseback a legitimate subject for the extortion of 'back- sheesh,' the same generous line for argument was extended to the touring wheelman, who, with hundreds of followers, was scouring the country in every direction in search of the novel, the grand, and the beautiful, whenever opportunity offered. Nor was this drawback the isolated bete noire of the cyclist, for the ill -concealed antipathy, culminating at times in undoubted brutality, of the remainder of the road-using community, who knew little of the capabilities, and less of the advantages, of the new method of loco- motion, was a patent and glaring concomitant. Added to these came the difficulty of obtaining reliable information of the nature of the route ahead — a route that often became treacherously un- serviceable — so that, to commit a plagiarism as well as concoct a parody, 'The rider's lot was not a happy one.' The old adage, "Tis a long lane that has no turning,' proved, however, to be applicable even here, and it was not long after the real resources of the steel steed were indubitably proved that there sprang into existence an organisation, the name of which is now a household word in every clime. Commencing with a desultory correspon- dence in the press which the new sport had called into existence for its own especial interest, a league or brotherhood, called the ' Bicycle Touring Club,' was, at the North of England Meet held at Harrogate, Yorkshire, on August 5, 1878, inaugurated. The leading objects of its programme are : — To encourage and facilitate touring in all parts of the world. To protect its members against unprovoked assaults. THE CYCLISTS TOURING CLUB. 309 To provide riding or touring companions. To secure and appoint at fixed and reduced rates hotel head- quarters in all parts of the country. To enlist the co-operation of a leading wheelman, who should act as a Consul in every town, and who should render to his fellow- members local information of every description. To inculcate and encourage an esprit de corps among the fol- lowers of the wheel, similar to freemasonry in social life. When the B. T. C. was formed, some four years and a half ago, the only pedomotive carriage which had approached such perfec- tion as to warrant one in supposing that it would establish itself as a permanent means of locomotion, destined to aid, if not entirely revolutionise, the somewhat tardy movements of mankind, was the bicycle — a machine, as its name implies, of two wheels only ; but the pleasures of the new method of transit once partaken of, what wonder was it that the inventive genius of our mechanical experts sought to solve the problem of throwing open the practice of wheeling to every age and temperament, and to the able-bodied among both sexes ? The difficulty once surmounted, it was still less a matter for surprise that the safer, if somewhat slower, machine — the tricycle — appealed irresistibly to thousands of gentlemen of mature years and methodical habits ; to the Clergy- man, the Doctor, the Lawyer, and every professional man, any and all of whom would have deemed — without good reason, if you will, but still not unnaturally — that the bestriding of a bicycle added not to their dignity of deportment ; and to ladies of lethargic dispositions and retiring proclivities, to whom the art of cycling had hitherto been a sealed and unintelligible volume, beckoning each to share in the blessings Hygeia, the goddess of our pastime, was waiting to shower broad-cast upon all comers. CycHng, as a national sport, to be indulged in by every class of the community, from the Queen upon the throne to the plodding artisan, has already taken a tenacious hold upon the sympathies of all unprejudiced people, and it is, perhaps, not too much to say that if the day has not already arrived, it is steadily and surely approaching, when, given a moderate endowment of health and strength, every soul within the confines of civilisation, where passable roads are by any means obtainable, may upon some one of the many modifications of the steel steed, in solitude or in com- pany, participate in this health-giving means of locomotion. These postulates being admitted, it has recently been, by a large majority) 3IO CYCLING. decided that the B.T.C shall adopt a more comprehensive title — that of the Cyclists' Touring Club. The advantages of membership in it may be roughly summarised thus : — 1. An unattached cyclist, who, until now, has been unable to avail himself of the company of other riders on a tour, may reckon with certainty on getting a companion suitable to his tastes, should he desire one ; whilst he will have the satisfaction of knowing that he is one of a large body bound together by the ties of good-fellow- ship — a body whose sole object is the encouragement of all that iS admirable in the art of wheeling. 2. In small towns where there are insufficient riders to form a local club, it is becoming customary to seek admission to the Cyclists' Touring Club, when the members really form a kind of sub-division, and enjoy club privileges without the outlay attendant on belonging to a local club, such as cost of special uniform for a few only, rent of club rooms, &c. &c. 3. It is par excellence the club for professional men. It not only includes in its roll many of the nobility and gentry in all parts of the land, it is supported by some of the highest dignitaries of the church, by members of the legal, medical, military, and naval professions, and indeed by amateur riders of any and all of the numerous types of cycles now in daily request, who produce cre- dentials showing that they belong to a respectable station in life. Membership in it combines all the manifold advantages of belong- ing to a local club with none of the disadvantages. 4. Clubmen readily join, not only to receive company on a tour, and guidance and advice from the local Consuls, but to avail themselves of the admirable arrangements the Council has made with hotel proprietors throughout the country, whereby any member can calculate with tolerable certainty the cost of any proposed run ; and, better than all, can feel assured that at the different towns on his journey he will not only meet with civility and comfort, but he will be charged, at the hotels selected by the Cyclists' Touring Club, so moderate a tariff that he must inevitably save his subscription many times over on a run of only moderate length. To follow the progress of the club, and inquire how far it has fulfilled its mission, is merely to quote facts historical in the world of wheels. Essentially an utilitarian institution, at the present moment it boasts nearly 23,000 members, 1,030 consuls, and 2,160 --^3VMW:5i '^^; THE CYCLISTS' TOURING CLUB. 311 hotel head-quarters and recommended inns ; while added to this, it has successfully supported claims for redress in the case of its members who have suffered gratuitous insults and unprovoked assaults on the road, and combated the inequitable charges levied for the carriage of the rider's steed by the railway companies. Its feelers have penetrated the Continent, as well as encircled our island home, and it may be safely asserted that the time is fast ap- proaching when the rider of the iron horse, in any of its manifold modifications, who has emerged from his novitiate without hearing of the Cyclists' Touring Club will be a living curiosity. The subscription to its funds is altogether inconimensurate with the benefits it confers, and it behoves every lover of our sport to lend it his steadfast patronage. The promises of this prospectus are most fully carried out, and the cyclist who only tours for a few days in each year will derive the fullest benefit from membership. Putting aside the question of routes, the mere fact of a cycling consul being found in every town is of the greatest service to the rider who w^ants assistance or advice. The hotels chosen are in the majority of cases the most suitable for the use of the touring wheelman, although, of course, mistakes do occasionally occur. A com- plete and exhaustive hand-book is published, containing all the information as to hotels, consuls, repairing places, and so on, and each member of the club is thus enabled to go through the country without any assistance but this valued little guide-book. The Cyclists' Touring Club uniform, for both ladies and gentlemen, is a very popular costume with cyclists, as the cloth and other materials and articles of dress are all carefully chosen and of known quality. The Cyclists' Touring Club cloth is a most carefully chosen one, which has stood the test of several seasons' wear, whilst the Cyclists' Touring Club flannel is also very popular. The ladies' costume, which w^as decided upon at a specially called meeting of the lady members of the club, has proved very successful, and this is an especial boon to lady novices, who in the past were often sadly at a loss to know what to wTar. The consuls of the Cyclists' Touring Club, as the local 312 CYCLING. representatives are called, are now co-operating in the produc- tion of a road-book, and as each official will send to the editor a 7'esume of those roads only with which he is most intimately acquainted, the result cannot fail to be most satisfactory ; and as the writers are all users of the lightest vehicles on the high- ways, their acquaintance with the roads is bound to be of a most intimate character. The Cyclists' Touring Club has also co-operated actively with the Union in the very necessary work of erecting warning notices at the tops of dangerous hills, and also in the great effort at road reforms which the two bodies have been carrying on with such vigour during the last two seasons. The Cychsts' Touring Club is thus doing good public work, but its main policy is to look after the interests of its members, and this it does most fully. The subscription is 2s. 6d. per annum, with an entrance fee of is. Or a life membership can be acquired on payment of 5/. 5^. The Cyclists' Touring Club has its offices at 140 Fleet Street, and is a body which every rider should support, MTJz/tf fieiSf, 0ea. — Homer. 3»3 CHAPTER XIII. THE PRESS AND CYCLING LITERATURE. There is very little doubt in the minds of those who have been from the first connected with the sport of cycling that its very rapid development, and the growth of its now wide-spread popularity, were due mainly to the fact that from its nature and surroundings it was able to support, in a pecuniary sense, a number of papers and other publications, solely devoted to its interests, and also to induce many other publications, more or less identified with kindred pastimes, to devote a considerable portion of their space to the encouragement and consideration of cycling. The reason for this state of affairs is of course obvious ; the success of class journalism depends mainly on the advertisements, which indeed find the sinews of war for the vast majority of newspapers. Cycling is much better situated in this respect than other sports ; the maker of running shoes, or of swimming costumes alone, seldom spends much on advertisements, for it would take an immense sale of such articles to recoup a manufacturer for the considerable outlay which any serious amount of advertising would necessitate. A bicycle or tricycle, however, fetches from 15/. to 35/. or 40/., and if a few purchasers are secured, the cost of many advertisements is repaid. It thus comes about that cycling is provided with a cheap, exhaustive, and essentially readable class ptess, which does much to popularise the sport and bind its votaries together. The advantages of such intercommunication are apparent on every hand ; the names of well-known riders, whether on the road or on the path, become household words 314 CYCLING. with cyclists from one end of the country to the other ; ideas are ventilated and discussed in the correspondence columns, and as a result interest in the sport is sustained. Cycling has, as has been pointed out in earlier chapters, its senate, its jockey club, and its touring club ; and through the medium of its special press the policy of those bodies is discussed, and matters of importance to riders fully threshed out. Under such conditions it is not to be wondered that cycling is a peculiarly united sport w^hich can and does stand by itself. As is the case in all purely class papers, the line taken by the cycling press is a special one ; the writers are for the most part practical cyclists first, and literary men afterwards ; the reason why this arrange- ment has worked satisfactorily is obvious. The names of well- known road riders and successful racing men carry weight with the readers of such journals, even though their literary style may be slipshod or awkward, and in brief the matter may be summed up by saying that the cycling press is emphatically a p7'actical class press. The United Kingdom boasts a very large number of papers solely devoted to cycling in its various branches, no less than five being pubHshed in London. Germany, France, and America have also a considerable press, whilst the British Colonies are by no means behind in this matter. 'The Cyclist,' a weekly paper, was started in 1879 by Messrs. Iliffe and Sturmey, of Coventry ; this journal at the time of writing is in its eighth year of publication. ' The Cyclist ' has for its provincial editor j\Ir. Henry Sturmey, of Coventry, the author of a number of essentially practical hand-books on various branches of the sport, a very sound mechanic, and a practical and painstaking wTiter upon most subjects of interest to riders. His collaborateur, the London editor, Mr Nairn, has compiled several valuable road-books for the use of cyclists. The editors are surrounded by an able staff, many of whom are known in other fields of literature. * The Cyclist ' regularly contains a mass of practical and readable matter, reports of racing events, full details of all THE PRESS AND CYCLIXG LITERATURE. 315 meetings for business and pleasure, club notes and notices, and in sfiort is a brief abstract and chronicle of the time. Next in importance as a cycling journal is the 'Bicycling News.' First published in 1S76, it has outlived several much younger papers, and has had on the whole a somewhat chequered career. In 1885, the proprietors of 'The Tricyclist' and 'Wheel Life' purchased the old paper and amalgamated them with it 'The Tricyclist ' w^as a paper solely devoted to the interests of the three-wheeled sport, but though sufficiently successful, it was found necessary to revert to the original name in the amalga- mated journal. A weekly cartoon, treating in a facetious manner some event in the cycling world, or illustrating some particular meeting or favourite resort which had been a prominent feature of ' Wheel Life,' is also pubhshed with the paper, w^hich is edited by Mr. Lacy HiUier. A younger journal, which probably comes next in popu- larity, is 'Wheeling,' wherein the news is conveyed mostly in paragraphic form under suitable headings. A good mass of news is always to be found in its pages. When first published this journal gave a series of excellent portraits, accompanied by biographies. This series has, however, been now for some time discontinued. The paper is owned by Mr. Etherington. 'The Tricycling Journal,' edited by H. A. Judd, is another weekly paper published in London containing current news from various sources in tricycling matters. The only monthly magazine devoted to cyclingis ' Olympia,' originally the ' Wheel World,' which contains a resume of the month's racing and other cycling matters, articles upon current events, and tales of fact or fiction, all of course containing a strong cycling element. A number of cycling sketches are in- cluded in each issue, mostly from the pencil of Mr. George Moore, who has devoted special attention to subjects connected with the sport. jNIr. A. J. Wilson, well known to cyclists as ' Faed,' is a frequent contributor to its pages. Many of the con- tributions are remarkable for their literary ability. The maga- 3i6 CYCLING, zine is a popular one with riders generally. Of other journals devoting a portion of their space to cycling, there is a lengthy list, as every sporting paper reports cycling events. * The Sports- man' reports cychng events fully, though not perhaps at such length as the ' Sporting Life.' Many of the daily papers either reproduce the reports of those sporting papers, or have the events attended on their behalf. Of weekly sporting papers ' The Field,' * Land and Water,' ' Pastime,' ' The Athletic News,' * Sport and Play,' ' The Scottish Athlete,' ' The Scottish Umpire,' and a numberof other papersand periodicals, devotespace to the events of cycling ; whilst of fugitive articles in various magazines and other publications a lengthy list could be made. ' The ."Referee ' usually contains the first detailed reports of Saturday's racing. In addition to the periodical press, the cyclist also demands, and of course obtains, a number of publications bearing upon various phases of his sport, books of instruction in the various points of practical riding, books bearing on the construction and choice of machines, books treating of training and road riding, route books and itineraries, year-books and annuals, fully recording the events of each season ; and, in short, the whole catalogue of literature which so active and wide- spread a community might be expected to require, and very fully indeed are these requirements answered. Of practical guides to cycling there is a wide choice, though most of the papers have from time to time fully explained the subject, whilst the lengthy correspondences which have been encouraged by the editors have very often elucidated points of practical interest to beginners and veterans. As early as 1868 a little publication called ' The Velocipede and How to Use It ' was published in London by A. Davis, which was re-issued enlarged in 1869, in which year quite a number of practical hand-books on the art of cychng, or rather velocipeding as it was termed, were pub- lished. 'The Bicycle, its Use and Action,' by Charles Spencer, one of the first John-o'-Groat's men, published in 1870, was the first work specifically treating of the bicycle in its modern form THE PRESS AND CYCLING LITERATURE. 317 and under its modern name. ' The Bicycle,' an annual, was first published in 1874, and existed until 1877, when it died through the competition of better publications ; ' The Bicycle Annual,' the literary work of which was done by Mr. C. W. Nairn, fully replacing its predecessor and giving a vast amount of informa- tion and valuable road routes. The 'Indispensable Bicyclist's Hand-book,' by Mr Henry Sturmey, was first published in 1879, and has been re-issued together with ' Indispensable Ha nd-books ' on Tricycling, and Safety Riding, as required up to the present time. In addition to these practical works a large number of amusing publications have been issued, including the Christmas numbers of the various cycling papers, in which the events of the year are taken off in manners varying according to the nature of the pubhcation. ' Things a Cyclist Ought to Know,' a penny pamphlet published by Mr. R. E, Phillips of South Norwood, contains in a very complete and handy form many points of interest and value, whilst ' The Cyclist Christmas Number and Annual' is also full of valuable information concerning the events of each year. In fact, no sport can compare with cycling in the variety and completeness of the records kept, and, as was suggested at the opening of this chapter, this fact undoubtedly accounts for the vitality which it possesses and the enthusiasm it creates. Since the first edition of this work was printed ' Olympia ' has been discontinued. The ' Magazine of Sport ' devotes some space to cycling, whilst with the spread of the sport it has been much better treated by the daily papers, which report important gatherings, and occasionally discuss matters of in- terest to cyclists as a body. There are also a large number of foreign and American publications devoted to cycling, which is very well off in this respect. Prominent amongst the German papers is ' Der Radfuhrer,' published by Mr. T. H. S. Walker of Berlin. This journal is remarkably well managed, and it contains excellent illustrative blocks, mostly portraits and portrait groups. It is the most influential paper of its class on the Continent. 3i8 CYCLING. Another publication — of a semi-private nature — is the <■ C.T.C. Gazette,' most ably edited by Mr. Ernest R. Shipton. This — the official organ of some 20,000 members — contains much that is interesting to the practical cyclist. Numerous other local or club publications exist, all of great interest in their ' home ' circles ; and the means of inter- communication thus provided does much to unite the votaries of the wheel in a solid body to safeguard their own interests in every way. 319 CHAPTER XIV. CONSTRUCTION. PART L— MECHANISM. Before a rider can be considered thoroughly competent for the pursuit of the sport, more especially as to the touring side of it, he must of necessity know something of the construction and mechanism of the machine he rides, and he should also possess sufficient general knowledge of the working parts and their functions to be able, on an emergency, to put them right enough to ensure at any rate a certain amount of safety in case of accident. The general intention of this chapter will be to describe the various parts of the machine and their uses, the proper methods of adjustment, and the commonest accidents which occur to them. Before proceeding to dissect the various parts of the machine, the first thing will be to correctly name them, and for this pur- pose fig. II, 'a roadster bicycle,' has been inserted. The first part marked is a. This is the head, a term applied generally to the hinge on which the whole machine turns (see fig. 12), but particularly to that portion of the frame which is continuous with the front forks, and which is distinctively called 'the head;' the top of the backbone, which enters the head, being distin- guished as 'the backbone head.' The head a carries in front the bosses through which the handle-bar passes, and also the fittings of the break and the break lever ; the handle is seen (endways) at K ; the break lever, which runs along the right- hand handle, at j, and the break spoon and break attachment 320 CYCLING, at o ; B is the backbone, a hollow steel tube very light but very rigid, and often made oval in shape ; at c the backbone b is split and carried down on either side of the wheel forming the hind forks s. These are, of course, for the most part made separately and shut into the backbone ; but the effect, as far as Fig. II. — A HUMBER ROADSTER BICYCLE. appearance goes, is the same, d is the hub of the front wheel, usually of gun-metal ; n is the hub of the rear wheel, which generally contains the bearings, being in fact a hub and bearing case in one ; e, the front forks, now almost invariably made hollow, passing down on either side of the front wheel from the head, with which they are usually homogeneous, to the front wheel bearings at m. Through these bearings runs the axle of CONSTRUCTION. 321 the front wheel, and outside the bearings are placed the cranks F F carrying the pedals G G. On the backbone is placed the spring H (in this case a Humber coil spring), which carries the saddle i. Beneath the head and between the forks is placed the trouser guard p. The rims of the wheels l l are frequently hollow ; R is the step for mounting. The various parts of the machine as illustrated, which will come under consideration, are as follows : i. The frame, 2. The wheels. The frame will include — 1. The head a, which has attached to it directly the handles K, the break and lever o and j, and the backbone head. 2. The backbone b, including the spring h, step r, hind forks c. 3. The front forks e, including bearings m, cranks F, and pedals G. The wheels will include — The front and back wheels. As many of the parts of a bicycle as illustrated are either duplicated in the tricycle without any structural alteration, it has been thought desirable to treat fully on the simpler piece of mechanism first, and then to describe more particularly those points of the tricycle which materially differ from the bicycle fittings, or which are not represented at all. Thus there is no ' balance gear ' in a bicycle, and the action and nature of that piece of mechanism will be subsequently considered. THE HEAD. The most usually adopted form of head, modified into many shapes but radically unaltered, is that known as the 'The Stanley Head,' invented by Mr. Thomas Humber of Beeston, Notts, and practically introduced by a firm in Sheffield, who manu- factured a machine known as ' The Stanley Bicycle.' In fig. 12 is shown a 'Stanley Head' in section as regards the head proper, and with a backbone head drawn in the round in situ. ^^his head is one of the latest types issued by Messrs. Thomas Smith & Sons, one of the largest stamping firms in the trade. Y CYCLING. H H in the illustration is the backbone head, continuous with the backbone and shown in place, c c c c is the actual head homogeneous with the front forks, one of which is shown at e, the other of course being supposed to be removed with the other section. The hole k is for the front bolt of the spring. The hole d in the front of the head is where the handle-bar is placed, the front of the head being carried out in a neat boss to give it the necessary strength and support, o the small projec- tion screwed into the front of the head to form a hinge for the second lever of the break, which carries the spoon upon its fore-end. The upright portion of the break is shown at n, whilst p is the hole into which in some cases the end of the handle lever of the break is put. In other cases the end of n is rounded, and enters a corresponding hole in the handle lever of the break, and several other plans are adopted. The back- bone head h h, as will be seen, terminates in a solid piece of metal round and slightly taper with The bottom cone g being rather the bottom cone g drops into a Fig. A CONE HEAD. cones F and g at either end. larger than the top cone f, corresponding coned socket cut in the solid portion of the lower part of the head, just at the shoulder of the forks as shown. A A is a set screw with a wide aperture up the middle, termin- ating in a cone, and into this the upper part of the backbone head and the cone f enters. This set screw is squared as shown at R, and has a very fine thread cut on it, and can thus be most accurately adjusted, as it is clear that by screwing the CONSTRUCTION. 323 set screw a a farther into the head, z>., downwards upon the cone F, the cones both at top and bottom are pressed more firmly into their respective sockets, and as the head can be thus locked, so that with ordinary force the backbone head cannot be moved in the head proper, it is clear that a point of adjustment can be reached if the head is accurately fitted at which there should be absolute freedom of motion in the head without any looseness, always supposing that the machine is one made by a maker with a reputation for accurate fitting, as the slightest carelessness in fitting the head cones will of course cause them to grip at one point, whilst they may be possibly quite loose at another. M is an oil hole which will re- quire a limited but frequent supply of lubricant, as the upper cone F being turned upwards the oil tends to drain away. The object in so placing the cone, instead of making it downwards in the old way as shown at s, in the outlined figure is to secure the greatest possible length be- tween the centres without making a long and consequently ugly head, as it is evident that the greater the length between the points of the cones the greater the leverage of the head to steady the machine, b, shown in section, is the lock nut of the head, which is screwed down when the adjustment has been made to keep A A tight and secure, l is the beginning of the back- bone. The wear of a head is of course considerable ; the weight carried upon the lower cone and the general strain thrown upon the head tend to wear it out. If the adjustment is kept correctly tight, the wear will be even or practically so, but if a head is allowed to run for any length of time without Y 2 Fig I3_ — TRIG well's ball- bearing HEAD. j^4 CYCLING. adjustment, the cones will wear irregularly, and the correct adjustment of them will subsequently become almost impos- sible, as the circles of the cones being untrue, they will not fit when once again brought into close adjustment. Many ideas have been brought to a practical trial to remedy this defect, but none proved quite efficient until the Regent ball-bearing head was invented by Mr. Trigwell, of the firm of Messrs. Trig^vell, Watson & Co. This is shown in section in fig. 13, lettered to correspond with fig. 12. But the additional points are as follows : in place of a plain cone at either end of the backbone head, there is a rounded end carrying a groove around which when m situ are placed nine steel balls of small size. In place of the coned orifice of the set screw there is Fig. 14. — THE SOCKET HEAD. a groove, which, when the set screw is adjusted, presses upon the balls and keeps them in contact with the coned ends f and G, the adjustment and all other points being the same. If carefully adjusted the balls equally carry the weight and divide the strain, and also admit of considerable adjustment, with which a slight amount of irregular wear would not interfere, although if the adjustment is correct this irregular wear would be almost impossible. This head should in future be of still more value, and will doubtless be appreciated in due time. For Humber type tricycles, and especially for tandems, it should prove practically very serviceable. The Abingdon ball CONSTRUCTION. 325 head, in which the balls and their adjustments are all fitted into the backbone head and removable with it, is also a singularly neat and useful fitting, with many good points to recommend it. Fig. 14 shows the original head first used on velocipes and known as the ' socket head' (i), shows the head complete as it used to be turned out by the Coventry Machinist Company on the ' Gentleman's Bicycle.' h h is the backbone and backbone head. In this case the backbone head was placed outside, and carried in front a projection, on to which w\is fastened the old 'bow spring,' zz. The front forks e e, also shown in fig. 1 2, were continuous W' ith a coned spindle, which passed through the backbone head, which was bored Fig. 15. — THE ARIEL HEAD. with a conical hole to admit of an adjustment w^hich was theo- retically claimed, but hardly practically possible. The spindle head of the forks, having been well lubricated, was passed through the backbone head h. The bracket c (3) was then placed over the top of the spindle, and a nut being screwed down upon the bracket on the top of the spindle as shown at I, the socket head was complete. The handle-bar passed through the lugs y y, in which it revolved to wind up the cord of the break d. The old socket head allowed the wheel to turn right round, and when a fall occurred the wheel often did so, and nipping the rider's leg between the backbone and the rim, caused a very dangerous complication which some- 326 CYCLING. times resulted in a broken limb. At the same time the adjust- ment was found to be very inadequate, the coned spindle wore fore and aft, and would not admit of adjustment, which, if attempted, simply caused it to bind, and thus made it abso- lutely dangerous in practical work ; and then some genius invented the ' Ariel Head,' fig. 15. This, as will be seen, con- tained the germ of the Stanley head in an undeveloped form, and even now certain firms fit a modified Ariel head to their machines, as it is a very strong and steady head, and is more- over easily cleaned and oiled, a is the adjusting screw, h the backbone head, and c the forks. There are other steering heads in the market of varying pattern, several of which are impracticable and useless, whilst others possess conspicuous merit. The most notable departure from the general pattern is the American head, so-called, in which the backbone is hinged to projections behind the head proper, the idea being that as long as the wheel is driven for- ward, the head by a castor-like action will keep the rear carriage straight; and doubtless this is so, and the head therefore has its own peculiar merits for road riders, especially for tricyclists who use machines of the double-steering or Humber pattern. The most usual and most annoying accident that can happen to a head is when it cracks around the lower end, from the corners of the opening where the backbone head is put in. This ac- cident is frequently the natural se- quence of an adjustment of the head in the spring, on the occasion of the first ride, as a very little tightness will often cause the casting to give way at this point. This accident is gene- rally discovered when the rider notices that the pedals seem somewhat more to the front than usual, and the break remains steadily on in spite of his efforts to get it off, this being due to the forks going forward, whilst the head proper remains Fig. 16. — A COMMON ACCIDENT. CONSTRUCTIOiY. 327 upright. Very often the cracked head will carry the rider many miles before it gives altogether, though of course great care should be exercised in descending hills and so on. Other acci- dents, or rather other dilapidations, are due to irregular wear through riding for a lengthened period with a loose head, which course if persisted in precludes the possibility of ever getting the head accurately adjusted afterwards. The adjustment of a Stanley head requires a certain amount of care and patience, but this should not prevent the young rider from giving them unreservedly to his machine, as on this point will depend much of his comfort and safety. Having first undone the lock-nut b, fig. 12, the set screw a should be removed, the backbone head h taken out and all the grit, &c., carefully wiped out and the cones cleaned. Some fresh oil having been put into 7^ the lower cone and around the top of the backbone head, the latter should be replaced and the set screw aa screwed down until the backbone moves but ^ig. i7.-adjusting the head. stiffly in the hinge between the cones ; this of course shows that the upper and lower head cones are gripping the backbone ends tightly and in close apposition. A should then be carefully loosened until the backbone is found to move freely, and then the rider should place the ball of his thumb across the opening of the head just below c at the back, so that whilst his thumb touches both sides of the slit, the middle part of the thumb also touches the backbone head within (see fig. 17). The machine should then be shaken backwards and for- wards by the backbone, and the slightest looseness will be easily detected. This plan is preferable to that of lifting the backbone up and down to see if there is any looseness there, though the latter plan may be used when adjusting tricycle heads. When the set screw a has been so carefully adjusted that the head moves quite freely, the lock-nut b may be screwed up tight, 328 CYCLING. when in most cases it will be found that the head is then too tight, and a quarter turn of the set screw should be made, and the lock-nut being re-tightened, the head again tested in the manner above described, and this should be done just as often as may be necessary, until the head is found to be all right. With new machines it often happens that for a time the head requires frequent adjustment, and this should be seen to, as if it be kept carefully screwed up until it gets ' set ' by wear, it will then run all right for a lengthened period. A head screwed up too tightly will be found an immense drawback to comfort, and it is quite worth while to keep this material portion of the machine carefully adjusted from the first. Attached to the head and passing through the hole d are the handle-bars and handles, called generally 'the handles.' ^^ .^ These are usually made of hollow steel tube, which is both strong and light and withstands the pull of the rider when IT c^ C^3: =>^^ racing or going up-hill. The fashion set some few years back by several well-known cyclists of having wide handles which give the rider a chance of breathing with comfort, has now become universal, and the machines of to-day are fitted Fig. i8.— handle-bars. vt_ t, ji t, 4. with handle-bars some twenty- six to twenty-eight inches wide. The handle-bar is made of tapered tube in varying forms, and is fitted at the ends with bone or vulcanite rubber handles. The first handle-bars were straight, passing through the boss of the head and being continued out in a straight line on either side. At a very early date after the introduction of the longer bars they began to be bent in various ways, men going into raptures abcut the purchase which a 'straight arm' gave them. This was without doubt a mistake, as an actually straight arm proves CONSTRUCTION. 3^9 very irksome and uncomfortable in practical riding, but at the same time ' cowhorn ' handles, Nvhich took the hands lower down, possessed a decided advantage over the old high straight handle-bar. These variations were tested for the most part first on the path, and 'dropped handles' became the rage. In some cases the handles as they emerge from the boss of the head curve slightly ui^ards and then again rather further down- wards, so as to allow the play of the legs under them and at the same time give the rider the advantage of a lower handle ; see bottom cut in fig. 1 8. Others again, where the rider uses a full- sized machine, start out straight from the head horizontally, and then dip sharply at the end. In any case the rider, whether he be racing man or tourist, should be sure to have the handles conveniently adjusted. They should not be too low or too high, though the former fault is to be preferred to the latter. They should not touch the legs anywhere, and the handles themselves should be in a comfortable position. They should be arranged, in short, exactly to suit the arm reach of the intend- ing rider, and he should be most careful in every case to see that they are rightly placed. Once in a way very eccentric ideas are seen on the path ; thus Mr. J. S. Whatton, amateur champion of 1882 at five miles, used some extraordinary handle-bars, which started from just below the shoulder of the fork and passing in a wide curve backwards, came round under the thigh of the rider, and finished in handles placed just about in the same position as those of an ordinary machine the idea being that the rider was more safe Fig. 19. WHATTON S HANDLE- BARS. 330 CYCLING, in case of a cropper, as he had an open front with no handle- bars to bother him. The idea was not followed up except by the Cambridge man's brother, the faults of the plan being obvious. The long bars not only added weight, but were even then exceedingly weak and afforded but little purchase ; in fact, j\[r. Whatton very soon bent them and pulled them out of truth. Despite these drawbacks the elder Whatton won a championship and showed some wonderful pace, making a flying quarter-mile record at Surbiton, and the only wonder of those who knew the nature and weight of the machine he was on, was, what he would have done had he been on an ordi- nary machine, with a stiff and rigid handle-bar at which to pull. All the varying t}'pes of handle- bar have their admirers, but for road work it is always well to have the head as long as possible, and this usually admits of a straight bar with dropped ends, the straight part being most comfortable for ' coasting ' or going with legs over the handles down a hill. For tri- cycling, the handle-bar, when it is used, assumes varied shapes ; thus ^.^^^ the handle-bar of the Ranelagh \^^^^^^J-^ H Club is merely cow-horned to allow the legs to play freely, as is also the ingenious dummy handle-bar In Humber type tricycles, and more especially in Humber tandems, a bar, not only dropped but carried backwards a trifle, will be found of very great service in climbing hflls and so on, whilst many of the safeties can be improved by adopting a handle more suited to the individual idiosyncrasies of the rider. In fact, on the adjustment of the handle-bar depends much of the comfort of the rider, and this fact will be found most clearly appreciated by racing men, who are always careful to have their handles placed according Fig. 20.— handles. of the racing Quadrant. COXSTRUCTION. 331 to their own predilections. The leverage exerted by a 26-inch handle-bar is obviously very great, and yet riders may be seen tearing first at one handle and then at the other in their efforts to surmount a hill ; this is absurd, as the alternate pulls tend to deflect the forks and throw a crooked strain upon the bearings. On the other hand, by slightly setting the shoulder muscles, the strain is thrown equally on both sides of the bar, with the result that the machine runs easier and the course is straighten An important item in this part of the machine is the kind of handle to be used. In the early days of cycling, ivory handles were fitted at a considerable extra charge as something particularly excellent, but the unfortunate purchasers soon dis- covered that nothing split easier than the ivory handles in case of a spill, and their popularity rapidly waned. At the same time rosewood (so-called) handles were most frequently fitted, but gradually horn took their place, and now^ it is quite the exception to see a racing machine fitted with any other handle, if the cork handles fitted by one or two firms are put aside. On the road, too, horn handles are by far the most numerous, though handles of vulcanite and other materials are also to be seen. The great fault of 90 per cent, of the horn handles is that they are too small, thus predisposing the hand to cramp, and similar troubles. The handle for road w^ork should be of a good size, just large enough to fill the hand and to allow^ the fingers to touch round it, so as to secure a firm grip. This is a point which makers would do well to look into, as the horn handle has been getting smaller and smaller for two or three seasons. The break fittings are a very important item in the economy of a bicycle, inasmuch as on their accuracy and soundness very often depends the safety of the limbs, if not the life of the rider. Fig. 21 shows the first lever of the break B, pivoting at d, a small socket screwed for the purpose into the head a ; details of d are shown at G. h is a section of the spoon of the break ; at the top of the lever b is a hole in which the end of the second lever plays. Fig. 22 shows the second lever in position, a a is 33^ CYCLING. the handle-bar, and b the handle, the lever e e is pivoted at d, and its end is inserted in the upright arm of the spoon lever. The details of the break should be often examined and any flaw at once remedied, as any breakage may bring about serious results. Fig. 21.— first levee of break and fittings. Fig. 22.— second lever OF BREAK. THE BACKBONE. This part of the machine, whether it be the bicycle or the tricycle backbone, does not nowadays present any very marked variety of construction. Early in the history of the improved bicycle, square, fluted, and multitubular backbones were fitted by some makers, but they were all superseded by the marvel- lously light and strong weldless or seamless tubes, made by various companies for the trade, especially for the purpose. These backbones are circular or oval in section, and do not admit of much variety in their simple but effective pattern. An ordinary ovalled backbone has a backbone head and hind forks separately fitted, the latter being in most cases rivetted and brazed in place, though sometimes made continuous with the backbone, the end being split into two half tubes, which are covered in with a flat piece of metal ; whilst in the hind fork CONSTRUCTION. r:>?> fitted by John Keen the backbone went simply undivided on one side of the hind wheel, the pin sticking out at right angles from the end, without any other support. The backbone heads are pushed into the tube, being of course very accurately fitted and then ri vetted and brazed. The backbone head sometimes gives way, the most usual accident being a crack just behind the solid part of the head, and this should be looked for at any time when the pose of the rider seems to have slightly altered. * Springing of the backbone,' as it is called, is another accident which sometimes happens, especially where a cheap make of backbone is used, or where the rider is too heavy for his machine. In both these cases the curve of the backbone straightens out. The part gives, thus taking the backbone off the front wheel and allowing the hind wheel to get farther away than it should do, whilst in cases where cheap oval back- bones have been used, the straightening will sometimes be accompanied by a crooking to one side or the other, which of course makes the machine steer very awkwardly. The rider should therefore run his eye occasionally over the machine and see that the backbone, as compared with the rim of the front wheel, preserves the same relative curve. Should a backbone go in this way it will require watching ; if it has been badly or carelessly bent to make it fit a particular wheel, it will perhaps only spring back slightly, but, on the other hand, if it is really a bad one it will go on straightening until it either breaks or places the hind wheel far away from the driving wheel, which not only looks ridiculous but also interferes materially with the nanning of the machine on the road. The hind forks alluded to above are now usually simple stampings, the metal being convex to the outside, with a broad shoulder and a butt which is inserted in the backbone. The butt is carefully fitted into the end of the backbone, rivetted and brazed. At the tails of the forks are the holes through which the ends of the hind-wheel pin pass ; these forks fully tested, light and strong, have almost entirely replaced the old- fashioned hollow hind forks. Hind forks may break, but such 334 CYCLING. an accident seldom occurs with bicyclists. The tricyclists who ride Humber pattern tricycles, sometimes fracture the hind forks of their machines by the foolish practice of jumping into the saddle, which is good for neither the man nor the machine ; the brazing of the hind fork sometimes gives way, and then it becomes loose and wears the rivet; this is however very soon detected, owing to the pecuHar unsteadiness which it gives the steering. The front wheel hubs take many forms ; sometimes the flanges are of large diameter, and if used for direct spokes depending on hub tension, they are comparatively heavy j on the other hand they are sometimes made of very thin metal, the spokes being headed in a thin beaded rim with the tension in the felloe. Or again the hub flanges are small, with a beaded rim, and the spokes are passed through holes, hair-pin style, for tangent wheels with a tension in the felloe, as for example in the Invincible cycles ; then, again, they are cup-like, with laced spokes sticking out well over the bearings. In racing machines with direct spokes and hub tension the hubs are made with flanges of small diameter but with enough metal to give the spokes a good hold, the bearing being buried in the hub, whilst for laced spoke racers the hub is of very light construc- tion, being simply a collar on either side of the stout axle necessary for such machines ; in short, the varieties of the hub are numerous ; the day of very large and heavy hubs has gone by. Some hubs are so made as to lock the spokes after adjust- ment, and many inventors have worked upon the hub in various ways ; but the plainer, simpler, and lighter a hub is, the better, always supposing that it contains strength enough to take without any failure the strain of the spoke tension. The hub axle has almost without exception remained a sohd, and the strain of the cranks upon it is such as to make it most inad- visable to in any way weaken it. Gun-metal hubs have found much favour, as they set off a machine very much j but plain steel hubs are equally good, as far as actual service goes, and there is little chance of the simplicity of the hub being in any CONSTRUCTION. ZV. way modified. The hind wheel hub usually contains the hind wheel ball-bearing within it, and it will be found fully described under the head of bearings. The front forks are usually made of a sharpened oval sec- tion, A, B, fig. 23 ; they are constructed out of tubing, which has ^ 71 Fig. 23. been tapered, and are usually pressed into shape cold, in an hydraulic press. They are called bayonet-shaped forks, because they are tapered from the shoulder of the head gradually down to the bearings. The hollow fork a is fitted very carefully over the solid end b, fig. 24, which is made on purpose upon the head, and having been placed upon it the fork is rivetted and brazed. Sometimes, as in the Excelsior machines, the forks are simply flattened continuous tubes, running from the bear- ings to the handle-bar, having fixed upon them at the top a cross bar to take the lower cone of the improved Ariel head, and a corresponding top piece to which the handles are attached^ this making a strong serviceable fork. The Premier double hollow fork bicycle has two cir- cular tubes on either side placed side by side, running up to the head in the usual way, the result being a vastly improved edition of the old Ariel head e (see fig. 15). Forks, like other parts of the machine, have undergone many changes and variations ; and many ideas have been tried to secure their rigidity or in other ways to improve them (c, d, fig. 23) ; but the simplicity of the hollow bayonet fork places it well above any others with the exceptions alluded to, and improvement except in quality, if feasible, seems almost impossible, although it is a bold thing to attempt to say where improvement in cycles will stop, a, fig. 23, is Fig. 336 CYCLING. the so-called knife-edged bayonet fork, which was at one time very popular j it was, however, given to cracking along the edge, and has been discarded in favour of section b, v/hich is round edged ; c and d are sections of grooved and fluted forks, many styles of which have from time to time been tried ; the twin tube forks of the DHF (double hollow fork) Premier is the only important variation, and it is a sound, rigid and reliable fork. The b section fork is made by first carefully tapering a piece of stout steel tube and then pressing it flat in one opera- tion by means of an hydraulic press — this method of construc- tion has the merit of at once detecting any flaw in the material. The lower ends of the forks are sometimes made continuous with the bearing cases, or the latter are bolted on to them, the soundest way without doubt being to have them part and parcel of the forks, though for convenience of taking to pieces, should such a course be often necessary, the bear- ings fixed with a stout screw will be found most useful. The cranks are placed on either end of the axle of the driving wheel in bicycles, and on either end of the lower pulley wheel axle in tricycles ; they are made from five to seven inches in length, have a long slot in them into which the pedal fits, and the length of the throw can be adjusted to the satisfaction of the rider. Some years back, James Carver introduced the idea of cutting grooves in the face of the crank, into which corresponding projections on the face of the inside of the shoulder of the pedal-pin fitted, and this idea has found favour amongst riders and makers. The crank is fixed to the end of the axle with a tapered pin which sometimes gives trouble by becoming loose. It is no good to try and tinker it up ; the machine should at once be taken to a good mechanic to be put right ; when once the crank pin has been loose, it will in most cases come loose again, unless remedied at once. Variable cranks are not altogether novelties, many inventors having from time to time tried their hands at this description of crank, the idea of course being that by making the length CONS TR UCTION, y^^-j of the throw variable, the rider can so shift the pedals as to have a long leverage for up-hill and a short one for the level ; whether in actual practice the variable crank will ever be found satisfactory is a moot point. The variation is wide, no less than two inches, and as a result the rider would never have a quite satisfactory reach; thus if he had the machine to fit his reach when working with the 5-inch crank, which is the speed crank, it is clear that he would be overreaching himself con- siderably with the 7 -inch throw, and vice versa, and moreover, without a great deal of practice, the alteration of a throw makes a practised rider feel all abroad, for a time at any rate. The variable crank bids fair to be of more importance upon tricycles than upon bicycles, as the tricyclist who does not want to hurry may possibly find a relief in a 7 -inch throw up hill, whilst using the 5-inch on the level. It is, however, rather early in the day to judge with any certainty on this point, as it is only of late that the makers have put the variable crank commercially upon the market. The Surrey Machinist Com- pany have a good variable crank, which should answer the purpose for which it was invented, and there are several more in existence. The pedals are placed in the crank slots, and form the grip and rest for the feet. They are divided into two classes, rat- trap and rubber pedals. Rat-trap pedals are so called because they resemble in shape the old style of rat-trap or 'gin,' being made of two parallel iron plates, with saw teeth cut thereon, the sides being a little raised, with a pin running right through them, the pedal originally running on adjustable cones. The march of improvement has however made ball pedals most popular, the design being exceedingly simple, the ends of the pedal having in their centres two light cases in which are placed the necessary number of balls, with an adjusting cone fitted upon the pedal pin. The ' rubber pedal, ' as its name implies, consists of two or more stout rubber cylinders upon iron cores which replace 338 CYCLING. the saw-edged irons of the rat-trap. A novelty in the shape of square rubbers made so as to revolve upon the iron cores, and thus adjust themselves to the set of the foot, has recently been brought out by W. Bown. Rubber pedals are most comfort- able for long rides, but the rider is more liable to ' slip his pedal ' when using them, especially in wet weather, and they are seldom used on the racing path. C. E. Liles, the mile chamiDion in 1880, and Fred East, however, invariably used rubber pedals on the racing path. The bearings are a very important item in the machinery of bicycle or tricycle, seeing that on them to a very great extent depend the easy running and practical working of the vehicle. The earliest bearing was, of course, simply a hole in the frame through which the axle ends were thrust, but the oil caught the flinty grit of the road, and soon produced wear, which upset the whole arrangement and necessitated the renewal of an integral part of the frame. This course suggested to the constructors of the earhest velocipedes that some arrangement would be necessary to provide against this wear, and so they hit upon the expedient of fixing two adjustable and removable blocks of steel or gun-metal on the ends of the forks, through w^hich the ends of the axle passed. This simple plan, of course, possessed many disadvantages. The strain of the pedaUing and the lateral twist of the bearings, but ill-supported by the thin and inadequate forks of that date, caused any amount of irregular wear, and plain or parallel bearings as they were called were soon improved upon. This time the coned bearing was introduced, which, as its name implies, was constructed of a coned shape, the axle ends being similarly arranged, the coned bearing had a successful run, and even now is used in cheap machines for hind-wheel and pedal-bearings, and in these cases the simple adjustment and general soundness of the plan make the coned bearing singularly appropriate. The disadvantages of a coned bearing are a tendency to run up and lock if carelessly manipulated, and the very awkward results of irregular wear, CONSTRUCTION. 339 which can only be provided against by frequent and careful adjustment. For some time bearings remained stationary and unim- proved, but inventors were of course at work, and at length the ball-bearing was introduced to the cycling public. The ball-bearing, as its name implies, is a device in which the wearing parts of a machine are so fitted as to run accurately upon a row of carefully made steel balls held in a suitable groove in the case. The result of such an arrangement satisfactorily designed is obviously to make it very easy to adjust and take up the equal wt^Y of such a row of balls, and at the same time to lessen materially the friction set up, seeing that in place of a grinding it is a rolling friction. The great desiderata are thus fully provided for in the ball-bearing, ease of running, mini- mum of wear, and simplicity of adjustment being all attained. Of course the first bearings were not in the main complete, and combined as they were at first with weak and inadequate forks, the tendency to a cross or twisting strain was very great ; the single row of balls thus got thrown out of running, nipped, dented, or broken, and some of the pioneer w^heelmen suffered so much annoyance from them as to entertain a determined and fixed prejudice against them for a long while afterwards. This obvious fault was met by the invention of the double ball- bearing, in which two rows of balls \vere placed, sometimes steadied by means of a cage, some fraction of an inch apart, and the adjustment being accurately and carefully made, the bearing resisted the tendency to torsion and twist which the single ball- bearing yielded to almost without resistance. The double ball- bearing in the days of weak forks was a decided advantage ; nowadays as the forks fitted are infinitely more rigid in every direction, the merits of double ball-bearings are not so apparent, although they are of the greatest value and importance even now in minimising and directing the strains on the machines. This principle of double rows of balls has been carefully 340 CYCLING. carried out by many firms. Messrs. Humber and Co., in a racer built in 1881, put the rows of balls very wide apart in a broad case which was buried in the hub, and thus secured great steadiness and rigidity ; whilst Messrs. Singer & Co. now fit an extraordinary double ball-bearing which really consists of a tube or sleeve some inches long, slightly expanded at either end and carrying in these cup-like ends the balls, one row in each. Need- less to say this ingenious idea produces an immense degree of steadiness, and the same plan is also applied to the bottom bracket wheels of tricycles and Safety bicycles made by this firm. Simplicity combined with working efficiency is a sine quci non in a ball-bearing, and the adjustment is the only patentable point. Messrs. Bown & Co. claim a patent w^hich controls all ball-bearing adjustments by means of a cone ; and this adjust- ment, the simple screwing of a coned surface further into the bearing case, is without doubt one of the best — if not the best • — method of adjusting ball-bearings. Happily Bown's yEolus bearings are excellent in design and construction, and are widely used by the makers. Other means are also used to procure adjustment more or less successful, as for example in the ingenious ball-bearing known as the Abingdon, in which a solid case contains the balls in a groove, and a slit is cut through it, closed by a block. The wear is fractional, but when it at length does become apparent the face of the closing block is carefully filed, and when the jaws are again screwed up tightly on it, the wear is taken up by their infinitesimal approach. The hind-wheel bearings are most usually placed within the hub, although one or two makers have attached them to the rear fork-ends to secure stability. The hub bearing is, however, much the neater, and the radial leverage to be over- come is so small that this pattern has been adopted with satis- factory results by nearly all makers of the ordinary bicycle. In rear-driven Safeties the hind-wheel bearings are, however, often placed outside the hub, with advantage in the matter of CONSTRUCTION 341 added stability. Bown's hind-wheel hub, both for Safeties and ordinaries, is typical of the most popular method of fitting ball- bearinf]:s to the rear wheel. THE SPRING. Providing of course that the running parts of the machine are in perfect order, the spring is by far the most important adjunct to the whole machine, as on it depends to a very great extent the comfort and safety of the rider. In the days of the hobby-horse, the absence of a spring was one of the most serious obstacles which mihtated against the success of those vehicles, hernia being frequently produced by the serious jars which the rider suffered on the unprotected seat, and this fault was doubtless apparent in the very earliest velocipedes ; but the first bicycle, the Boneshaker, was well provided in this respect. A long spring, running from the head to the top of the hind wheel, was employed in some of the first patterns, and this served to make the velocipede a luxurious vehicle compared with its progenitor. After some time, the machine having been improved, the long spring was considerably curtailed, and then the bow spring as fitted by the Coventry Machinist Company to their Gentleman's Bicycle was adopted ; this was a spring attached to a projection in front of the socket head (see zz, fig. 13, p. 323) which passed backwards on either side of the head, and finished in a curve which was bolted to the backbone in such a manner as to allow some little play at the tail end. This was also very comfortable, but the craze for lightening the machine soon led to the reduction of the size of the spring, and then the ' clip tail ' was adopted, that is, a spring bolted in front, and sliding on the backbone with a clip. In various forms this spring is still used, although it is much improved in many ways, yet it still suffers from side shake, the bolts and bolt-holes get worn, and the spring rocks slightly. 342 CYCLING. Then came the Club spring, which consisted of a comparatively rigid bar of steel, slung in rubber loops and buffers, and this has proved fairly successful, although the rubber attachments often break, and to secure the necessary steadiness the buffers were supported by metal links and similar contrivances which to some extent conveyed the shocks of the road to the rider. Springs acting on rubber buffers by compression have proved fairly successful, as also have springs acting on coil sprmgs by compression ; but in most cases some arrangement has been applied to maintain the pose of the spring, and that arrange- ment will be found on examination, in nine cases out of ten, to be in permanent and sometimes in locked contact with the rigid plate of the saddle, which discounts to a great extent the work which the buffer arrangements are expected to do. In the original bicycles, and especially in the first spider-wheeled machines, the whole carriage became a spring owing to the w^ant of rigidity which characterised it, and it is for this reason that many old riders still go into raptures over the old bow spring ; but they would be considerably undeceived if one of the original springs was affixed for their instruction to one of the rigid machines of the present day. The fixing of the front end of the spring rigidly to the machine is one of those radical errors which are still maintained. The spring was so fitted to racing machines as long as those vehicles w^ere furnished with springs at all, but the modern racing machine has no spring, and the spring fixed at the front end is out of place in a roadster. The play of all the clip-tail class of springs is radically wrong, the action tending to tip up the point of the saddle and induce dangerous strains, and in any case all the old forms of clip- tail, roller, and sliding springs should be discarded. To note all the varieties in springs would fill up too much space, and it only remains to be seen what spring arrangements will best serve the purposes of the cyclist — the touring and road- riding cyclist that is to say— for the racing man has given up using a spring in any form, but has his saddle fitted right upon the backbone. CO.yS TR UCTION. 343 The main points required in a satisfactory spring are the following : it must fully and effectively break the jar of the road, between the points of the wheels in contact with the road and the rider's body ; the rider, unless he adopts one or other of the anti-vibration handles now sold, will always transmit a certain amount of jar through his arms, if he rides with too much weight on the handles ; but as far as his body is con- cerned the spring should absorb all the vibration, and break its effect upon the saddle and its occupant. The spring must also be calculated for special occasions, as for example, if whilst riding at night the rider comes into collision with a large stone, the result must be a bad shaking however good the spring; but, at the same time, a good spring will break the shock, a bad spring may break itself. Whilst performing these important functions, the spring must not give too much under normal conditions ; it must not allow the pose of the saddle to be too readily affected, as any such variations must of necessity detract from the satisfactory application of the rider's power. It must be steady, strong, not liable to wear out, light, and easily adapt- able to any machine ; and these quahties are all to be found in one of the best inventions ever brought out in connexion with cycling, the well-known 'Arab Cradle Spring.' This spring was invented in 1878 by Mr. John Harrington, who was then residing in the Isle of Wight. Mr. Harrington is a most ingenious mechanician, and having turned his attention to the bicycle, he soon began to introduce improvements, some of which are now-a-days almost universally adopted. Prominent amongst them is the spring under notice, which has not only steadily grown in favour with the cycling public throughout the world, but has also been adopted by many of the leading firms of cycle makers for their standard pattern machines, this being without doubt the highest and most practical testimony to the merits of the invention. The spring has gone through a series of alterations and improvements since its first concep- tion, but its main characteristics have by no means changed. It is composed of stout steel wire of a peculiar quality ; the in- 344 CYCLING. ventor experimented for some years before he was quite satisfied with the material he was able to obtain for the construction of the springs. As will be seen from the illustration (fig. 25), it has two sides alike, upon which the saddle is placed. Owing to this peculiarity in its construction, it drops freely on either side of the backbone, and so obtains a larger space for play without raising the saddle, thus increasing the length of the reach. The actual amount of play is small, but the practical length of the spring is very great ; it is, however, cunningly coiled up into a convenient space — the double construction admits of a gentle and effective rocking action, which eases the rub of the saddle without in any way in- fringing on its rigidity and steadiness. The spring is pe- culiarly sensitive, taking up the small and great shocks with equal completeness, whilst in the event of an accident, one side will hold long enough to ensure the safety of the rider, although for the last few sea- sons breakages have been un- known owing to the quality of the material used. The spring is practically adaptable to any machine, bicycle or tricycle, and niany riders never part with their cradle springs, as them, it can be easily adapted Fig. 25 is an illustration of the Fig. 25. — THE arab ckadle SPRING ON an adjustable when they have got one to suit to any machine they may ride. newest pattern of the cradle spring. One other little idea of Mr. Harrington's in the shape of an adjustable tilt-rod is also shown, as also is a suspension saddle by Lamplugh & Brown, referred to further on. The rod i represents the usual saddle standard fitted to tricycles, at the top of which CONSTRUCTION. 345 the adjustable tilt rod fitting is shown, f is the hinge joint firmly fixed, whilst below at the point G is a locking nut and a segmentary slot ; the horizontal bar h f can thus be adjusted at any required angle, and the necessity for pack- ing the saddle to secure a comfortable position can thus be avoided, and what is more, the position of the saddle can be altered slightly from time to time, which will often be found a relief, especially on long journeys, cis the solid frame which carries the Arab spring, having at D a strong block through which the rod h f passes, and it can be locked in any desired place by means of the screw e. At b and c are placed short cross bars, which support the ends of the cradle spring, and the result of putting weight in the saddle at a is that the duphcate coils fall on either side of d vertically, thus producing an easy and reliable spring, with a modicum of side play but no unsteadiness. At k are to be seen the nuts which fix the saddle to the spring. The cradle spring and buffer saddle as shown will practically annihilate vibration in any ordinary case, whilst the tilt-rod adjustment is a minor but valuable invention. In these days when the small-wheeled Safety bicycles are finding so much favour, the most noticeable fault of which class of vehicle is the increased vibration to which the rider is exposed, the cradle spring assumes even greater importance ; and one experienced cyclist who rode one of the earlier Safeties was to be seen for some weeks riding a bow-springed Safety, upon which bow spring was mounted, in addition, an Arab cradle spring. The cradle is a sine qua non in Safety bicycle riding ; it is also adapted to rocking and arm chairs, railway and ordi- nary carriages ; and is, as was stated above, almost universally adopted by the trade, any manufacturer in fact being willing to supply it fitted to any of his bicycles or other machines. In ordering one of these springs from the original makers, it is only necessary to send name of machine, measurement round back- bone, and exact weight of rider in his riding dress ; the spring • will then only require careful adjustment to give every satisfac- ion. It is of course necessary to mount the spring for bicyclists 346 CYCLING. carefully, quite square with the backbone ; when position and pose are found to be right by a trial the nuts may be given a final touch with the spanner, and the cradle spring will be found almost everlasting, the supporting bolts only showing any wear. Of late years the spring has been combined with the saddle in various ways, and the latest novelties in this direc- tion will be found fully treated of in the latter part of this chapter. The foregoing practically closes the subject of the frame oi a cycle, and although a bicycle has been specifically treated of, yet many of the points, such as cranks, bearings, steering- head, &c., are practically identical with those used in other classes of machines, and the description here given will be sufficient. Such further items of cycle mechanism not applied to the bicycle will be treated of under the heading of the class of machine to which they are fitted. The foregomg as also the following sections are intended to convey some general idea of the mechanism of the machine the reader will use, but no particular machine is specifically described, because improvements are being introduced so rapidly that any minute description must of necessity become obsolete within a brief space of time. All that is required as regards the frame is a sharp eye for cracks and flaws. These are often only superficial, in the paint or the plating ; but they should in every case be most carefully examined, as any breakage may lead to serious damage to the rider. Nuts should not be constantly undone, and such as may not be easily reached should be looked at specially, as a loose nut often causes an accident. CONSTRUCTION. 347 THE WHEELS. In discussing this subject it would be impossible to go at great length into minutiae, and as the various parts will all be duly considered separately, it is only necessary to allude gener- ally to the various types. The bone-shaker, witK its ec^ual sized and heavy wheels, has been replaced by the lighter machines of to-day, the suspension principle being* introduced and being mainly responsible for the wondrous lightening of the machine. Racers are now built weighing under twenty pounds, whilst a twenty-two pound machine is considered amply strong enough for an eleven-stone rider. The principle of the suspension wheel is best described by the means of a few simple diagrams. Fig. 26 represents a simplified wheel, a a a is supposed to be a rigid rim, b is the hub, and c c c c the spokes, v,^hilst w is the weight the wheel is supposed to carry. It is clear that hub, spokes, and rim would all have to be very stout and strong to withstand the wear and tear of the road. In the suspension wheel as applied to the modern bicycle, the rim is by no means so stout and rigid as the ideal rim a a a would have to be. The hollow rims fitted to many machines are both strong and rigid relatively, but nothing approaching in strength that of the ideal one. But the rim in its turn is supported by the spokes, themselves consisting of wire which under pressure would crumple up at once, but which under a tensile strain will withstand a ' pull ' of many pounds. In the Crystal Palace Electrical Exhibition some two or three years back was exhibited a piece of very thin wire which looked scarcely thicker than a horsehair by which was suspended a 548 CYCLING. 400-pound round shot ; thin piano wire is used in some wheels, and it is clear that if the spokes of this wire simply went direct from the rim to a flange at the hub the danger of a lateral collapse would be imminent. To meet this obvious tendency the hub is spread until the spokes are carried alternately to flanges 5 or 6 inches or more apart, as shown idealised in fig. 27. Here the rim A A is shown in section, the spokes c c, as will be easily under- stood, being screwed up to a strong tension and tending to keep the rim true and in position whilst the strain on all the spokes is a tensile one ; so fully is this principle carried out that the butt end of the spoke is sometimes headed through a plain hole, as shown in fig. 30 (representing an old lock-nutted spoke), so that were it possible for the rider's weight to so far overcome the tension of the spokes as to press upon those which happened to be below the axle, they would slide through the hub and carry no weight at all. It will thus be seen that the wheel IS really a suspension wheel, and that the weight ^ carried by it is hung or suspended on the spokes, although the tension put upon the spokes is much greater than any strain they may be expected to legiti- mately encounter. This principle has been very fully carried out, and the Surrey Machinist Company and Ellis & Co. have made wheels with hollow rims and spokes of marvellously thin wire, the last-named firm having made a 60-spoked 40-inch wheel for a FacilCj the spokes of which only weighed five ounces. The spokes, however, were not at first drawn quite so fine as this, as nearly all the earlier wheels had direct spokes. Fig. 28 shows the method of fixing the direct spokes in the old crescent rim ; the spokes "having been cut to the required lengths, the end was Fig. 27. passed through a countersunk hole in the rim as at c, and then its head b was made on the end of the spokes with a hand vice and a hammer. The head was drawn into the countersunk hole in the rim, in which it revolved as the spoke was screwed up. In the case of direct spokes, of which J\! CONSTRUCTION. 349 fig. 29 is an example ; h h being the hub, into which a hole with a thread in it is bored, and then the spoke with a corre- sponding worm cut upon it is screwed in until the necessary tension is obtained. Fig. 30 shows the earlier arrangement, a lock- nutted spoke. This spoke was headed at both ends, at the rim and at e inside the lock nut c c, which was screwed M A Fig. 28. further into the hub to increase the tension on the spoke, and when the wKeel was true the lock nut d was firmly screwed down in its turn to fasten the whole. This plan proved cum- FiG. 30. brous and unsatisfactory, and has long since been discarded in the best machines. In the earlier direct spoked machines the cutting of the thread sometimes caused the spoke to break off just at the insertion into the hub, and this accident, now of less frequent occurrence, was met by the invention of butt-ended spokes, shown in fig. 31, the end of the spoke being thickened and made sexagonal to admit of adjustment. 350 CYCLING. There are, of course, a number of other contrivances more or less ingenious in connexion with direct spokes, such as Andrews' plan of fitting a screw and socket in the middle of each spoke and securing adjustment in that way ; but these are points into which it would scarcely be profit- able to go at length. There is another very distinct type of wheel, divergent in many points from the direct spoke, and that is the Tangent w^heel. As its name implies, the spokes, in place Fig. 32.— new rapid tangent wheel. of going direct from the rim to the hub, are arranged at a tangent, thus affording a more rigid connexion between the hub and rim, and in many cases the rigidity obtainable from this arrangement has been most ingeniously made use of. The racing wheels of Invincible and New Rapid bicycles may be instanced as cases in point. In many tangent wheels very fine spokes are used, and their most delicate point is at the bend in the hub, where the double spoke is bent ' hair-pin ' fashion CONSTRUCTIO.Y. 351 and again carried out to the rim, \vhere, beneath the rubber tire, is a small screw, whereby the tension is secured. There have, of course, been many other plans tested in the construction of wheels with more or less success. Thus we have tangent wheels, with binding rings of wire running round the spokes on either side, and many other schemes for producing a sound, rigid, and stable wheel ; but for all purposes of descrip- tion the details given of the direct and tangent spoked wheels will prove sufficient. The rims, or felloes, of wheels were at first made simply of solid iron pressed into shape ; they were called V rims, as their section was exactly like a wide V. These were followed in due turn by the U rim, also solid, and presently the crescent rim came to the front, this rim being U shaped, but thick in the middle and fining off to a comparatively thin edge when seen in section. Then came the hollow rims, undoubtedly the best of all. These rims are made in various ways : some, the Surrey Double Hollow rim for example, of strips of metal soldered into place ; others from steel tube, stamped into shape ; and others again from a long strip of fine metal, folded by machinery, and brazed. There are half-a-dozen sound, tried, and tested hollow rims in the market, and there are many minor variations in detail, all designed to effect one purpose or another. The hollow rim is now used on the road as well as the path, and adds much to the stability and rigidity of some of the best types of roadsters. The hubs, or bosses in the middle of the wheels, are also of very various patterns, to accommodate the various types of spokes with which they are fitted. Some are almost cup shaped, with small holes through which are threaded the tangent spokes ; others are somewhat heavier and stouter, to take the threaded ends of the direct spoke. Some hubs have wide flanges, and others are almost rudimentary, being reduced to simple collars fixed or turned on the axle, and these again are deeply recessed, presenting in section a bell-like appearance 352 CYCLING. to take the bearings which are put deeply into the hub, so as to keep 'the tread' of the machines, i.e. the width from pedal to pedal, as narrow as possible, this being illustrated in fig. the hub in section and the bearing in situ, the 33, showin Fig. 33. Fig. 34. arrangement being but little exaggerated from the fact, a is the hub of which d d is the flange, e is the front fork, which is run very close to the flange and then turned sharply in at f (a very weak point) into the deep recess of the hub, where it is firmly locked to the bearing box b ; c is the crank on the axle end — a similar idea, more neatly carried out, is shown in fig. 34, the broad bearing box b (homogeneous with the fork end) being sunk into the hub on its inner side, and thus finding room for a double row of balls without making the tread any wider. Many other ingenious little plans and adaptations have been made in hub fittings, but none are of sufficient importance to need a lengthy notice. The remarks made at the end of the section treating of the frame apply here with equal force. The wheels used in tricycles are much the same as those used in bicycles. The hub in the former case is often wider, as giving more stabihty, and the spokes are thicker. CONSTRUCTION. 353 The care of the wheels is a material point in the life of a cycle. Never play tricks with them ; if a spoke is loose, a spoke-tightener may be very carefully used, taking especial care to see that the rim is not pulled out of truth ; and in fact the job, however small, would be much better left to a com- petent workman. If a rider is compelled by adverse circumstances to try and adjust a damaged wheel, he should spin it rapidly whilst hold- ing a piece of chalk against the fork so as just to touch the rim. This, if the wheel be untrue, it will do only occasionally, and the marks will guide the worker. At the same time, it is by no means a task which everyone succeeds at, and if it is by any means possible to put it in the hands of a skilled workman, it should be done. In some makes the hub ends of the spokes are but poorly protected from rust ; where the spoke runs into the hub a little cranny remains to hold the moisture, which rusts through the spoke. With a very small brush and some liquid ' Brunswick black ' or enamel each of these crannies can be filled up. In a new machine rust will have little chance, for a time at least, of eating through the spoke and weakening it to break- ing-point. The wheels need care and watching, and they will then last a long time. TRICYCLES. The success of the improved bicycle drew the attention of makers to the hitherto despised 'velocipede,' which, though older than its narrow-gauge rival, had been quite distanced by it in the march of improvement ; and some few enterprising indivi- duals who aspired to the bicycle, but did not dare venture upon it, began to ask if it were not possible to construct a modernised velocipide, with all the advantages which the bicycle possessed in the shape of suspension wheels, hollow-tube frames, and so on, which should give a slow if comfortable method of travelling to those to whom the bicycle was denied. Accordingly very A A 354 CYCLING. early in the history of the modern bicycle tricycles were made. Starley constructed one, so did Singer, and so did Messrs. Hiilman, Herbert, & Cooper. Starley invented the Coventry tricycle, which resembled in general plan the present Coventry Rotary, but in place of the rotary action there were two long levers which drove the driving wheel by means of a cranked axle. Singer brought out the Challenge tricycle, a lever-driven machine. No sooner were these machines put commercially upon the market than practical riders discovered in them a new and valuable addition to the cyclist's stud. Some of the earher successes on the path and road having been achieved upon rear steerers, Derkinderin's victory in the first road ride and Corbett's win at Leicester in the spring of 1881 being cases in point, popular favour leant to this type of vehicle, and as the earlier front-steerers were fitted with ridiculously small steering wheels, the rear-steerers were found to ascend hills and plough through rough ground with greater ease ; but the many and insuperable disadvantages attached to the latter class soon made themselves very clearly manifest. Down hill the rear-steerer was utterly unreliable, as the rider's weight was taken off the steering wheel, whilst any application of the break simply lifted it clean off the ground at once. Moreover, the rider had to sit well back even on the level to secure a steady steering, and this brought him behind his work. So it is not wonderful that in a couple of seasons the rear-steering tricycle became obsolete, and the front-steerer took its place. The front-steerer was, however, by no means perfect, and it is only within the last few years that large front wheels, bicycle steering, and similar improvements have been introduced. The old bath-chair spade-handled front-steering tricycle is fast follow- ing the old rear-steerer into obscurity. The various types of tricycles, single and double, are alluded to below, the machines described being in each case typical of a class. The main divisions may be best described as follows : i. the Humber type ; 2. the Cripper ; 3. the Quadrant ; 4. the Coventry CONSTRUCTION. 355 Rotary; 5. the Olympia type. All these varying types have been fully tested, and may be regarded as the digested and perfected outcome of a long course of practical experience. SINGLE- AND DOUBLE-DRIVERS. So numerous and diverse are the forms and construction of the modern tricycle, that it would be quite impossible to give even a bare description of their various characteristics within the limits of the present volume. Such a catalogue, moreover, would be tedious and uninstructive to the reader, and would probably leave in his mind simply a feeling of bewilderment at the almost endless variety presented to his view. Happily it is possible to indicate certain general principles under which all machines may be classed. Thus, the mode in which the muscular force of the rider is communicated to the tricycle at once differentiates machines into two distinct classes, viz. — Single-drivers, and Double-drivers, the latter being again divided into two sub-classes, according as they are driven by Two-chain clutch gear, or Single-chain balance gear. The systems upon which these different methods of con- struction are founded, arid their respective advantages, may be thus explained. For the moment let it be supposed that, of the three wheels composing a tricycle, two, called for convenience the road wheels, are of equal diameter and placed at either end of an axle (termed the main axle), whilst the third wheel is used merely to give support, or as a means of steering (or both). It is the road wheels that provide the means of propulsion, and according as one or both wheels are actuated by the rider, the machine takes its name of single- or double-driver. The A A 2 356 CYCLING, method by which motion is imparted to the road wheels does not at present concern the reader. The question is, whether it is better that one or both of the wheels should be driven. No doubt can ever have been rationally entertained on this point. Clearly to perceive the effect of driving one road wheel only, it is only necessary to suppose the steering wheel to be at the same moment lifted from the ground. Obviously, the machine would at once swerve away to the side opposite the driven wheel. With the steering wheel on the ground, the actual swerve of the machine is prevented, but only at the cost of a large amount of force uselessly expended in producing side strain on the steering wheel. In point of fact, this side strain does by slow degrees cause the machine to swerve to the other side of the road, and it is necessary continually to correct this tendency by a slight turn of the steering handle. Another serious disadvantage attaches to the single driver — viz. that when great force is exerted by the rider, as in hill climbing, or when the road is loose or slippery, the driven wheel is apt to slip round for want of sufficient adhesion to the road. On the other hand, when both wheels are driven, the adhesion of the wheels is doubled and their liability to slip is practically prevented. The superiority of double-drivmg bemg so clearly apparent, it may be wondered why single-driving v:as ever had recourse to. The answer to this is, that in order to drive both wheels equally forward in a straight course, and yet admit of either wheel outrunning the other in passing round a curve, mechanical contrivances of considerable ingenuity are required. It is the various means of achieving this double purpose that now come under notice. It will be obvious to the reader that when a machine describes a curvilinear course, the outer driving wheel must necessarily move both farther and faster than the inner wheel. From this it follows that both driving wheels cannot be rigidly fixed to the main axle (this latter being driven from the crank-shaft) ; nor, supposing both wheels to carry a toothed pulley on the hub and to run free on the axle (straight or curved), can the wheels even in that case be geared CONSTRUCTION. 357 by chains to fixed pulleys on the crank-axle. For, in both of these supposed cases, the driving wheels would necessarily rotate at one and the same rate, and the machine could not be made to turn a corner unless the outer wheel were either lifted from the ground or forcibly skidded along it. The first of these alternatives is manifestly impracticable ; whilst the second, in- volving as it does the skidding of a rubber tire sideways, would certainly lead to a sudden arrest and probably to the capsizing of the machine, with a stripping of the tire, and so on. Hence it follows that when each wheel is driven by a separate chain, a means must be provided for allowing either wheel to run on faster than the other. There is no need to describe all the various expedients that are or have been used for this end, the purpose of this chapter being, as already defined, not to catalogue varieties, but to explain principles. The broad distinction between double-drivers with two chains and single-chain double-drivers is that the former are worked by means of a clutch action. That is to say, either the chain-pulleys on the crank-shaft are fastened to the shaft by means of clutches, or the chain-wheels on the wheel-hubs are so fastened to the driving wheels. The latter was the plan followed by the makers of the old Devon, two chains being made use of. The clutch employed was in effect the ordinary ratchet and pawl, the principle of which is so well understood as not to require explanation. A little consideration will show that this form of clutch has two drawbacks, (i) It does not admit of back-pedalling. For, if the wheels are, severally or together, capable of running on in advance of the crank-shaft, it follows that pedalling the crank-shaft backwards does not retard the wheels. Hence, the inventor of the Devon (Mr. F. Warner Jones) was led to add to the machine his ingenious and effective ground-break, actuated by the foot, which com- pensated for the inability to back-treadle. (2) The ratchet and pawl clutch unavoidably occasion a disagreeable clicking noise whenever the wheels run forward unactuated by the crank-shaft ; as, for example, in running down hill, the treadles 358 CYCLING. the while being held stationary. For these reasons, added to some other minor objections, this form of double-driving has never been in any great request, and it is now rapidly falHng into desuetude. Its use is, in fact, now almost completely confined to machines of the Omnicycle and Merlin class, in which the action is reciprocating, not rotary. The two- chain double-driver must not, however, be dis- missed from consideration without giving due attention to the form in which it has attained the greatest popularity ; viz. that in which the chain-wheels on the crank-shaft are actuated through a friction-clutch. The best known friction-clutches is that adopted on the Cheylesmore rear-steerer, and is illustrated in the appended cut. Fig. 35.— the cheylesmore two-chain clutch gear. P is the chain pulley, one being placed at either end of the crank-shaft, and capable of freely revolving thereon, except when jambed bj-the shallow rollers, R. These rollers lie in a cavity formed by a circular recess in the pulley and a steel disc, D, which is shaped off on four sides so as to form alternately hollows and wedges. The disc, d, is a fixture on the crank-shaft. When the latter moves forward in the direction shown by the arrows, the rollers, R, are jambed between the disc and the inner surface of the pulley, p, and the whole of the parts, pulley included, run solid. The machine is then driven. On the contrary, when D is turned in the opposite direction, the rollers pass into the hollow spaces, and there simply rotate without Jambing. This also happens when the crank-shaft, with the disc d, is held stationary as in running down hill, in which case the pulley p runs on, rotating the rollers in the hollows as abready explained. It will be observed that in this, as well as in the ratchet and pawl clutch, each of the road wheels is capable of running forward faster than the other, which must, of course, always happen when the machine is not running in a straight course. CONSTRUCTION. 359 In al! such cases, the wheels describe two concentric curves, the radius of which may be considered as a prolongation of the axis of the road wheels to a point which is nearer to the machine in proportion to the abruptness of the curve in which the machine is moving, as, for instance, in turning a corner. Tiie wheel which describes the outer of these two curves is, obviously, the one which moves both faster and farther than the other. And here is brought out a cardinal defect in this class of double- driver. The outer wheel, from the conditions of the case, manifestly requires a larger share of the propelling force than the inner wheel ; yet, as a consequence of iis outrunning the other wheel, it and its connected chain-wheel move faster than the crank-shaft, the effect being that the latter expends its whole force in the driving of the inner road wheel — the one, viz. which at this particular juncture requires little or no propulsion. It may be urged that this wrong application of power in going round a curve is but of slight importance, as, at the worst, it can only result in compelling the rider to make a wider circuit in turning a corner. This, however, is a mistake. It is but very seldom that a machine is running absolutely straight. To the extent that its course is curvihnear, its wheels are unequally driven. Furthermore, it may well be that for small periods of time only one wheel is driven. For let us suppose that the machine, after moving in a curve, is steered into a straight course. In describing the curve, the outer wheel has freed it- self from the clutch, and run on. It is probable, therefore, that at the moment when the machine resumes a straight course this wheel is not in active connexion with the driving power. In other words, the clutch on that side has not yet ' taken up ' its work ; it has not yet overtaken the wheel, and by consequence the latter is not yet driven. The points of application of the power in the clutch under description are four only in number, and there is, of course, abundance of neutral space in which the clutch and driving power are non-eflective. To make our meaning still more clear, suppose both the clutches — one at either end of the crank shaft — to be free, i.e. not yet to have 36o CYCLING. arrived, in the process of a revolution, ^t the point at which each would take up its work. Now suppose that the crank-shaft is put in rotation, and that the near clutch engages and takes up its work before the off clutch has advanced sufficiently far to do the same thing. It follows that the off clutch, with its driving pulley, is not driving at all, and that it cannot do so until the machine has swerved, or been turned slightly to the near side, which will enable the off clutch to overtake its work. But observe, this very act may to a like extent have thrown the near clutch out of work. And so the see-saw may go on, varied only at the particular conjunctures when both clutches happen to take up at the same moment. When they do this, and so long as they continue conjointly to act, the machine is a true double- driver, and it is so at no other time. Herein, without doubt, lies the true explanation of what has often been asserted to us by riders of this class of machine, viz. that on removing one of the chains the machine was found to work equally well. Though we cannot fully endorse that view, we certainly consider it open to question whether, the machine being but an imperfect double-driver, the extra w^eight of a second set of chain-wheels, clutch, and chain, is altogether w^orth carrying. In this connexion it is well not to omit to say that, in order to obviate the impossibihty of back-pedalling with a clutch gear, a mechanical contrivance is sometimes introduced, by means of which the rider, by the slight movement of a lever, is enabled to lock the lower pulley to the crank-shaft. Practical expe- rience shows that this arrangement is not very often applied to a machine, and that even then it is but seldom brought into use. The last, and by far the most important, division of the sub- ject must now be treated of, viz. that which treats of single- chain balance gear. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that one of the most im- portant steps made in the evolution of the modern tricycle was the application of differential driving gear to its propulsion. For this great improvement tricyclists are indebted to the late CONSTRUCTION. 361 James Starley,.of Coventry, who in the year 1877 took out a patent for the driving gear figured in fig. t,6, which to the pre- sent time remains the type and exemplar of the various diffe- rential gears since brought out, and every tricyclist should have a clear idea of the principle on which it acts. As already explained, the object to be attained is, to pro- vide a means of driving both road wheels equally forward in a straight course, and yet to. permit one of the wheels to outrun the other when the machine is going round a curve. The de- scription of the particular method of achieving this end, adopted Fig. 36. A, bevel-wheel fixed to hub of loo=;e driving wheel, n, bevel-wheel fixed to main axle, c, small mitre-wheei, revolving on a stud fixed in the plane of the chain- pulley, and gearing with A and B. d, main axle, running through from side to side of the machine. At one end is fixed the road wheel, which is driven by B ; at the other end rotates the loose road wheel before alluded to, which is fixed to A. E is the chain-pulley, through which the power is brought from the crank- axle. and applied to the tricycle by James Starley, will be clearly understood by reference to the appended cut. It will be observed that the pulley e runs free upon the main axle, or rather that it would do so but for its connexion, by means of the mitre wheel, with the two bevelled wheels a and 362 CYCLING. B. But the mitre-wheel c is in gear with a and b at its opposite sides. Consequently when the pulley e moves forward, its little mitre-wheel encounters an equal and opposite resistance from A and B. Suppose the pulley e to be rotated towards the reader and the bevelled wheel a to be away ; c w^ould roll round b, i.e. it would rotate on its axis in the same direction as the hands of a watch ; whilst, under the same circumstances, but with B away, c would roll round A in the reverse direction. From this it will be seen that when e is rotated (the resistance to A and B being supposed equal), the mitre-wheel c will exert an equal and opposite pressure on a and b. As a consequence c will be unable to rotate, but being carried bodily round by e, will drag a and b round with it ; whilst a and b, being connected with their respective road wheels, will communicate to them the forward motion of the pulley. Readers will have noticed the important qualification introduced above, viz. that the resist- ance offered by a and b shall be equal. This can only be the case when their respective road wheels are running in a straight course, and on a similar surface. If one wheel is traversing a rough and the other a smooth part of the road, the resistance to A and b is unequal, the balance on the mitre-wheel c is destroyed, and the latter, rotating on its axis, rolls forward and imparts a larger proportion of driving force to the wheel which is less impeded than its fellow. This is, in point of fact, the besetting weakness of this and every other balance gear, con- sidered as driving agents. Suppose the machine to be driven forward along a straight road of uniform surface. The action of the balance gear is then perfect ; the power is equally ex- pended on both wheels, the wheels, the balance gear, and the upper chain pulley revolve as one piece. But now suppose the near road wheel (for example) to be on a sudden impeded by some obstacle in the road, such as a large stone. The balance on the mitre-wheel c is at once destroyed. It com- mences to rotate on its axis, and in the same degree that the near road wheel is retarded the off road wheel is put forward, or vice versa. In other words, the road wheel that requires CONSTRUCTION. 363 a larger portion of the power to help it over the obstacle receives in fact less than the comparatively speaking unim peded wheel. The result is that a side strain is thrown upon the steering wheel whenever there is an inequality in the resistance encountered by the respective road wheels. So long as this difference in the resistance is only small its effect on the steering wheel is comparatively unimportant. But all riders are familiar with the fact that if a serious impediment to one of the driving wheels is met with, the steering wheel is powerless to hold the machine in a straight course ; the driven wheel runs forward, the steering wheel is forced sideways along the ground, the machine swerves suddenly to one side, and if moving fast not improbably turns right over. Hence it will be seen that an ideal balance gear, could such be devised, would be so constructed that the two road wheels, the main axle, and the driving gear should run as one piece so long as the machine is taking a straight course, because then both the driving power and the forward momentum would directly co-operate in enabling the road wheels to surmount the obstacles individually or jointly encountered. The side strain on the front wheel and the swerving of the machine would in this way be reduced to a minimum ; and cyclists look forward with pleasure to the time when some efficient means of attaining this desirable end shall have been brought into use. Meanwhile, putting aside an ideal which is perhaps unattainable, they have in Starley's balance gear and its congeners a very excellent means of driving both road wheels straight forward, with the necessary provision for their separate and unequal motion when required, as already described. Starley's gear has attained a just celebrity as the first applica- tion of this principle to the tricycle ; and though several varieties have since been brought out in which straight-toothed wheels are employed, there is not one which effects more than Starley's. Some, indeed, effect less than Starley's, inasmuch as they are not true balance drivers at all, but at ever)^ moment exert more pressure on one wheel than on the other The result is that the machine incessantly swerves to the side 364 CYCLING. opposite to the wheel which receives the larger share of force. Riders have a ready means of ascertaining, even without riding, w^hether a machine is fitted with a true double-driving balance gear. Having swung or propped up the machine so that the road wheels are off the ground, fix the crank-shaft immovably in order that the upper pulley of the balance gear may be held fast by the chain. Then, with the hand move one of the road wheels round a complete revolution. If tlie balance gear is a true one, the other road wheel will also make a complete re- volution, but in the opposite direction. Should it make either more or less than an entire revolution, the balance gear (im- properly so called) is not a true and equal double-driver. Of this fact there can be no question, though opinions may differ as to the degree of importance to be attached to it. As already mentioned, the aim in this chapter has been to explain the mechanical import of balance gear, not to describe in detail its varied construction. Those readers who desire to acquire a knowledge of the several varieties now in use will find full information in the valuable Handbook compiled by Mr. Henry Sturmey, a w^ork which is strongly recommended to all cyclists. The part played by the balance gear in racing is of equal importance, seeing that but for its intervention the sudden spurts and desperate efforts of the racing tricyclist w^ould inevitably overcome the grip of his steering wheel on the path, and cause his machine to swerve and sway in a most dangerous manner. Any cyclist can demonstrate this fact easily by mounting a single-driving machine of any type and jerking the pedals ; he will find that the driven wheel will exhibit a strong ten- dency to run round the loose w^heel, and he can then appre- ciate what such a tendency might do at the final moment of a race. The invention of the balance gear has not exactly made cycling possible, because it was possible under other conditions, viz. with two chains, and so on ; but the apphcation of the balance gear to tricycles has made high speeds on road and CONSTRUCTION. 365 path safe ; it has given the tourist the power of back-i^edalling with the same perfect action of the balance gear, and it has done much to encourage the lightening of tricycle wheels. The two-chain and similar methods had the disadvantage of throw- ing a great deal of strain upon the wheel which happened to be actually driven, and so in many ways the sport of tricycling has been benefited by its application. But, as pointed out above, there are balance gears and balance gears, and it will always be well for riders to ascertain for themselves the merits of the gear fitted to their chosen mounts. Of course Starley's is one of the best, and a large number of firms fit that gear under a royalty to the representatives of the original inventor. Amongst the firms whose balance gears are made on sound lines will be found most of the best names in the trade. The main feature which should be investigated is the relative size of the bevel wheels ; these, it is obvious, must have exactly the same radial leverage, i.e. must be of the same diameter to the outside edges of the teeth, otherwise the effect of the same amount of resist- ance on each wheel will become unequally operative in the gear- box, and that defeats the whole object of the contrivance. The results are sometimes attained in a most ingenious manner, as, for example, in the Sparkbrook balance gear, of which an entirely novel method is employed. The case becomes the equivalent of the cone wheel, and the action of this gear is as accurate and certain as can be wished ; whilst experience has demonstrated that it will stand lengthy and hard wear, it is fitted to sociables and tandems, in which it receives a very com- plete testing, and it has behaved admirably. It is invariably fitted to machines bearing the name 'Sparkbrook,' and the machine having that designation is much liked on both road and path. The Premier tricycle is fitted with another excellent pattern of Starley's balance gear which works satisfactorily, as also are the Humber machines. In the double-steerer of this type, the gear is fitted in a remarkably neat manner, the end of the axle-sleeve is enlarged into something like the neck and shoulders of a wide-mouthed bottle, as shown in fig. 37. 366 CYCLING. The off wheel is fixed to the axle, which comes right through and has fixed to it just inside the neck of the bottle a bevel- wheel ; the other wheel runs loose on the end of the axle and has cast upon its hub another and similar bevel-wheel, whilst two coned wheels running on pins fixed to the circumference of the bottle (or case as it is properly termed) engage these two bevel- wheels, and the gear acts in the usual way. This was the first gear constructed in so small a compass, and as it is closed in most thoroughly, there is less noise from the teeth, whilst the adoption of two coned wheels does a great deal to prevent undue shaki- ness. This is an easy run- ning and most satisfactory gear. There are many more good adaptations of the same principle, but a bad balance gear, bad in principle or badly fitted, will entirely spoil a machine. Once in a way the gear may require cleaning. Fig. 27- and care should always be taken to keep it well oiled, whilst careful riders after each oiling spin one wheel with the other on the ground so as to ensure the spread of the lubricant. Throughout the foregoing remarks, we have, for the purposes of description, assumed that a balance gear only acts when power is communicated to it through the small coned wheel (or its equivalent). It will be obvious, however, that a balance gear equally acts when the machine is being pushed, or is run- ning down hill, with the rider's feet on the rest. The reader will do well, therefore, clearly to grasp the general principles of all balance gears accurately constructed, viz. that they consist of a contrivance by which the two driving wheels are coupled together in such a way that either wheel can outstrip the other when the machine is deflected from a straight course by the steering ; that when so running each wheel receives its due CONSTRUCTION. 3^7 amount of force from the balance gear ; that, when the machine is running straight, with an equal resistance opposed to the two driving wheels, each of the latter receives an equal share of the power ; but with this further unavoidable drawback that, the driving wheels when opposed (as they usually are) by an unequal road resistance, are no longer in balance, and are therefore driven by the balance gear in unequal degrees, the effect being the same as if the machine were very slightly steered to right or left, although, under the circumstances supposed, the steering wheel prevents any actual deviation of the machine from a straight course. GEARING LEVEL, UP AND DOWN. One of the first points which a tricyclist requires to have explained to him is the gearing of his machine, for ' What are you geared to ? ' is a question which very often nonplusses the beginner. The gearing of a tricycle is dependent upon the relative size of the pulley wheels over w^hich the chain or chains run, the dif- ference in size increasing or decreasing the number of wheel revolutions as com- pared with the pedal revolutions. Fig. 38 is merely a guide diagram to illustrate the positions of the pulley wheels in a balance-geared tricycle ; the lower one B fixed firmly to the pedal crank, and the upper one a being part of the balance gear and carrying inside the pinion wheels of that gear (which is fully described elsewhere), and thus communicating the power to both the driving wheels ; the relative sizes of a and b control the gearing of the machine, except when a two-speed gear inter- venes, which will be fully explained further on. There are three divisions into which gearing can be divided, viz. level gearing, gearing up, and gearing down. Fig. 38, 368 CYCLING, LEVEL GEARING. When a machine is level geared the pulley wheels are of exactly the same size, as in fig. 39 ; the chain c c passes over both, and as each pulley wheel necessarily carries the same number of teeth, and as the teeth are equidistant on each wheel, they natu- rally fall into the links of the chain in due pro- portion. For example, suppose each pulley w^heel carries nine teeth, it is clear that if the bottom pulley b be rotated once, it will 'eat up ' (to use a graphic and comprehensible expression) nine equidistant links of the chain, and in doing so will cause a corresponding number of links to be withdrawn from the upper wheel a, which will thus make a cor- responding (complete) revolution. The pulley wheel a being directly in connexion with the main axle, it follows that for one complete turn of the pulley wheel b, which is rigidly keyed on to the pedal crank, the driving axle will also make one com- plete revolution ; the machine in this case is said to be geared level to whatever may be the size of the driving wheels in the case of a tricycle, and to the driving wheel in the case of a dwarf bicycle, in which the same principle obtains without, however, the intervention of a balance gear. Supposing the tricycle thus geared to have 48-inch wheels, it would be conversationally described as ' geared level to 48.' GEARING DOWN. Gearing down may be defined as that arrangement of the pulley wheels which causes the pedals to revolve more fre- quently than the driving wheels. Fig. 40 shows such an arrangement. The lower pulley wheel, for easier comprehen- sion, is supposed to be the same size as in the foregoing figure, and carries nine teeth, but the upper pulley wheel a is made CONSTRUCTION. 369 larger and carries eighteen teeth (this merely to simplify the explanation, as in practical use such a combination T\'ould seldom be found). It is obvious that for one revolution of the bottom pulley Avheel b (in effect, of course, one revolution of the pedal crank to which it is keyed), the bottom wheel b will as before take up nine links of the chain c c, but inasmuch as the upper wheel a has eighteen teeth upon its periphery, the nine teeth of the lower wheel only effect half a revolution of the upper wheel, and t2V0 complete revolutions of the wheel b (i.e. the pedals) are required to make A complete one revolution ; and as a is attached as heretofore to the main driving axle, when the ^^ '^°' pedals have made one revolution, the driving wheels will only have made half a revolution. Thus to arrive at the gearing of the machine it is necessary to take the result of a complete revolution of the pedals ; this, if applied to the former example, a 48-inch tricycle, would be half a revolution of a 48-inch wheel which equals 24-inch, and the machine would be said to be 'geared down to 24.' GEARING UP. A machine is said to be geared up when the pedal revolu- tions are fewer than the revolutions of the driving wheel. Fig. 41 illustrates this point, using the proportions as before, and in this case they are not so unusual, for I\Ir, P. T. Letchford's racing Humber tricycle in the season of 1885 was fitted with 30-inch driving wheels geared up to 60, his top pulley having five and his bottom pulley ten teeth. In this figure the top pulley wheel A carries nine teeth and the bottom one b eighteen teeth. If the pedals (rigidly connected with b) are made to complete one revolution, the pulley wheel b will eat up eighteen links of the chain, but as wheel a only carries nine teeth, it must make tiuo complete revolutions to satisfy the requirements of the wheel B. Wheel a being attached as before to the main axle, b b 370 CYCLING. the driving wheels will have to make two complete revolutions for one turn of the pedals, and a 48-inch machine so arranged would be said to be ' geared up to 96.' The mechanical advantages of gearing will be clear to the most superficial observer, even though such a one has but Httle knowledge of mechanics. For example, when a machine is geared down as in fig. 40, each pedal comes more frequently into action, and the crank leverage becomes of more value ; thus supposing the geared-down machine to have a 6-inch crank, the rider is practically driving a 24-inch wheel with a 6-inch crank or lever. This provides an unnecessary amount of power, as 40- and 50-inch machines are easily driven by ordinary riders with 5 -inch cranks, and although the immense power thus available at the low gearing may prove of service up steep hills, yet on the level the pace at which the feet would have to be ro- tated would tend to exhaust the rider. Conversely, of course, a geared-up machine requires more muscular exertion, but the pedals move more slowly. Supposing anyone foolish enough to have a machine geared up to 96-inch as in the last example, the rider would be driving a 96-inch wheel with a 6-inch crank, which would of course necessitate very hard labour indeed, and a moderate gear of about 56-inch will be found amply high enough for the strongest rider on the road. Light active riders without much muscular power will do better with a lower gear- ing, as they are able to pedal quicker with less exhaustion. For this reason a tolerably low gear is very advisable for ladies who ride tricycles, and 50-inch may be taken as a very fair average. Very heavy men with great muscular power are very soon ex- hausted by rapid pedalling, but they can be easily suited with a higher gearing, which simply requires more muscular exertion and less rapidity of motion. On the racing path, higher gears have proved successful. The machines used in races are ex- ceedingly light, and the paths being level and easy, there is CONSTRUCTION. yjl nothing to interfere with the running of the machine. Some riders have tried very high gears, up as high as 70 or even 80 inches, but the slow action was all against that quick spurting which is a sifie qua 71071 in race riding, and moderate gears of about 60 to 64 are found most suitable. Mr. Percy Furnivall, the One JMile Amateur Tricycle Champion of 1885, won that race upon a Beeston Humber, with 40-inch wheels, which was geared thus : pulley wheel a (see foregoing figures) 10 teeth, pulley wheel b 15 teeth. In this case wheel a had to make three revolutions to two of wheel b's, or one turn of the pedals caused the driving wheels to turn one and a half times, the driving wheels being 40 inches in diameter, one and a half revolutions = 60 inches. Mr. Furnivall's machine would therefore be properly described as 'a 40-inch Humber geared to 60 inches.' Gearing down is most advisable for weak riders and road men who primarily desire ease and comfort at the sacrifice of speed. A roadster tricycle with 50- inch wheels geared down to 44 inches or so, is in many cases a most suitable machine for the steady tourist. The large wheels are of especial value in mitigating the vibrations caused by the roughness of the road, the radial leverage being greater; and any rider of average weight who is desirous of securing comfort can soon satisfy himself as to the advantages which large wheels possess by practical ex- periment on rough or bumpy roads. Very diminutive riders and light weights can use a proportionately smaller wheel with comfort and ease, but for the average rider wheels not less than 46 inches in diameter are desirable, except in the case of a machine such as the Quadrant, in which all three wheels do their share of the weight-carrying, and special provision is made by fitting a large front wheel to prevent the discomforts so obvious in small-wheeled machines. For those who have the misfortune to be lame or weak in one leg, ' gearing down ' affords a complete relief, for a machine geared down as low as in the foregoing example, i.e. to 24 inches, could be easily pro- pelled with one leg, though, of course, at no very great pace. Messrs. Hillman, Herbert, & Cooper of Coventry have amongst 372 CYCLING their customers a gentleman with only one leg, the lost limb being replaced by a wooden one. He has one of their front-steering Premier tricycles, with a socket in place of a foot-rest for his artificial limb ; the machine is geared down to about 30 inches, and although he lives in a hilly district, he is enabled to propel the machine at a pace which more than doubles his unaided rate of progression. This is a fair example of the especial value of low gearing. Beginners should always adopt a low gearing in the earher stages of their novitiate, as they will not wishi to attempt high speeds, and the easier work will enable the muscles to adapt themselves to the novel conditions without breaking down. After the first few months of riding different arrangements of gearing should be tried, until the one most suitable to the individual rider is discovered. Gearing up, as pointed out above, offers especial advantages to strong, heavy, and muscular men, who, gifted by nature with plenty of physical energy, are capable of exerting the extra power required to propel the highly-geared machine. Such persons are easily exhausted by rapid movement, just as a heavy cart-horse, which would soon succumb if forced along at high speed, yet works satisfactorily at heavy but slow tasks. Many muscular and heavy men, somewhat past the heyday of youth, and not so active and lissome as they once were, have relinquished tricycling solely because their attempts to attain a good average pace upon a geared-down machine led to exhaustion and distress. Gifted with plenty of the power necessary for propelling a tricycle, they found themselves practically unable to apply it because of the rapid rotation of the pedals, the heavy and slow muscular frame suffering from the effort at rapidity. For such riders the change from a machine geared down to 45 inches to one geared up to 55 produces a complete revolution in their ideas as to the labour of riding. In place of the hasty plying of the feet and the breathless and exhausting attempts to accelerate their pace still more, the uncomfortable position, and the obvious waste of muscular power, the rider, mounted anew upon a high-geared. CONSTRUCTION. 373 i.e. geared-up machine, will be seen sitting upright, in an easy attitude and driving his wheels with slow powerful strokes, finding a new and enhanced pleasure in the comfortable exercise of his muscular power and bodily weight. The experiences of the last few seasons will provide every cyclist with numerous instances of such a course proving in every way successful. Racing men as a body use high gearings ; some, like Mr. Henry Sturmey of Coventry, a well-known writer on cycle construction, have tried gearing as high as 80 inches, but the gain in pace was not notable, whilst the difficulty of accelerating the speed — picking up the spurt — ■ was a fatal drawback from a racing man's point of view. From 60 to 65 inches is the maximum for track gearing, where everything favours the easy running of the light and fragile racing machine. The advantages of gearing up have been much increased by the reduction which has been effected in the weight of tri- cycles, a reduction for which every road rider owes to the racing men a debt of gratitude, inasmuch as the use of light machines upon the path has enabled and encouraged the makers to try and construct the road machine lighter too, so that at the present time machines are in constant use upon the road which a season or two back would have been considered light racers. The hghtening of the roadster has enabled road men to use a much higher gearing than they could have done under the old system, and many of our best known men use a gearing of 60 inches and in some instances even more on the road. On the other hand, for very long road journeys a lower gear is sometimes adopted ; thus Mr. T. R. Marriott, in his record ride in 1S85 from Land's End to John o' Groat's, rode a INIarriott & Cooper Humber tricycle geared only to 50 inches. High gearings can only be used upon the road with any real success by riders who, in addition to mere physical stiength, are also practically accomplished in the art of pe- dalling, fully described elsewhere, which is a sine qua non in the matter of racing and fast road work. When this has been 374 CYCLING. tlioroughly mastered, the rider can make the necessary experi- ments to ascertain which gear suits him best. It is customary with many cychsts who use tricycles or dwarf machines to alter their gearing for the winter. The lower bracket with the lower pulley wheel in the case of a tricycle (or the pulley wheels in the case of a safety bicycle) is changed for one with a wheel of smaller diameter and fewer teeth, and the chain shortened one link or so, thus making the machine easier to propel, but of course slower at the normal rate of pedalUng. A good many racing men, on the other hand, ride all the winter through on high-geared machines, thus building up heavy muscle against the racing season, when plenty of path work and no road riding will again fine it down to racing shape ; for hard work of any sort invariably slows the racing man, whilst path work will weaken him, so that he cannot ride w^ell on the road for some time after he gives up racing and racing training. TWO-SPEED GEARS. The subject of two-speed, or ' speed and power ' gearings, as they are more properly, but also more cumbrously termed, follows naturally upon a dissertation upon the effects of gear- ing up and down. Ere this the reader will have recognised ihe advantages which would obviously accrue to a rider if he were able to have a machine geared both up and down, so that whilst on the level he w^ould be able to fly along with his wheels running at a high gearing, say, for example, over 6o-inch, yet when he encountered a hill he would have the means of instan- taneously changing his gear to 38 or 40 inches, and thus reap the known advantages of a low gear when facing a stiff ascent. The want of such a combination having declared itself to all practical observers very early in the history of the tricycle, many plans for effecting that object have been brought forward and practically tested, Some of the earliest, used upon lever-driven machines, depended upon the various powers obtainable by shifting the CONS TR UCTION. 375 attachment of the driving links along the pedal lever. This primitive plan had many disadvantages. The segment through which the pedal moved was notably enlarged when power was required, so that at the normal speed the rider had to ride with a very short reach, or else he would have to overreach himself at power ; moreover, the lever action used was not at all suitable for cycling, and thus this earliest method of obtain- ing speed and power at will fell into disuse. Other plans depending upon the principle of the lever, and requiring a reciprocating movement of the same nature, were tried, and had the same result, and it became evident that two-speed gear to be successful must be combined with the widely popular rotary action. The earlier types were faulty ; they threw cross and irregular strains upon various parts of their internal me- chanism ; they were mechanically vicious in construction, and only irregularly performed the work they were called upon to do, whilst some were in constant action except on the few occasions when hills presented themselves, thus setting up a continuous friction during the whole time the machine was being ridden with the normal speed on. This of course seriously diminished any advantages they might under other circumstances have possessed. Under some systems the internal friction rapidly wore out the gear, and caused it to fail in its functions after comparatively httle use. Only two types possess any measure of practical value. The first type is that represented by the gear known as the crypto-dynamic, invented by Mr. W. T. Shaw, and manufactured commercially by the Crypto Cycle Company of Chiswell Street, with the various gears brought out approximating to it in general plan ; and the other type is the two-chain system as successfully adopted by the Sparkbrook Company in their two-speed tricycle. A practical and scientific cychst writes as follows on this subject : — We shall therefore limit ourselves to a general description of these two typical systems, under which all the others may be properly classed. 3/6 CYCLING. The Crypto-dynamic gear depends for its results on the action of an epicyclic train of wheels, hidden within a narrow box which bears on its outer circumference the pitch-teeth of an ordinary chain-pulley. The epicyclic train adopted in the Cr^^pto is made up of three components, all working round a common centre ; viz, a central pinion, a stud-disc carrying four small planet wheels in gear with central pinion, and also with an internally locked wheel which forms the third and outermost portion of the train. As is well known, the components of an epicyclic train, when set in motion, severally vary both as to velocity and direction, according as one or other is held fast or caused to act as the driver. Thus w^hen the central pinion is fixed and the internally locked wheel driven, the stud-disc (or middle component) is by the small planet wheels carried round at a slow^er rate than the internal w^heel (or driver). In other words, the internal wheel must pass round once, and a bit more, in order to procure a single complete revolution of the stud-disc ; how much more depends upon the relative sizes of the internal wheel and the central pinion ! Suppose this propor- tion to be such that the internal wheel has to make i*5 revolution to one of the stud-disc (as is actually the case in the most popular form of the Crypto), thepow^er is said tobe 1-5, and this is the number by which the upper speed must be divided in order to ascertain the lower gearing. Suppose now that with these same proportions, and w4th the central pinion still fixed, the stud-disc bearing its planet wheels is driven round, the converse effect takes place ; i.e. for each single revolution of the stud-disc the internal wheel makes 1-5 revolution. In this case the speeding-up is 1-5, and there is, of course, a loss of power corresponding to the gain of speed. This is the arrangement adopted by Mr. Britain, and formerly known under his name, though now merged in the cr^'pto-dynamic gear. The one system gives an access of power ; the other an access of speed. Deferring for the present any attempt at a tech- nical description of the mechanism employed, we shall endeavour briefly to show how the principles of epicyclic gearing, as explained above, are made to produce the desired results. In the power-gearing, as we said, 1*5 revolution of internal wheel (i.w.) produces i revolution of stud-disc (s.) Therefore I revolution of i.w. = i_ or ^ revolution of s. Now it is to the in- te'-nal wheel that the power is always imparted by the crank-shaft either directly, if the Crypto is there fixed, or through the chain if, preferably, the Crj'pto is fitted to the main axle ; whilst it is the CONS TR UCTION. 3 7 7 stud-disc that ahvays actuates the driving wheels of the tricycle. In the case of single-drivers, the stud-disc drives the wheel either directly or through the chain ; in double-drivers, the balance gear is interposed between the stud-disc and the driving wheels. The central pinion is always in unity with the clutch, and by means of the latter can, at will, be fixed immovably as in the cases supposed above, or it can be locked to the other components of the train, so that all three then revolve together, as one piece, in union with the chain-pulley, and the machine is then propelled at the higher of the two speeds, exactly as though the pulley on the upper axle were of the ordinary construction, and devoid of any internal mechanism. Suppose the pulleys to give a speed as of 6o-inch wheels, then upon locking the centre pinion to the frame by putting the clutch over, the internal mechanism of the crypto begins to act, and the stud-disc reduces the speed to | of 6o-inch, i.e. 40-inch. In like manner 54-inch becomes 36-inch, and so on. Even the non-mechanical am^ongst our readers must see that the labour is necessarily lightened, and a sense of ease enjoyed, when the rider only performs two-thirds of the work previously demanded from him for each revolution of the pedal-shaft. In the most recent deve- lopments of the Crypto gear, the stud-disc is made to sei-ve also as the driver of the balance gear, a combination which possesses many advantages as respects lightness, compactness, and general efficiency. The gearing-up principle, involving, as it does, the constant action of the epicyclic train except on the occasions when extra /^w^r is required, seems to have its chief utility as a sub- stitute for pulleys and chains, over which it presents some consider- able advantage in point of friction. For the benefit of those of our readers who desire to understand the mechanism of the Crypto gear, we here transcribe a description of that gear put forward by the makers. Fig. 42 represents an outside view of the gearing, showing a portion of the chain and the lower part of the striking lever for changing speed. In figs. 43 and 44, the internally-toothed wheel ^, with its sleeve b^ is shown removed from its position on the pedal-axle, in order that the connexion of this wheel c with the four pinions //, and of these with the central wheel e^ may be clearly understood. Fig. 45 shows the gearing in section, as applied to the pedal- shaft, a is the shaft or axle, keyed to which is the sleeve b form- ing the shaft of the internally-toothed wheel c. Revolving on the >78 CYCLING. Fig. 42. Fig. 43. Fig. 44. CONSTK UCTION. N.B. of internal spindles Fig. 48. 38o CYCLING. sleeve b is another hollow shaft ^, fixed upon which are the central wheel e and the flanged collar _/! g is the chain-pulley with a hollow axle turning- freely on shaft d. The pulley g on the side towards the internal wheel c carries four spindles and pinions h (two of which are here shown), gearing with the central wheel e, and the internal wheel c. The spindles on the side next the in- ternal wheel are supported by a ring (seen in fig. 43) fastened to supports projecting from the side of the pulley at spots equidistant between the four spindles. Fig. 46 is a front view of the flanged collar y^ with its three segmental slots, opposite which, on the face of the pulley g^ is a circular row of sunken teeth, shown at fig. 48. A similar row of sunken teeth is cut in the face of the fixed disc /, which is attached to the frame of the machine m. Riding inside the flanged collar f^ and in perpetual engagement w^ith it, is the clutch k^ shown in front view at fig. 47, which is a disc with three segmental pieces projecting from its periphery corresponding in size and shape with the segmental slots shown at fig. 46. The segmental projections (shown at fig. 47) are each of them armed on both sides with raised teeth shaped so as to fit the sunken teeth before referred to. The clutch k is terminated in the centre by a grooved ring, which takes a bearing on the sleeve d. By means of the lever and fork connected with studs running in ;/ the grooved ring, the clutch k may be slid along the sleeve d^ so as to engage its teeth either with the sunken teeth on the pulley^, or with the sunken teeth on the fixed disc / ; or it may be left in the central or free position, as shown in fig. 45. In the last-named position the gearing is free to rotate in itself, as in running down hill, and no work is done. If the clutch k is pushed along so as to engage with the sunken teeth on the chain-pulley ^, the central wheel ^, by means of the flanged collar j^ is locked to the pulley, and being unable to rotate, the small pinions h and the inter- nal wheel c are likewise bound to the pulley, and the whole of the gearing rotates as part and parcel of the chain-pulley. This is when speed is required. If, however, the clutch k is pushed along the other way so as to engage with the sunken teeth in the fixed disc / attached to the frame of the machine, the central wheel e is held fast and is unable to rotate, but the pulley ^ is left free, where- upon the pinions h upon being set in motion by the internal wheel ^, run round the fixed central wheel 398, 418; Cruiser tricycle, 116; Cunard, 269; Devon, 357 ; Dwarf 'Xtra- ordinary, 414 ; Eclipse bi- cycle, 90, 429 ; Excelsior, loi, 335 ; Facile, 105, 107, 113, 120, 348, 387, 389, 405-407, 413; Farringdon bicycle, 390 ; Gentleman's bicycle, 16, 325, 341 ; Plero tandem, 416 ; Humber tan- dem, 117, 123, 384, 395- 397 ; Humber tricycle, 98, 120, 134, 144, 154, 157, 161, 167, 179, 330, 334, 354, 365, 369, 386, 392-394, 396 ; In- vincible, 103, 123, 334, 350 J Invincible Safety, 410 ; Invin- cible sociable, 112; Invincible tandem, 116, 117, 123; Ivel Safety, 125 ; Kangaroo Safety, 66, 116, 389, 407, 408, 410, 413; Ladies' bicycle, 92; Lightning tandem, 416 ; Marlborough tricycle, 123 ; Marriott 93, 117, 120, 121 Norfolk jackets, 235, 248 North of England meet, Harro- gate, 95, 308 Novice, definition of a, 303 Oil, 385, 430 Olive oil, 430 Paraffin, 208 Parkyns, Sir Thomas, his steam tricycle, 99 Partridge, Dr. G. B., on the treatment of wounds, 175 Passenger tricycles, 425 Pedalling, 134, 149, 151, 152 Pedals, 157, 171,172,337, 381, 386 RAC Perfecta shoe, the, 245 Phillips, R. E. , his pamphlet on cycling, 317 Photography, 19, 51, 403 Police, on the wheel, 93 ; pro- hibition of road racing, no; at race meetings, 193 Post Office, use of carrier-tri- cycle by, 125, 424 Precursors of modern cycles, 13 Press, the cycling, 48 ; at race- meetings, 193, 299; 313-318 ; see under Journals Prices of cycling outfits, 253 Prince Imperial, the, 78 Prizes, 194, 297 Professional riders, 44 RACE-meetings, management, rules, and officials of, 1 90- 194, 297-304 ; see N.C.U. Races, pleas for, 40 Racing, its service to the cause of cycling, i "]() ; clamour for light machines, 177 ; compari- son of Lacy Hillier's 18S0 60- inch Humber tricycle with G. Gatehouse's 44-inch Humber racer, 179 ; medical opinion on competitor's suitability, 179 ; physical drawbacks, 181 ; preliminary work on the road, 182 ; choice of a ma- chine, 182 ; machine to be built for the rider, 184 ; the short throw and sprinting, 185 ; position of the handles, 185, 189 ; the saddle, 185, 189, 432 ; maker's opinion as to weight of machine, 187 editorial experience on light- ness 187 ; size of cycle, 189; 446 CYCLING, RAC management of race meetings, 190-194, 297-304; styles of various riders, 217 Racing paths, 40 ; way round, 117; special requisites for, 271 ; composition of tracks, 272 ; characteristics of best • tracks, 272-276 ; see Tracks Rat-trap pedals, 171, 172, 269, 337 Recommended houses, 35 Record saddle, the, 432 Resin, 208 Reynolds, Mr. H. R., on roads, 291, 292 Riders : — Adam, F. L., 188 Adam, W. K., 103 Adams, J. H., 107,113, 1 19, 120, 124, 125 Airey, J. R., 256 Allard, F. W., 123, 305 Allen, Mrs., 119 Appleyard, F. E., 82 Asbury, R. V., 125 Auster, A. C, 108 Bailey, D. J. S., 265 Baker, R. C, 98 Ball, W. F., 124, 125 Battensby, T., 218 Beck, G. F., 292 Beningfield, J. W., 256, 278, 279 Bird, Alfred, no Blackwell, H., jun., 88, 94 Bourdon, W., in Britten, W., 83, 84 Brown, A. S., 88, 89 Brown, J. W. M., 107, no Brown, W., in, 115, 116, 117 Bryson, R. S., 80 Butler, A. D., 93 RID Riders {cont.') : — Chambers, R., 114, 119, 305 Choice, Miss J., 112 Cobb, G. F., M.A., 260, 279, 280 Cole, C. H., 105 Coleman, G. Pembroke, 82, 125, 256, 424 Cooper, Edward, 21 Cooper, F., 71, 77, 86, 102, 176 Corbett, S., 100, 354 Cornell, Walter, 278 Corsellis, H. N., 118 Cortis, H. L., 71, 74, 80, 86, %-], 89, 90, 91, 94-98, 102-105, ii5> 121, 263, 284, 304 Coston, W. E. N,, 74, 84 Cousens, 294 CrijDps, Robert, 117, 118, 120, 294, 295, 305, 397 Crute, C, 98, loi, 103 Davenport, Horace, 215 Davis, John, 78 Day, G. D., 264 • Dean, J. S., 94 Derkinderin, A. E., 81, Z%, 89, 354 Dodds, F. L,, 264 Duncan, O. G., 123 East, Fred T., 86, 185, 257, 338 Edge, S. F., 399 Edge, T. A., 116 English, R. H., 41, 87, 114, 115, 119, 217, 218, 263, 294, 295, 296, 305 Etherington, H., 80, 92 Fenlon, J. E., 97, 122, 124, 305 Fletcher, A. H., 123, 125 Fletcher, L., 260 INDEX. 447 RID Riders [cont.) : — Ford, Murray, 278 Fry, F. R., 103, no, 114,305 Furnivall, Percy, 118, 119, 122,123,124, 125,293,305, 371 Gaskell, H. W., 105, 106, 109, 113, 217, 218, 305 Gatehouse, G., 41, 42, 118, 119, 122-125, 179, 260, 264, 294, 295, 296, 305 Gilliatt, Arthur, 93 Godbolt, G. D., 98 Godlee, Theo., 256 Colder, S., 116, 414 Goodman, M., 257 Goodwin, H. R., 113, 119 Gosset, C. H. R., 107, 108, 109, 123 Grafenried, Baron E., 82 Griffith, J. F., 94, 96, 100, loi, 102, 257 Griffith, T., 108 Hale, E., 123, 125 Hamilton, J. R., 98, 100, 187 Harman, C. A., 94 Hassell, E. S., loi Heard, Stanley, 391 Hebblethwaite, P. G., 100, 294 Hillier, G. Lacy, 88, 89, 95- 98, 100, loi, III, 114, 116, 117, 120, 179, 257, 285, 304, 315,384,392,397,424 Honeywell, F. T. V., y^, 257 Huie, D. H., no, 115 Illston, G. H., 108 Illston, W. A., 87, 118, 122, 123, 124 Jolly, F., 278, 279 Kauffman, 17, 18 Keen,John, 71,75, 77,86, 90, 91, 108, 157, 186, 284, 333 RID Riders {conf.): — Keith-Falconer, Hon. Ion, 70, 71, 73, 86, 102, 103, 107, 188, 260, 262, 263, 273, 279, 283, 292, 304 Kemp, Sidney, 94, 96, 256 Keppel, Hon. Arnold, 15, 16 Kiderlin, E., 122 . Knox Holmes, Major T., 116, 117 Kohout, Josef, 115 Laing, D. W., 119 Langley, A. E., 122 Laumaille, M., 82 Lee, J., 118, 123, 124, 294 Lee, Sidney, 113, 114, 125, 293, 294 Leeds, O. G. M., 264 Lees, F., 21S Lennox, James, 70, 107, no, 119 Letchford, P. T., 119, 122, 293, 369 Liles, C. E., 81, 94, 96, 100, loi, 105, 108, III, 113, 114, 122, 157, 293, 294, 304, 305, 338 Lowndes, M. J., 89, 103, 105, 108 McAnney, 17, 18 Macbeth, A. R., 120 McKay, E. S., 115 McKinlay, Peter, 103, 104 Mackinnon, R. R., 74, 80 McWilliam, W., 279 Marriott, T. R., 70, 89, 108, III, 120, 373 Mayall, J., jun., 69 Mayes, E. M., 122 Mayor, F. G., 264 Mecredy, R. J., 124, 305 Mess, C. F., 256 Meyer, A. J., 80 CYCLING. RID Riders {cont. ) : — Mills, George P., 5, 70, 123, 124, 125, 418 Moore, Frank, 103, 106, 304 Moore, George, 315 Muir, H., 265 Nicolas, F. J., 114, 118, 119 Nix, P. A., 405 Nixon, Alfred, 7c, 107, 108, 109, 112, 115, 119 Nixon, John, 279 Osborne, Harry, 81, 94, 157 Osmond, F. J., 123, 399 Oxborrow, E. , 118, 120 Palmer, C. A., 100, 102, 27 j Parker, W. B., 100, 105 Pollock, C. A. E., 84, 264 Poole, E. H., 258 Popplewell, Walter, %Z Potter, C., 125 Prentice, F., 106, 113 Prentice, J., 118 Price, J. H., 257 Pullin, J. E., 88 Quinton, H. H., 115 Ratclifife, W., 122 Redwood, Boverton, 258, 289 Reynolds, H. R., 102, 256, 291, 292 Richardson, Stephen, 278 Rish worth, Walter, 258 Roe, A. D., 84 Rogers, E. F., 99 Rousset, M., 119 Rucker, M. D., 12, 90, 91, 278, 279, 284 Runtz, E. A., 255 Scrutton, T. E., 106, 256 Sellers, Sanders, 118, 305 Shaw, A. P., 258 Sinclair, M., no, in Smith, George, in, 116, 120, 293 RID Riders {cont. ) : — ■ Smith, H. H., 113 Smith, J. S., 112, 116, 117 Smith, Mrs. J. S., 112 Smith, W. A., 256 Smythe, Frank, 74, 84 Snook, W., 105 Speechley, H. A., 113, 120, 121, 122, 305 Spencer, Charles, 316 Sturmey, Plenry, 95, 314, Z^l, 364 Sutton, F., 81, 108, 109, 305 Sutton, W. F., 71, 105, 112, 116 Swann, S., 265 Tanner, W. B., 87, 106, 257, 275 Taylor, C. E., 124 Terry, W., 120 Thompson, Alfred, 103, 107, 109, 114 Thorn O., 256 Thorn, W. T., 82, 84, 94, 103, 256, 292 Thorp, H. S., 74 Thuliett, €., 74 Todd, Robert, 106, 257, 291 Tolson, J. E., 87 Tomes, W., 77 Tough,;., IIS Tower, F., 264 Trotter, A. P., 264 Turner, E. B., 125 Turner, Mr., of Paris, 60, 64, 92 Turner, Rowley, 64 Varley, J. L., 260 Venables, Harry, 258 Venables, H. A., 100 Vesey, C. D., 81, 89, 98,]i03, 108, 109, 257 Wadey, C. S., 114, 118 INDEX. 449 KID Riders {cont.): — Walker, T. H. S. 99 Webb, H J., 113,114,116,293 Webber, M.V.J. A., 87, 118, 119, 124, 305 Wier, A. A., 260, 263, 283, 292, 304 Weston, Frank W., 94 Whatton, J. S., 6, 103, 114, 256, 260, 263, 264, 304, 329, 330 \Miite, Godfrey, 390 ^Vhite, H. C, 70 Whiting, H. P., 73 ^^^lish, m., 103 Wilkinson, T. H., 79 Williams, S. E., 123 Wilson, A. J., 5, 10, 123- 125, 315 Wilson, H. F., 109, 113, 117, 219, 257, 305 Wood, Frederic, 89 Wood, F. P., 399 Woolnough, ' Bobby,' 89 Wyndham, Wadham, 73, J^, 256, 292 York, E., 29 Riding, early practice on bone- shakers, 127 ; unsuitability of ' Safeties ' for instruction, 1 29 ; engagement of properly qualified teachers, 130; use of the horizontal bar, 131 ; assistance of a friend, 132 ; steering, 1 33 ; pedalling, 1 34 ; dismounting, 135 ; mounting, 136-138; the best style, 139; pose of the body, 140 ; posi- tion of the handles, 141 ; short and long reach, 142 ; grip of the handles, 143-145 ; * grasshopper ' fashion, 144 ; steering with feet, 145 ; SAF ankle-work, 146- 157 ; the grindstone action, 146 ; use of the home trainer, 147 ; diagrams illustrating proper pedalling, 149, 151, 152; treatment for early muscular fatigue, 154 ; training with left and right leg alternately, 155 ; the downward thrust and the quick clawing re covery, 156 ; leg-reach, 157 ; measuring for size of wheel, 158 ; gearing, 160 ; adjust- ment of saddle, 161-167 ; Harrington's new tilt-angle rod, 163 ; fixing saddle, 166; looking after springs, 168 ; loose heads, 169 ; attention to the wheels and their bear- ings, 171 ; choice of pedals, 171 ; position of the step, 172; advice on accidents, 172-175 ; how to minimise a fall, 173 ; treatment of wounds, 1 74 Rings, 42 Ripley, 75, 105, 108 Road performances questioned, 117 Road surveyors, 27, 38, 39, 291 Roads, 37 ; improvmnent of, 113, 291 Roads Improvement Association, the, 39 Rucker's coupling bar, 419 Running, 2, note Russia, cycling in, 261 Saddles, 132, 161-163, 189, 208, 432 ; combined saddle and spring, 433 Safeties, 12, 28, 129, 145, 160, 340, 386-390, 405-41S G G 450 CYCLING. SAI St. Albans coach, incident of the, 30, 75 Sanitary Woollen Co. , 202, 236, 251 Secretaries of race-meetings, 191, 302 Sefton Park, Liverpool, meet, 107 Self-moving carriages, 58 Skerbrooke, Lord, 78 Shirts, 206, 252 Shoes, 146, 148, 220, 223, 243, 244, 269 Singer & Co.'s works, descrip- tion of, 65 Sociables, 12, 403, 404 Society of Cyclists, 105, 106 Socks, 220 Sore throat, 231 Southern Camp, the, 104 ; at Tunbridge Wells, 1 20 ; at Guildford, 124 Speedwell Show, 112 Spencer, Charles, introduction of the bicycle in his g)'m- nasium, 60 ; his claim to have taught Charles Dickens the bicycle, 92 Sportsman's Exhibition, 112 Springs, 129, 159, 163, 168, 269, 341-346, 433 Stanley Show, 92, 99, 102, 106, 112, 117, 121, 257, 407 Starters, 192, 299, 301, 302 Steam tricycle, a, 99 Step, the, 172 Stockingette, 207 Stockings, 239 Stones, 26, 37 Stop-watch, 221 Sturmey, Mr, Henry, his hand- books, 314, 317, 364, 373 Sun and Planet gear, 405 TRA Surrey meet, loi, 102 Suspension wheels, 21 Sweaters, 251 Switzerland, cycling in, 83 Tandem Safety bicycles, 416 Tandems, 4, 5, 12, 118, 268, 330, 384, 386, 391, 392, 395- 397, 399-401 Tangent wheels, 350 Teachers of cycling, 130 Telegraph -board steward at race meetings, 192 Thilum, 175, 226 Thirst, 213 Tilt angle-rod, Harrington's, 163, 344 Timekeepers, 191, 301 Tool-bags, 427 Touring, 195 ; the Cyclists' Touring Club, 196 ; planning out a tour, 196 ; an average day's journey, 197 ; selection of inns, 197 ; desirability of companionship, 198 ; large parties not satisfactory, 198 ; training in preparation, 198 ; necessaries, 200 ; luggage car- riers, 201 ; combination wool- len garments, 202 ; details of the kit for a bicyclist, 203 ; the Cyclist's Pocket Dressing- Case, 203 ; the tricyclist's out- fit*, 204 ; forwarding changes by parcels post, 205 ; luxuries, 206 ; machine to be over- hauled before starting, 207 ; tools to be carried, 208 ; the lamp, 209 ; suitability of C.T.C. dress, 228 Tracks : — Agricultural Hall, 71, 85 ; Alexandra Palace, %Z INDEX. 45: TRA 89, 122, 124, 264, 274, 305 ; Aylestone Road Grounds^ Leicester, 120, 305 ; Bel- grave Road Grounds, Lei- cester, 99, 100, 304 ; Brid- lington Quay, 124 ; Cam- bridge, 86, 87, 118, 272, 273; Cardiff, 114; Coventry, 276; Crystal Palace, 41, 70, 71, 78, 87, 97, 102, 103, 105, 107, no, 115, 116, 119, 122, ^18, 272, 275, 294, 304, 305, 424 ; Hampden Park, Glasgow, 123, 276, 305 ; Jarrow, 119, 123, 305; Kennington Oval, 257 ; Lillie Brid< 88, 13, 115, 124, 271, 274, 293, 305 ; Lincoln, 97 ; Long Eaton, 124, 275, 305 ; Lower Aston Grounds, Birmingham, 118 ; North Durham, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 114, 305 ; Oxford, 273 ; Paignton, 124, 276 ; Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 305 ; Stam- ford Bridge, 90, 91, 272, 273, 2S3, 284, 292, 304 ; Surbiton, 86, ^1, 94, 96, 100, 102, 103, '^11^ 304? 330 ; Taunton Ath- letic Grounds, 305, Wallsend, 1 14 ; Weston-super-Mare, 122, 305 Training, 210 ; the professional athlete of yore, 210 ; his drastic treatment, 212; the old treatment applied to modern athletes, 212 ; the new style, 213 ; dangers of hurry, 214 ; concurrent development of physical and mental powers, 216 ; employment of a com- petent trainer, 216; varying temperaments of riders to be VEL studied, 217 ; sprints and sharp finishes, 218 ; long-distance preparation, 218 ; over-com- petition, 219 ; dress, 220 ; the object to be aimed at, 220 ; weight and work, 220 ; gaug- ing progress in pace, 221 ; in the dressing-room, 221, 225 ; use of the pacemaker, 222 ; the look-out, 222 ; sitting straight and pedalling evenly, 222 ; crooked feet and wob- bling shoulders, 223 ; at the handles and on the saddle, 223 ; body and head to be kept still, 223, 224 ; the evening's work, 224 ; hand rubbing after exercise, 225 ; early discouragements, their explanations and remedies, 226 Tricycle Association, the, 289 Tricycle Conference, 105, no Trigwell's ball-bearing head, 323 Trivectors, 57 Turnpike Trust Continuance Acts, 39 Two-speed gears, 374 Umpires, 193, 301, 302 University bicycling clulis, com- petitions between, 262 Valises, 414 Varicose veins, 181 Vaseline, 174 Velociman manumotors, 420, 422 Velocipedes, 57, 353, 419 452 CYCLING. WAL YOR Wales, Princess of, loi ' Wheels, 21, 27, 112, 158, 171, Walking, 2, note 347, 352, 353 Wallets, 427 . Woollens, 202, 203 Wnrd's woollen garments, 202 Wounds, treatment of, 174 Waterproof, 205, 252 Welch's patent Club dicycle, 418 West Kent B.C. meeting, 114 Yeo, Prince of Siam, 99 Whatton's handle-bars, 329 York coach, the, 74 . jj^ PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON ■:'':■; ;:i#|i|!; (Ill: iiii ^^' m ', N ■ * SS3W9NOO ; I I ,•■■'! ■ i