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 BOOK ON WHEELING 
 
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DR. NEESEN'S 
 BOOK ON WHEELING 
 
 Hints and Advice to Men and Women from 
 the Physician's Standpoint. 
 
 BY 
 
 VICTOR NEESEN, M. D. 
 
 Assistant to the Chair of Gynecology, Long Island College 
 Hospital 5 Member Women's Hospital Society } Kings Co. 
 Medical Society, Long Island Medical Society, Kings Co. 
 Medical Association ; Lately House Surgeon at the 
 Woman's Hospital in the State of New York j 
 Recently House Surgeon at Prof. Martin's Privat- 
 Anstalt in Berlin ; Member Physical Edu- 
 cation Society of New York. 
 
 Illustrations and Appendix. 
 
 NEWAMSTERDAM BOOK COMPANY 
 156 FIFTH AVENUE, : NEW YORK 
 
 
 

 Copyright 1899 
 
 BY 
 
 VICTOR NEESEN, M. D. 
 
 ^// rights reser-ved. 
 
 By lransf»r 
 
 D. C. Public Libwry 
 
 FEB 2 6 1938 
 
vVililDKAvVN 
 
 DEDICATION 
 
 To that vast army of male and female bicyclists who have 
 arraigned themselves against our common enemy "111 
 health " this book is dedicated with the hope that, if 
 they have health it may always continue, and if 
 they have it not, it may speedily be theirs. 
 Health of the rosy, romping, rollick- 
 ing kind, with its accompani- 
 ment of jubilant and 
 sparkling spirits. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introductory. — Bicycling Considered as an Exercise. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE. 
 
 I. Hygiene 13 
 
 Costume. Position. Learning to Ride. Correct 
 Riding. Tandem Riding. Breathing. Food and 
 Drink. Baths. Training. Excursions. Centuries. 
 
 II. Diseases and Ailments 41 
 
 Diseases Caused by the Bicycle. Diseases Aggra- 
 vated by the Bicycle. Diseases Benefited by the 
 Bicycle. Anaemia, Catarrh, Constipation, Com- 
 plexion, Dyspepsia, Headache, Hysteria, Insomnia, 
 Melancholia, Obesity, Torpid Liver, etc., etc. 
 
 III. The Bicycle for Women 54 
 
 Effect on Dress. Effect on Health. Effect on Fe- 
 male Diseases. Style of Wheel. Style of Saddle. 
 Costumes. Position. 
 
 rv. Morality of the Bicycle 80 
 
 Short Skirts. Sunday Riding. Bicycle Manners. 
 Drinking. Flirting. 
 
 V. Appendix 91 
 
 How to Select a Bicycle. Care and Management of 
 a Machine. Parts of a Wheel. Table of Value and 
 Digestibility of Foods. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. Scorcher's Position — " Racers " 15 
 
 2. Wrong Position—" Upright " 16 
 
 3. Correct Position — " Inclined " 17 
 
 4. Combination Tandem 24 
 
 5. Loop Frame Tandem 54 
 
 6. Long Skirt Costume. — Wrong Position 63 
 
 7. Luey Costume — Correct Position 68 
 
 8. Bloomer Costume — Wrong Position 72 
 
 9. Diamond Frame Tandem 80 
 
 10. Knickerbocker Costume — Female Scorcher 82 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 I HAVE recently met with several cases of sickness 
 produced by bicycle riding. And I have recently 
 read a few magazine articles on the dangers of 
 bicycling. And I have all along, ever since 
 wheeling became popular, observed so many peo- 
 ple of both sexes who did not derive benefit from 
 their exercise, because of a lack of knowledge of 
 the correct method of riding, that I am con- 
 strained to take up my pen, with much diffidence, 
 and endeavor to show those who do not ride prop- 
 erly wherein lies their fault ; to explain to those 
 who suffer bad effects from wheeling how to pur- 
 sue this captivating sport with profit to their 
 health ; and to satisfy those who have eschewed 
 the pleasure which all their friends are enjoying, 
 because of the doubt whether it is good for them, 
 — that wheeling, when properly indulged, is the 
 grandest institution of the nineteenth century. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 BICYCLING CONSIDERED AS AN EXERCISE. 
 
 Medical authorities, with few exceptions, agree 
 that bicycling is an excellent form of exercise. 
 Some claim that it is general in its effects, others 
 that certain parts of the body only are developed, 
 and the '^ exceptions" hold that it is detrimental 
 to the health in toto and ought never to be in- 
 dulged, except after consultation with a physician. 
 Of course it all depends on the point of view. 
 Each one is right in a way. It is a general exer- 
 cise if followed in the proper manner. It is a 
 special exercise if pursued in the wrong way. It 
 is distinctly detrimental to those who have cer- 
 tain physical defects, who assume hurtful posi- 
 tions, or who injudiciously ignore the limit of 
 their physical powers. 
 
 Few of its advocates have taken the trouble to 
 explain how or why it is a general exercise. The 
 reason may possibly lie in the fact that most peo- 
 ple find it out for themselves when they learn to 
 
 9 
 
10 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 ^ride. After a few rides the novice finds that his 
 muscles are aching all over his body from his 
 neck to his ankles. And if he has been foolish 
 enough to have undertaken a long ride at first he 
 will find that the slightest movement of his trunk 
 will cause him pain. But the argument is raised 
 that after the initial stages the development of the 
 muscles above the waist ceases ; thenceforth the 
 legs and thighs only are involved, and of these 
 only the extensor muscles do the work. 
 
 It is necessary carefully to disprove this argu- 
 ment ; for to reject it without consideration is to 
 brand oneself an unreasoning enthusiast. It is 
 true that bicycling is not a perfect all-round 
 exercise. There is no one exercise in existence 
 that is perfect. Swimming comes nearest to per- 
 fection and I consider bicycling comes next. 
 The lower extremities are certainly exercised the 
 most in bicycling as they are also in swimming. If 
 the upright position is assumed in cycling, the 
 muscles of the back are not used any more than 
 in walking. But if the correct position — i. e. 
 the inclined position — which is described in the 
 first chapter is maintained, the muscles of the 
 back are used pretty much as they are in swim- 
 ming. A person in this position constantly exer- 
 cises most of the muscles of the whole body. The 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 11 
 
 forward inclination of the body necessitates erec- 
 tion of the head by the muscles at the back of the 
 neck. The back is kept perfectly straight by the 
 muscles of the back. The weight of the thorax 
 is supported partly by the arms (muscles of 
 shoulders). The arms are kept straight by the 
 extensor muscles of the arms. In climbing hills 
 slight traction is made on the handle bars (flexor 
 muscles of arms). The accelerated breathing 
 necessitates increased use of chest and abdomen 
 (muscles of respiration). The downward push of 
 pedals brings into play the extensor muscles of 
 thigh and leg. The backward push of pedals 
 exerts the muscles of calf of leg and ankle. The 
 return of leg to flexed position calls into action 
 the flexor muscles of thigh and leg. 
 
 By this summary it will be seen that practially 
 the only muscles left out are the swinging muscles 
 of the arms. So much for the complete refuta- 
 tion of the charge that wheeling develops only 
 one set of muscles. 
 
 Of the effect of wheelings on the general health 
 the following pages will treat. Suffice it to say 
 here that an ordinarily healthy individual who 
 takes to wheeling with a desire to do it properly 
 and in moderation will find his health improve as 
 the legitimate sequence of fresh air in his lungs, 
 
12 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 stimulation to his nervous system, acceleration of 
 his circulation, improved nutrition to his organs, 
 and the perfect elimination of those waste prod- 
 ucts of combustion which, if retained, facilitate 
 the entrance of disease. 
 
WHEELING. 
 
 I. HYGIENE. 
 
 Fashion has declared wheeling to be *' au 
 fait " ; physicians have asserted that it is health- 
 ful ; proper mounting and correct costume have 
 made it becoming, and nothing now remains to 
 deter one from indulging in this exhilarating 
 pastime but the price — and that is rapidly arriv- 
 ing at a sum within the means of every one. If 
 you have abstained thus far from mounting the 
 silent steed and following your friends and neigh- 
 bors along the smooth roads and sunny paths of 
 the suburbs, or the picturesque highways of the 
 country, we will suppose that all your doubts have 
 been removed and you have decided to learn to 
 ride. 
 
 The first thing in order is to secure your wheel, 
 
 and a few hints relative to its selection have been 
 
 vouchsafed in the appendix to this volume. 
 
 13 
 
14 WHEELING. 
 
 Having purchased your wheel you will he next 
 concerned about your costume. Many changes 
 have been wrought in costume since bicycling first 
 came into favor. The present regulation costume 
 is the outgrowth of many experiments, and is the 
 most serviceable and becoming that could be cre- 
 ated. It consists of a French flannel shirt with a 
 flowing tie ; knickerbocker breeches called bloom- 
 ers, terminating in a wide band which buckles 
 just beneath the knee, and held up by a leathern 
 belt at the waist ; stockings of the Golf type — a 
 plaid with a turnover at the calf ; low shoes of 
 black or tan ; a short jacket of the English smok- 
 ing style ; and a cap with a peak, made of any 
 soft stuff, preferably of the same goods as the 
 suit. 
 
 The next thing is to adjust your wheel to your 
 person, so that your position may be correct, and 
 so render the task of learning to ride easier. Full 
 directions on this subject are given in the appen- 
 dix, under the heading ^^How to Select a 
 Wheel." 
 
 The position the rider assumes on his wheel is 
 of vast importance in many respects. His health, 
 his endurance, his control of the wheel, his power 
 of propulsion, his speed, are all dependent upon 
 his position in the saddle. Of such vital impor- 
 
Racing Position — " Bicycle Face 
 
 PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 — Page i§. 
 
HYGIENE. 15 
 
 tance is this mooted subject, that a great many 
 articles relative to it have found their way into 
 print. Authorities on health and authorities on 
 wheeling have each had their say, and the public 
 is left to choose for itself. 
 
 There are three distinct positions recognized : 
 viz., the ^^ upright," the ''inclined," and the 
 ''scorcher's." All the authorities unite in con- 
 demning the scorcher's position, except for 
 racer's use. Then opinion is divided between the 
 other two. It is regrettable that most of the 
 medical men have favored the upright position 
 and have strongly condemned the inclined posi- 
 tion as little better than the scorcher's. On the 
 other hand, practical bicyclists and a few physi- 
 cians who have studied the subject, affirm that 
 the inclined position is the only correct one. It 
 may be all right in theory to "sit up straight," 
 but sitting in a bicycle and sitting in a chair are 
 two separate and distinct things, and are incom- 
 parable. When I range myself with the practical 
 bicyclists and firmly assert jthat the only correct 
 position is the inclined one, I am fully aware that 
 I have much weighted opinion against me and I 
 will have to prove my assertion. 
 
 I will first consider the upright position and 
 endeavor to show how it is faulty. We will take 
 
16 WHEELING. 
 
 any rider at random, on the boulevard, who 
 affects the upright position and analyze his move- 
 ment. His handle bars are curved up instead of 
 down, his elbows slightly bent, and his arms sup- 
 port none of his body weight. His saddle is well 
 back over the rear wheel and he sits quite up- 
 right. All the weight of his body is in his saddle, 
 and of course that must be very comfortable or 
 he will be sore after riding a short distance in it. 
 His pedals are so far in advance of his seat that 
 his leg to the knee is perpendicular and follows 
 the pedal up and down like a pump-handle. The 
 sole power of propulsion is the muscular exertion 
 of the thigh and hip. The weight of the body 
 instead of being a help is a hindrance — a dead 
 weight. Now watch this rider go up a hill, and 
 you will see him go slower and slower, and puff 
 and blow and pull on his handle-bars, as though 
 he were pulling himself up by his hands. 
 
 The disadvantages of the upright position are 
 more apparent in women than in men. As a 
 rule a woman is liable to have her saddle too low 
 as well as too far back, which makes the knee- 
 action more pronounced. Then her handle bars 
 are more likely to be curled up and she probably 
 rides too high a gear. When she attempts the 
 hill it will be a repetition of the old story — she 
 
PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Upright Position (male) — High Handle Bars 
 
 — Page 1 6. 
 
PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Correct Position — Diamond Frame Wheel — Ram's Horn Handle Bars 
 
 —Page ly. 
 
HYGIENE. 17 
 
 will get very red in the face and finally dismount 
 and walk up. 
 
 Now, for a consideration of the inclined position 
 and its advantages. We will suppose that your 
 wheel is properly adjusted : that is, that your 
 frame and crank bar are of suitable length, that 
 the rear edge of your saddle is about twelve 
 inches back of a plumb line dropped through the 
 crank hanger, and that the handle bar curves 
 slightly down, leaving the cork handles a half 
 inch below the level of the seat. If your wheel 
 is so adjusted you will naturally assume the 
 correct position. Your back will form an angle of 
 sixty degrees with the horizon. The back is kept 
 perfectly straight from the neck to the hips and 
 the head is slightly extended. The arms are also 
 kept perfectly straight, for they support about 
 twenty per cent, of the body weight when the 
 wheel is at a stand-still. The hands should not 
 be too far apart but come straight dov/n from the 
 shoulder. The ball of the foot only should be 
 placed on the pedal and the heel slightly raised. 
 The knees are kept in close to the machine. 
 
 When you have once ridden in this position you 
 will appreciate its advantages. Briefly stated they 
 are as follows : — The center of gravity of the body 
 weight is directly over the crank wheel, where 
 
18 WHEELING. 
 
 it belongs. Several objects are thus effected. 
 The weight is equally distributed between the two 
 wheels ; the power of the weight is added to the 
 power of the muscular action, for the rider is 
 directly over his work, and his weight can be con- 
 centrated over either pedal ; the body weight 
 being distributed between the three points, saddle, 
 handle bar and pedal, there is less danger of a 
 blow to his perineum, in going over a bump, for 
 he can rise in his stirrups, as it were, which he 
 could not do in the upright position. The wheel 
 is more easily controlled when there is some 
 weight on the handle bar ; its head is not so free, 
 to use a turf expression. It is more easily 
 mounted and, in case of a fall, the rider can more 
 quickly and safely jump from the machine. 
 And incredible as it may seem, there is less tend- 
 ency to back-ache from the inclined position than 
 from the upright. The element of lessened re- 
 sistance to the wind might be considered another 
 advantage of the inclined position. 
 
 The objection to this position usually advanced 
 by physicians, that the chest is cramped and 
 the lungs compressed, has no foundation in fact. 
 The back is not humped : it is held perfectly 
 straight. The shoulders are not rounded : if any- 
 thing they are pushed back. Then the head is 
 
HYGIENE. 19 
 
 extended, which gives the chest even further lib- 
 erty. The muscles at the back of the neck are 
 constantly used, exerting a corrective influence 
 to any stooping tendencies of the individual. 
 In fact physical culturists place great importance 
 on the development of the neck muscles when 
 they desire to correct forward drooping of the 
 head, familiarly known as student's droop. 
 
 Two objections to this position are voiced by 
 the female contingent. ^' The weight on the 
 arm," says one ; ^^ I know my arms could never 
 stand it." Which may be dismissed with one 
 sentence. The weight is only felt by the arms at 
 a stand-still or very slow pace. When the pace 
 gets to be six or seven miles an hour, the weight 
 is transferred to the pedals, for it is needed for 
 the work to be done. 
 
 *' But I am sure I would not look well that way. 
 It is ungraceful. " Which depends upon the point 
 of view. Custom and habit are responsible for a 
 good many of our ideas of grace, style, and pro- 
 priety. Once let the inclined position come into 
 general vogue and you will wonder how you ever 
 permitted yourself to ride through the street in 
 the old awkward way. 
 
 Learning to ride is not such a *^bete noir," if 
 you are properly coached. The best way is to at- 
 
20 WHEELING. 
 
 tend some good instruction school where in a few 
 lessons you will learn enough to finish by yourself. 
 Some of the bicycle manufacturing firms have 
 established riding academies where instruction is 
 given free to purchasers of their wheel. If, how- 
 ever, you are so situated that you cannot attend 
 one of these schools, the next best thing is to 
 secure the services of a strong, patient friend and 
 go to a smooth, unfrequented road, and with a 
 firm determination to persevere until you suc- 
 ceed, start in. 
 
 The first thing to be learned is the art of falling. 
 No matter how long you wheel, there is always 
 the chance of a tumble, and if you know how to 
 fall properly, you may save yourself some bruises 
 and perhaps cuts or fractures. When you are 
 sure you are going to fall, and not before, for you 
 can often save yourself by clever manipulation of 
 the steering apparatus, then abandon the wheel 
 and save yourself. A wheel is less likely to be- 
 come injured in falling by itself, than in your 
 falling upon it. Let go of the handle bars, take 
 your feet off of the pedals, stick out the foot of 
 the side to which you are falling, and curl up the 
 other. You will then clear your wheel and land 
 on your feet. 
 
 Balancing one's self on the wheel is thought by 
 
HYGIENE. 21 
 
 beginners to be the first essential. They are 
 entirely wrong. The body should not be swayed 
 from side to side to preserve the balance. When 
 the right position is assumed, the body from the 
 hip up should be held perfectly still ; the balanc- 
 ing is done by steering the front wheel to the side 
 toward which you are falling. 
 
 If you have the assistance of a friend, you will 
 not have to learn how to mount first. Otherwise 
 you will. In learning to mount, head your wheel 
 for the down grade, place your left foot on the 
 little projection on the rear axle, shove off with 
 the right foot, raise up on your left foot, and bal- 
 ance that way until the right pedal rises to its 
 height, then place the right foot on it, glide into 
 the saddle and seek the left pedal with the left 
 foot. Experts are in the habit of mounting di- 
 rectly from the pedal as a horse is mounted. 
 This requires considerable skill. Dismounting, 
 however, is done from the pedal. Just as the pedal 
 reaches it lowest level, and is about to rise, stand 
 up on it and fling the othei; leg over the saddle. 
 Mounting from the pedal is done in the same 
 manner. 
 
 If your friend is with you let him hold the 
 wheel steady while you mount it. Then all he 
 has to do is to run by your side, maintaining a 
 
22 WHEELING. 
 
 firm grip on your saddle to prevent you from fall- 
 ing. It is not necessary for him to touch your 
 body or clothing at all ; far better not to. As 
 soon as you feel you have confidence enough to go 
 it alone, do so ; the sooner the better. 
 
 When you have once mastered the machine, like 
 any other trick you will never forget how to do 
 it. While you are learning it would be an excel- 
 ent plan to practice gymnastics or calisthenics at 
 the same time. One reason why wheeling is 
 injurious to some is that it is attempted by peo- 
 ple wholly unfit for any kind of exertion. Women 
 who are in the habit of sitting around, sewing or 
 novel-reading, will suddenly, on a bright day, take 
 a long ride on their wheel, without any prepara- 
 tion for it whatever. Small wonder then if it is 
 disastrous. 
 
 After you have learned to ride, then you can 
 begin to pay some attention to how to ride prop- 
 erly. The correct rider moves only his lower 
 extremities, which move up and down with ma- 
 chine-like regularity. His body above the hips, 
 his head and arms are perfectly still and straight. 
 The ball of the foot is on the pedal and the knees 
 are close together. As the foot is pushed down,, 
 the heel is slightly raised. This produces the 
 ankle motion so often lost sight of. The wheel is 
 
HYGIENE. 23 
 
 SO adjusted that when the pedal reaches its low- 
 est point, the leg is not straight, but slightly bent. 
 The best results are not obtained when the leg 
 can be fully extended, and ankle work is lost. 
 
 Hill climbing is the best test of a rider's style. 
 Muscular power does not count so much as one 
 would suppose. It is a common sight to see a 
 small boy go up a hill faster than a man. In 
 hill climbing the ankle movement is called prom- 
 inently into requisition. It is thus described : 
 Just as the pedal reaches the top, lower the heel 
 and push forward, then downward, and as the 
 pedal nears the bottom, raise the heel and push 
 backward. Toe clips are of inestimable service 
 both in ascending and descending hills. They 
 prevent the foot from slipping off the pedal and 
 thus losing control of the machine. At the be- 
 ginning of a short hill, spurt a little to get up as 
 far as possible before settling down to hard work. 
 Then bend a little more forward over the wheel 
 so as to concentrate the weight over the pedals 
 and play the ankle movement, and you are all 
 right. 
 
 A change of position often becomes absolutely 
 necessary to relieve the strain incident to main- 
 taining one position for any length of time. It 
 is well to have handle bars that curve slightly 
 
24 WHEELING. 
 
 downward and backward, for they will then af- 
 ford two positions for the hands : the ordinary 
 one on the handles and a forward one on the cen- 
 ter. It is well also to learn to ride with one hand 
 and without hands, as in this way a number of 
 positions can be assumed with relief to the rider. 
 
 Never ride with the head down, as you do not 
 see where you are going and a serious accident 
 may occur. Always ring your bell when you 
 are about to pass another rider, and always pass 
 to his left. The general rule of the road to keep 
 to the right is an excellent one ; there is some 
 system about it and others are enabled to pass 
 you. Always ring your bell before turning cor- 
 ners, and when turning around in the road look 
 behind you before you do so. Be careful of sand 
 and wet or muddy pavements. In going over 
 them give the wheel its head in sand and hold 
 it rigid on wet pavements. 
 
 In taking the first few rides do not attempt 
 too great a distance. Going to nowhere and 
 back is dull, I am aware, but going to some- 
 where, several miles farther on, may overtax the 
 endurance and discomfort will be the result. 
 
 A few words might appropriately be said at 
 this point concerning tandem riding. Nothing 
 is more enjoyable when both riders are good 
 
HYGIENE. 26 
 
 bicyclists and know each other's stroke. The 
 perfect rhythm, the added power and increased 
 pace, the greater endurance, make it very attrac- 
 tive to most people. But do not be disappointed 
 if your first ride is not as enjoyable as you antici- 
 pated. You will have to ride with the same per- 
 son several times before you get accustomed to 
 each other's peculiarities, and so adapt your power 
 with your stroke so that they will be uniform. 
 To ride with different people is of course folly, 
 unless you do not care whether you do all of the 
 work or not. 
 
 To breathe properly is probably the most impor- 
 tant thing for the bicyclist to learn. Good wheel- 
 ing depends as much on the knowledge of breath- 
 ing as upon muscular strength. A philosopher 
 has said that a horse runs with his legs but 
 gallops with his lungs. It is certainly the fact 
 that the record makers in bicycling have lungs of 
 wonderful air capacity. But it is not essential 
 to have big lungs if one knows how to use prop- 
 erly what one has. -^ 
 
 Theoretically, the wheelman ought to breathe 
 through his nose, but this is not always possible. 
 Not to say anything about deformities, obstruc- 
 tions in the nasal passage, etc., the wheelman 
 frequently becomes so excited in guiding his 
 
26 WHEELING. 
 
 wheel that he forgets entirely about his nose 
 and breathes through his wide-open mouth. In 
 the beginning the wheelman has enough to think 
 about without keeping his 'mind on his style of 
 breathing, and many think that breathing through 
 the nose is simple enough and is done automati- 
 cally, without any thought about it, and it is, 
 after the habit is acquired. But if you do not 
 take the trouble to practice nose-breathing, you 
 will often surprise yourself breathing through 
 your mouth, especially when your pace is fast. 
 The injurious effects of a column of cold air com- 
 ing in direct contact on the overheated and deli- 
 cate tissues of the larynx, bronchical tubes and 
 lung structure is recognized by all physicians. It 
 is the frequent cause of any or all of these diseases, 
 — Pharyngitis, Laryngitis, Bronchitis, Pneumo- 
 nia, Inflammation of the Tongue, Tonsilitis, Tooth- 
 ache ; and it predisposes to consumption in two 
 ways : — by weakening the resisting powers of the 
 lung tissue and by inhaling directly any germ that 
 may be present in the air. The fear of contract- 
 ing one or more of these troubles alone should 
 induce the wheelman to practice nose-breathing. 
 The first condition of its success is to be sure 
 the nasal canal is entirely free from obstructions. 
 Many people have polypoid growths in their nose. 
 
HYGIENE. 27 
 
 which they know nothing about. If such a thing 
 is suspected, it would be well to have them re- 
 moved by a nose specialist. If you have catarrh, 
 or rhinitis, or cold in the head, they should be 
 treated, for they are inimical to nose breathing. 
 If the nasal mucous membrane is hyper-sensitive, 
 you will have some trouble when the air is cold, 
 for rapid riding necessitates rapid breathing, and 
 the contact of the cold air induces a slight con- 
 gestion and a free secretion, which is nature's 
 protection to the membrane, and a frequent blow- 
 ing of the nose is imperative. But when this 
 becomes annoying, resort should not be had to 
 mouth breathing, because the nose will get used 
 to the cold air if persisted in. But if you breathe 
 through the mouth for a while and then try to 
 return to the nose, the same trouble will persist. 
 Most people do not know how to use the muscles 
 of their nose in breathing. They simply draw 
 the air in, and if done slowly that is all that is 
 necessary. But when you exert considerable mus- 
 cular energy, whether in ruuning or wheeling, or 
 any other exercise, if you do not use the muscles 
 of your nose, you will find that the nostrils col- 
 lapse. You can try it at this moment ; — take a 
 sudden deep inspiration without using the nose 
 muscles, and^you will seethe nostrils drawn in, 
 
28 WHEELING. 
 
 thus materially lessening the lumen of the canal. 
 When this happens on the road, the rider is apt to 
 open his mouth, for it is necessary for him to get 
 more air into his lungs than his nose allows. This 
 is precisely the point where a knowledge of nose 
 breathing saves a man. If you watch a horse 
 which has been driven hard, you will see his nose 
 dilate at every inhalation. These muscles keep 
 the nostrils apart, thereby allowing a maximum 
 column of air to enter the posterior nares, there to 
 be warmed and moistened before entering the 
 lungs. The horse uses these muscles automat- 
 ically because he has been brought up to run- 
 ning. The human being has to learn this trick. 
 
 If, however, at any time you are compelled to 
 breathe through the mouth, another little trick 
 is worth knowing. That is, to place the tip of 
 the tongue behind the upper front teeth. The col- 
 umn of air is thus broken and strikes the under sur- 
 face of the tongue first, which is copiously provided 
 with large veins filled with warm venous blood and 
 then circulates in the mouth before it is inhaled. 
 If you put your tongue on the outside of your teeth, 
 as is sometimes done, a sudden jolt may make you 
 bite, it which is not very pleasant. 
 
 The claim that the inclined position makes 
 proper breathing impossible by preventing the 
 
HYGIENE. 29 
 
 complete expansion of the lungs has been proven 
 to be false. The fact that the arms are brought 
 forward close to the chest does not mean that they 
 interfere with the lateral expansion of the chest. 
 The ribs do not expand to any extent laterally. 
 Their principal motion is up and down in their 
 anterior aspect. The erection of the head and the 
 straightness of the back rather help this move- 
 ment than otherwise. 
 
 To keep your health in good order and receive 
 the best nourishment from your food, you will 
 want to know what to eat : — what foodstuffs con- 
 tain the most nutriment ; how long it takes to 
 digest them ; how soon you may ride after eat- 
 ing ; what you may safely drink and when. 
 
 One's strength comes from the food one eats. 
 The greatest strength is undoubtedly produced by 
 the most perfect assimilation of food. If you 
 have a perfect digestive apparatus, you can eat 
 anything, and your organs will separate the wheat 
 from the chaff, assimilate the good, and throw 
 off the bad. But if your digestion is not perfect, 
 and few are, you will have to do some of the 
 separating before the food enters your mouth. 
 
 It would be impossible to lay down any hard- 
 and-fast rule which would fitly govern all people 
 in the matter of food. ^^ What is one man's meat 
 
30 WHEELING. 
 
 is another's poison" applies nowhere more aptly 
 than here. Each person is constituted differently. 
 Unless you are in training, you will wisely follow 
 your regular habits if they do not conflict with 
 the following general rules. 
 
 Give your stomach time to digest the food you 
 have put into it. From two to four hours are re- 
 quired to complete digestion, but of course wheel- 
 ing is not tabooed all this time, or the wheelman 
 would do naught else but eat and rest. But at 
 least a half hour should intervene after a heavy 
 meal before taking to the wheel. Digestion will 
 then have had time to get well under way and 
 will progress favorably if too hot a pace is not 
 attempted. If you are on an excursion, or tour- 
 ing, and must take to the road right after eating, 
 it would be well to remember those dishes which 
 are hard to digest and avoid consuming them. 
 A table of the time required to digest each of the 
 common articles of food is appended. 
 
 The subject of drink is worth a deal of consid- 
 eration. The cause of thirst, what best quenches 
 it, what one should not drink, the opinion of the 
 medical profession in regard to the fancy drinks, 
 etc., are all questions which profoundly interest 
 the bicyclist. 
 
 Thirst is the cry of nature for water with which 
 
HYGIENE. 31 
 
 to dilute the blood. The method of its production 
 is as follows : The water in the body is eliminated 
 either through the kidneys, skin or lungs. When 
 work or exercise or hot weather is severe enough 
 to produce perspiration, an increased amount is 
 excreted, and therefore, to maintain the balance, 
 an added amount is required, and if not supplied, 
 thirst is produced. In wheeling all the essentials 
 are present : muscular exercise, free perspiration 
 and rapid breathing. There is another element 
 added in those who breathe through their mouth : 
 the throat and mouth become parched by the cold 
 dry air passing through them and resort to fre- 
 quent drinking is imperative. 
 
 The only thing that will effectually quench 
 thirst is water. Popular opinion to the contrary 
 notwithstanding, all drinks are valuable as thirst- 
 quenchers in proportion to the water they con- 
 tain. Thirst is sometimes masked by the substi- 
 tution of another sensation : bitterness, sourness, 
 sweetness, etc., and a person may be fooled into 
 thinking that a small quantity of a liquid con- 
 taining lemon and sugar answers the same pur- 
 pose as a larger quantity of pure water. It would 
 not be safe to tell everybody to drink as much as 
 they want, for some would surely commit very 
 grievous error ; so that a few general rules may 
 
32 WHEELING. 
 
 be laid down. Never drink ice water or iced 
 drinks. Never drink more than a swallow at a 
 time when you are overheated ; wait until you 
 are cooled off and then drink all you want of cool 
 water. During a long ride, stop whenever you 
 are thirsty and drink a few swallows of cool 
 water ; ride very slowly after it for five minutes 
 and then resume your regular pace. You will 
 be surprised at your increased endurance if you 
 observe this little trick. 
 
 The theory that warm drinks quench thirst 
 better than cold ones is a warped one. If you 
 feel warm you would not build a fire in your room 
 and close the windows. The idea of taking warm 
 drinks is to drive the blood into the interior of the 
 body and so make the skin feel cooler, when 
 nature is striving to do exactly the opposite — to 
 send the blood to the surface where it can be cooled 
 off. 
 
 The less coffee or tea a wheelman consumes, 
 the better off he will be. Neither of them con- 
 tains a bit of nourishment ; they are stimulating 
 to the heart, and are consequently injurious to 
 that organ. 
 
 As to liquors, whatever you do at other times, 
 do not touch them while wheeling. Nothing re- 
 quires a clear head, a steady hand and unshaken 
 
HYGIENE. 33 
 
 nerves more than cycling. The same thing may 
 be said about beer. It is soporific as well as in- 
 toxicating, and a common effect is a feeling of 
 weakness after its use. If a bitter drink must be 
 had, a little quassia or gentian left standing in a 
 pitcher of water will impart a bitter flavor, hav- 
 ing also a tonic effect. 
 
 Soda water and lemonade are not so good as 
 plain water in many respects. In small quantity 
 they do not satisfy, and one cannot drink much 
 of them because they will produce stomach-ache, 
 as well as bankruptcy. Vichy would be good if 
 it were not for the gas — but in that event it would 
 not be Vichy. Milk is a geo^lfp^ 
 It is nourishing, it quenclies_ 
 agreeable to most everybody. 
 little lime-water makejj. it iligesl 
 delicate stomach. Kutt^bfiiiH?: 
 
 Of the different fancy drinks, iron tonics, blood- 
 purifiers, magic strength-imparters, etc., it is 
 necessary to say very little. Leave them alone, 
 one and all, from A to Z. JThey are apt to do 
 you more harm than good. It is true the effects 
 of Kola and its class are increased strength, en- 
 durance, wind and general well-being, as long 
 as you continue to take them in ever-increasing 
 
 doses, but when you stop — what then ? Collapse. 
 3 
 
34 WHEELING. 
 
 And it will take a long time for your system to 
 recover from their pernicious influence. 
 
 If you require a drink that shall be strengthen- 
 ing as well as refreshing, you can take nothing 
 better than a glass of cool water with a teaspoon- 
 f ul of Wyeth's Beef Juice in it. The nourishment 
 in that will be equal in amount to what is con- 
 tained in a half-pound of steak. 
 
 People do not generally understand that they 
 breathe through their skin as well as through 
 their lungs. When the skin is clean and the 
 pores open, the blood is brought close to the sur- 
 face, in the fine veins and capillaries, and carbon 
 dioxide is given off and oxygen taken in to re- 
 plenish the tissues. When on excursions a bath 
 should be indulged in every morning before the 
 start. At other times, a bath at the end of a ride 
 is the most serviceable and refreshing. If a cold 
 bath is taken, a good reaction of the skin should 
 be induced by friction with a rough towel, or if 
 that is not sufficient, with the hands. 
 
 Most people will not be foolhardy enough to 
 plunge their head in a spring or tub of cold water, 
 or hold their head under a pump, after they have 
 been riding hard, and are very warm. But some 
 will, and for the benefit of these, it is referred to. 
 Such an act would cause such profound reaction 
 
HYGIENE. 35 
 
 that cerebral congestion might result. It would 
 certainly produce head-ache, dizziness, and per- 
 haps vomiting in any person who was not strong 
 as an ox. 
 
 Another thing to be warned against is going in 
 bathing or swimming, in the ocean, too soon after 
 a long hot ride. The system has hardly had time 
 to recover from the tax of a hard ride before an- 
 other strain is put upon it in the shape of battling 
 the breakers. 
 
 The subject of training will interest only those 
 who contemplate entering races. If you have 
 decided to race, it is necessary to train, and the 
 first thing to do is, to see your doctor, and find 
 out whether you are physically sound and can 
 stand exhausting work, for, if you have some 
 physical defect in heart, lungs or kidneys, of 
 which, of course, you knew nothing, they may be 
 aggravated by training and result in permanent 
 injury perhaps. You will then save yourself the 
 disappointment of much self-denial for nothing, 
 and avoid the risk of collapse after a race. 
 
 If you are physically sound it would be well to 
 enter a gymnasium and consult the director or 
 trainer. He will advise you what sort of exercise 
 you need most to put you in good general condi- 
 tion. Light work, such as vaulting, running, 
 
Q 
 
 6 WHEELING. 
 
 punching-bag and class work with light dumb 
 bells, and Indian clubs, and light-weight chest 
 machines is the best. The idea is not to produce 
 muscle so much as a generally sound condition. 
 Three or four weeks of this kind of work will fit 
 you for the wheel and the road work. It would 
 be well at this juncture to make out a daily plan, 
 and follow it rigidly, for much depends on regu- 
 larity and system ; a good schedule would be as 
 follows : Arise at seven, take a cold bath, secur- 
 ing a good reaction by a Turkish towel ; breakfast 
 at eight ; rest an hour and a half ; put on your 
 sweater and mount your wheel for a run of ten 
 miles at an even pace ; upon returning strip (in a 
 warm room) and rub yourself dry with a Turkish 
 towel and follow with hand massage. A little 
 alcohol and witch-hazel, equal parts, is good to 
 keep the muscles pliable. If possible have an- 
 other person do the massage, as it can thus be 
 done more thoroughly and seems to have a better 
 effect. Have your dinner between twelve and 
 one and rest at least two hours after it. Then 
 take to the road again for another spin, which 
 should not be as long as the morning ride. Upon 
 returning, have yourself rubbed down, just as 
 you did in the morning. Have your supper at 
 six o'clock and go to bed at ten. A full night's 
 
HYGIENE. 37 
 
 sleep, say of ten hours, is essential, for the recu- 
 peration of the vital forces. Your bill of fare 
 should be constructed about as follows : 
 
 Breakfast : — Fruit, oatmeal, hominy or other 
 cereal, broiled chops or steak, or eggs in any 
 style, stale white bread, graham bread or toast, 
 cocoa, or weak tea. Avoid : Fried foods, hashes, 
 meat-pies, sausage, griddle-cakes, coffee, and 
 strong tea. 
 
 Dinner : — Soup, oysters or clams, roast meats 
 (except pork, veal, and corned beef), vegetables 
 (plain cooked or fresh), very little potatoes, dessert 
 (puddings or prepared fruits). Avoid : Gravy 
 soups, pork, veal, corned beef or fried meats, 
 pastry, pies, confections, beer, wines or liquors. 
 
 Supper : — White or brown bread, toast, crack- 
 ers, eggs, or a small piece of cold meat, tongue or 
 fowl, cheese, preserved fruit, small piece plain 
 cake, milk or buttermilk, cocoa or weak tea. 
 Avoid : Preserved or potted meat, hashes, lob- 
 ster or crabs, sausage, fresh biscuits, strong tea 
 or coffee. 
 
 Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly, drink 
 very little while eating, eat enough but not to 
 repletion, and rest afterward, are all rules to be 
 strictly followed. 
 
 Smoking is prohibited unless you have been an 
 
38 WHEELING. 
 
 inveterate, when it is not cut off entirely, but cut 
 down to just sufficient to keep the nerves from 
 rebelling. 
 
 It will thus be seen that training is not fun and 
 requires steadfast determination to go through 
 with it. 
 
 It becomes monotonous to ride over the same 
 road every day, especially if you are out for pleas- 
 ure, so that occasionally you will go off on an ex- 
 cursion either with a party, or with one or two 
 companions. If you go out with a club, you will 
 probably extract very little enjoyment from your 
 trip. A few of the strong men and experienced 
 riders set the pace and the rest are expected to 
 keep up with it. 
 
 The spirit of emulation and rivalry and pride 
 exerts you to keep it up until you are about ex- 
 hausted and even then you hate to give in. Most 
 of the injurious effects of wheeling can be traced 
 to this source. Most people would not ride too 
 far if they were alone. If they had to go a long 
 distance, they would at least stop and rest. An- 
 other common cause of over fatigue, is the habit 
 of some to ride out in one direction until they are 
 tired, forgetting they have the same distance to 
 return. Then if the wind is behind you going 
 outj it will be in your face coming back, and will 
 
HYGIENE. 39 
 
 require twice the exertion and endurance. When 
 you start out to ride, you should have some defi- 
 nite goal in view and know how far it is there and 
 back by the road you intend to take. If a point is 
 five miles away by one road, it may be ten by a 
 more circuitous one. 
 
 If you do not enjoy scenery and variety, stick to 
 the highways and bicycle paths. Otherwise it 
 will pay you to turn off into the byways and cross- 
 roads, now and then. The roads may not be so 
 good, but you will see some of the country which 
 is perhaps new to you. 
 
 A century is a run of one hundred miles at one 
 stretch. My advice to the average rider is to 
 never attempt a century. If you ride as far as 
 you feel able, without regard for the number of 
 miles, and when you look at your cyclometer, and 
 find you have made a hundred miles, all right. 
 It will not hurt you, done in that way. But the 
 frenzied ambition, so often met with, to run a 
 century, and brag about it to your friends, is re- 
 sponsible for many of the bad effects of wheeling. 
 The idea back of a century, is to make the run 
 in as short a time as possible. Thereby you miss 
 the scenery, you do not take time enough to eat, 
 or drink, or rest, and you put a severe strain on 
 your muscular and nervous system. 
 
40 WHEELING. 
 
 If against this advice, you do attempt a cent- 
 ury, you will do it with least harm to yourself 
 by observing the following rules, which apply as 
 well to all riding. 
 
 Take it easy. Do not attempt too hot a pace. 
 Walk up the steep hills, especially at the begin- 
 ning of a ride, or take a road to avoid them. Take 
 plenty of time for eating, and when you are thirsty 
 or tired, dismount, drink a little cool water and 
 rest at least five minutes. When you can no 
 longer breathe through your nose, but must open 
 your mouth, it is time to slow up, or stop and 
 rest. 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 41 
 
 II.— DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 
 
 The physician regards the bicycle as an agent 
 for the weal or woe of the physical health. 
 When the bicycle first came into popular use, the 
 medical profession did not seriously consider it as 
 a factor for good or bad, because the general im- 
 pression was, that wheeling was simply a fad, a 
 passing fancy, and would quickly run its course 
 to desuetude, as did roller skating before it. But 
 the conclusion gradually became dominant that 
 wheeling had come to stay, and then a shower 
 of literature on the subject fell all around us. 
 Some were violently opposed to it, and others 
 were strongly in favor of it, so that the public, 
 not knowing exactly what to do, went ahead and 
 learned to ride, in ever increasing numbers. Then 
 the clinical cases came in and physicians could 
 consider the effect of wheeling from practical ex- 
 perience. Most of those who were opposed to it 
 changed their opinion, until now there is hardly 
 a medical man who will not concede the virtues 
 of bicycling, under proper conditions and limit- 
 ations. 
 
42 WHEELING. 
 
 That the bicycle may prove hurtful to some 
 
 people is not denied. Considered as a harmful 
 
 agent, it can produce injury in two ways. It 
 
 can cause disease in a healthy individual and it 
 
 ' can aggravate existing diseases. 
 
 A violation of any of the rules of correct riding 
 is the only method of inducing injurious conse- 
 quences in a healthy person. Of course a great 
 many people think they are healthy when they 
 are not, and this statement would not apply to 
 them. 
 
 Health has been defined as the performance of 
 all the bodily functions by the different organs 
 without consciousness of their existence. 
 
 If a healthy person assumes a wrong position, 
 sits in a bad saddle, rides too far or too fast, 
 breathes improperly, etc., they may not become 
 seriously ill, but they cannot derive the best bene- 
 fits from wheeling. 
 
 The ailments which may be produced by faulty 
 riding have been alluded to, but it may not be 
 amiss to mention them again. 
 
 Breathing cold air through the mouth may 
 cause toothache, sore throat, bronchitis, etc., 
 beside the bad effects of dust and germs carried 
 directly into the lungs. 
 
 A bent position, where, for instance, you try 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 43 
 
 to sit upright and reach over for your handle 
 bars, will contract the lungs and produce round 
 shoulders. The inclined position, however, throws 
 the shoulders back and expands the lungs. 
 
 If you have a faulty saddle, one too narrow or 
 with a ridge in the center which presses on the 
 soft parts, instead of supporting the bony parts, 
 chafing, swelling, tumors, contusions, inflamma- 
 tion of the prostate or scrotum will be produced. 
 
 If you ride too fast, you may get a headache 
 or become dizzy from the effect of the rapidly 
 passing objects on the optic nerves, or the sing- 
 ing of the wind in the ears. 
 
 Or, if you ride too far, exhaustion, collapse, 
 muscular tremors, weakness, headache, insomnia, 
 loss of appetite, vomiting, nervous depression, 
 melancholia, or even a mild form of insanity, may 
 result. The contestants in the six-days' races, in 
 New York were all hardy, well-trained men, but 
 most of them showed the effect of such long 
 riding by exhibitions of despondency, insomnia, 
 suspicions of foul play, bysterical crying or 
 laughing, refusing to eat, riding backwards, etc. 
 
 But taking for granted that the correct method 
 of riding is followed and all the rules observed, 
 it can be positively stated that the use of the bi- 
 cycle will not only not hurt a healthy person, but 
 
44 WHEELING. 
 
 will materially benefit certain chronic diseases, 
 to be hereafter considered. 
 
 But let us first take up the diseases which will 
 be aggravated by wheeling. 
 
 All acute diseases should necessarily prohibit 
 the bicycle. By acute diseases is meant those 
 diseases which are of sudden onset, rapid prog- 
 ress and short duration. For example, a fever, 
 such as measles, or a cold, such as bronchitis, or 
 an inflammation, such as rheumatism, is an acute 
 disease. 
 
 If there is a tendency to apoplexy, wheeling 
 should not be indulged. The excitement and the 
 exertion might cause a rupture, which might re- 
 sult in unconsciousness and death. 
 
 Bright's Disease in most of its forms. Consump- 
 tion when advanced beyond its first stage. Or- 
 ganic heart disease (i. e. when the valves are 
 affected), are all conditions which should taboo 
 the bicycle. 
 
 Made into a list they would appear as follows : 
 
 1. All Acute Diseases. 
 
 2. Apoplexy (tendency to) 
 
 3. Bright's Disease. 
 
 4. Bronchitis. 
 
 5. Consumption (after first stage). 
 
 6. Dropsy (symptom) 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 45 
 
 7. Diarrhoea. 
 
 8. Fevers. 
 
 9. Heart disease (organic). 
 
 10. Inflammation. 
 
 11. Kheumatism. 
 
 12. Certain Female Diseases (Chapter III.). 
 There are also certain conditions of health 
 
 which should forbid wheeling. These will be 
 mentioned in the chapter for women. 
 
 As a remedial agent, bicycling is to be con- 
 sidered as curative and as prophylactic. Pro- 
 phylaxis means the prevention of disease. 
 Bicycling prevents disease by its beneficent action 
 on the general health. We speak of the action 
 of a drug, and we can speak of the action of a 
 bicycle, meaning its action on the human organ- 
 ism — not its mechanical action. Like a drug, its 
 action can be analyzed, and its character classi- 
 fied. Also like a drug, it is potent for good when 
 rightly taken and poisonous when over-dosed or 
 injudiciously administered. 
 
 Classified it stands as a tonic, and a stimulant ; 
 tonic to the general system, stimulant to the heart 
 and nervous system. Herein lies the secret of 
 its beneficent influence on certain chronic com- 
 plaints. 
 
 Diseases become chronic because the system 
 
46 WHEELING. 
 
 does not fully regain its normal tone after an 
 acute illness. Tonics are given with the view of 
 re-establishing this normal tone and so overcome 
 the disease. How the bicycle does this is an in- 
 teresting study and worth careful analysis. 
 
 In the first place, wheeling is an exercise — an 
 outdoor exercise, and as such exerts its greatest 
 influence ; — for all outdoor exercise is tonic in 
 action. If people would live more generally out 
 of doors and less in artificially heated apart- 
 ments, the increase in their health would aston- 
 ish them. But for various reasons, out-door ex- 
 ercise, with the exception of walking, is not access- 
 ible at all times, to all people. Mountain climb- 
 ing, tennis, rowing, swimming, base-ball, etc., 
 etc., etc., demands a certain season of the year. 
 Horseback riding is too expensive but for the 
 few. So that unless one walked all the time, or 
 occasionally ran, his out-door exercise was limited 
 to a few months in the summer. And even then 
 outdoor exercise was not general, because its dif- 
 ferent forms were not accessible to all. 
 
 Is it any wonder that the bicycle was received 
 with such general enthusiasm. It filled a long- 
 felt want. It was attractive, convenient, acces- 
 sible and inexpensive, suitable for both sexes, old 
 and young, rich and poor ; capable of indulgence 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 47 
 
 at all seasons, except when snow lay on the 
 ground. 
 
 'The first effect manifested by wheeling is 
 stimulation. The heart beats faster and with 
 more power. This is necessitated by the action 
 of the muscles, which, when exercised, demand 
 more blood, to carry off the effete carbon dioxide 
 and replace it with oxygen. 
 
 The demand for oxygen, which is taken from 
 the air by the blood while it is in the lungs, in- 
 creases the rapidity and depth of the inspiration. 
 The fresh air supplies oxygen to the blood, and 
 the blood supplies it to the tissues, which become 
 better nourished through this extra supply of 
 nutrition sent to them. Thus the organs secrete 
 more abundantly and perform their function 
 more normally. Digestion is improved and 
 physical power is increased by the more perfect 
 assimilation of the food. 
 
 By this somewhat terse explanation it will be 
 seen that if the circulation is improved, each part 
 of the body will be benefited. This is the secret 
 of the success of the bicycle in curing many 
 chronic affections. 
 
 Besides being an exercise, wheeling is a relaxa- 
 tion, a diversion and an exhilaration. Many of 
 the chronic nervous affections are caused by too 
 
48 WHEELING. 
 
 close an application to business or study, to 
 mental strain, worry or care. Wheeling takes one 
 away from the study, the shop, the office, or the 
 salesroom, with their confinement, or their bustle, 
 or their perplexities and sets the muscles work- 
 ing, and the lungs breathing, and the mind at 
 work in a different sphere : — either the peaceful 
 contemplation of nature, or the excitement of 
 rapid motion and exhilarating sport. 
 
 Then the effect of pleasant companionship is 
 not to be overlooked. The social contact of in- 
 dividuals does much to smooth out the wrinkles 
 of care and buoy up the heart of despondency. 
 Brooding over trouble, moroseness, pessimism, 
 all vanish before the tonic of a good companion. 
 
 Wheeling is thus seen to possess the stimulating 
 effect of exercise, and the tonic effect of relaxa- 
 tion, diversion, exhilaration and companionship. 
 It stimulates the circulation and thereby the nu- 
 trition, secretion and digestion. Eemembering 
 this, it will be easy to understand how it helps 
 the affections now to be considered. 
 
 Acne (or pimples), Eczema, etc. — The blood is 
 improved in quality. The activity of the skin is 
 increased by the exercise and the increased cir- 
 culation. The action of the wind and sun helps 
 the process. 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 49 
 
 Diseases of the Head and Nerves : Chorea 
 {St. Vitus Dance)^ Earache, Epilepsy {fits), Head- 
 ache, Hysteria, Insomnia, Irritability, Lumbago, 
 Melancholia, Migraine, Nervousness, Neuralgia, 
 Toothache. — By improving the general health the 
 nerves are better nourished. By exercising the 
 muscles the blood is drawn away from the head. 
 The relaxation, change of scene, exhilaration — 
 all rest the mind and restore the balance which is 
 necessary to maintain health. 
 
 Diseases of the Lungs and Respiratory Pas- 
 sage : Asthma, Catarrh, Consumption {1st stage), 
 Hay Fever. — The improved general health and 
 increased blood supply have a good effect on these 
 diseases. The increased lung expansion coupled 
 with the inspiration of the fresh air is the best 
 possible treatment for incipient consumption. 
 After consumption has progressed, however, be- 
 yond the first stage, i. e. when parts of the lungs 
 are solidified, or cavities exist, bicycling is apt to 
 bring on hemorrhages. It will also cause ex- 
 haustion very soon, in this^state. Therefore the 
 wheel should be used by consumptives only after 
 consultation with a physician. 
 
 Diseases of the Stomach and Digestion : An- 
 orexia {lost appetite), Constipation, Dyspepsia, 
 Flatidence, Gastric Catarrh, Indigestion. — This 
 
60 , WHEELING. 
 
 is the class of diseases most benefited by wheel- 
 ing. The exercise, the fresh air, the exhilaration, 
 etc., increase the appetite. The increased sup- 
 ply of improved blood sent to the organs ele- 
 vates their tone to the limit of health and the 
 glands secrete more freely. Thus the food 
 is better digested and constipation is over- 
 come. 
 
 Diseases of the Heart and Circulation : Ance- 
 mia (paleness), Fainting Habit, Heart Disease 
 {certain kinds). — The improved condition of the 
 blood helps the Anaemia. The only thing to do 
 where heart disease is suspected is to consult a 
 physician and abide by his decision. It would be 
 impossible to instruct the general reader how to 
 tell what kind of heart disease he has. If you be- 
 come short of breath on going upstairs, or after 
 other slight exertion, or if your heart palpitates, 
 or your skin gets blue at times, or your feet swell, 
 you would better see a physician at once, for they 
 are symptoms of heart disease. In all functional 
 disorders of the heart, bicycling does good. For 
 instance, smoker's heart is a functional disease, as 
 is also nervous palpitation. 
 
 Diseases of the Liver and Kidneys : Brighfs 
 Disease (chronic), Jaundice, Torpid Liver. — 
 The general systemic improvement exerts a ben- 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 51 
 
 eficial effect on these diseases. The liver is more 
 profoundly affected by horseback riding, but the 
 influence of wheeling, if not so marked, is at least 
 good. 
 
 General Systemic Conditions : Atony {Ema- 
 ciation), Debility, Gout, Malaria, Obesity, Opium 
 Habit, Scrofula, etc. — As wheeling tends to 
 boost the general health up to its normal standard, 
 these conditions, which exist only as the result of, 
 or in conjunction with poor health, are markedly 
 benefited. Obesity is itself a disease, and as 
 such will be relieved by anything which tends to 
 improve the general health. This is one way in 
 which wheeling reduces weight. The other is by 
 tbe combustion incident to the exercise. Many 
 people do not understand how wheeling will make 
 one person stout and reduce the flesh on another. 
 Excessive thinness or excessive fatness are both 
 variations from the normal health standard which 
 is peculiar to each individual. By helping the 
 system to approach this individual standard, the 
 trick is done. 
 
 Female Diseases will be considered in the next 
 chapter. 
 
 If an alphabetical list of the diseases which are 
 benefited by the bicycle were made, it would 
 appear as follows : 
 
62 WHEELING. 
 
 1. Acne (pimples). 
 
 2. Anaemia (paleness). 
 
 3. Anorexia (lost appetite). 
 
 4. Asthma (hay fever). 
 
 5. Atony (emaciation). 
 
 6. Bright's Disease (chronic). 
 
 7. Catarrh. 
 
 8. Chorea (St. Vitus' dance). 
 
 9. Constipation. 
 
 10. Consumption (1st stage). 
 
 11. Debility. 
 
 12. Dyspepsia. 
 
 13. Earache. 
 
 14. Eczema. 
 
 15. Epilepsy (fits). 
 
 16. Fainting Habit. 
 
 17. Flatulence (wind on stomach). 
 
 18. Gastric Catarrh (catarrh of stomach). 
 
 19. Gout. 
 
 20. Hay Fever. 
 
 21. Headache. 
 
 22. Heart Disease (certain kinds). 
 
 23. Hysteria. 
 
 24. Indigestion. 
 
 25. Insomnia. 
 
 26. Irritability. 
 
 27. Jaundice. 
 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 63 
 
 28. Lumbago. 
 
 29. Malaria. 
 
 30. Melancholia. 
 
 31. Migraine. 
 
 32. Nervousness. 
 
 33. Neuralgia. 
 
 34. Obesity. 
 
 35. Opium Habit. 
 
 36. Scrofula. 
 
 37. Toothache. 
 
 38. Torpid Liver. 
 
 39. Certain Female Diseases or Conditions. 
 
54 WHEELING. 
 
 Ill,— THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 
 
 The advent of the bicycle was a glorious boon 
 to womankind. Multitudes of the fair sex owe 
 increased health and lighter spirits to this ingen- 
 ious nechanism, aptly yclept the ^'silent steed. '^ 
 Time was when women were regarded as chattels, 
 the same as chairs or bedsteads, and they were ex- 
 changed and bartered like horses or cows. Ever 
 since that time woman's emancipation from the 
 enslavements of habit, custom, fashion and con- 
 servatism has been continuous and progressive, 
 until now the bicycle seems destined to annihilate 
 the last remaining fetter which binds her to servi- 
 tude and renders futile her effort to be man's 
 equal, if not his superior in everything save crude 
 strength. The subject of woman's dress has 
 occupied the minds of philosophers and dema- 
 gogues for a long time. In spite of all the efforts 
 of reformers to change it, the trailing skirt is still 
 with us — or rather, has been with us until the 
 bicycle wrought a change. 
 
 From time immemorial, woman has been 
 clothed in the very graceful and modest but 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 65 
 
 very unhygienic and inconvenient trailing skirt. 
 Whether our great-great-grandmothers regarded 
 them as a nuisance or not, has not been handed 
 down by history, so that we do not know, but it is 
 positively asserted by the women of to-day that 
 long skirts are decidedly inconvenient at times. 
 Especially those women who exercise the privilege 
 of this decade and take part in business declare the 
 long skirt hampers them in many ways. In wet 
 weather it becomes wet and muddy and uncom- 
 fortable and dangerous to health. In dry weather 
 it sweeps the streets and stirs up the microbes in 
 swirling dust clouds. But the main objection to 
 it by the up-to-date woman is its impediment to 
 the pursuit of exercise in a free and untrammeled 
 way. So great is the impediment that when 
 bicycle riding was attempted with long skirts, 
 it became dangerous, and the alternative immedi- 
 ately arose either to eschew the bicycle or dis- 
 card the skirts. So strong had the love of the 
 wheel grown in the female breast that all the pre- 
 cedent of ages was thrown to the winds ; the 
 bicycle was retained and the skirts cut down. 
 Thus did the bicycle accomplish what reformers 
 and philosophers and demagogues had striven in 
 vain to do. 
 But as important as the reform in dress is, the 
 
56 WHEELING. 
 
 bicyle has succeeded in effecting another innova- 
 tion in the life of women. It has taught her that 
 the condition of health depends a great deal upon 
 regular systematic exercise. Not that this is a 
 new theory just discovered ; it has been recognized 
 for ages, and its precepts followed by the male sex 
 generally and a few sensible women who have 
 organized gj^mnasia and athletic clubs. But it 
 takes a great deal of strong mind and tenacity of 
 purpose to swing clubs and pull at weights for any 
 length of time, and then it is not out-door exer- 
 cise, and is devoid of the spirit of sport. So that 
 the scope of the gymnasia and athletic clubs was 
 limited to the few. 
 
 The great majority of women had no oppor- 
 tunity for healthful out-door exercise, except such 
 as was presented for a few months in the summer 
 season. Even then only the few were benefited, 
 for rowing, or mountain climbing, or tennis, or 
 swimming, depended upon a trip to the country, 
 which in itself was expensive if extended, and a 
 trip of a few weeks was of no material benefit, 
 for it could not be expected to last over the fifty 
 weeks of the rest of the year. 
 
 Then what was the daily life of the average 
 woman during the winter months ? Those who 
 did not occupy themselves with house- work, which 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 57 
 
 is woman s safety-valve for many of her nervous 
 troubles, were compelled to sit around in-doors, 
 during the day, reading or sewing or gossiping, 
 and building up towers of headaches and mount- 
 ains of backaches ; or perhaps indulging in a 
 shopping tour, with its constant standing and 
 walking in dusty streets and dustier stores ; jos- 
 tling and pushing amidst bustling crowds ; a ten- 
 sion to the nerves, a strain to the muscles and an 
 insult to the lungs. 
 
 The manner in which the evening to such a 
 day was spent was even worse. A trip to the 
 theater means from two to three^ hours in an over- 
 heated, poorly ventilated room, sitting still in a 
 narrow seat, often with the street wraps unre- 
 moved. Many people on coming from a theater 
 have a desire to yawn and stretch themselves — 
 signs that the system needs exercise. Men pri- 
 marily went out between the acts simply to stretch 
 themselves and get a breath of fresh air. The 
 drinking was an afterthought. If not to the 
 theater, perhaps a dance is attended. The same 
 unsanitary conditions of overheat, bad venti- 
 lation and dust prevail here, no matter where 
 the dance is given. If the dancing is done on a 
 crash or carpet, fine particles of floss or napp are 
 whirled into circulation, to be inhaled ; and if on 
 
68 WHEELING. 
 
 a board floor, although not so bad, still some dust 
 and fine splinters will find a resting-place in the 
 lungs. 
 
 The evening may be spent in bowling. Women 
 entirely unused to muscular exertion will attempt 
 to bowl an entire evening, with the effect that 
 their right arm is nearly paralyzed before they 
 cease and remains lame for days afterward 
 Bowling would not be so bad, if both hands were 
 used, but as it is at present, only one side of the 
 body is developed. 
 
 If one wants to be convinced of what bicycling 
 has done for our women, let him compare a mod- 
 ern, up-to-date bicycle girl with a girl who has 
 followed a mode of life similar to that outlined 
 above. The springy step, the erect carriage, the 
 clear eye, the fresh complexion, the well-balanced 
 poise of the head and body, all proclaim the new 
 order of things — the triumph of the bicycle. 
 
 Wheeling is an alluring outdoor exercise. It 
 can be indulged during the major part of the year 
 by old and young, rich and poor, male and female. 
 It is a sport which will permit of single solitary 
 enjoyment or participation by any number of 
 people together. It is particularly attractive to 
 women on account of its novelty. It is something 
 new for them to have opportunity to enjoy ex- 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 59 
 
 hilarating out-door exercise without restraint. 
 The rapid and easy motion, the companionship, the 
 competition, the exploration of new country, each 
 adds its charm. The bicycle has become a fixture 
 in the life of womankind. 
 
 Compared with horseback riding, wheeling has 
 everything in its favor. In the first place the 
 position of the rider on a bicycle is vastly better 
 than that usually assumed by women on a horse. 
 When women progress far enough to ride a horse 
 astraddle, this difference will vanish. The at- 
 tempt to sit on a horse sideways and look straight 
 ahead is wrong in principle and detrimental to 
 physical beauty. The wonder is that more cases 
 of curvature of the spine are not reported as the 
 result of the present fashion. 
 
 The jolting of horseback riding is regarded by 
 some as good for the liver. This is not denied 
 here ; but if good for the liver, it is decidedly 
 bad for the pelvic organs. In wheeling there is 
 no jolting to speak of. 
 
 The cheapness of the bicycle compared with the 
 horse is apparent to all. The silent steed requires 
 no stable, no feed, nor any water. Safety is also 
 a consideration of importance. Although many 
 cases of bad falls from the bicycle have been re- 
 ported, they are due to carelessness of the rider, 
 
60 WHEELING. 
 
 generally. A wheel will not get frightened and 
 run away, or shy, or balk, or otherwise misbe- 
 have, as a horse is apt to do. 
 
 Critics, dissenters and moralists have antagon- 
 ized the bicycle for women for various reasons, 
 chief among which is its moral influence. This 
 phase of wheeling has acquired such importance 
 through sensational discussions and newspaper 
 articles, that it will be carefully considered in the 
 next chapters. The other pretext of the critics 
 lies in the field of health. 
 
 The subject is of course an important one, for 
 everybody prizes health. Especially is this so in 
 the feminine world. The questions usually heard 
 on all sides are : — ^'Is it healthful for a woman 
 to ride the bicycle ? " and '^ Are conditions of 
 chronic female complaints benefited by wheel- 
 ing?" 
 
 The argument most commonly advanced by the 
 critic is that bicycle riding is akin to operating 
 on the sewing machine, and it is hard to under- 
 stand how a physician can recommend one and 
 condemn the other. 
 
 It ceases to be difficult of comprehension when 
 the two are analyzed and their differences con- 
 trasted, for they are as different as can be. 
 
 The sewing machine necessitates a stooping 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 61 
 
 posture, similar to that assumed by some people 
 in writing or studying. It is fine work : the 
 needle must follow a straight line close to the 
 edge of a fabric and not run over the edge. Close 
 application is necessary, and the eye and the mind 
 are constantly concentrated on the work going on, 
 at the same time the legs are constantly moving 
 from the knees down, in a see-saw motion, and 
 both together. They occupy a position in advance 
 of the body and support none of its weight. There 
 is no alternate motion such as the spinal cord is 
 accustomed to in the acts of walking, running, 
 etc. Add to this the fact that the operator is sit- 
 ting still, in a confined, indoor atmosphere, with 
 no diversion or change, for perhaps a whole day 
 at a time, and you have before you the fac- 
 tors potent in rendering sewing by the machine 
 harmful. 
 
 In bicycling there is no stooping posture ; the 
 eyes are not concentrated upon a spot within 
 twelve inches of the nose ; there is abundant mo- 
 tion, lots of excitement, plenty of diversion ; the 
 legs are under the body, supporting part of its 
 weight and working alternately as in walking ; 
 the thigh and hip, and, for that matter, the whole 
 body, as well as the lower leg, is exercised ; and 
 the operator has plenty of fresh air and sunlight. 
 
62 WHEELING. 
 
 Thus it will be seen the two are incomparably 
 different. 
 
 Another contention, advanced by some medical 
 men, is that riding the bicycle is apt to render 
 child-bearing more painful and dangerous than 
 heretofore. They reason that by increasing the 
 strength and power of the perineum muscles, 
 they will more effectually resist the birth of the 
 head, and instead of the sphincter dilating it will 
 rupture. 
 
 The fallacy of this reasoning can be proved 
 in a few words. Bicycle riding tends to make 
 childbirth easier and safer in the following way. 
 A muscle will perform its functions more nat- 
 urally when it is healthy and sound. Bicycle 
 riding tends to bring all the muscles, tissues and 
 organs up nearer to the perfect health limit. 
 The natural function of the perineum muscles is 
 to support the pelvic contents, it is true, but they 
 are also supposed to stretch easily when required 
 to do so by the efforts of nature to expel the 
 foetus. Then the uterine muscles and the abdom- 
 inal muscles, being healthier and stronger, exert 
 more propulsive power, which would more easily 
 overcome the resistance of the perineum muscles. 
 
 Of course the healthfulness of bicycling is mod- 
 ified by the conditions under which it is prac- 
 
PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Upright Position (female)— Loop Frame Wheel — Long Skirt Costume — 
 
 High Handle Bars 
 
 — Page 6J. 
 
THE BYCICLE FOR WOMEN. 63 
 
 ticed. The costume, the position of the rider, the 
 length of the ride and the method of riding are 
 all factors to be counted in. But taking for 
 granted that the fair rider is anxious to, and is 
 doing everything right, the question, ^^Is it 
 healthful for a woman to ride ? " is simplified and 
 can be answered with one word, ^^ Yes." 
 
 There is no valid reason why a woman may not 
 derive as much benefit from cycling as a man. 
 True, she is built differently, but she breathes the 
 same air, eats the same food, and she has a 
 heart and muscles that need exercising to keep 
 them healthy. The theory seems to be perfectly 
 correct that what is good for a man's muscles is 
 also good for a woman's. 
 
 All that has been said in the previous chapters 
 refers equally to women as to men. It should 
 be understood, however, that a woman, being 
 more finely organized than a man, cannot endure 
 as much hard work, nor for so long a time. 
 Therefore her rides should be shorter. She also 
 suffers more nerve strain than a man ; therefore 
 her riding should be slower. With these amend- 
 ments the same rules of hygiene govern the 
 female bicyclist as the male. 
 
 *'But you don't mean that a woman should 
 bend over like a man ? " Precisely, if you will sub- 
 
64 WHEELING. 
 
 stitute the word ^ incline" for ^^bend." The in- 
 clined position is the only rational one to assume 
 on the bicycle. The definition of this position 
 and its many advantages have been carefully 
 considered in the chapter on Hygiene. If it is 
 advantageous for a man to ride in this position, it 
 is equally so for a woman. Even supposing she 
 is conformed differently in certain parts, it simply 
 necessitates a change in the form and adjustment 
 of the saddle — not the position. 
 
 In addition to the better control of the wheel 
 and the greater facility for the exercise of the 
 power, the inclined position has a correcting in- 
 fluence on a female complaint which is commoner 
 than it ought to be in otherwise healthy young 
 women. Eeference is made to the backward dis- 
 placement of the womb. The causes which pro- 
 duce this condition are various, but one of the 
 commonest is the habit of bending over a desk 
 while writing or studying. Here the pelvis is 
 straight while the body is bent at the small of the 
 back and the shoulders brought forward. All the 
 abdominal organs are thus crowded down on the 
 anterior aspect of the uterus, pushing it back- 
 ward and straining and stretching the round 
 ligaments which are meant to hold it in place. 
 Now what does the inclined position on the bicycle 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 65 
 
 do ? It tilts the pelvis forward too, so that its 
 inclination is exactly the same as that of the 
 body ; — they form a straight line. The organs 
 are not crowded down but occupy their normal 
 positions. The round ligaments are relaxed by 
 the falling forward of the body of the uterus, and 
 are enabled and stimulated to regain their tone 
 and take in their slack, by the increased nutri- 
 tion sent to them by the healthful exercise. 
 
 But if the inclined position is assumed, it is 
 necessary to have a saddle which is so formed 
 that it will support the bony points of the seat 
 (called the ischial tuberosities), and not cause any 
 pressure on the soft parts. In order to effect 
 this, the saddle must be wide enough in the 
 posterior two-thirds to full contain the buttocks, 
 and narrow enough anteriorly to avoid chafing 
 the thighs. 
 
 This brings up the important question, ^' Which 
 of the saddles on the market is the best ? " Al- 
 most every conceivable invention of a saddle is 
 now manufactured, so that there is a wide choice 
 and almost everybody can be 'satisfied. 
 
 A woman's saddle should be wider than a man's, 
 and a woman with a wide pelvis should have a 
 wider saddle than a woman with a narrow pelvis. 
 Stoutness does not necessarily imply the posses- 
 
66 WHEELING. 
 
 sion of a wide pelvis. I have seen very slender 
 women with very wide pelvis. When choosing 
 a saddle the best way is to select one which you 
 think will meet your requirements and then try 
 it. If it causes pressure or soreness where it 
 ought not to, change it, for it will be dangerous 
 to try and break yourself into a faulty saddle as 
 people break in new shoes. There is a concern in 
 New York where they fit saddles to each individ- 
 ual. Impressions of the seat are taken in plas- 
 ter, and the saddle is constructed after the model 
 so obtained, and a perfect fit guaranteed. 
 
 A saddle for women should not contain a raised 
 pommel ; rather a depressed one. Some saddles 
 have no pommel at all, the rider sitting on them 
 as on the edge of a chair. They are not com- 
 fortable to riders who do not ride a great deal in 
 their pedals. The vicious '* center ridge," or 
 ** ridge pole " saddle, formerly seen so frequently, 
 is seldom seen nowadays. It was the chief fault 
 of a cheap saddle. The sagging of the leather on 
 either side produced a ridge in the center which 
 was the cause of many injuries. The '^ham- 
 mock " or " sagging " saddle was produced in the 
 same way — the weight of the body causing the 
 center to relax. 
 
 The adjustment of the saddle is next in impor- 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 67 
 
 tance to its shape. You will have to find out 
 your own proper adjustment by your experience. 
 On general principles, for women, and in fact for 
 all riders, the saddles should be straight — neither 
 tilted up or down in front. If tilted, the poise is 
 at once destroyed, the proper support gone and 
 the adjustment of the parts altered, so that a 
 good fitting saddle, wrongly adjusted, may be 
 more injurious than the worst saddle made. 
 
 When you first begin to ride you will like a 
 soft, cushiony saddle, a regular feather-bed sort of 
 saddle, for you will sit in it with your whole 
 weight, especially if you affect the upright posi- 
 tion. But after you have become a proficient 
 rider, and abandoning the upright position assume 
 the inclined, you will want as hard and light a 
 saddle as you can find. The reason is you will 
 have learned to ride more in your pedals, using 
 your saddle only as a rest to be leaned against. 
 Even in horseback riding, a good mount rides in 
 his stirrups, using the saddle only as a rest. 
 
 The costume which is proper for a woman to 
 wear has been the subject of more literature, 
 more discussion, more argument and more differ- 
 ence of opinion than any other one phase of wheel- 
 ing. Modesty has been pitted against service- 
 ability, morality against attractiveness, and con- 
 
68 WHEELING. 
 
 servatism against progression ; and a right royal 
 combat was waged until Dame Fashion stepped 
 into the arena and settled all disputes by pro- 
 claiming " le habilimente propre" to be a short 
 skirt, reaching half-way from the knee to the 
 ankle, and leather leggins or boots. The skirt 
 was made full and bloomers were worn beneath. 
 
 This kind of skirt, however, had its drawbacks. 
 At times it was awkward, got caught in the wheel 
 and in the pedals, and was immodestly tossed by 
 the wind. A few women abandoned it altogether 
 and appeared in bloomers, but such a howl of de- 
 rision was raised that the bloomers soon went 
 out of sight. 
 
 At this stage a fashionable New York modiste 
 came to the fore with a costume which he de- 
 signed and called after himself, the '' Luey 
 costume." It consists of a divided skirt so ar- 
 ranged that when the wearer stands it falls to- 
 gether and looks exactly like a complete skirt, but 
 when seated on the wheel, it divides in the back, 
 to hang down gracefully from the saddle. So 
 popular has this costume become that it is now 
 worn by four-fifths of all the female bicylists in 
 this vicinity. 
 
 But whatever kind of a costume you select, be 
 sure it does not confine the movements of your 
 
PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Correct Position— Luey Costume— Loop Frame Wheel— Droop 
 Handle Bars 
 
 —Page 68. 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 69 
 
 body, or constrict any portion of it, for you need 
 all the freedom possible. Tight corsets while ex- 
 ercising do damage in many ways. The stomach 
 and spleen are pushed upward and backward, 
 against the heart, interfering with its action. 
 The liver is pressed upon and pushed upward, 
 diminishing the space in which the lungs expand. 
 The intestines are crowded down on the pelvic 
 organs, which are liable to be displaced, and the 
 pressure on the large vessels causes a stagnation 
 of blood in the valveless veins of the sexual organs 
 — a potent cause of many of the ailments pecul- 
 iar to women. 
 
 If the corsets are abandoned and the waist con- 
 stricted by tight waist- bands of skirts, etc., it is 
 worse than if the corsets were worn, for the con- 
 striction then is a narrow string, while the corset 
 is a diffuse pressure. Health waists are no better 
 than corsets if worn tight. It is true they have 
 no steels, and this is an advantage. They are the 
 best to wear if something of this nature must be 
 worn. They preserve the shape and support the 
 back muscles, which are weak in women who 
 have worn tight corsets for a long time. 
 
 It would be better if women went without 
 corsets, even if they put them on again after leav- 
 ing the wheel. An immense advantage to health 
 
70 WHEELING. 
 
 would accrue, but personal appearance would 
 suffer, and this is a great desideratum in most 
 feminine eyes. 
 
 Considered from a hygienic point of view, the 
 best and simplest costume yet devised for women 
 is as follows : — 
 
 1. Union garments of silk or thin wool. 
 
 2. Equestrian tights from knee to waist, or 
 bloomers same as for men. 
 
 3. Stockings. 
 
 4. High boots. 
 
 5. Shirt waist or woolen waist. 
 
 6. Short skirt. 
 
 Y. Eton or Luey jacket. 
 
 8. Alpine, Derby, straw, or Tam O'Shanter hat. 
 
 The equestrian tights are made of heavy woolen 
 and reach to below the knee. The stockings are 
 held up by the band of the tights or bloomers. 
 Garters should not be worn, as they constrict the 
 surface veins and may cause varicose veins. The 
 boots should fit well and lace snugly to just be- 
 low the knee. The skirt should be short enough 
 to clear the pedals. On most women of average 
 height, this would bring it to a few inches below 
 the knee — a point entirely modest and very be- 
 coming. The jacket may be discarded on hot days. 
 The choice of hat will depend on individual fancy 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 71 
 
 and taste. Derbys are not becoming to all faces. 
 A trimmed hat looks as bad on a wheel as a silk 
 hat would look on a man. 
 
 Although this seems to be the regulation cos- 
 tume for women, a great variety can be obtained 
 merely by the choice of material. Individual 
 taste and personal requirements will of course be 
 consulted in this matter, but a tip may not be 
 amiss. Brown is a color which is most service- 
 able and looks best under all conditions of travel. 
 A black suit will become covered with dust and 
 look nasty ; a blue one will fade ; and so on 
 through the list of the colors. If a woman wears 
 a plaid or other loud color, or a combination of 
 striking colors, she will attract attention and per- 
 haps incite ridicule or occasion unkind remark. 
 
 Cloth or leather leggings, worn over ordinary 
 shoes, make the leg and ankle look clumsy and 
 awkward. It is far more becoming to wear no 
 covering at all over the stocking, and in warm 
 weather it is vastly more comfortable. Low 
 shoes with black or tan stockings are getting to be 
 very commonly worn now. 
 
 Sweaters are worn by many women, either with 
 or without a coat over them. They are comfort- 
 able on cool days, but are not very becoming. 
 The combination of a sweater with bloomers and 
 
72 WHEELING. 
 
 a Derby makes a girl look very mamish and per- 
 haps 'Hough," especially if she rides a diamond 
 frame wheel and bends over like a scorcher. 
 
 The diamond frame wheel is much better than 
 the loop frame to ride on if one's skirt is short 
 enough. Its advantages are : It is lighter ; it is 
 more compact and handier to manage ; and it is 
 easier to maintain the correct position upon it. 
 If the skirt is a divided one and reaches only to 
 the knee, the diamond frame may be used with 
 safety and propriety. To mount it, the skirt must 
 first be lifted over the saddle and then the mount 
 made from the rear over the saddle in the same 
 manner as described in a previous chapter. 
 
 Of the effect of wheeling on the female organ- 
 ism, much might be said and little understood by 
 the lay reader. Therefore I will confine myself, 
 as far as possible, to common terms, and endeavor 
 to explain clearly and concisely the nature, causes 
 and consequences of the numerous female com- 
 plaints, and to show how the bicycle aif ects them. 
 
 The diseases peculiar to women which may be 
 benefited by wheeling are : — 
 Painful Menstruation. 
 Backache. 
 Constipation. 
 Headache. 
 
PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Bloomer Costume — Scorcher's Position — Diamond Frame Wheel — 
 Ram's Horn Handle Bars 
 
 — Page 72. 
 
THE BICYCLE FOE WOMEN. 73 
 
 Nervousness. 
 
 Hysteria. 
 
 Malaise, or ^^ Tired Feeling." 
 
 Leucorrhoea, or *^ Whites." 
 The manner in which the bicycle helps these 
 ailments involves the same principle which gov- 
 erns its effect on other diseases. The healthy out- 
 door exercise and muscular exertion, stimulating 
 the heart and circulation, carries better nourish- 
 ment to the organs and tissues, giving them a 
 healthier tone and an ability to perform their 
 function more naturally. The increase in the 
 general health exerts a marked influence on local 
 disease — an effect which prolonged local treat- 
 ment may fail to accomplish. 
 
 Painful menstruation is a female disorder more 
 common than it should be. Normally this func- 
 tion should be painless. It was never intended 
 that women should suffer during this period. 
 The causes are various, and are mostly due to a 
 faulty development or position of the uterus and 
 chronic inflammation of that^organ. The bicycle 
 will not help it if caused by a tumor or deformity, 
 but if due to a chronic congestion or inflamma- 
 tion, the wheeling does good by improving the 
 tone of the pelvic organs. 
 Backache is probably the commonest of all 
 
74 WHEEL.1NG. 
 
 female complaints. It accompanies almost all of 
 the disordered conditions peculiar to women. 
 Some of the more frequent of its causes are : — 
 Backward displacement of the womb, chronic in- 
 flammation of the uterus or ovaries, tumors, and 
 procidentia, or falling of the womb. If your 
 backache is caused by chronic inflammation of 
 the uterus and ovaries, it will be benefited by 
 bicycling. But if there is present a fixed back- 
 ward displacement it will be only aggravated by 
 wheeling. If the displacement is movable, and 
 the womb is placed forward by your physician, 
 and treated locally, discreet bicycle exercise is im- 
 mensely valuable and may exert a complete cure. 
 The bicycle cannot help the backache caused by 
 tumors or falling of the womb. 
 
 Constipation is produced from the same causes 
 as backache, together with the contributing 
 causes of sedentary habits, inactivity and errors 
 of diet. It is common to nine-tenths of all wo- 
 men, whether they have anything else the mat- 
 ter with them or not. It may be cured by wheel- 
 ing if it be caused by sedentary habits, inactivity, 
 errors of diet, or movable displacements that are 
 treated : but it will be only slightly relieved if 
 the additional conditions mentioned under back- 
 ache are present. 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 75 
 
 Headache goes hand in hand with backache. 
 It is sometimes the only symptom that a woman 
 will complain of. A celebrated professor of thera- 
 peutics has said there are fourteen kinds of head- 
 ache, and therefore fourteen causes of it. If 
 your headache is located in the top of your head, 
 and is more severe at the time of your period, 
 you may attribute it to your ovaries. If it oc- 
 curs in the front part of the head, through the 
 temple, look out for your stomach and cure 
 your constipation. If in the back of the head, 
 perhaps the entire contents of your pelvis are 
 chronically congested. Wheeling exerts a mark- 
 edly good influence on all kinds of headache. 
 The general toning up of the organs, the exhilara- 
 tion of the exercise, the change of the scene and 
 the fresh air have a more potent influence than 
 any drug. 
 
 Nervousness, hot flashes, cold hands and feet, 
 flushing, etc., are all manifestations of the 
 nervous system due to a local disturbance prob- 
 ably in the ovaries. ^ 
 
 Hysteria is this nerve manifestation accentu- 
 ated. The name itself is derived from the Greek 
 word '* Hyster " meaning uterus, and applied by 
 the ancients to that profound disturbance of the 
 nervous equilibrium emanating from the uterus. 
 
76 WHEELING. 
 
 Wheeling helps these nervous disorders by re- 
 lieving the nerve tension in much the same man- 
 ner as a locomotive ''blows off " its accumulated 
 steam, when it is at a standstill. If the steam 
 was retained an explosion would result. Hysteria 
 is an explosion of the nervous system and bicy- 
 cling is a newly invented safety-valve. 
 
 Malaise, or '' that tired feeling," or laziness, 
 whichever you wish to call it, is frequently caused 
 by an unhealthy cendition of the sexual organs, 
 coupled with constipation and inactivity of the 
 liver. It may also be caused by overwork, and 
 then the remedy is rest. Otherwise a little work 
 often cures that tired feeling. Some wit has 
 tersely said, ''If you feel tired, work it off." 
 The kind of tired feeling which wheeling helps 
 is that caused by indolence, — the stagnation of 
 the system's machinery. A ride in the open 
 country revivifies the whole system. 
 
 Leucorrhoea, or "whites," is not necessarily an 
 indication of weakness, as many suppose. When 
 you have a cold in your head, the nose secretes 
 abundant mucus, as is commonly known, and the 
 cause is understood. The neck of the womb se- 
 cretes a mucus, because there is a chronic con- 
 gestion present, and this secretion is Nature's 
 method of relief to it. Another cause may be 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 77 
 
 lacerations or tumors. When these are present, 
 bicycling will do more harm than good. Other- 
 wise wheeling is very beneficial to leucorrhoea. 
 The force at work here is the increased blood sup- 
 ply and the improved nutrition of all the pelvic 
 organs. 
 
 The bicycle is not a panacea for all the ills of 
 womankind. It has its limitations, and there are 
 certain conditions in which it will do absolute 
 harm. 
 
 Pelvic tumors of all kinds are a contra-indica- 
 tion to the use of the bicycle. From its use 
 these tumors may be stimulated to grow larger 
 by the increase in the blood supply to the 
 pelvis. 
 
 Acute inflammation should, of course, prohibit 
 the wheel, as should the condition of pregnancy. 
 Wheeling will also be much safer dispensed with 
 during the period of menstruation. 
 
 Lacerations of the pelvic floor should be repaired 
 before wheeling is attempted. 
 
 Adherent retroversion, or fixed backward dis- 
 placement of the womb, should be treated first, 
 the adhesions broken down and the uterus re- 
 placed before wheeling will be of service as a cura- 
 tive agent. 
 
 Wheeling is prejudicial to procidentia, or fall- 
 
i Q WHEELING. 
 
 ing of the womb, and should not be practiced if 
 this condition is present. 
 
 The bicycle has been known to have a favorable 
 effect on the nervous disturbances of the meno- 
 pause, or change of life. It may seem to some 
 that forty-five years of age is rather late in life 
 to begin bicycle riding, but it is not an uncom- 
 mon sight to see gray-haired men and women 
 astride a wheel on the boulevards or pathways, 
 enjoying it as much as the youngest. 
 
 When a woman undertakes to ride a wheel, it 
 will pay her to remember the following tips : 
 
 Be careful to increase the length of the ride grad- 
 ually. 
 
 Always dismount and walk up steep hills. 
 
 Never go so fast that breathing becomes labored. 
 
 Never sit down on damp or cool ground when 
 heated. 
 
 Learn to use the pedals instead of the brake. 
 
 Best frequently during long rides and after 
 riding. 
 
 If the heart palpitates stop and rest. 
 
 The future of bicycling for women is even more 
 promising than its present is fulfilling. What 
 is done by the present generation will have its 
 effect on future generations. With healthier 
 women will come healthier children. And child- 
 
THE BICYCLE FOR WOMEN. 79 
 
 bearing itself will be easier. As the health of 
 woman increases, she will acquire stronger mus- 
 cles and steadier nerves. Her menstrual periods 
 will tend to become painless. And last, but not 
 least, she will wear a more hygienic dress — an 
 epoch toward which the female world has been 
 struggling for a century. 
 
80 WHEELING. 
 
 IV.— MOKALITY. 
 
 I have run across so much that has been said 
 and written derogatory to the bicycle as a moral 
 agent, and defamatory to the fair name of its 
 female devotees, and, meeting with none who has 
 had the temerity to defend them, I am impelled 
 to take up this theme with much hesitation, for 
 fear I may cause offence to some, but with the 
 hope that I may correct the wrong impressions of 
 many, if I may not convince all, and with the 
 firm conviction that my arguments are tenable 
 and are worth setting forth, even if they can be 
 disproved. 
 
 The moral side of bicycling has almost as much 
 to do with the physician as the physical side, for 
 morality is closely related to health. But aside 
 from this, a physician, by reason of his learning 
 and favorable opportunities for observation, has 
 a vantage ground from which he is a powerful 
 factor in molding public opinion. 
 
 The female riders are mostly concerned in the 
 morality of bicycling. By old tradition and long 
 custom, a woman is debarred from the moral 
 
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MORALITY. 81 
 
 freedom that is accorded to man. Whether she 
 will ever demolish this difference is for the future 
 to tell. At the present time, a woman has to 
 consider very carefully the moral effect of every- 
 thing she does. 
 
 Since the bicycle became popular as an exercise 
 for women, hosts of social reformers and dema- 
 gogues have arisen to denounce it as an immoral in- 
 stitution. Newspapers and magazines have been 
 flooded with their arguments and assertions, and 
 anti-bicycle crusades have been launched, until it 
 was thought that surely such an evil would take 
 wings and fly away ; but, lo and behold, what is 
 the result ? — More women ride bicycles now than 
 ever before. 
 
 The most grievous and lamentable charge that 
 the anti-bicyclists make against the fair name of 
 the female riders is unfortunately not advisable 
 to take up for discussion in a book of this kind. 
 It has been discussed and argued and refuted in 
 the medical journals throughout the country, but 
 in spite of the fact that it has been proven to be 
 impossible, some people still think it a logical 
 sequence to riding the wheel. 
 
 The subject of short skirts has received more 
 attention and open discussion than any other of the 
 moral aspects of cycling. The reformers have 
 
82 WHEELING. 
 
 harped upon this theme until it is threadbare. 
 The public has been impressed by their argu- 
 ments, but not influenced much, for shorter skirts 
 are now worn more than ever before. 
 
 When bicycling was first essayed by women, 
 everybody realized the danger that lurked in the 
 ordinary long skirt. All manner of devices was 
 invented to prevent the skirt from catching in the 
 wheel and pedals, but without success. Every 
 woman who rode the bicycle was in constant 
 danger of a serious fall. Then a few courageous 
 women abandoned the long skirt and donned a 
 shorter one, and were stared at and ridiculed by 
 the public. The public, however, soon realized 
 the good sense of the innovation, and then the 
 great crowd of female riders followed the suit 
 led by the brave pioneers, and short skirts be- 
 came a recognized essential to bicycling. The 
 pendulum of reform swung even further, as it 
 always will when once started. Some women 
 discarded skirts altogether, appearing in bloomers. 
 Others donned even tight knickerbockers, sweat- 
 ers, derbys, and rode diamond frame wheels, so 
 great was their zeal to shake off the enthralments 
 of femininity. This, however, was overdoing 
 the thing, and the public revolted. It was not 
 necessary to discard the skirt entirely, and there- 
 
•^.zzi'iK.isa.- 
 
 PHOTO BY BUTLER 
 
 Female Scorcher— Male Attire— Diamond Frame Wheel— Ram's 
 Horn Handle Bars 
 
 — Pas^e 82. 
 
MORALITY. 83 
 
 fore it was not universally done. A short skirt 
 was considered to be safe, appropriate and modest, 
 and it is now the recognized costume for female 
 cyclists. 
 
 It is amusing to observe the transitional stages 
 of a woman's conception of modesty, as she takes 
 up wheeling and progresses in it. At first a 
 skirt six inches off the ground is plenty short 
 enough. After wheeling a few weeks an addition- 
 al few inches are amputated, for she has found 
 that the skirt catches in the wheel and on the 
 pedals, and perhaps she has had a few falls there- 
 from. When she has been wheeling a few months 
 the skirt has shrunk to her knees, not from the ac- 
 tion of the elements, but by means of her scissors. 
 She will tell you, if interrogated, that her ideas 
 of modesty have changed. She no longer con- 
 siders it modest to endanger her life and health 
 for the sake of keeping a few inches of her leg 
 under cover. 
 
 All of which brings forcibly to mind the fact 
 that dress is merely an arbitrary custom, any way. 
 It is because we are brought up to regard women 
 as an exposition of dry goods, that we are so 
 wrought up when we become visibly aware that 
 a real live body exists beneath the drapery. There 
 are certain countries v/here clothing is not worn 
 
84 WHEELING. 
 
 at all, and yet the honor and morality of the popu- 
 lace, considering their barbaric state, is better 
 than ours. The Greek historians tell us that, 
 during the reign of Lycurgus, the Spartan law- 
 giver, in G-reece, the '^younger women were en- 
 couraged to wear exceeding scanty costume, and 
 the virgins were accustomed to dance and sing 
 unclothed in the presence of the young men, in 
 the national festivals." This historian further 
 states that ^'by wearing the scanty garment, or 
 none at all, the Spartan girls had freedom in the 
 exercises of running, wrestling and throwing 
 quoits or darts, and their bodies became strong and 
 vigorous." 
 
 Plutarch, the famous moralizer, comments on 
 this custom as follows: *^ As for the virgins appear- 
 ing naked, there was nothing disgraceful in it, 
 because everything was conducted with modesty 
 and without one indecent word or action ; nay, it 
 caused a simplicity of manners and an emulation 
 for the best habit of body ; their ideas, too, were 
 naturally enlarged, while they were not excluded 
 from their share of bravery and honor." 
 
 But the United States is neither a cannibal 
 island nor the land of Lacedsemonia. We are gov- 
 erned by our inherited ideas on the subject of 
 modesty. If we are to be educated to a higher 
 
MOKALITY. 85 
 
 plane of thougnt it must be done gradually. The 
 abbreviated bicycle skirt is the first step in that 
 direction. 
 
 When the reformers denounce the bicycle short 
 skirt, they overlook two other grosser evils in the 
 realm of modern dress. The bicycle costume does 
 not expose the person so much as either the ball 
 dress or bathing costume. In the ball dress the 
 neck and bosom, a portion of the back and the 
 arms are bare. In the bicycle no part of the body 
 is bare but the face. The bathing costume is a 
 more complete expose of nature than the ball 
 dress. Beside the parts that are bare, the entire 
 shape is revealed by the clinging suit, when it 
 is wet, and the legs are exposed far more than is 
 the case in the bicycle costume. Yet the public 
 has viewed with equanimity these two established 
 customs of dress, while decrying the growing 
 popularity of the short bicycle skirt. Not that any 
 of them, the ball dress or the bathing suit or the 
 bicycle costume, should be considered immodest : — 
 they are simply referred to here for the purpose 
 of comparison. The public has become used to 
 two of them, and they wiirget used to the third. 
 It is simply a case of getting used to it. 
 
 The subject of Sunday riding has enjoyed peri- 
 odical discussion every since the popularization of 
 
86 WHEELING. 
 
 he bicycle. Arguments for and against it have 
 been hurled back and forth by prominent minds, 
 until now the general opinion, even of clergymen, 
 seems to be that cycling on Sunday is a far less 
 evil than many of the pleasurable pursuits here- 
 tofore regarded as not violating the Sabbath. 
 Carriage riding, traveling in cars, cabs or rail- 
 roads, or patronizing pleasure resorts, necessitates 
 work on the part of other people, the same and 
 more than they do on week-days. Bicycling re- 
 quires the labor of none save the rider him- 
 self — and he does not regard it as labor, but 
 pleasure. 
 
 Ministers have complained that Sunday bicycle 
 riding takes people away from the church services. 
 Supposing it does, is not the sermon in the brook, 
 the song in the throats of birds, the evidence of 
 God's handiwork in the trees, and grass, and 
 shrubbery, His smile in the warm sunshine, and 
 His caress in the cooling breeze, a good substi- 
 tute for a dry discourse on theology in a dark, 
 close church ? 
 
 There are a great many people who never have 
 opportunity for riding during the day, except on 
 Sunday. Night riding is not as pleasurable nor 
 as healthy as riding in daylight. These people are 
 refreshed and stimulated for the ensuing week's 
 
MORALITY. 87 
 
 work by their ride into the open country on Sun- 
 day. 
 
 The claim that the Sunday bicycling crowds 
 are noisy, boisterous, profane, etc, has some 
 foundation in fact. Rome was not made in a day, 
 and a gentleman or lady cannot be made in a 
 season. Sunday is the one day in the week when 
 the masses have opportunity to ride. It is no 
 wonder that their joyousness at their unwonted 
 freedom and pleasure should be noisy and boister- 
 ous. Liberate a bird from a cage, and it too will 
 sing in gladness. Untie a dog and he will vent 
 his pent-up spirits by gamboling about you. The 
 human animal gets loose once a week and disports 
 himself awheel. Time, however, will effect a 
 change. When the novelty of the Sunday riding 
 wears off, quiet gentlemanly conduct will be as- 
 sumed by all, if it is only for the sake of appear- 
 ing well-bred. 
 
 Drinking on Sunday is not much indulged, 
 probably because prevented by law. Even if it 
 were not, saloons would not be patronized much 
 by wheelmen, because most of them realize that 
 liquor and the bicycle arS incompatible. It re- 
 quires a clear head to ride the bicycle. However 
 as long as there is evil in the world, it will flour- 
 ish in some places. Some men, and, sad to relate 
 
88 WHEELING. 
 
 some women, will drink, whether they ride the 
 wheel or not. But the vast majority of bicyclists 
 drink to relieve thirst — drink soft drinks such as 
 lemonade, soda, etc. It is explained elsewhere 
 how hurtful this practice is. 
 
 Once in a while, one reads in the papers of a 
 young girl going out on her wheel, meeting a 
 chance acquaintance and being led astray. An 
 article in a recent medical journal tells of a 
 case in the writer's personal experience, where 
 a young woman in strange, picked-up company, 
 so far forgot herself as to drink a glass of wine, 
 which was drugged, and was then ' ^ marched off 
 for immoral purposes, amid the delight of her 
 captors." 
 
 Man}^ people jump at the conclusion that the 
 bicycle is responsible for such cases. The article 
 alluded to take this narrow view of it. The bi- 
 cycle is no more responsible for it than a horse and 
 carriage, or a flying-machine would be, for that 
 matter. It is true the bicycle gives to women 
 more freedom than they have heretofore enjoyed, 
 and it is not surprising that a few silly, weak- 
 minded women lose control of themselves when 
 they have liberty thus thrust upon them. Girls 
 of this kind have probably never been taught how 
 to take care of themselves, but have been closely 
 
MORALITY. 89 
 
 guarded at home as though they were inmates of 
 at harem. 
 
 It is the proud boast of America, that her 
 women can take care of themselves wherever they 
 are, under all circumstances. It is not necessary 
 to lock her in a convent to protect her virtue. 
 Purity lies in character — not in lack of oppor- 
 tunity. This enviable trait of character in the 
 American woman has been fostered by the free- 
 dom which she has always enjoyed. The bicycle 
 is an extenuation of this freedom, and until they 
 get used to it, the new temptations that come 
 with it will find victims. 
 
 The practice of picking up aquaintances has not 
 been initiated by the bicycle. It has been com- 
 mon enough on the streets long before the bicycle 
 was known. Sensible girls know very well that 
 nothing good comes from meeting a man in this 
 manner, and sensible girls avoid flirting while 
 wheeling as well as while walking. 
 
 The charge has been made that the bicycle en- 
 genders a freedom of manners in women, quite 
 in contrast to all accepted ideas of retiring mod- 
 esty. At summer resorts she is wont to sit 
 around on the hotel porticoes in her bicycle cos- 
 tume, and chew gum and talk slang, etc. While 
 this may be considered by some immodest and 
 
90 WHEELING. 
 
 unbecoming, it is, nevertheless, simply another 
 example of the exuberance and good -nature of 
 health. Bicycle women have ceased to be the 
 pale, frail, painted butterflies they used to be, 
 avoiding the sunshine as a pestilence, on account 
 of the damage it would cause their complexions. 
 What if the bicycle girl does sit around in com- 
 fortable clothing instead of in a long silk skirt 
 and tight corsets. What if she does chew gum 
 and talk slang as long as she reaps enjoyment 
 from it. There is enough misery in the world. 
 
 To sum up the morality of wheeling it may be 
 tersely said that '^ a lady is a lady wherever she 
 is." To decry wheeling because a few make bad 
 use of it, is to hold the dime of vice so close to 
 the eye that the dollar of virtue cannot be seen 
 beyond. 
 
APPENDIX. 91 
 
 v.— APPENDIX. 
 
 1. How TO Select a Bicycle. 
 
 With so many bicycle manufacturers in the 
 field, each claiming his production to be superior 
 to all the others, it becomes a difficult matter for 
 even the experienced wheelman to decide which 
 make is the most reliable, the most serviceable, 
 the most perfectly constructed, and the most up 
 to date. The attractiveness of a low price has in- 
 duced many people to buy a shoddy machine, 
 constructed with the single view ^' to sell " and 
 sooner or later the buyer awakens to the fact that 
 he is sold. A rotten tire, a weak frame, a loose 
 rattling adjustment, a faulty saddle, are not only 
 uncomfortable — they are unsafe. It is very an- 
 noying to start out on an excursion with a party, 
 and after you have gone say ten miles, you are 
 left behind, on account of the collapse of your 
 rotten tire ; or to be the (5bject of criticism or ridi- 
 cule while riding along the boulevard on account 
 of your rattling or squeaking adjustment ; or to 
 suffer, perhaps serious injury from a mishapen 
 
92 WHEELING. 
 
 saddle. It pays in the end to buy a good relia- 
 ble wheel, even if you have to pay more for it. 
 The cost of keeping a cheap wheel in repair will 
 eventually pay for the difference in price of a 
 good one. 
 
 Whatever make you select, there are several 
 things to consider in the choice of the frame, 
 gearing, etc. Your height, age, weight, sex, 
 strength, and the character of the country over 
 which you intend to ride, whether hilly or level, 
 smooth roads or cow-paths, sand or macadam. 
 It is a ridiculous sight to see a tall man perched 
 on a small-framed wheel, with his saddle and 
 handle bars hoisted way up in order to give his 
 long legs room to play. If you are tall have your 
 frame made large and vice versa. 
 
 The gearing is the hardest part of a bicycle to 
 understand, and consequently many mistakes are 
 made in the selection of the gearing. Properly 
 speaking, gearing means the mechanism by 
 which the bicycle is made to move. It consists 
 of two cog wheels, of different sizes, connected 
 by an endless chain. The proportionate sizes of 
 the wheels to each other gives the difference in 
 gearing. Numbers are employed to designate to 
 what height the wheel is geared. For instance, 
 if a wheel is geared to YO it means that, with one 
 
APPENDIX. 93 
 
 revolution of the pedals, it will cover as much 
 ground, as an ordinary wheel 70 inches in dia- 
 meter. Wheels are now geared all the way 
 from 50 to 80. To find the gearing of a bicycle, 
 multiply the diameter of the rear wheel by 
 the number of teeth in the forward sprocket 
 and divide the result by the number of teeth in 
 the rear sprocket. Thus, for example, if the 
 diameter of the rear wheel is 28 in. and the front 
 sprocket has 20 teeth and the rear sprocket T 
 teeth, the gear will be 80, i. e. 28 X 20 -^ 7=80. 
 
 The gearing makes a good deal of diJfference in 
 the ease with which a bicycle is propelled. A 
 high gearing requires much more strength than 
 a low one. Especially is this fact made manifest 
 in hill climbing. Yet a high gearing is attractive 
 to many because the pedals do not make as many 
 revolutions in covering a given distance as in a 
 low-geared machine. Ordinary riders, however, 
 should avoid high gearing. The customary gear 
 for men is from 64 to 70 and for women from 
 59 to 68. 
 
 The length of the pedal crank should correspond 
 with the length of the -rider's leg. In fact, the 
 three parts of frame, gear and crank should vary 
 with each other, fitting the build of the rider. A 
 tall, long-legged rider should have a large frame 
 
94 WHEELING. 
 
 wheel with a high gear (say 10) and a pedal crank 
 of 6| or 7 inches. A short man should of course 
 have the opposite, a crank of 6 or Q^ inches and a 
 gear of say 64. The cranks in ladies' wheels are 
 usually 6 inches and the gear about 60, but the 
 purchaser should insist on the proper adjustment 
 of the wheel to his or her person. 
 
 The saddle is next in importance to the size of 
 the adjustments. A bad saddle may not only be 
 uncomfortable but injurious. In the chapter for 
 women the proper female saddle is fully de- 
 scribed. For men the saddle should fit so that 
 it does not press on the soft parts. It should be 
 so well made that it will not sag or warp from 
 the weight, and so cause vicious ridges. In its 
 adjustment it should not be tilted so that the 
 seat slides forward on the narrow pommel. As 
 to the kind of saddle to get, whether softly padded 
 or hard, experience alone will guide you. If you 
 get a soft one at first you will change it for a 
 hard one after you have become proficient in 
 riding, because you will have learned to ride more 
 in your pedals than on your saddle. 
 
 A great variety of choice may be had in the shape 
 of handle bars. They are bent in every form from 
 the curved-up U to the ram's horn. The most ser- 
 viceable kind of handle bar, if you are going to 
 
APPENDIX. 95 
 
 adopt the inclined position, is one curved down- 
 ward and backward. This shape permits of a 
 change in position of the hands while riding, by 
 removing them from the cork handles to the 
 center head. The handle bar should not be too 
 wide — the hands, when on the corks, being just 
 outside of the knees. Wooden handle-bars are 
 coming into vogue now. Their superiority has 
 not been proven as yet. They are more springy 
 than the steel ones, and they are said to lessen 
 jarring and consequent numbness of the hands 
 and arms. The adjustment of the handle bar 
 should be such that the cork handles are one-half 
 inch below the level of the saddle. 
 
 It is important to have a good tire on your 
 wheel. An otherwise perfect wheel may give 
 you lots of trouble from a rotten tire. The best 
 kind of tire is a single tube. It is more resilient 
 and easier to repair if punctured, than a double 
 tube or any of the patented tires. A large diameter 
 tire is better than a narrow one. It has been 
 proven to be less liable to puncture and is nicer 
 to ride on. 
 
 Toe-clips should be on e^ery bicycle and riders 
 should get used to them. Instead of being dan- 
 gerous, as many suppose, they are of decided 
 assistance both in ascending and descending hills. 
 
96 WHEELING. 
 
 The pedals cannot be lost, as when no clips are 
 worn. Of course, one should learn to get out of 
 them quickly when compelled to dismount sud- 
 denly. This is effected by a little backward jerk 
 ' of the foot before raising it from the pedal. Few 
 experienced wheelmen ride without the toe-clips 
 now-a-days. 
 
 Brakes are an abomination, and should never 
 be used. If a wheel is fitted with a brake the 
 rider becomes accustomed to it and relies upon it 
 when he ought to use his pedals or perhaps dis- 
 mount. It is like swimming with a life preserver 
 on: you will never know how to swim until you 
 take it off. Then a brake wears out tires quicker 
 than everything else. It also adds to the weight 
 of the wheel. 
 
 A bell, lamp and tool bag are three important 
 requisites. The law requires you to have the first 
 two, and the uncertain health of the bicycle should 
 induce you to take along the third. Have your 
 bell adjusted within reach of your thumb when 
 your hand is on the corks, and not on the center 
 head. Have your lamp when not lighted covered 
 with a waterproof bag. Get a good lamp, one 
 that throws a good light on the road and stays lit 
 when it is lighted. A popular position for the 
 lamp is on the front fork, close to the hub of the 
 
APPENDIX. 97 
 
 wheel. The tool bag should contain a wrench, 
 a pump and connection, an oil can and a repair 
 outfit. 
 
 A tandem should meet all the requirements of a 
 single wheel. The gearing is especially impor- 
 tant because of the possible difference in power of 
 the two riders. A mixed tandem (for man and 
 woman) should have a gear of about 68. A male 
 tandem may be geared as high as 76, but 72 is 
 better for all ordinary riding and for riders unac- 
 customed to each other. 
 
 2. Care and Management of a Machine. 
 
 The proper care and management of a bicycle 
 is next in importance to the selection of it. Even 
 good wheels get out of order occasionally, and the 
 owner of one will save some expense and trouble 
 by knowing how to take a wheel apart and fix it. 
 In order to do this, a knowledge of the parts and 
 their adjustment is necessary. A close study 
 of a bicycle will impart more knowledge on this 
 subject than pages of written text. To learn how 
 to take a bicycle apart and. clean it, however, re- 
 quires some instruction. 
 
 The first thing to learn is the use of the monkey 
 
 wrench. This tool is always in requisition when 
 7 
 
98 WHEELING. 
 
 tinkering on a bicycle. It should be carefully 
 fitted, so that each nut is held firmly before power 
 is used to loosen or fasten it. If this is not done, 
 the square nuts will become rounded and thereby 
 useless. When taking a wheel apart, begin 
 systematically laying the nuts and bolts down 
 just as they are taken off, to avoid mixing them. 
 Another precaution is to take off only one part at 
 a time, clean it and readjust it before touching 
 another part. If these rules are not observed, 
 much difficulty in fitting the different parts to 
 their proper places may result. 
 
 By far the most delicate and important parts of 
 a wheel's mechanism are its bearings. For this 
 reason great care should be exercised in keeping 
 them in good order. In spite of the many recent 
 improvements calculated to exclude all dust from 
 the bearings, dust will find its way in, and there- 
 fore cleaning becomes necessary. 
 
 Of course the best way to clean the bearings is 
 to take the wheel apart, wash them and replace 
 them. But everybody cannot take a wheel apart 
 and get it together again correctly, so that a sim- 
 pler method is necessary. Unless the bearings 
 are very dirty, the following procedure will render 
 them comparatively clean. 
 
 Lay the wheel down on two sticks which will 
 
APPENDIX. 99 
 
 support it, so that the wheels can be revolved, 
 with the sprocket wheel up. Place a shallow pan 
 under the part you are going to clean. By means 
 of a long nozzle oil-can pour kerosene oil into 
 the crank and oil hole of the bearings and revolve 
 the pedal. Keep this up until the oil drips off 
 comparatively clear. Then wipe off all the visi- 
 ble kerosene, and let the wheel stand for some 
 time. Just before using it, be sure and oil all the 
 bearings with a good lubricating oil. 
 
 When the bearings are so dirty that it is ad- 
 visable to dismember the bicycle, be careful to 
 systematically arrange all the removed balls, nuts, 
 bars and bolts, so that they may be correctly re- 
 turned to their places. Each part should be thor- 
 oughly washed in kerosene, dried and polished. 
 In reassembling the parts, if one ball is lost, or the 
 nuts screwed too tight, or left too loose, the per- 
 fect mechanism of the wheel is destroyed, and it 
 will run hard, make queer noises and, worst of all, 
 wear down the balls, cones or barrels, so that 
 they become flat or uneven and making repairs 
 impossible. 
 
 The frequency of cleaning the bearings depends 
 on the make of the wheel, and upon the use of it 
 — whether it is ridden much or little and over 
 what kind of roads, whether dusty or not. Some 
 
100 WHEELING. 
 
 makes of bicycles have their hearings more per- 
 fectly fitted than others. Manifestly this kind of 
 wheel will not need as frequent cleaning as one 
 having loose joints. Then if a wheel is ridden 
 every day over dusty roads it will become dirty 
 sooner than one ridden once a week over a clean 
 asphalt street. A good guide to the needed clean- 
 ing of the bearings is when the wheel begins to 
 run a little hard, the chain being all right and 
 the adjustment not too tight. In fact, the way 
 to tell whether a wheel is in perfect running order 
 is to suspend it and revolve the wheels. If they 
 revolve easily for a few minutes, gradually get- 
 ting slower and slower, until finally they swing 
 like a pendulum with the pump connection down, 
 the wheel is all right. 
 
 The bearings in the crank box need the most 
 attention ; next to these the hubs and then the 
 pedals. Many bicyclists never touch the pedal 
 bearings at all. It is better not to take them 
 apart ; flushing with kerosene and then liberal 
 oiling ought to be sufficient. 
 
 As to oiling, the common mistake is to oil too 
 frequently and profusely. The bearings work 
 better with just sufficient oil to lubricate them 
 than when deluged with it. If too much oil is 
 injected, it will run out and smear the parts and 
 
APPENDIX. 101 
 
 attract all the dust in the neighborhood. Oiling 
 once a week is a good rule for ^ ' ordinary " riding. 
 
 The chain is the *^ bete noir " of the bicycle ad- 
 justment to many people. It seems to be constant- 
 ly out of order. This state of affairs is largely 
 produced by the ignorance or neglect of the wheel- 
 man in the care of the chain. Many riders do 
 not take the trouble to clean their chain, but sim- 
 ply smear it wth graphite, and expect it to work 
 all right. As a matter of fact, the chain needs 
 more cleaning than any other part of the wheel. 
 Occasionally it should be entirely disjointed and 
 soaked in kerosene. Generally, however, thor- 
 oughly wiping it with a soft cloth, then treating 
 it with kerosene while revolving the wheel, is 
 sufficient. After it is clean, properly oiling it 
 should take time and care. Each pin should 
 receive a drop of oil, no more. Then each block, 
 where it meets the tooth of the sprocket, should 
 receive a light smudge of graphite. The rest 
 of the chain should be dry. After thus apply- 
 ing the oil and graphite carefully, revolve the 
 wheels so that they may become well worked 
 in. A chain treated this way looks clean, works 
 well and needs cleaning less often than would 
 otherwise be the case. 
 
 The frame of a bicycle should have the dust 
 
102 WHEELING. 
 
 wiped off it after every ride. In dry weather 
 this is all the attention it needs. But if mud has 
 collected and dried on it do not attempt to brush 
 off the mud until you have soaked it with a wet 
 sponge. You will thus avoid scratching the 
 enamel and making your wheel look shabby. 
 
 The rims should be treated, after a ride, in the 
 same manner as the frame, — cleansed of dust and 
 mud. The spokes should be likewise dusted and 
 rubbed with a soft cloth which has a little vase- 
 line on it. It would be well to have the spokes 
 renickeled once a year, to guard against rust. 
 The rims should be varnished as often if not 
 oftener. 
 
 The tires are a very important part of a bicycle. 
 Even if you buy a cheap wheel you should have 
 the very best tires on it. Then you should see 
 that the tires are firmly fastened to the rims. 
 If they are not, the tire will wear out quicker, and 
 besides, it may slip off and give you a bad fail. 
 To keep the tires in good condition it would be 
 well to sponge them after every long ride. Water 
 keeps them from hardening and cracking, and 
 also washes off the dirt thoroughly. This is all 
 the attention your tire will need until you get a 
 puncture. This may not happen once in a season, 
 but it is always well to be prepared for it, when 
 
APPENDIX. 103 
 
 it does occur, so you should always take a repair 
 kit along with you. The best repair kit on the 
 market is the one containing a lot of little rubber 
 plugs like blunt tacks. To find the puncture is 
 sometimes a difficult matter. The best way is to 
 put a section of the tire under water and if bub- 
 bles arise the puncture is in that section. Another 
 way is to smear a film of soap over the suspected 
 point, and soap bubbles will proclaim the hole. 
 
 After mending a tire give it time to dry be- 
 fore using it. Then never leave it exposed to the 
 sun, as the cement is liable to melt. 
 
 Tires, when in use, should be pumped up hard. 
 When not in use, part of the air should be let 
 out. Contrary to the general opinion, it has 
 been proved that a fully inflated tire will not 
 puncture as easily as a soft tire. 
 
 Your lamp, when not in use, should be covered 
 with a bag made for the purpose out of water- 
 proof cloth. If you ride only in daylight, of 
 course you may dispense with carrying your 
 lamp, but it is well to take it along if you start 
 out in the afternoon, for you may be delayed 
 some place, and it is against the law to ride at 
 night without a light. Kerosene is now used in 
 nearly all the best lamps. It gives a better light 
 than other oils, without burning so much oil 
 
104 WHEELING. 
 
 and with less smoke. If your lamp smokes with- 
 out apparent cause, soak the wick in vinegar, 
 dry it and the smoking will cease. Vinegar will 
 also clean the smut which collects on the outside 
 of every lamp. Some bicyclists drop a piece of 
 oamphor into the oil in their lamps, believing it 
 makes the flame whiter. This is a bad practice. 
 Camphor, burned, produces the blackest soot and 
 it will smoke your lamp all up. To keep a clear 
 flame, trim the wick frequently. 
 
 Always carry your tool bag with its full com- 
 plement of implements. These should be a 
 wrench, oil-can, screw-driver, pump with connec- 
 tion, and repair kit. 
 
 There remains but one thing more to say in 
 regard to caring for a wheel, and that is con- 
 cerning its storage for the winter. The first 
 thing is to clean it thoroughly, and the second is 
 to protect it in some manner from moisture, dust 
 and air. To clean it thoroughly it is necessary to 
 take it completely apart and go over each part 
 carefully. Then put it together and inflate the 
 tires half full of air. A simple plan to protect it 
 is to make a huge bag out of heavy wrapping 
 paper, sealing all the edges with glue, and put 
 the wheel within it. Seal the opening, and you 
 have a covering that is moisture and dust proof. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 RELATIVE VALUE OF FOOD STUFFS. 
 
 106 
 
 ARTICLES. 
 
 FRUITS. 
 
 Apples 
 
 Cherries . . . 
 
 Currants 
 
 Dates 
 
 Figs 
 
 Pears 
 
 Prunes 
 
 Peaches 
 
 FISH. 
 
 Codfish .... 
 
 Clams 
 
 Eels 
 
 Herring . . . 
 
 Halibut 
 
 Lobsters 
 
 Oysters 
 
 Salmon . . . . , 
 
 Smelts 
 
 Trout 
 
 GRAINS. 
 
 Barley , 
 
 Buckwheat . 
 
 Corn 
 
 Oats 
 
 Rye 
 
 Wheat 
 
 MEATS. 
 
 Beef 
 
 Bacon 
 
 Chicken 
 
 Ham 
 
 Kidney . . . 
 
 Liver 
 
 Lard 
 
 Lamb 
 
 Mutton 
 
 Pork 
 
 Pigeon 
 
 As Mate- 
 rials for 
 Muscle 
 Makinsr. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 0.9 
 6 
 0.9 
 0.0 
 5.0 
 0.1 
 3.9 
 1.0 
 
 16.5 
 12.0 
 17.0 
 18.0 
 18.0 
 14.0 
 12.6 
 20.0 
 17.0 
 16.9 
 
 12.8 
 8.6 
 
 12.3 
 
 17.0 
 6.5 
 
 14.6 
 
 19.0 
 8.4 
 21.6 
 35.0 
 21.2 
 26.3 
 0.0 
 19.6 
 21.0 
 17.5 
 23.0 
 
 As Heat 
 Givers. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 10.1 
 21.0 
 
 6.8 
 73.7 
 57.9 
 
 9.6 
 78.6 
 
 5.4 
 
 1.0 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 0.8 
 
 52.1 
 53.0 
 67.5 
 50.8 
 75.2 
 66.4 
 
 14.0 
 62.5 
 
 1.9 
 32.0^ 
 
 0.9' 
 
 3.9 
 
 100.0 
 
 14.3 
 
 14.0 
 
 16.0 
 
 1.9 
 
 As Food 
 for Brain. 
 
 Water. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 0.3 
 1.0 
 0.3 
 0.0 
 3.4 
 0.0 
 4.5 
 0.2 
 
 2.5 
 
 3.0 
 4.0 
 5.0 
 4.0 
 6.0 
 0.2 
 7.0 
 6.0 
 4.3 
 
 4.2 
 1.8 
 1.1 
 3.0 
 0.5 
 1.6 
 
 2.0 
 0.5 
 2.8 
 4.4 
 1.4 
 1.2 
 0.0 
 2.2 
 2.0 
 2.3 
 2.7 
 
 Per Cent 
 
 83.5 
 76.3 
 81.3 
 24.0 
 18.7 
 86.4 
 13.0 
 85.6 
 
 Time Re- 
 quired to- 
 Digest. 
 
 H 
 
 M. 
 
 2.30 
 2.00 
 3.00 
 3.15 
 3.30 
 1.30 
 2.50 
 2.30 
 
 80.0 
 
 2.00 
 
 85.0 
 
 2.45 
 
 75.0 
 
 3.50 
 
 75.0 
 
 3.50 
 
 74.0 
 
 2.45 
 
 79.0 
 
 4.00 
 
 87.2 
 
 2.30 
 
 74.0 
 
 3.30 
 
 75.0 
 
 3.15 
 
 78.0 
 
 2.45 
 
 14.0 
 
 2.00 
 
 14.2 
 
 2.15 
 
 14.0 
 
 3.15 
 
 13.6 
 
 3.00 
 
 13.5 
 
 2.00 
 
 14.0 
 
 1.30 
 
 65.0 
 
 3.30 
 
 28.6 
 
 4.00 
 
 23.7 
 
 3.45 
 
 28.6 
 
 4.00 
 
 76.5 
 
 3.50 
 
 68.6 
 
 3.50 
 
 0.0 
 
 3.45 
 
 63.9 
 
 3.30 
 
 63.0 
 
 3.40 
 
 64.3 
 
 4.00 
 
 72.4 
 
 3.45 
 
106 
 
 WHEELDSTG. 
 
 ARTICLES. 
 
 As Mate- 
 rials for 
 Muscle 
 Making. 
 
 As Heat 
 Givers. 
 
 As Food 
 for Brain. 
 
 Water. 
 
 Time Re- 
 quired to 
 Digest. 
 
 MEATS. 
 
 Percent. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 Per Cent. 
 
 H. M. 
 
 Suet 
 
 0.0 
 17.7 
 20.4 
 
 100.0 
 14.3 
 
 8.0 
 
 0.0 
 2.3 
 
 2.8 
 
 0.0 
 65.7 
 
 68.8 
 
 3.45 
 
 Veal 
 
 4.00 
 
 Venison 
 
 3.45 
 
 VEGETABLES. 
 
 
 Artichokes 
 
 1.9 
 
 19.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 76.6 
 
 3.00 
 
 Asparagus 
 
 Beans 
 
 0.6 
 24.0 
 1.1 
 1.2 
 3.6 
 
 5.4 
 
 40.0 
 
 12.2 
 
 6.2 
 
 4.6 
 
 0.4 
 3.5 
 1.0 
 0.8 
 1.0 
 
 93.6 
 14.8 
 82.5 
 91.3 
 90.0 
 
 2.15 
 4.00 
 
 Carrots 
 
 3.00 
 
 Cabbage 
 
 Cauliflower 
 
 4.00 
 2.15 
 
 Cucumber 
 
 0.1 
 
 t.7 
 
 0.5 
 
 97.1 
 
 4.00 
 
 Horse Radish 
 
 0.1 
 
 4.8 
 
 1.0 
 
 78.2 
 
 3.45 
 
 Lentils 
 
 26.0 
 
 39.0 
 
 1.5 
 
 14.0 
 
 3.15 
 
 Onions 
 
 0.5 
 
 5.2 
 
 0.5 
 
 93.8 
 
 2.15 
 
 Parsnips 
 
 Potatoes 
 
 2.1 
 1.4 
 
 14.5 
 15.8 
 
 1.0 
 0.9 
 
 79.4 
 
 74.8 
 
 2.00 
 2.15 
 
 Potatoes (sweet) 
 
 1.5 
 
 21.8 
 
 2.9 
 
 67.5 
 
 2.45 
 
 Peas 
 
 23.4 
 1.2 
 
 41.0 
 
 7.4 
 
 2.5 
 1.0 
 
 14.1 
 89.1 
 
 2.00 
 
 Radishes 
 
 2.15 
 
 Rice 
 
 5.1 
 1.2 
 
 82.0 
 4.0 
 
 0.5 
 0.5 
 
 9.0 
 90.4 
 
 1.45 
 
 Turnips 
 
 3.00 
 
 DAIRY PRODUCTS. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Butter 
 
 0.0 
 30.8 
 
 100.0 
 
 28.0 
 
 0.0 
 
 4.7 
 
 0.0 
 36.5 
 
 2.30 
 
 Cheese 
 
 4.00 
 
 Cream 
 
 3.5 
 
 4.5 
 
 0.0 
 
 92.0 
 
 2.15 
 
 Eggs (white of) . . 
 Eggs (yolk of)... 
 Milk . . , 
 
 13.0 
 0.0 
 5.0 
 
 0.0 
 
 29.8 
 8.0 
 
 2.8 
 2.0 
 1.0 
 
 84.2 
 51.3 
 86.0 
 
 .30 
 3.00 
 2.00 
 
>'ir.■^;•<.^,.T^^I^f^■■ •>«*^i>4;' .- ■'■^:i">. 
 
 THE PUBLIC LIBRARY 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 
 y/j^ M3L9a..l 
 
 All losses or injuries beyond reasonable wear, how- 
 ever caused, must be promptly adjusted by the person 
 to whom the book is charged. 
 
 Fine for over detention, two cents a day (Sundays 
 and holidays excluded). 
 
 U. 3. OOVERNUEST TRINTINO OFFICE: 1929 
 
 9—1330 
 
LIBHAHY Uh CONGRESS 
 
 029 714 084 A 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^Hii 
 
 It ■ 
 c 
 
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