m 
 
lEx Hthrta 
 
 SEYMOUR DURST 
 
 -f ' Tort nUmu ^mAerJa-'m- Je H<rnh<itans 
 
 When you leave, please leave this hook 
 
 Because it has heen said 
 " Ever'thing comes t' him who waits 
 
 Except a loaned hook." 
 
 Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library 
 Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library 
 
y 
 
 y 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 
 in 2013 
 
 
 
 http://archive.org/details/commonsenseofbicOOward 
 
WHEELIKG FROM THE rEG-SHOW,NG ,NCI..I.AT,ON OF ^VHKEL. 
 
The Common Sense of Bicycling 
 
 Bicycling for Ladies 
 
 With Hints as to the Art of Wheeung— 
 Advice to Beglxners— Dress— Care of 
 THE Big ycle - Meg ha nigs— Tra in- 
 iNG— Energise, Etg., Etg. 
 
 MARIA E. WARD 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 BRENTANO'S 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 Washington 
 
 Paris 
 
105^ 
 
 Copyright^ j8q6, by 
 BRENTANO'S 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES 
 
PREFACE 
 
 I HAVE found that in bicycling, as in other sports 
 essayed by them, women and girls bring upon them- 
 selves censure from many sources. I have also 
 found that this censure, though almost invariably 
 deserved, is called forth not so much by what they 
 do as the way they do it. 
 
 It is quite natural to suppose, in attempting an 
 unaccustomed exercise, that you have to do only 
 what you see done and as others about you are do- 
 ing. But to attain success in bicycling, as in other 
 things, it is necessary to study the means as well as 
 to look to the end to be attained, and to understand 
 what must not be attempted as well as to know each 
 step that will be an advance on the road to progress. 
 
 A great deal has been said against attempting to 
 study a little of anything; but when a slight knowl- 
 edge of several important branches of science that 
 bear directly upon a subject under consideration, 
 and that a subject concerning the health and safety 
 of many individuals, will render one intelligently 
 self-dependent, and able at least to exercise without 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 endangering one's own health or the lives of others, 
 the acquisition of such knowledge should not be neg- 
 lected. 
 
 There are laws of mechanics and of physiology 
 that directly concern the cyclist; it has been the 
 author's aim to point out these laws, showing, for 
 instance, the possible dangers of exercise, and how 
 they may be avoided b}^ the application to bicycle 
 exercise of simple and well-known physiological 
 law^s, thus enabling the cyclist to resist fatigue and 
 avoid over-exertion. The needs of the bicyclist are 
 an intelligent comprehension of the bicycle as a ma- 
 chine, an appreciative knowledge of the human ma- 
 chine that propels it, and a realization of the fact 
 that rider and bicycle should form one combined 
 mechanism. For this, a knowledge of the laws that 
 determine the limits and possibilities of both me- 
 chanisms is necessary. The cyclist is limited, not 
 only by laws physiological and laws mechanical, 
 which determine when and for how long he may 
 travel, but he is restricted by the laws and ordinances 
 of county, town and village as to how and where he 
 may travel. A knowledge of these laws is also 
 necessary. 
 
 While not attempting to treat any of these subjects 
 exhaustively, the author has endeavored to place 
 them comprehensively before her readers, hoping to 
 prepare the enthusiast to enjoy all the delights of the 
 sport, to encourage the timid, and to assist the in- 
 experienced to define and determine existing limita- 
 tions. The subject of the care of the bicycle has 
 been carefully treated, some of the means at hand 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xi 
 
 suggested, and the necessary tool^and their uses ex- 
 plained. Other topics considered are how the bicy- 
 cle is propelled, and why it maintains its balance; 
 what the cyclist should learn, how correct form may 
 be attained and faults avoided, and what should be 
 the essential features of the clothing worn. 
 
 The author wishes to acknowledge indebtedness to 
 Dr. Legrange, and to Messrs. D. Appleton & Co. 
 for their permission to quote from " Physiology of 
 Bodily Exercise." 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Possibilities i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 What the Bicycle Does 8 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 On Wheels in General and Bicycles in Par- 
 ticular 14 
 
 CHAP IE R IV. 
 For Beginners 22 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 How TO Make Progress 29 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Helping and Teaching; What to Learn. ..... 37 
 
 CHAPTER VIE 
 A Few Things to Remember 47 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Art of Wheeling on a Bicycle 56 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Position' AND Power 71 
 
Xiv CONTENTS CONTINUED. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Difficulties to Overcome 82 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Dress 93 
 
 CHAP 'PER XII. 
 Watch and Cyclometer 100 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Women and Tools 112 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Tools and How to Use Them 118 
 
 CHAPTER XV. ■ 
 Solving a Problem 125 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Where to Keep a Bicycle 138 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Tires 145 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Mechanics of Bicycling 156 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Adjustment 164 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Exercise 170 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Training 175 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Breathlessness; The Limit Mechanical 189 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Wheeling from the Peg — Showing In- 
 clination OF Wheel 
 
 Correct Position — Leaning with the 
 Wheel 
 
 Incorrect Position — Leaning Against 
 the Inclination .... 
 
 Proper Way to Stand a Bicycle 
 
 Carrying the Bicycle 
 
 Picking Up a Bicycle .... 
 
 Leading a Bicycle About 
 
 Preparing to Dismount 
 
 Dismounting 
 
 Correct Pedaling 
 
 Following Pedal 
 
 Lifting 
 
 Back Pedaling 
 
 Back Pedaling — Showing Distribution 
 OF Weight 
 
 Hill-Climbing — Pushing Crank Over . 
 
 Coasting 
 
 Wheeling One Foot Over . 
 
 Wheeling from the Peg — Show^ing. Dis- 
 tribution OF Weight 
 
 Preparing to Mount — Showing In- 
 clination 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 Opposite Page 22 
 
 " 24 
 " 30 
 " 32 
 
 " 34 
 .« 38 
 
 " 40 
 
 " 42 
 
 " 56 
 
 " 58 
 
 " 60 
 
 " 62 
 
 - 64 
 " 66 
 ^2 
 
 " 74 
 76 
 
 " 82 
 
xvi 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS — CONTINUED. 
 
 Incorrect Mounting Position 
 Mounting — Preparatory Position 
 Correct Mounting Position 
 Mounting — Second Position 
 Dismounting Over the Wheel 
 Mounting Over the Wheel from Peg 
 Starting a Nut .... 
 Adjusting a Wrench 
 Applying Power .... 
 Screwing Up ..... 
 
 Unscrewing 
 
 ♦ Preparing to Turn Bicycle Over 
 Turning the Bicycle Over . 
 The Bicycle Turned Over . 
 Str-^vightening the Handle-Bars . 
 
 Opposite Page 84 
 86 
 
 " 88 
 
 " 90 
 
 " 92 
 
 " 94 
 
 " 112 
 
 " 116 
 
 " 118 
 
 " " 120 
 
 " " 122 
 
 " 126 
 
 " 128 
 
 " " 130 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Possibilities. 
 
 Bicycling is a modern sport, offering infinite 
 variety and opportunity. As an exercise, at present 
 unparalleled, it accomplishes much with compara- 
 tively little expenditure of effort; as a relaxation, it 
 has many desirable features; and its limitless possi- 
 bilities, its future of usefulness, and the effect of 
 its application to modern economic and social con- 
 ditions, present a wide field for speculation. 
 
 Bicycling possesses many advantages, and is with - 
 in the reach of nearly all. For the athlete and the 
 sportsman, it opens up new worlds; for the family it 
 solves problems; for the tired and hurried worker, 
 it has many possibilities. The benefits to be de- 
 rived from the exercise cannot be ever-estimated 
 and the dangers that result from over-doing are cor- 
 respondingly great ; for it is easy to over-exert when 
 exhilarated with exercise and unconscious of 
 fatigue. 
 
 It is but recently that the bicycle has become a 
 perfected mechanism, adaptable to general usage, 
 
2 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 simple and scientific. The railroad makes possible 
 direct and rapid communication between widely 
 separated localities. The usefulness of the bicycle 
 begins where that of the railroad ceases, for it con- 
 nects and opens districts of country that the railroad 
 has not reached; indeed, it is to the bicycle in con- 
 nection with the railroads with which the country is 
 gridironed that we must look to make possible the 
 enjoyment of much that is beautiful and valuable, 
 but otherwise inaccessible. To the naturalist, the 
 traveller, and the intelligent observer, cycling offers 
 advantages which are limited only by time and 
 opportunity. 
 
 Bicycling has been adapted to serve many pur- 
 poses; but it is bicycling as an athletic exercise and 
 sport, with the bicycle propelled by human power 
 only, that we shall now consider. The history of the 
 bicycle is modern. The study of its evolution shows 
 the development of a great industry, constantly in- 
 troducing and applying improvements; most impor- 
 tant of these was the pneumatic tire, which made 
 bicycling universally possible. 
 
 Getting under way for even a short cruise awheel 
 has some of the features familiar to the yachtsman. 
 To the skater, the motion is not unlike the rapid, 
 swaying movement on the ice, the silence and the 
 rush of succeeding strokes. To the horseman, the 
 dissimilarity of the two modes of locomotion, after 
 the settling to work has been accomplished, is very 
 striking. For the uninitiated and for some others, 
 bicycling does not possess attractions. The bicycle 
 is a familiar object, not compelling a second thought. 
 
POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 3 
 
 One reason for this is that it is not really brought to 
 the intelligent notice of the casual passer. The 
 cyclist, to the stationary observer or the compara- 
 tively stationary pedestrian, is such a fleeting instan- 
 taneosity that, unless thrown among enthusiasts 
 over the sport, few of the unenlightened would be 
 tempted to try it; for they are as unappreciative of 
 what the wheel means to the cyclist as is the coun- 
 tryman, who lives near a railway, of the intricacies 
 of commerce which are indicated by the flying mail. 
 
 To the lover of out-door life the bicycle presents 
 a succession of wonderful possibilities. Much has 
 been written of canoe-trips and of the charms of 
 cruising among our inland waters; as charming and 
 as attractive is land travel on the wheel. Bicycling, 
 moreover, combines the best features of many other 
 sports with advantages peculiar to it, for instance, 
 the cyclist must work, and there is much pleasure in 
 watching progress made with so little effort — the 
 work all his own, the machine but a means of loco- 
 motion — enjoying and appreciating all the beauties 
 of the country traversed, while yet conscious of the 
 power to hasten away as soon as the surroundings 
 cease to interest or amuse. By the scientist and the 
 naturalist, no encouragement is needed; the bicycle 
 at once ^compels their attention. The lover of 
 horses may fear that this new mode of locomotion 
 may interfere with his sport — the same objection 
 that was advanced against the introduction of the 
 steam engine. But the bicycle does not displace; it 
 is rather a link in the chain connecting driving and 
 railroading. Bicycling, furthermore, means good 
 
4 
 
 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 roads, not as a luxury, but as a necessity, for it is 
 impossible without them. Rough country may »be 
 crossed, but the bicycle must be pushed or carried 
 across it, and this is not practicable for any consid- 
 erable distance. 
 
 The bicycle, though a simple machine, is a com- 
 plicated mechanism simplified. The principle that 
 keeps it from falling is a well-known one — that of 
 the gyroscope, the only known mechanism that over- 
 comes gravity. 
 
 The bicycle has its limits, determined by the 
 powers of its rider and the surface ridden over. The 
 motion is unquestionably fascinating after the con- 
 trol of the machine is acquired; and there is an ac- 
 companying exhilaration that is peculiar to the 
 sport, and always something to conquer, something 
 to accomplish, besides the direct benefit to be derived 
 from the exercise. 
 
 There is a great variety of methods of bicycling, 
 whether for exercise, transportation or travel. In 
 travelling, the country all about soon becomes, as it 
 were, your own domain. Instead of a few squares, 
 you know several towms; instead of an acquaintance 
 with the country for a few miles about, you can 
 claim familiarity with two or three counties; an all- 
 day expedition is reduced to a matter of a couple of 
 hours; and unless a break-down occurs, you are at 
 all times independent. This absolute freedom of 
 the cyclist can be known only to the initiated, and 
 as proficiency is acquired, it becomes a most at- 
 tractive feature of the sport. 
 
 There is bicycling weather, as there is skating 
 
POSSIHILiriES. 
 
 5 
 
 weather, yachting weather, or weather favorable for 
 any out-door sport or exercise. But it is easy to 
 wait for bicycling weather, and nothing has to make 
 way for it. The machine is always ready, and that 
 is all that is needed if a suitable country is acces- 
 sible. On the road the bicyclist is rendered inde- 
 pendent of assistance, for everything needful is pre- 
 pared for him, and parts and repair supplies can be 
 carried and need but little room. Only inattention 
 or carelessness should cause delay. Still, proper 
 preparation is essential to enjoy bicycling at its best, 
 and the bicyclist should be ready to meet any emer- 
 gency. 
 
 That there is necessarily the element of sociability 
 about cycling is evident. There are so many stops, 
 and the dusty wheelmen grouped among their 
 wheels at the roadside have always the bond of a 
 common interest ; from this, transition to individual 
 fads and fancies is easy; there is constant opportu- 
 nity for acquiring special knowledge and for using 
 it; and almost every accomplishment is appreciated 
 in addition to capability as a bicyclist, and may be 
 utilized in a variety of ways; cheerfulness is an in- 
 variable factor; and there is always novelty and the 
 possibility of excitement, for it is unusual, on a bi- 
 cycle trip, that everything happens as it is expected 
 or has been planned for. 
 
 Too much cannot be said of the benefits to be de- 
 rived from out-door exercise; and one of the best 
 features of bicycling is that it brings so many to en- 
 joy out-door life who would otherwise have little of 
 either fresh air or exercise. Proper oxidation is 
 
6 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 necessary to perfect health. The great danger that 
 these would-be bicyclists must face is unfamiliarity 
 with exercise, either general or special. Persons ac- 
 customed to athletic exercise know how to prepare 
 for and how to resist fatigue, know what practice 
 means and how proficiency may be attained. The 
 bicyclist unaccustomed to athletics has all this to 
 learn, and more; to him, ultimate success means 
 more time given to study and less time to practice. 
 The novice, however, has the advantage that he has 
 nothing to unlearn, and can profit by the experience 
 of others. 
 
 To accomplish the best results, the human ma- 
 chine must not be overworked; and to stop work at 
 the right moment is one of the hardest things to 
 learn, and the most important to success. To learn 
 the construction of a bicycle, the particular duties of 
 all the parts and their adjustment, is a matter of 
 memory and observation. To understand the adjust- 
 ment of the human machine to mechanical environ- 
 ment requires cultivated perception and special 
 knowledge. But the human machine is so indepen- 
 dently adaptable, so hard to put out of order, that it 
 may be cared for by intelligent attention to only a 
 few simple laws. Do not wait for danger signals: 
 know how to avoid them. 
 
 Bicycling opens a delightful future to all who at- 
 tempt it intelligently. The inspiration of the enthu- 
 siast is invaluable; but it is the practical theorist 
 who is succesful. 
 
 A bright, sunny morning, fresh and cool; good 
 roads and a dry atmosphere; a beautiful country be- 
 
POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 7 
 
 fore you, all your own to see and to enjoy; a proper- 
 ly adjusted wheel awaiting you, — what more delight- 
 ful than to mount and speed away, the whirr of the 
 wheels, the soft grit of the tire, an occasional chain- 
 clank the only sounds added to the chorus of the 
 morning, as, the pace attained, the road stretches 
 away before you! 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 What the Bicycle "Does. 
 
 The bicycle has been evolved — a mechanism, pro- 
 pelled solely by human power, capable of quadru- 
 pling the distance traversable by the pedestrian. 
 
 The simple, light, and almost universally ac- 
 cepted machine is constructed to stand a strain tre- 
 mendous in proportion to its weight; for the modern 
 machine weighs only twenty pounds, and it may be 
 lighter, though for some purposes it should be 
 heavier. The bicyclist is virtually mounted on a 
 set of casters, which propels the weight with much 
 greater ease than can be attained in the act of walk- 
 ing. In walking, advantage is taken of the force 
 of gravity by continually falling forward, and simul- 
 taneously placing the feet, with a regular motion, 
 one beyond the other, to alternately receive the 
 weight of the body. On the bicycle, the weight is 
 carried and supported, and the wheels reduce fric- 
 tion to a minimum. 
 
 The wheel being set in motion, power is applied 
 to overcome inertia, and speed is increased by 
 multiplying the number of the wheel's revolu- 
 tions; the application of the gyroscope principle 
 assists materially, and the resistance of gravity is 
 
WIIAl rUE B ICY CLE DOES. 
 
 9 
 
 overcome in a degree while the wheels are rapidly 
 revolving. 
 
 To set a bicycle in motion requires the expendi- 
 ture of considerable power. A given rate of speed 
 on the level may be maintained by a minimum ex- 
 penditure of power. Bodies or masses set in motion 
 maintain their velocity undiminished unless other 
 forces intervene. The bicycle in motion is resisted 
 on the level by air pressure and friction, on the 
 roadway by friction, and by the incidental obstacles 
 of the road. On an ascending plane, it must over- 
 come the additional resistance of its own and its 
 rider's weight, which must be lifted constantly; on 
 a descending plane, it must oppose a constantly les- 
 sening resistance. All this resistance and lack of 
 resistance means a proportionate stress laid upon 
 the bicycle, the wheels of which are all the while 
 kept rapidly revolving, the large wheels moving 
 much faster than the cranks and pedals. 
 
 Each separate part of a bicycle must be made 
 capable of withstanding a certain wear and strain, 
 and must perform its own particular duties and 
 work in conjunction with all other parts of the 
 machine. To this end, it has been studied, per- 
 fected, tested; its weight and tensile strength calcu- 
 lated to a nicety; its finish and adjustment made 
 matters of deep thought and careful investigation. 
 
 Only the best can be made to do in bicycle manu- 
 facture; each piece of metal must be separately 
 tested, and the maximum of strength with the mini- 
 mum of weight must be attained. What is known 
 as the safety factor enters largely into the construe- 
 
4 
 
 iO BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 tion of the modern bicycle; that is, the machine is 
 made much stronger than is necessary for the strain 
 it is expected to withstand; this added strength in- 
 volving of course the added weight of the material 
 which supplies it. The calculated strength of a ma- 
 chine is the strength which fits it adequately to per- 
 form its work. When, as in the bicycle, the accu- 
 rate testing by skilled workmen proves the existence 
 of this degree of strength, the safety factor mean- 
 while being reduced to the lowest possible limit, the 
 product is the perfected result of the highest degree 
 of skill. Each part is tested for so many pounds 
 strain or tension or compression, and each strain is 
 accurately figured for each particular part ; each part, 
 moreover, must be able to stand so much additional 
 strain, more than it is ever likely to have thrown 
 upon it, though no bicycle is built to withstand the 
 shock of collision under speed. In case of collision, 
 the older, heavy bicycle was not smashed into frag- 
 ments, as is the modern twenty-pounder. Some- 
 thing would give way, perhaps; it might break in 
 several places. The light modern wheel holds to- 
 gether or is crushed to pieces, though its rider is 
 less likely to suffer serious injury, the lighter 
 construction having less power to do damage 
 than the cumbrous wheel of fifty or sixty pounds 
 weight. 
 
 The cost of a well-made bicycle, of perfect work- 
 manship and finish, represents the amount of skilled 
 labor required to construct it rather than the value 
 of the raw material, although, when it is remembered 
 that each part must be tough, hard, strong and 
 
WHAT THE BICYCLE DOES, 
 
 elastic, it will be apparent that only the best of 
 material can be used. 
 
 Wheels can be made at a very low cost; but such 
 wheels cannot be correctly adjusted and tested with- 
 out the additional cost of skilled labor. For the pro- 
 duction of a perfect bicycle, the machine of tested 
 strength, simplicity of detail, and beauty of finish, 
 the most accurate workmanship as well as the best 
 material is necessary. A machine or a tool should 
 always be the best of its kind, and it pays to take 
 care of it. A bicycle requires as nice and accurate 
 adjustment as a watch, and like a watch, with regular 
 attention afterwards, will run steadily and smooth- 
 ly. A bicycle, moreover, as much or more than a 
 watch, is individual property, and each individual 
 wants the best. 
 
 Our physical powers have been tested in certain 
 directions; in walking, for instance, we know what 
 we can do, how far we can go, how much it is wise 
 to attempt. The bicycle appeals to us as a means 
 of swift locomotion attained without other force 
 than our own powers four or five times multiplied 
 by mechanical processes. The bicycle enables one 
 to do, to prove one's powers; it puts one in conceit 
 with one's self. When one is not a pedestrian, 
 does not care for equestrian pleasures — and, indeed, 
 in the majority of cases, there is little to compel at- 
 tention to these means of recreation — the bicycle 
 offers the opportunity to find the limit of one's 
 powers in a new field. It supplies, too, a new 
 pleasure — the pleasure of going where one wills, 
 because one wills. The attention has only to be di- 
 
BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 rected, and the wheel, responsive to touch or 
 thought, moves in unison with the rider's will, 
 flitting hither and thither, that he may enjoy 
 the freshness of nature and the ever-changing 
 beauty of clouds and sky, of sunshine and shadow, 
 of meadow and sea, lake and river, mountain and 
 forest. 
 
 Riding the wheel, our own powers are revealed to 
 us, a new sense is seemingly created. The unobserv- 
 ing are gradually awakened, and the keen observer is 
 thrilled with quick and rare delight. The system is 
 invigorated, the spirit is refreshed, the mind, freed 
 from care, swept of dusty cobwebs, is filled with 
 new and beautiful impressions. You have con- 
 quered a new world, and exulting ly you take pos- 
 session of it. 
 
 Travelling by vehicle or by any public convey- 
 ance, the sense of individual responsibility is re- 
 duced to the minimum; it is indeed no appreciable 
 factor. You pay so much to be taken up and set 
 down, so much for a reasonable amount of safety, 
 comfort, and convenience. Mounted on a wheel, 
 you feel at once the keenest sense of responsibility. 
 You are there to do as you will within reasonable 
 limits; you are continually being called upon to 
 judge and to determine points that before have not 
 needed your consideration, and consequently you 
 become alert, active, quick-sighted, and keenly alive 
 as well to the rights of others as to what is due your- 
 self. You are responsible to yourself for your- 
 self; you are responsible to the public for your- 
 self; and you are responsible to the public for 
 
IV II A 7' THE BICYCLE DOES. 
 
 13 
 
 the rights of others. The upholding of laws 
 and ordinances, the general welfare, public 
 health and safet}^ — problems never before, per- 
 haps, called to your attention — come up one by 
 one for consideration. In short, individual duty, 
 recognition of the rights of others, consideration of 
 means for the proper enforcing of laws, all are sug- 
 gested to the awakening mind of the bicyclist. The 
 bicycle is an educational factor, subtle and far-reach- 
 ing, creating the desire for progress, the preference 
 for what is better, the striving for the best, broaden- 
 ing the intelligence and intensifying love of home 
 and country. For all that is beautiful is ours — ours 
 to protect and to cherish. 
 
 To the many who earnestly wish to be actively at 
 work in the world, the opportunity has come; they 
 need but to come face to face with it to solve this 
 problem of something to conquer, something to 
 achieve. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 On Wheels in General and Bicycles in Particular. 
 
 The form of the wheel is ver}^ ancient, its con- 
 struction modern, even recent. Its evolution has 
 been gradual. First came the round stick or roller, 
 placed beneath a weight; then a roller with its cen- 
 tral portion shaped and thinned to lessen friction; 
 then two disk-shaped sections of a log, connected by 
 a bar upon which they revolved, replaced the clumsy 
 stick. 
 
 Each wheel or disk then began to receive separate 
 attention. There was the wear on the edge or rim 
 to be considered, and it was found that if its surface 
 were protected, the disk would last indefinitely long- 
 er. Then it was noticed that the hole in the centre 
 of the disk wore unevenly, and it was reinforced, 
 and the hub began to take form. When the rim was 
 strong and the central portion of the wheel remained 
 intact, the disk was found to be heavier and stronger 
 than it need to be to support the outer portion of the 
 wheel. Some of the useless heavy part was removed, 
 and the disk pierced with holes to make it lighter; 
 then these holes were shaped between the remaining 
 portions, which took the form of pillars or spokes. 
 A pillar would break, and be replaced by a rounded 
 
IV HEELS IX GENERAL. 
 
 15 
 
 Stick; and thus, perhaps, the rude idea took form of 
 constructing a wheel out of several pieces, for the 
 sake of securing economy, durability, and lightness. 
 
 A wheel, then, was well constructed, with a large, 
 heavy piece in the centre to stand friction and bear 
 weight, and with the rim made of several pieces, each 
 piece supported on a spoke, and all held together by 
 a band called a tire. In the course of time the hub 
 became heavier, the spokes thinner, the rim strong- 
 er and lighter, and the tire narrower. The bar con- 
 necting two wheels was made very strong, with 
 smooth ends for the wheels to revolve easily upon. 
 Pins were driven into holes in the projecting ends 
 of the axle, or bar, and later the pins replaced by 
 knobs, or nuts. Then the wheels were brought 
 closer together, and found to run more easily; and 
 the tire, cutting too deep into soft surfaces, was 
 widened. Attention, moreover, was paid to the road- 
 wa5^ very bad places being filled and smoothed. 
 
 A wheel is defined as "a circular frame turning 
 on an axle"; an axle as "a shaft or rod, either solid 
 or hollow, on which a wheel is placed." The first 
 bicycle wheels were constructed like carriage wheels, 
 the limit of that method of construction arrived at. 
 The rim was supported on the spokes, which rested 
 on the hub. The minimum definite quantity of ma- 
 terial was ascertained, but the wheel was still too 
 heavy and bulk3\ If the weight of material was les- 
 sened, however, it would fall to pieces. 
 
 The bic3^cle wheel of to-day is a compound mechan- 
 ism constructed on reverse principles. The wheel 
 is made on the principle of suspension, an inverted 
 
i6 
 
 JUCYCL/.YG J' OA' LADIES. 
 
 application of weight and thrust. The hub is hung 
 from the rim, and the axle supported in that way. 
 Each bicycle wheel is really two wheels, graceful in 
 form, with but one rim, and with two hubs, one on 
 either end of a short axle, the spokes being drawn 
 to a common rim, and made stiff enough to carry 
 weight, and elastic enough to withstand shock. 
 The rim or frame is elastic and durable. To this 
 rim many wire spokes are fastened, and the hubs 
 for each wheel are centred and hung from them. 
 The hubs and axle are wider than the rim of the 
 wheel, and the spokes are fastened alternately to 
 either end, thus giving a tangent strain which 
 stiffens the wheel and gives it strength. The tire is 
 a separate construction, possessing several individual 
 features. The onl}^ ofBce of the old tire was to pro- 
 tect the rim of the wheel from wear; the pneumatic 
 tire protects the rim, presents a good friction sur- 
 face, and is enabled by its elasticity to take the shock 
 and jar of the entire bicycle. 
 
 In order that the wheel may turn, the axle must 
 be lubricated; otherwise the inside of the hub will 
 become hot, and wear the face of the axle a little 
 rough. The surfaces then cannot pass, but remain 
 fixed and immovable, and the wheel cannot turn. 
 The introduction of a third material of a different 
 consistency between the revolving surfaces prevents 
 their wearing against each other, and the lubricant 
 is rubbed and rubbed again; there is so little of the 
 lubricant that it does not accumulate sufficiently to 
 cause resistance, and the moving surfaces slip 
 smoothly over each other. 
 
WHEELS EV GENERAL. 
 
 17 
 
 The axle of a modern bicycle wheel is compound, 
 and although there are two ends to the axle, there is 
 but one rim to the wheel. The rim carries all the 
 weight distributed from many points at once; the 
 weights resist each other, and give strength and 
 stiffness. The axle really carries double, two 
 wheels with but one rim; and each end of the axle 
 is supported at so many points that it possesses 
 great weight-carrying power in proportion to the 
 weight of material used in its construction. The 
 weight of the frame is supported on the axles of the 
 rear and front wheels. Of its construction it is suffi- 
 cient to say that the weight is taken up on the 
 thrust principle and that wherever a point of sup- 
 port for the thrust is located, the frame is strength- 
 ened to support and resist the thrust. 
 
 By a mechanical application of power, the power 
 of the pressure of the foot on the pedal is multiplied, 
 one revolution of the pedal crank causing the rear 
 wheel to revolve a number of times. In the chain 
 gear the mechanical means is a large wheel on the 
 axle to which the pedal cranks are attached, and a 
 smaller wheel on the axle of the rear wheel. There 
 are teeth on both these wheels, the large wheel hav- 
 ing the greater number. The band or chain passing 
 over the large sprocket-wheel has links which en- 
 gage each tooth of the wheel as the chain passes 
 over it, and as that wheel revolves, it pulls the 
 chain over, link by link. 
 
 The small wheel is also provided with teeth, and 
 every time the large sprocket-wheel is turned, if 
 only a little way, it pulls the chain link by link, and 
 
i8 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 the chain link by link pulls the rear wheel tooth by 
 tooth. The small sprocket-wheel revolves as the 
 chain pulls it, revolving oftener than the large wheel 
 to keep count with it tooth for tooth. The number 
 of teeth on the sprocket-wheels determines the multi- 
 plicity of revolutions of the rear wheel. 
 
 The rear wheel revolves very rapidly, in the pro- 
 cess becoming virtually a gyroscope; and a gyro- 
 scope will maintain the plane in which it revolves 
 unless other forces intervene. The front wheel 
 takes its motion from the friction of the surface over 
 which it is propelled, and after the bicycle is in mo- 
 tion, the forces that are applied to control and direct 
 its movement are friction and resistance. After the 
 C3^clist is mounted, there is the added complication 
 of a constantly shifting centre of gravity, caused by 
 change of balance. The steering is effected by 
 changing the direction of the front wheel, the rear 
 wheel being enabled to follow by a slight slipping 
 over the wheeling surface. If the change of direc- 
 tion is too abrupt, the rear wheel will slip enough 
 to lose its hold on the surface, and the weight of 
 the rider will be suddenly shifted from above the 
 point of support (the axle of the rear wheel) to the 
 top of the rim of the wheel, thus becoming a lever 
 with the weight on the end of the long arm, and the 
 bicycle falls over. 
 
 As the wheels revolve, there is a constant pull on 
 tire and rim. Just as the chain is pulled over the 
 sprocket-wheels, the tire is pulled by friction over 
 the surface ridden on. If this surface affords the 
 tire no hold, it is impossible for the wheel to ad- 
 
WHEELS EV GENERAL. 
 
 19 
 
 vance, as on a muddy surface. The crank may im- 
 part a motion to the wheel, but this motion will not 
 enable the wheel to maintain its place; or if, in 
 overcoming the cranks at the dead centre, too much 
 weight is applied to one side of the wheel, the same 
 thing occurs, and the wheel falls over. There are a 
 number of mechanical means for conveying the mo- 
 tion of the foot to the wheel of the bicycle to cause 
 the wheels to revolve. 
 
 There are many ways of constructing a frame, 
 and different designs and patterns of fittings for 
 different parts; but the main idea of the bicycle does 
 not change — a fixed wheel to which motion is im- 
 parted, and a movable or guiding wheel, indepen- 
 dent of the power wheel, and revolving only because 
 the machine is pushed or pulled forward. This 
 second wheel gives stability, and supports the wheel 
 at a movable point. 
 
 We have, therefore, a wheel which supports a 
 frame and the weight it carries. The frame is sup- 
 ported on two wheels, one end of the frame taking 
 the w^eight, and that end supported on one wheel. 
 The second wheel merely supports one end of the 
 frame. If the frame were attached at one end di- 
 rectly and rigidly to the second wheel, the weight 
 carrying wheel would move in the same plane with 
 it. A child's two-wheeled cart wall illustrate this. 
 While moving forward in a straight line, the child is 
 safe until one or both of the wheels begin to travel 
 in a rut, when the rigid handle or tongue of the cart 
 resists the guiding power, and the child is pulled or 
 thrown over. If the tongue or frame of the wagon 
 
20 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 is allowed play, as it is called, say by being held 
 easily in the hand, the pole may be guided. The 
 supported end of the frame of the bicycle corres- 
 ponds to the pole or tongue of the cart. 
 
 Now, the wheel is made to steer in this way: 
 We have the rigid forks, and a wheel to support 
 them. The forks hold the wheel in the same plane 
 as themselves, but the top part of each fork, instead 
 of being fastened immovably to the frame, passes 
 up through a bearing-head prepared for it in the 
 frame. The wheel is supported, but it can now 
 maintain a separate plane, and as the post of the 
 forks changes its direction, it pulls the frame with 
 it as it advances; and so the controlling or steering 
 power is transferred. 
 
 The weight-bearing wheel is led and directed; 
 part of its power is transferred by thrust or push to 
 the front wheel, and as the steering wheel is pushed 
 over the surface, it revolves. As it revolves, part of 
 its power is diverted by the movable head, and as 
 the head is held and controlled by the rider, any de- 
 sired direction may be imparted to the entire 
 machine. 
 
 A bicycle may have either a diamond frame or a 
 drop frame. The drop frame is made to facilitate 
 mounting and to permit the adjustment of a 
 woman's dress. The diamond frame possesses great 
 strength, and can be lightened to a wonderful degree 
 without injury to the thrust and strain-bearing 
 quality of its construction. 
 
 A form of triangle is made use of to carry the 
 greatest weight and bear the greatest strain. This 
 
W hp: ELS /.V GEl^ERAL. 
 
 21 
 
 triangle is supported on the rear wheel, and has part 
 of the frame attached to it to connect it with the 
 steering-wheel. The steering-wheel is provided 
 with handles by which it may be controlled. The 
 weight of the rider is carried over the power wheel, 
 and the propelling power, a lever movement, is im- 
 parted by the foot. 
 
 From this description an idea may be formed of 
 how and why a bicycle works; but the details of its 
 mechanism are of endless variety of form and pat- 
 tern, material and workmanship. Each small part, 
 its form, its use, its angles of surface, its every de- 
 tail indeed, is the product of the work of many 
 minds for many years. And though the bicycle was 
 looked for, and hoped for, and worked for, its 
 general acceptance came suddenly, and came only 
 when it had been built light enough and strong 
 enough and elastic enough to warrant confidence in 
 its universal usage. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 For Beginners. 
 
 Mount and away! How easy it seems. To the 
 novice it is not as easy as it looks, yet everyone, or 
 almost everyone, can learn to ride, though there are 
 different ways of going about it. Unless the begin- 
 ner is one of those fortunate beings who mount, and 
 as it were, wheel at sight, little need be said about 
 instruction at this stage of proceedings if a bicycle 
 school is within reach. A few suggestions may be 
 desirable, however, even with a competent in- 
 structor. 
 
 Nothing more quickly exhausts one's strength 
 than the first few minutes with a bicycle. This is 
 due to the fact that many unused muscles are called 
 upon to do unaccustomed work and to w^ork together 
 in new combinations; and the effort required and 
 the accompanying nervous excitement produce a 
 sudden and apparently unaccountable fatigue. Nor- 
 mal conditions can be restored by resting long 
 enough to allow repair of the wasted tissues. It is 
 well to stop when a little tired, rather than to persist 
 and finish the lesson, even if extra lessons are neces- 
 sary to make up for lost time. No one can really 
 learn anything when tired, and it is unwise to at- 
 
CORRECT POSITION— LEANING WITH THE WHEEL. 
 
FOR BKC/yNERS. 
 
 23 
 
 tempt it. In this matter no one else can judge for 
 you. 
 
 What a horrible moment it is when first mounted 
 on a bicycle, a mere machine, a thing quite beyond 
 your control, and unable even to stand by itself. 
 But it is impossible to tell without trying whether 
 or not you can manage a bicycle. Make the experi- 
 ment, therefore, and find out. Any competent 
 teacher will guarantee success, and after the first 
 five minutes on the bicycle can tell how long it will 
 take you to learn. The time varies with the indi- 
 vidual; the period of instruction may last for five 
 minutes or for six months, without counting extra 
 lessons for fancy wheeling. 
 
 Don't try to get the better of your wheel. You 
 cannot teach it anything, and there is really much 
 for you to learn. 
 
 What to keep in mind zvhen taking your lesson. — 
 Attend to the bicycle and to nothing else. Don't 
 attem.pt to talk, and look well ahead of the machine, 
 certainly not less than twenty feet. Remember 
 that the bicycle will go wherever the attention is 
 directed. 
 
 In sitting upon the wheel, the spinal column 
 should maintain the same vertical plane that the 
 rear wheel does, and should not bend laterally to 
 balance in the usual manner. A new balance must 
 be acquired, and other muscular combinations than 
 those that are familiarly called upon. To wheel by 
 rule is the better plan until the natural balance of 
 the bicyclist is developed. Sit erect and sit still. 
 
 The bicycle must be kept from falling by a wig- 
 
24 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 gling movement of the front wheel, conveyed by 
 means of the handle-bar. When moving, the rapidly 
 revolving wheels maintain the vertical plane by ro- 
 tation, with but little assistance or correction from 
 the handle-bars. 
 
 It is a good plan, while the instructor assists you, 
 to pedal with one foot at a time, holding the other 
 foot free. This will enable you to determine the 
 amount of pressure it is necessary to exert to cause 
 the wheels to revolve. 
 
 When both feet are on the pedals, they oppose 
 each other. The weight should be lifted from the 
 ascending pedal, or else the descending foot must 
 push the other foot up until that foot is in position 
 to exert a downward pressure. This instruction ap- 
 plies to forward pedaling only; for back pedaling or 
 backing, the movement should be reversed. Prac- 
 tise pushing first with one foot and then with the 
 other, taking the weight off the opposite pedal in 
 each case. At each push of the pedal, a little pull 
 on the handle-bars, pulling with the hand on the 
 same side on which you are pushing with the foot, 
 will keep the wheel from falling. Look well ahead. 
 The bicycle covers the ground very rapidly, and the 
 eye does not at first receive impressions quickly 
 enough to enable you to know where to look and 
 what to look for. 
 
 As soon as your teacher will allow it, take the 
 wheel for a little walk. This may seem rather an 
 absurd proceeding, but it will assist you greatly in 
 learning the feel and tendencies of the machine. 
 Lead the bicycle about carefully, holding the 
 
INCORRECT POSITION— LEANING AGAINST THE INCLINATION 
 
FOR BEGINNERS. 
 
 25 
 
 handles with both hands and avoiding the revolving 
 pedals. Learn to stand it up, to turn it quickly, and 
 to back it in a limited space. 
 
 The machine heretofore has been arranged for you. 
 Now you can begin to think how you would like to 
 have it adjusted. You will, perhaps, find fault with 
 the saddle. The saddle is a very important adjunct, 
 and much depends upon its proper adjustment. A 
 large, soft saddle is usually preferred by the begin- 
 ner, and perhaps this is a good kind to learn to 
 balance on; but it is a very poor kind to wheel on, 
 for many reasons. 
 
 At first, in practising pedaling, the height of the 
 saddle should permit the hollow of the foot to rest 
 firmly on the pedal when the pedal is lowest. The 
 ball of the foot only should press on the pedal. The 
 foot should be made to follow the pedal as early as 
 possible. Point the toe downward on the last half 
 of the down stroke, and keep pointing it until the 
 pedal is at its lowest, following the pedal with the 
 foot, and pointing downward until the pedal is half 
 way on the up stroke. This carries the crank past 
 the dead centre. To acquire a proper method, atten- 
 tion should be directed to each foot alternately. 
 
 To learn to balance, have the saddle raised as high 
 as possible, so that the ball of the foot just touches 
 the pedal at its lowest. Practise wheeling in this 
 way, with an instructor, or alone on a smooth sur- 
 face where you are sure to be undisturbed. 
 
 The hands naturally take a position where it is 
 easy to grasp the handles of the handle-bars. The 
 handle-bar conveys two principal movements to the 
 
26 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 first wheel — a short wiggling movement and a long 
 or steering sweep. The handle-bars also assist in 
 maintaining the seat at first. 
 
 The beginner usually exerts too much pressure 
 on the pedals, and has to pull correspondingly hard 
 on the handles to correct the falling tendency of the 
 machine. This is very hard work, and stiff arms and 
 shoulders and blistered hands may be often thus ac- 
 counted for; they are the result of badly balanced 
 pedaling. To be able to sit comfortably at work, 
 and to feel that it is not so hard after all, is a great 
 advance. 
 
 Now, the question of that other foot. By this time 
 which *'the other foot" is will have become quite 
 evident; it is always the foot to which attention for 
 the moment is not directed, and which consequently 
 may meet unexpected disaster — a lost pedal, per- 
 haps, with its accompanying inconveniences. 
 
 Downward pressure with the foot is easily ac- 
 quired and needs little effort. To take the pressure 
 off the ascending pedal at the right moment is a 
 more difficult matter. Usually considerable practice 
 in cycling is necessary before the unused lifting 
 muscles are strengthened sufficiently by exercise to 
 permit them to do their work easily. 
 
 There is a third movement of the handle-bars — a 
 quick twist in the direction the machine is leaning 
 if about to fall; it is made suddenly, and brings the 
 wheel back to its original position. If the w^heel 
 were stationary, and the front wheel were turned, 
 the bicycle would fall in an opposite direction from 
 the front wheel. If the wheel is about to fall, it can 
 
FOR BRGIMNERS. 
 
 27 
 
 be prevented from doing so by throwing the balance 
 the other way by means of the handle-bars. A 
 similar result is accomplished by wiggling the front 
 wheel, and when a bicycle is moving very slowly, a 
 continuous wiggle — changing the balance as the ma- 
 chine inclines from side to side — is necessary to 
 keep it upright. 
 
 The body should incline with the rear wheel and 
 maintain the same plane with it, becoming as much 
 as possible a part of the wheel, as though united by 
 a straight bar going from the base of the tire to the 
 top of the head. 
 
 The rear wheel and all the weight that it carries is 
 governed by the front wheel and controlled by 
 means of the handle-bars. The rear wheel support- 
 ing all the rider's weight, the power is applied to 
 that wheel. The front wheel serves only for balance 
 and steering. 
 
 It is not necessary to provide a complete outfit to 
 take the first lesson. If you possess a pair of knick- 
 erbockers, so much the better. Wear an old dress, 
 easy shoes and gloves, and a hat that will stay on un- 
 der any conditions. The clothing should be as loose 
 as possible about the waist. Wear flannels, and no 
 tight bands of any kind or anything elastic. As 
 respiration is increased b}^ the exercise, the cloth- 
 ing should be loose enough to allow of a long deep 
 breath, drawn easily, taken by expanding the chest 
 at the lower ribs to fill the lungs. This precaution 
 being taken, giddiness and short-windedness can re- 
 sult only from over-exercise. Ten or fifteen 
 minutes* practise is enough at first; and a half 
 
28 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 hour's lesson later, with several stops for rest, is the 
 best rule for many people, particularly those unac- 
 customed to active exercise. 
 
 If you are an equestrian, you will meet with many 
 unexpected problems. The bicycle will do nothing 
 for you, and the lack of horse-sense must be supplied 
 by your own intelligence. It is well, when learning, 
 to remove all bicycle accessories. They are only in 
 the way, and add weight and distract the attention. 
 The propelling of the bicycle — that is the one idea 
 to keep in mind. Make the machine go; shove it 
 along. Never mind if you are not quite comfortable 
 or at ease at first. Sit on your saddle and stay there. 
 Do not try to balance the machine. Lean the way 
 the machine inclines, not away from it, as it will be 
 your first impulse to do. The bicycle is not to be 
 fought against; it is to be propelled and controlled; 
 and the art is not difficult to acquire. 
 
 Avoid starting a bicycle on a down grade when you 
 are learning. For on a slight, even an almost im- 
 perceptible incline, the cycler must back-pedal ; but 
 the beginner wishes to propel the bicycle, and for 
 that purpose must use an altogether different muscu- 
 lar combination. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 How to Make Progress. 
 
 You have learned to wheel a bicycle, — have had 
 some lessons, can take the machine and mount it, 
 wheel a little way, and fall off ; or can wheel for some 
 time without a dismount, but feel utterly exhausted 
 after a short spin. You have accomplished what 
 you attempted, — you can wheel a bicycle; but you 
 feel dissatisfied. You have tried to ride with 
 friends, perhaps, and have had to give it up; yet 
 you feel that you should be able to do what others 
 have done and are doing all the time. It is very 
 discouraging. 
 
 What you should have now is a suitable and com- 
 fortable wheeling outfit. You perhaps have a bicy- 
 cle of your own; if not, a good wheel may be hired 
 reasonably. The matter of dress is now all-impor- 
 tant, and a costume suitable for cycling should be 
 selected ; it is impossible to do good work or to prac- 
 tise comfortably unless you are properly dressed. 
 
 Choose for a practice ride a pleasant day, with 
 little or no wind, and neither too hot nor too cold. 
 The atmospheric conditions are an important factor 
 in bicycling; indeed, beginners are often discour- 
 aged by external conditions which really have noth- 
 
30 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 ing to do with their mastery of the machine. Take 
 the bicycle out on a smooth road, where you may 
 have two or three miles free from traffic, and as level 
 as possible. If the road is muddy or slippery, wait 
 for the proper conditions. Unless the surface is 
 smooth and dry, it is better to take the bicycle back 
 without attempting to mount it. If two or three 
 miles of good road are not accessible, a quarter-mile 
 stretch or even less will serve. Select a good path- 
 way, however short. 
 
 See that the wheel is adjusted to suit you ; the sad- 
 dle of a comfortable height, certainl}^ not too high; 
 the handle-bars convenient to grasp. Assure your- 
 self that all the nuts are secure, the saddle and 
 handle-bars firm. Spin the pedals to see that they 
 revolve easily. Make up your mind before mount- 
 ing how far you want to go; mount the machine, 
 wheel it for this distance, and dismount. Do not 
 try to look about while wheeling. Give your whole 
 attention to the bicycle and keep your eyes fixed in 
 the direction you are travelling. Avoid hollows and 
 cart-ruts, though these should not occur if the lo- 
 cality for practice is well chosen. If an unexpected 
 hollow or hump should be encountered, hold hard to 
 the handle-bars and press firmly on the pedals, ris- 
 ing at the same time a little from the saddle. The 
 pedals are most important parts, the controlling 
 power being centred in them. If there is a good 
 hand-brake on the bicycle, it is well to note its action 
 and to understand how to apply it; for in case of a 
 lost pedal, its application might give a little confi- 
 dence. By a ''lost pedal" is meant, not that part of 
 
NOW TO MAKE PROGRESS. 
 
 31 
 
 the machine is literally lost, but that the foothold is 
 missed on it, and so control of the wheel lost for the 
 moment. 
 
 If out of breath, wait until rested. Rest for a few 
 minutes in any case, and look about, and note the 
 surface wheeled over. Then plan another spin, of 
 perhaps a few hundred feet. Fix upon an objective 
 point, wheel to it, and dismount. Rest thoroughly, 
 and mount again. Be careful to avoid becoming 
 chilled while resting, stopping only long enough to 
 restore the natural breathing and to look over the 
 road. 
 
 Half an hour of this kind of work at first every 
 suitable day is enough. If you are strong and accus- 
 tomed to active exercise, the time may be prolonged 
 to an hour or an hour and a half; or you may prac- 
 tise twice daily, morning and afternoon, or after- 
 noon and evening. Cycling weather is an uncertain 
 quantity, and all possible advantages should be tak- 
 en of it. If tired after the first day's practice, do 
 not attempt to resume it until entirely rested, even 
 if it is necessary to wait for two or three days; for 
 unless the wheel is well understood and the wheeler 
 fairly practised, it is hard work. The practised cy- 
 clist controls the bicycle without conscious effort, 
 and may direct his attention to his surroundings; 
 but the novice must concentrate his attention on his 
 machine. 
 
 A bicycle should always be handled carefully; for 
 though it is made strong enough for the emergencies 
 of being thrown and pulled and twisted, none of these 
 things improve it. Keep the polish free from 
 
32 
 
 B rev CLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 scratches, and the more delicate parts free from 
 dents. Do not let the bicycle fall or throw it down 
 carelessly. Learn to balance it against a curb or 
 post or fence or any other convenient object, with- 
 out injury to the bicycle or to the supporting surface. 
 
 A bicycle will balance in this way: The front 
 wheel kept from moving at either the tire or the 
 centre of the frame; the pedal resting against some 
 firm object. 
 
 Do not wheel near anything, but give yourself as 
 much room as possible. A practised cyclist can take 
 a bicycle w^herever it is possible to walk, but it is 
 sometimes a feat to do this. 
 
 The proper position cannot be too soon acquired. 
 Sit erect and not too far from the handle-bars. 
 Let the hands grasp the handles in an easy, natural 
 position. The saddle should be quite over the 
 pedals to give a natural movement, forward, down, 
 back, and up. The bicycle is sensitive, and yields 
 to almost unconscious direction; but if the eye is 
 not trained to judge distances, steering will be diffi- 
 cult at first. It is necessary to look well ahead, to 
 decide quickly what you will do, and to do it. Pedal 
 fast, but do not hurry. Don't try to find out how 
 fast you can go. This is not a good time for such 
 an experiment; it will be easy later to test your 
 speed. Pedal fast enough to keep the machine run- 
 ning easily and smoothly and to feel it take care of 
 itself a little. It is easier to guide and control it 
 when it is in motion with the wheels rolling rapidly. 
 
 It is not a good plan to select a very light wheel 
 for practice. The tendencies and the peculiarities 
 
I/O IV TO MAKE PROGRESS. 
 
 33 
 
 of the bicycle are more readily determined when 
 there is a little weight to resist. Be careful to wear 
 nothing tight, particularly shoes, gloves, waistband, 
 or hat; for they might prove a source of discomfort 
 or even danger. 
 
 Learn to steady the bicycle as soon as you can. It 
 will wnggle and wobble from a number of causes. 
 The front wheel must be kept steady. Wobbling 
 results from losing the sense of direction for a mo- 
 ment. To overcome the difficulty, either stop and 
 dismount, or, if it is possible, increase your speed. 
 
 Before taking a bicycle out, have any oil that may 
 have settled on the outside of the bearings wiped 
 off, and add a little fresh oil to the oil-cups. The 
 chain or power gear should be lubricated, and any 
 superfluous lubricant carefully removed. The ease 
 with which the bic3^cle runs depends on proper clean- 
 ing and oiling; an illy cared for or badly oiled ma- 
 chine, moreover, is very unpleasant to handle. 
 
 A course of practice will inspire confidence, and 
 wobbling will occur less and less frequentl3^ Then 
 the inequalities of surface will be noticed, and the 
 cyclist will wonder why it is harder to wheel in some 
 places and in certain directions. Parts of the road 
 are covered, the wheeler being almost unconscious 
 of exerting any force, and again in places the foot 
 seems to be pushed up. Ease and comfort in wheel- 
 ing are dependent to a large degree on the wind and 
 to a much larger degree on the grades and hills. A 
 very little grade, a very slight rise, quite unnctice- 
 able to the pedestrian, is disagreeably obvious to the 
 bicyclist. The difficulty presented may be over- 
 
34 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 come by pushing on the pedal at the right place as it 
 descends, and at the right time, time and place 
 beijig also adjusted to the weight and power of the 
 bicyclist. To push at just the right time on a grade 
 assures an easy ascent. Any difficulty in pedaling 
 may be traced to a wrong application of power. 
 
 Hill-climbing and grade work require thought 
 and practice. Do not be discouraged because a little 
 bit of a hill seems quite impossible. Overcoming 
 grades is no easy matter, and is usually learned slow- 
 ly; every time a grade is attempted, however, some 
 progress is made. Wheel as far as it is possible to 
 go comfortably; then dismount, and walk the rest 
 of the way. Never try to mount on an up grade un- 
 less you are expert, for this is a difficult and most 
 fatiguing thing to do. When mounting, notice the 
 grade, and if it is downward, do not have the mount- 
 ing pedal at its full height; and select a clear place 
 to mount in. If an up grade must be wheeled over, 
 it is often advisable to mount in a downward direc- 
 tion, wheel far enough for a start, and then turn to 
 ascend without dismounting. Learn to pedal slow- 
 ly and steadily and to start and stop easily. These 
 things may be practised at convenient times, and 
 with sufficient practice will be mastered, but mean- 
 while need keep no one from attempting a moderate- 
 ly long run. 
 
 Uncertain attempts at mounting are very fatigu- 
 ing. Get some one to mount and start you when off 
 for the first long outings; the energy saved can be 
 better utilized in wheeling. Do not be afraid to 
 wheel over small inequalities if their direction is at 
 
now TO MAKE PROGRESS. 
 
 35 
 
 right angles to the direction of the bicycle; but 
 avoid all ruts and depressions parallel with the 
 wheel's direction. It is easy to slip into them, and 
 difficult to get out of them without a spill. 
 
 Never eat a full meal before starting on a bicycle 
 trip; if possible, set the time for starting at least an 
 hour after eating. Ten, twenty, and thirt)^ miles 
 are often covered after the first or second trial. It 
 is better to sit on your wheel and pedal slowly than 
 to dismount. Getting on and off, stopping and start- 
 ing, are much more fatiguing than wheeling; and it 
 is well to economize your strength at this stage. 
 Always see that the tool-kit is in place on the bicycle, 
 and never go far without a wrench and a screw 
 driver. 
 
 The tires also should receive close attention; they 
 should be properly inflated, and the hand-pump 
 carried on a convenient place on the machine. It is 
 never well to use a tire that is not properly inflated. 
 Avoid all broken glass, nails, etc., and do not rest 
 the wheel against a barbed wire fence. 
 
 The wheeler who desires to succeed cannot too 
 soon begin to observe and take notes. Early learn 
 to use the wrench yourself, and study how to apply 
 that instrument properly. Study the different parts 
 of the bicycle, and note how they are put together; 
 and particularly observe each nut and screw, and de- 
 termine its purpose. Each nut must be at its proper 
 tension to hold securely. Study the valves of the 
 tires and learn their construction; and be sure you 
 know how to apply the pump-coupling properly. 
 Learn the names and uses of the different parts of 
 
36 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 the bicycle, and study their construction. This is 
 mechanical geography, if I may use such a term. 
 Learn to care for your health and how to prepare 
 your S3^stem to resist fatigue. Then you will find 
 that you have mastered the subject, and are pre- 
 pared to avail yourself of the many pleasures of the 
 sport. 
 
 The oftener discouraged, the oftener the opportu- 
 nity to hope again. The art of bicycling is a purely 
 mechanical attainment ; and though its complications 
 may at first seem hopeless, sufficient practice will 
 result in final mastery. 
 
CHAPTER n. 
 Helping and Teaching; What to Learn, 
 
 Accuracy is the first principle of cycling; and the 
 would-be bicyclist should learn as early as possible 
 that ease of movement and precision of movement 
 are inseparable; and that bruises and bumps and 
 wrenches, though they may have an educational 
 value, are not a necessary accompaniment of the 
 sport. The skilful instructor need never allow a 
 scratch or a bruise. Some people want to learn 
 everything at once; but only so much should be 
 done at each attempt as can be done accurately, if it 
 be only walking the machine about and standing it 
 up. This exercise is helpful, for walking a bicycle 
 about requires a series of accurate movements, and 
 accurate movement is necessar}^ in learning mount- 
 ing and propelling. 
 
 The bicycle is a marvel of adjustment, and the bi- 
 cyclist is obliged to adopt movements that corres- 
 pond with the movements of the bicycle. The more 
 accurate this correspondence of movement, the great- 
 er the ease of propulsion. 
 
 The lines and angles of the levers of feet and legs 
 must be studied to so apply them as to secure the 
 best results. Avoid undue tension. Learn just how 
 
38 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 much to lean the bicycle in mounting, just where to 
 place the foot, where to stand in relation to the han- 
 dle-bars, and where to place the weight on the ma- 
 chine. This understood, mounting is accomplished. 
 The bicycle may be mastered, and easily mastered, 
 by remembering all the things not to do and by- 
 doing all the things that should be done. 
 
 To assist another to do what you do not know how 
 to do yourself is not an easy task; yet there are 
 people who are willing to undertake it. 
 
 A bicycle is so nicely balanced that it is easy to 
 hold it up if it is taken hold of in the right way. 
 Grasp the back of the saddle firmly with one hand, 
 take hold of one of the handles with the other, and 
 the machine is in your power. A person seated on 
 the saddle with a firm hold of the handles of the 
 handle-bar, becomes, as it were, a part of the ma- 
 chine, and when sitting quite still is governed by 
 the same laws of balance that control the bicycle. 
 
 Take hold of a bicycle with some one seated in the 
 saddle, and move it a few inches forward, then a 
 few inches backward, and it becomes at once per- 
 ceptible that but little force is necessary to overcome 
 the inertia of the combined weights of wheel and 
 rider. The wheel has a tendency to fall to either 
 side, but it is eas}^ to balance the weight on the tires. 
 Then hold the wheel a little toward you, for it is 
 easier and less fatiguing than to hold it from you. 
 If the bicycle is allowed to incline from you, it will 
 pull you over; if it inclines toward you, you can 
 support its weight against the shoulder. If the rider 
 sits still and inclines with the machine, it is easily 
 
IIKf.PING AXD rEACniNG. 
 
 39 
 
 righted; but if the rider's weight is thrown in a di- 
 rection opposite to the inclination of the bicycle, the 
 tendency to fall is increased, and the inclined bicycle 
 is pushed over. 
 
 Before assisting another person with a bicycle, it 
 is well to note all the tendencies of the machine. 
 This may be done by taking a bicycle and putting 
 it in all the different positions mentioned. The mo- 
 tions are the same whether or not there is any one 
 in the saddle, and it is well to learn to manage the 
 machine without exerting too much force. Stand on 
 the left-hand side of the bicycle, and hold the saddle 
 with the right hand. The steering may be done 
 with the left hand, and the bicycle kept upright by 
 wiggling the front wheel. It is better to do this than 
 to attempt to hold the front wheel still. Walk the 
 bicycle about by the handle-bars only, and you will 
 find that to keep the wheel straight it is necessary to 
 hold the bars stiff, and this is quite a difficult under- 
 taking. Allowed to move gently from side to side, 
 the wheel is more easily controlled. 
 
 When assisting a person for the first time, stand 
 beside the machine, see that the pedal farthest from 
 you is raised to its greatest height, and move the bi- 
 cycle forward until the pedal is commencing its 
 down stroke. Then let the wheeler step in beside 
 the bicycle, in front of you and on the same side of 
 the machine, and grasp both handles firmly. Stand 
 as close as possible to the bicycle, having it inclined 
 toward you at such an inclination that the weight of 
 the wheeler, stepping to the opposite pedal, will 
 right it. Then, while you hold the bicycle still, the 
 
40 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 wheeler should step on the raised pedal, stand upon 
 the pedal with the knee stiff, and then settle slowly 
 on the saddle; the other foot must find the down 
 pedal. Do not let the machine move yet, but have 
 the beginner go over these movements again, prac- 
 tising them from both sides of the machine until a 
 little confidence is felt. 
 
 It is all important to get on the saddle quickly 
 and easily and without necessity for readjustment. 
 If a skirt is worn, it should be arranged before plac- 
 ing the weight on the pedal, and the knee should be 
 slightly bent when the pedal is lowest. The saddle 
 should be the right height; the handle-bars should 
 be a trifle high, that is, when the rider sits erect ; 
 the hands should rest easily and comfortably on the 
 hand-grips. Now the thing for the rider to do is to 
 ride and hold on to the handles. Don't let the 
 wheel get away from you. To prevent an accident, 
 should this happen, the beginner should know how 
 to come off the bicycle. An active person can step 
 to the ground before the wheel has time to fall. To 
 get off, step on the pedal that is down, and throw 
 the other foot over. 
 
 If the saddle is not right, dismount the wheeler in 
 this way: Have the wheeler's feet firmly placed on 
 both pedals, and see that the down pedal is on the 
 side on which you are standing. Pull the machine 
 a little to that side, and see that the foot is on the 
 down pedal. Then direct the wheeler to step on 
 this down pedal, throwing all the weight on it, and 
 to pass the raised foot over in front of the down foot 
 to the ground. The foot on the dowm pedal should 
 
HELPIXG A. YD TEACHING 
 
 41 
 
 not be removed until the other foot, placed on the 
 ground, has taken the rider's weight. 
 
 Say that you are now going to move, and let the 
 wheeler mount as before. Show that a wiggling 
 movement must be kept up with the front wheel, 
 and say that you will help to do it. See that the 
 wheeler has both handles held firmly, and then grasp 
 the bars just in front of the handle. Keep firm hold 
 of the saddle, and control the balance and push by 
 that, letting the bars do their own work. 
 
 A learner always pushes too hard on the pedals. 
 
 Take the machine about, and trot it up and down, 
 holding it firmly and keeping it balanced. Should 
 it pull you over, the wheeler can step off without 
 difficulty. 
 
 It is much easier for two than for one to help a be- 
 ginner. A trio of novices can form a very fair 
 school. A bicycle is inclined either to pull or to 
 push, and if supported on both sides, the pulling 
 tendency is avoided and the pushing tendency read- 
 ily corrected. If ladies are helping one another, the 
 best way is for two to hold the bicycle, standing one 
 on each side of the machine. Both should hold the 
 saddle and both should hold the handle-bars just be- 
 yond the handles and above the hands of the wheel- 
 er. One should instruct, and the other help to hold 
 the machine. 
 
 Let a beginner first learn to mount, then to dis- 
 mount, practising these movements several times 
 before starting; then, having made sure that the 
 pedal on that side is two-thirds up, come to the left 
 hand side of the wheel, step on the pedal, and be 
 
42 
 
 BICYCUXC FOR LADIES. 
 
 seated in the saddle; then put the weight on the 
 pedal that is down, and step off with the other foot. 
 Repeat several times, mounting from each side, dis- 
 mounting on the same side and on the opposite side, 
 at command, and repeating. Tilt the wheel as the 
 weight goes on the pedal. Dismount the pupil, and 
 walk the wheel about between you, wiggling the 
 front wheel. Then mount 3'our pupil, and proceed 
 as already explained. After the pupil begins to 
 propel the wheel, very little assistance from the in- 
 structor is necessary, and care should be taken not 
 to confuse the pupil as to the amount of work they 
 are doing. Call attention to the ease with which 
 the wheel is brought up when inclined to fall, and 
 explain about turning and steering and wiggling, 
 and what these motions are for. You cannot propel 
 a bicycle unless you know what you are doing; there 
 cannot be guess-work about it. The perfect confi- 
 dence that comes with familiarity and practice m.ust 
 precede success. 
 
 Given three people with one bicycle, all can learn 
 to ride, helping each other in turn. Having learned 
 to mount and dismount, the next thing is to learn to 
 start the bicycle. The weight should be allowed to 
 start the bicycle as soon as the foot, pressing on the 
 pedal as it descends, brings the wheeler to the saddle. 
 
 The stop should be learned next. The wheeler 
 should be reminded to notice which is the down 
 pedal, and to step on it with all the weight just as it 
 begins to rise. This will stop the machine, and the 
 dismount is made in the usual way by throwing the 
 other foot over, and stepping with that on the ground. 
 
II EL PING A ND TEA CHING. 
 
 43 
 
 The foot that has stopped the machine should not 
 leave the pedal too soon, but remain on it long 
 enough to control the bicycle. 
 
 As soon as the wheeler can pedal a little and has 
 the balance well enough to ride without assistance, 
 the next thing is to learn to ride over ordinary ob- 
 structions, and to remain on the wheel for a given 
 number of minutes without dismounting. All this 
 can be taught in an ordinary room or on a piazza; 
 and both teacher and pupil will find a smooth sur- 
 face, such as a board floor or a pavement, best 
 adapted for the work. Attention cannot too soon be 
 directed to taking the weight off the ascending ped- 
 al, and the exercise should not be prolonged for a 
 moment after this becomes a difficult thing to do. 
 
 At first the practice leaves the beginner much agi- 
 tated and breathless; but these conditions are over- 
 come after a few lessons, though experienced riders 
 sometimes experience a return of them when they 
 find mounting difficult and do not notice the grade 
 they are attempting. The sensitiveness of the wheel 
 sometimes puzzles the beginner, and the sense of ad- 
 justment is often difificult to acquire. 
 
 Nervous work and nervous effort are noticeable 
 in no other sport in the same marked degree. Some 
 seize and adopt its salient points at once and almost 
 unconsciously, but the majority are not so fortunate. 
 The first fifteen minutes on a bicycle are frequently 
 enough to cause thorough exhaustion. The best 
 remedy for this is to take the wheel and walk it about ; 
 the pupil should be left alone with it. If fifteen 
 minutes' work is too much, alternate five minutes' 
 work with rest at the next lesson. 
 
44 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 The balance and distribution of strength for the 
 pull by the hands is quite important in directing and 
 controlling the machine. The feet are used to 
 propel and to balance. The teacher should note 
 carefully if the beginner errs by incorrect i)edaling 
 or by too much pull on the handles, and correct the 
 wrong tendency. 
 
 Balance by pedaling comes next in order, and can- 
 not be practised too early; and as by this time a fair 
 amount of speed will have been attained, the natural 
 balance begins to be acquired. 
 
 Balanced pedaling and swaying are very different, 
 and should not be confused. The bicycle may be pro- 
 pelled, balanced, and controlled entirely by the 
 pedals; and as this is the best and most important 
 mode of wheeling, it should early be understood and 
 attempted. 
 
 The adjustment of the machine should now be 
 taken up, and the wheeler should know how and 
 why the bicycle can be changed to suit individual 
 peculiarities. The wiggling tendency of the front 
 wheel lessens as the wheeler acquires confidence; 
 and its unsteadiness can be overcome and controlled 
 with the balance and by pedaling, with the swaying 
 of the body or the pressure of either foot. 
 
 There is much to avoid as well as much to do. 
 Incorrect position means difficult work, almost im- 
 possible propulsion and possible personal injury. 
 The knowledge that everything is firmly screwed up 
 about the bicycle, and particularly that the saddle is 
 secure, cannot be too soon acquired. Never attempt 
 to mount or even to try the bicycle unless the sad- 
 
HELPING AND TEACHING. 
 
 45 
 
 die is properly secured and immovable. If anything 
 breaks, it is not necessarily your fault; if anything 
 is insecure, blame no one for not attending to some- 
 thing you should yourself have attended to. Always 
 examine the pedals to see that they turn easily; and 
 be sure about that saddle. It is a good deal of 
 trouble to screw the nut up tight for a few minutes, 
 or even for half a minute, but it should be done. 
 
 When adjusting the saddle, never be hurried when 
 tools are to be used, for it is necessary to apply them 
 carefully to insure accuracy ; and a nut really requires 
 serious attention, for often a good deal depends 
 upon it. If screwed hurriedly, the thread is in 
 danger of being injured, and on that thread the hold- 
 ing power of the nut depends. 
 
 When the beginner can balance and propel the bi- 
 cycle for a little v/ay alone, the really tedious part of 
 learning often begins. At this point beginners 
 become discouraged, for there seems to be noth- 
 ing new to learn; yet the results attained are 
 unsatisfactory. What is needed is practice. 
 
 Practise on a smooth piece of road, with some one 
 running beside the bicycle to give confidence and 
 prevent falls. The proper position in mounting 
 should be studied. In mounting a drop-frame ma- 
 chine, never step over the frame and place the foot 
 on the ground; it is an awkward and ungainly 
 method. Take a proper position, then be sure every- 
 thing is right, and last of all, step on the pedal, and 
 you are moving. 
 
 A good way to practise, if you have no one to help 
 you, is to mount the bicycle in the gutter, and limp 
 
46 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 along; or if in the country, a roadside fence may 
 give the needed assistance. Grasp a post firmly, and 
 holding by it, try to mount; and study the tenden- 
 cies and the balance of the bicycle without letting go 
 the post. 
 
 Make up your m.ind how to mount, start the pedal 
 properly, and keep trying until you can ride a little. 
 If a little, why not more? Keep on practising, avoid- 
 ing faults. 
 
 For instruction, the bicycle should be fitted with 
 an instructor's handle, and the pupil provided with 
 a belt having one handle or more. The instruction 
 handle and a hold on the handle-bar are sufficient 
 safeguard for most pupils, but the belt will often 
 give confidence to the timid and aid the instructor. 
 
CHAPTER yil. 
 
 A Few Things to T^emember. 
 
 Two important points for the bicyclist to study 
 are avoidance of road traffic and consideration of the 
 surface ridden over. The law of the road applies to 
 all traffic passing over the road; the law of mechan- 
 ics to the surface of the road as it affects the bicycle 
 and the cycler. In cities, on much-used thorough- 
 fares, careful work, quick eyes, experience and cau- 
 tion are demanded to insure safety. 
 
 The law of the road, "Keep to the right, pass on 
 the left anything going in the same direction, " is 
 explicit, and if always observed would render colli- 
 sions almost impossible. The avoidance of careless 
 and unobservant travellers is quite a study. Passing 
 to the right, you can see and be seen; passing on the 
 left, a traveller moving in the same direction does 
 not become aware of your intention without being 
 notified. You give notice to prevent others from 
 changing their direction and to enable them thus to 
 avoid crowding. 
 
 To pass a vehicle on the road, when travelling in 
 the same direction, involves increase of speed if the 
 vehicle in front maintains its pace; should it go 
 slower or stop, and the roadway permits, a change 
 
48 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 of pace is neither necessary nor desirable, unless you 
 wish to steady your machine. In nearing any vehi- 
 cle or person coming from the opposite direction, 
 keep your share of the road. Be always alert and 
 observant; do not fail to give ample room to the ap- 
 proaching vehicle; but on the other hand, do not 
 permit yourself to be crowded or inconvenienced, 
 and keep enough of the roadway on your right in 
 reserve in case a change of direction becomes neces- 
 sary. 
 
 The importance of having your machine at all 
 times perfectly under control cannot be over-esti- 
 mated. Put faith in your pedaling, and never ride 
 at greater speed than you can determine and check 
 at will. Dependence on any brake, however perfect 
 its action, is bad practice. 
 
 Vehicles approaching pass each other on the right. 
 In case of collision, the vehicle which has main- 
 tained the proper side of the roadway has the advan- 
 tage in case of legal controversy. In passing a ve- 
 hicle drawn by horses, the bicycle should keep to the 
 centre of the roadway when possible, leaving the 
 curb for the horse-drawn vehicle. The bicycle can 
 only draw away from the curb, and is limited to one 
 direction. The centre of the roadway, therefore, 
 affords the best opportunity for a change of direction. 
 
 Sit well on your saddle, observe the adjustment of 
 the centre of gravit)^ but ride on the pedals, using 
 the weight as much as possible. Trust to the pedals 
 only for rough riding and for unexpected inequali- 
 ties of surface. The study of the mechanics of bal- 
 ance, resistance, and friction is most interesting in 
 
49 
 
 this connection, as their action affects cycler or wheel 
 or the combined mechanisms. 
 
 The law of the road is simple and very generally 
 understood, though there are reckless and ignorant 
 people who disregard it. The law defines where you 
 shall ride, how you shall pass, and sets a limit to in- 
 crease of speed beyond what is considered compati- 
 ble with the general safety. There is, besides, the 
 unwritten law of courtesy, more often observed than 
 disregarded ; and there is the law you make for your- 
 self. 
 
 The traffic of a crowded thoroughfare may be ana- 
 lyzed, and the conduct of a wheel explained and sim- 
 plified, though travel on such routes is difficult at 
 best and had better be avoided. Given a long, 
 straight road, with two streams of travel from oppo- 
 site directions. One of these streams will consist of 
 vehicles, quadrupeds, and pedestrians, few maintain- 
 ing an even rate of progress, fewer still the same 
 rate. The law requires that you pass on the left, 
 and you must await the opportunity to do so. When 
 a clear way opens, take immediate advantage of it, 
 and increase your speed. Should there not be room 
 enough to pass, signal, and the vehicle in advance is 
 bound to make way for you. Should there be a free 
 road to the right, you may take it, but only with the 
 consent of the traveller ahead, and then at your own 
 risk. 
 
 Never ride more than t\vo abreast. Riding in sin- 
 gle file, with ample room for turning, is better on a 
 crowded street or when making time. For moderate 
 wheeling, the cyclists being disciplined and drilled, 
 
BICYCIJXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 the distance between bicycles may be shortened. 
 But control of the wheel should be absolute before 
 this is attempted. When travelling at even a mod- 
 erate rate of speed, a certain distance between wheels 
 should be observed. When in single file, turn on 
 the same line, but not at the same time as the leader. 
 Inexperienced wheelers are apt to turn at the 
 moment the wheel ahead turns. Should you be fol- 
 lowing close, keep on your own line, unless you see 
 good cause to change your direction. If the leader 
 wishes to stop, let him turn out: if 3^ou are wanted, 
 you will know soon enough. Gain all the dis- 
 tance you can between dismounts. A little drill 
 and the understanding of a few signals will prove 
 ver}^ useful. 
 
 For the public at large, the bicycle may be spe- 
 cialized to suit individual needs, and locomotion be- 
 comes simplified, distances are reduced, and the ob- 
 literated landscape of railroad travel takes form and 
 substance. Cycling means travel over well-con- 
 structed highways, with telephone and telegraph, 
 post-office and express office, usually easily acces- 
 sible. To enjoy the full freedom that wheeling 
 should give, little luggage should be carried, yet 
 that little must include all necessaries. 
 
 When a party of six or even twelve start to wheel 
 a given distance, what are the problems to be met? 
 All being fairly expert cyclists, in good practice, so- 
 ciability is incidental while making time. On the 
 road attention, strict attention, to business and to 
 the signals is necessary. Conversation is not pro- 
 hibited; it is entirely dependent upon the nature of 
 the surface you are travelling. 
 
I'l'.w mix as TO remember. 
 
 51 
 
 How to keep together is a vexed question, and a 
 very nice adjustment of animate and inanimate 
 mechanism would be necessary to its satisfactory 
 settlement. The better way is, all knowing the road, 
 to wheel along independently, with an occasional 
 halt, not necessarily a dismount, assembling at in- 
 tervals of half or three-quarters of an hour. The 
 leader should keep back until the roller of the party 
 is hailed, and has reported, then increase speed 
 again until the next interval has elapsed. Another 
 plan is to wheel with only a given number of min- 
 utes headway, this arrangement keeping the roller-up 
 always within hailing distance. 
 
 . A good leader deserves implicit confidence. He 
 has responsibilities aside from wheeling, for the com- 
 fort and convenience of others must be intelligently 
 studied, and consideration for each individual cyclist 
 in the party makes constant demand on the qualities 
 of tact and decision; in other words, the leader must 
 possess good judgment and be as well a thorough bi- 
 cyclist. 
 
 The present rate of wheeling averages ten miles 
 an hour, and greater speed is undesirable, except 
 for special purposes. A point to keep in mind is 
 that every five m.inutes' halt is a mile lost. The 
 time lost in slowing and stopping should also be 
 carefully taken, as it is of value in reckoning pos- 
 sible mileage. 
 
 There are grades to hesitate about, and there are 
 grades to avoid. If a grade seems possible, try it, 
 but dismount the instant it becomes hard work. It 
 is better to dismount too soon than to persist too 
 
5^ 
 
 Hli YCI.iyC FOR LADIES. 
 
 long. Without regard to the inclination, there are 
 two principal kinds of grades — the increased grade 
 and the decreased grade. In mounting the increased 
 grade, more and more power is required at every 
 stroke to push the machine upward. In mounting 
 the decreased grade, this additional power is not 
 necessary, and the ascent is accomplished with little 
 fatigue. Increase of grade means application of more 
 power in ascending, and an increase of momentum 
 in descending. This is on the whole the most dan- 
 gerous kind of bicycle travel ; for over-work on the 
 ascent, loss of pedals or dangerous coasting on the 
 descent, are to be expected, and danger should be 
 looked for, and observed in time to be avoided. 
 
 It is always well to walk an increasing grade, if 
 the hill be long and steep, both in ascending and 
 descending. The decreasing grade has many pleas- 
 ant features, and on a well-known road may be rid- 
 den up or down with ease and with little danger of 
 injury. It is interesting to watch the effect of indi- 
 vidual adjustment to hill-work, a group of bicyclists 
 being almost always scattered when mounting a 
 grade. 
 
 When and where to apply power and when to make 
 the push tell best on his own machine, each cyclist 
 must determine by practice and experience. Some- 
 times a long and apparently easy down-grade is ren- 
 dered dangerous by its increase of pitch; and seem- 
 ingly easy roads are often difficult to travel on ac- 
 count of an increasing but almost imperceptible as- 
 cent. Unless power is applied to the stroke at the 
 right place, much inconvenience from fatigue will 
 
./ /■7-:ir 11 fix as ro remi-.m b/-:r. 
 
 53 
 
 be felt, and will soon overcome the ambitious bi- 
 cyclist. 
 
 When short expeditions are to be undertaken — all 
 trips of more than an hour's duration being so 
 classed — remember that lack of preparation means 
 delay, and that ignorance entails discomfort. If the 
 start is to be an early one, go over the bicycle care- 
 fully, see that the lamp is in order, that matches are 
 convenient, tools and repair-kit in place, a small en- 
 velope of sewing materials with needle and thread 
 and another of red-cross supplies in the pocket. 
 
 I have often been laughed at for taking out my 
 lamp for a short afternoon's ride with friends who 
 could ride well enough for their own satisfaction; 
 and as often have I been obliged to help with my 
 lantern's light belated wheels coming in close behind 
 me. A lantern is a convenience at dusk, or even 
 earlier, enabling others to see and avoid you; and 
 this helps more than the uncertain light annoys. 
 
 For luncheon on a short trip, it is quite safe to 
 depend on the road ; if you carry luncheon, a couple 
 of bread-and-butter sandwiches well wrapped in wa- 
 terproof paper, and thin slices of cheese in a sepa- 
 rate paper, or hard chocolate and water-biscuit, are 
 as good as anything; and such a luncheon may pre- 
 vent delay in swampy or foggy or damp country from 
 becoming dangerous. 
 
 vStudy the country you are to travel and the road- 
 surface, understand your map, know your route, its 
 general direction, etc. Always observe the road 
 you cover; keep a small note-book, and jot down 
 everything of interest. Use the pocket-compass, 
 
54 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 even in your home locality, to fix general direction; 
 for when detained at night, such knowledge may 
 prove useful. Fog and rain or a moonless night are 
 bewildering, rendering familiar roads weird and 
 strange; and, unlike the driver or equestrian in the 
 dark, a bicyclist must trust to himself alone. Wheel- 
 ing in the dark, however, has some advantages, 
 as you are apt to ride in a straight line, and not 
 turn out for bad places in the road; on the other 
 hand, a certain amount of risk is necessarily taken. 
 There should be no close riding, and constant care 
 should be exercised for the avoidance of collision. 
 
 Cycling offers endless opportunities for the for- 
 mation of clubs, and cycling clubs there are of all 
 ages and sizes. A simple form of club for the ear- 
 lier phases of the sport may be organized in this 
 way: Buy two bicycles, and form as small a club as 
 can manage their purchase. Keep a register, and 
 pass the bicycles from member to member, for say 
 a week at a time, repairs in case of accident to be 
 paid for by the member using the wheel at the time 
 of the accident. The cIuId may later be enlarged by 
 receiving any desired number of members and pur- 
 chasing additional wheels in proportion. But noth- 
 ing is so satisfactory as a chosen mount of your own, 
 adjusted to suit 3^our individual needs and kept for 
 your own exclusive use. A bicycle exactly ad- 
 justed to your liking should be jealously devoted 
 to your individual use. A beautiful machine 
 should be kept free from finger-marks. Keep 
 a chamois and a clean piece of cheese-cloth at 
 
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER. 
 
 hand where it is kept, and use them. Nickel hold 
 its polish if not attacked by acid or grease. Enam 
 el should be treated differently, with cold water 
 sponge and chamois, after light dusting. 
 
CHAPTER yJIL 
 
 The Art of JVbeeling a Bicycle. 
 
 There are three very important methods of con- 
 trolling the bicycle, namely, steering by the hands, 
 guiding by foot-pressure on the pedals, and guid- 
 ing by the swaying of the body; and these methods 
 may be used separately or in combination. 
 
 The wheels are kept in motion either by pedaling, 
 or simply by gravity in descending a grade. The 
 use of the hands on the handle-bar is two-fold for the 
 inexperienced — for steering and for correcting un- 
 due pressure on the pedals. The hand opposite the 
 pedal that receives too much pressure corrects the 
 tendency of the bicycle by an extra pull on the han- 
 dle-bars. This is very good exercise, but it is a use- 
 less expenditure of force, and cannot be prolonged 
 without great fatigue. It is the work of hill-climb- 
 ing done on the level. The feet are on the pedals, 
 and the natural tendency is to press equally at all 
 times on both pedals and pull at the same time on 
 both handles. One pedal must descend, and the 
 other pedal must ascend ; they are attached to the 
 same axle, which is turned by either pedal or both 
 pedals. As the pedals are always on opposite sides 
 of a circle, one is always coming up, and its upward 
 
THE ART OF IV II EE LING A BICYCLE. 
 
 57 
 
 tendency is resisted by any pressure, however slight. 
 The lifting of the foot, therefore, trom the ascend- 
 ing pedal means easy wheeling. This is one of the 
 hardest things to realize. If there is little or no 
 pressure to resist from the up-coming pedal, it is ne- 
 cessary to expend but little force to propel or push 
 the down pedal ; only enough, indeed, to overcome 
 the weight or inertia of the bicycle and the bicyclist 
 and of surface friction, provided there is no grade. 
 But of grades, there are many; and to this is due 
 the infinite variety of the sport of cycling, the mus- 
 cular development and increased respiration of the 
 cycler. 
 
 The handle-bars should at all times be ready to 
 receive a sudden grip or squeeze. Grip the handles 
 hard when you want to hold on, and only pull as 
 much as is absolutely necessary; for if the arms are 
 stiff and rigid from pulling on the bars, they will 
 not be sensitive enough to control the bicycle. The 
 handles of the bar are the ends of a pair of levers; 
 and the nearer the hand to the centre of the bar, the 
 less power is needed to oppose the other hand. 
 When there is a tendency to pull hard on the handles, 
 gradually slip the hands near the middle of the 
 bar, and the pull will ease up. The front wheel, to 
 run easily, should run steadily; and the less wiggle 
 there is, the better for steady travel. 
 
 The pedal is the projection on the crank adapted 
 to the use of the foot. There are many varieties of 
 pedals, of differing sorts, weights, patterns, and pur- 
 poses. The foot placed on the pedal pushes it down ; 
 the push is communicated to the wheel to propel the 
 
BICYCUXG I' OK LADIES. 
 
 bicycle forward. As the pedal leaves the dead cen- 
 tre, the power begins to take effect, and continues 
 until the dead centre below is reached. Now, it is 
 necessary to push at just the right time and place; 
 if too soon and too hard, the wheels of the bicycle 
 will go too fast, and must be retarded by pressing 
 down on the up-coming pedal. The natural weight 
 pressure of the foot is more than enough to propel 
 the bicycle over ordinary surfaces at a fair rate of 
 speed, without the application of great muscular 
 power. 
 
 The foot should be placed squarely on the pedal, 
 the ball of the foot onl}^ resting on it, and the toe 
 pointing downward. The foot may be made to per- 
 form divers duties, and numberless new combina- 
 tions of pressure can be and are called for and ap- 
 plied. 
 
 To appl}' more power in the stroke, begin to push 
 when the pedal is all the way up, the toe pointing 
 down until at the lowest part of the stroke, ready to 
 follow the pedal around, pushing it backwards, and 
 helping to lift it. Here the toe-clip helps, and holds 
 the foot on the pedal, in the place where the ten- 
 dency to leave it is greatest. Balanced pedaling is 
 a little different, and weight-pressure on the pedal 
 is used as a factor to overcome the front wheel. 
 
 Use the weight as much as possible to propel, and 
 reserve the push for hard grade-work. Keep the 
 knees well turned in; it squares the foot and pre- 
 vents the ankle from receiving hard knocks. , When 
 the knee is turned out, the ankle bones are turned in, 
 and so receive many a bruise that could have been 
 
THE ART OF WnEEIJIVG A BICYCLE. 59 
 
 avoided. To keep the ankles from interfering, turn 
 the knees in, and ride square leg. 
 
 Controlling a bicycle on a down-grade requires 
 pressure on the ascending pedal. Point the heel 
 down or hold the toe up, and an even pressure will 
 be maintained. Let the lift come with the heel well 
 squared and the leg as straight as possible, the weight 
 to be supplied at the right point on the up stroke to 
 control the machine. Always use the weight when 
 possible as a supplementary driving power. 
 
 The pedals differ in construction and in material, 
 being differently adapted for racing and for road 
 work. A pedal with a good broad resting surface 
 for the foot is very comfortable, though a "rat-trap" 
 pedal used with a stiff-soled shoe is lighter and pre- 
 ferable. Toe-clips are desirable for those who can 
 use them easily, but for a novice they are dangerous, 
 being liable to cause the mishaps they are intended 
 to prevent. Experienced bicyclers prefer any dis- 
 comfort to that of a lost pedal, and when wheeling 
 with only a light, even pressure, toe-clips are good 
 reminders; but their principal use is to apply more 
 power and help the foot to carry the pedal around 
 and back. 
 
 The swaying of the body controls the bicycle from 
 the saddle. In walking the bicycle about, it is soon 
 perceived that it may be directed by holding the 
 saddle only. The pressure comes from the saddle, 
 and the bicycle is swayed by the rider, by leg press- 
 ure against the saddle. There is little or no shoulder 
 movement, and the body, though flexible, does not 
 move perceptibly. When starting a machine, hold 
 
Go 
 
 BICYCL/XC FOA' LA DIES. 
 
 it well balanced by the handle-bars, and know how 
 much inclination to allow. Take hold, and mount 
 steadily and easily, and move off quietly, noting the 
 running of the bicycle. Gradually increase the 
 speed, leaning a little forward to lessen any sudden 
 strain and to help the push on the pedals. Then in- 
 crease the stroke to the desired speed, and the ma- 
 chine will take care of itself. Speed power may be 
 increased, and it is good practice to slow, and start 
 again at will. 
 
 Figure wheeling, with a good leader, is capital 
 practice to insure steadiness and increase the power 
 of control over the bicycle. It is not easy to stop 
 suddenly when going at a good rate of speed, and it 
 is well to know 3^our limit of distance in such case; 
 nor is it easy to spring alertly from the saddle when 
 bringing up in a dangerous position, even when 
 frightened into doing it. Back pedal hard, grip with 
 the hands and press down, holding the bicycle still 
 as you reach the ground. The pedals will not get in 
 the way, and it is well to remember not to let go of 
 the machine if you do not want to get hurt. To 
 jump off and hold the bicycle still may at times pre- 
 vent collisions. 
 
 The cyclist, however sure of his skill, should not 
 throw his machine at any one, even inadvertently. 
 There is much unnecessarily fine riding done — dash- 
 ing between two passing vehicles, for instance, or 
 rushing through a gap instead of wheeling slowly 
 behind a wagon until an open space is reached; but 
 some prefer the stimulation and excitement of danger 
 to safety, and like to perform such hazardous feats. 
 
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 6 1 
 
 Steering is a subject for serious consideration ; a 
 sharp eye, quick determination, constant care, and a 
 steady hand are needed. A knowledge of steering is 
 essential for safe coasting; and as one of the 
 pleasures of cycling is to descend easily the hill you 
 have climbed, a fair degree of steadiness should be 
 attained. Brakes are important aids. Learn to 
 brake with the foot, but do not resort to this expedi- 
 ent unless compelled to. 
 
 Now to consider hill-work. The resistance of the 
 grade is always perceptible; it is not always recog- 
 nized. As the angle of ascent increases, the powers 
 of the bicyclist are taxed. 
 
 The spindle of the pedal describes a circle. The 
 foot part of the pedal revolves around the spindle, 
 and permits the foot to take any angle that is needed 
 for the best application of power, the plane always, 
 however, remaining parallel with the spindle. This 
 arrangement of the pedal allows of ankle-motion 
 within certain limits; and to give greater efficiency, 
 the foot and ankle may move in adjustment with the 
 weight and power to be applied. This is the much- 
 talked-of ankle-motion. The pressure may be applied 
 to the pedal by this ankle-motion at any part or at 
 all parts of the circle that the pedal describes. 
 
 As constructed, the pedal permits free ankle and 
 instep movement, prevents cramping of the foot, and 
 allows the foot the same freedom that it has in walk- 
 ing or running. Ease of work depends on proper 
 application of power. To be able to apply just the 
 right amount of push to carry the crank past the 
 dead centre, and to pull it past the lowest dead 
 
62 
 
 BICYCLT.YG FOR LADIES. 
 
 centre, and to follow the pedal accurately, is the aim 
 of all good pedal work. The push down is almost 
 instinctive; but the lifting of the weight from the 
 ascending pedal can be acquired only by practice, 
 when the muscles have become sufficiently ac- 
 customed to the work to move without the effort of 
 mental concentration that they seem to require in 
 the beginning. 
 
 The power of the stroke may be given by applying 
 the weight after the dead centre is passed. 
 
 The weight should be entirely removed from the 
 ascending pedal, and the balance and s\a ay used to 
 take the pull off the handle-bars by throwing the 
 weight from side to side for that purpose. The 
 weight and balance should be directed in this way: 
 If the push on the down pedal only is used, it must 
 be corrected by a pull on the handle; this pull in- 
 creases as the grade obstructs the wheel. Skilful 
 hill-work shows in the lessened pull on the handles. 
 
 In travelling on the level, the ascending foot is 
 pushed up, and rested by being lifted. There is no 
 reason why the pushing muscles should be stronger 
 than the lifting muscles of the leg except that they 
 are accustomed to do more work. 
 
 Always try to ride a hill, but never begin by look- 
 ing at the top to see how far off it is. Pay no more 
 attention to the surface than is absolutely required 
 by the nature of the surface. Concentrate all 
 thought on the pedals and how best to push or take 
 the pull off the handle-bars. Lean a little forward if 
 necessary, and do not try to increase the stroke. The 
 number of strokes is bound to lessen if the power is 
 
THE ART OF WHEELING A BICYCLE. 63 
 
 not increased proportionately on the ascent. And 
 how can the power be effectively applied unless the 
 work is done intelligently by mental application, or 
 instinctively by the use of accustomed muscles? 
 
 Hills should be ridden easily, or not ridden at all. 
 It is easier to wheel up an ascent than to walk up, 
 if the wheeling is properly done. Always stop before 
 the hill proves too much for you. Never think any 
 incline too steep to attempt; this is the first move 
 on the road to successful hill-climbing. 
 
 The seat for hill-work should be made to support 
 the body. The bicyclist should not be obliged to 
 cling to the handles to keep from slipping off over 
 the saddle; there should be something else to push 
 against. To get all possible power out of the levers, 
 there should be a sufficiency of fulcrum for the lever 
 to work against; and the saddle should certainly be 
 made to do duty in hill-work. 
 
 If there is no support from the rear of the saddle, 
 the fulcrum must be located at the handle-bars, 
 which should have all possible strain removed from 
 them to lessen the pedal work. A saddle placed at 
 this angle is of little use as a fulcrum on an incline, -j 
 In all work, levers and fulcrums are kept in position 
 by the hands, unless the weight is supported from 
 the saddle. If this principle of the application of 
 power is considered, the usual difficulty of hill-climb- 
 ing is overcome. Why should it be harder to wheel 
 up hill than to walk up and push a bicycle? 
 
 In the first place, it is necessary to be able to stay 
 on the bicycle without holding yourself on ; in the 
 next place, to know how to apply the power; and 
 
64 
 
 BICYCL/XG FO/s! LADfES. 
 
 then to perform the work, keeping all essential 
 points well in mind. Wheel up hill with the mouth 
 shut, org-etoff; wheel slowly; concentrate power to 
 apply it most effectively. 
 
 Power is needed in overcoming- both the crank 
 dead centres. The weight should be applied to force 
 the crank downward, and the weight lifted to let the 
 other crank rise. The body s\vays to ease the handle 
 pull, and the bicycle mounts steadily. The inertia, 
 of course, becomes more apparent as the weight is 
 resisted by gravity; so do not attempt to force or 
 strain, with the idea that hill-climbing is something- 
 that must be done. It should be done only when it 
 can be done easily. 
 
 The rule for climbing universally recommended 
 reads, "Pay no attention to the hills. Ride them." 
 This is good as far as it goes, but it is of little assist- 
 ance in mounting an incline. 
 
 There are two kinds of grades independent of the 
 angle — the increase grade and the decrease grade, 
 in ascending, and in descending as well ; for descend- 
 ing is only the reverse of ascending. In approach- 
 ing an ascending grade, always note its character, 
 whether long or short, what the pitch is, and particu- 
 larly if the angle of ascent increases or decreases at 
 the top of the incline, and prepare for the work be- 
 fore you. 
 
 Each hill has its peculiarities, which must be 
 studied and conquered. The actual mounting to the 
 top is not all you have to do; you should mount in 
 proper trim, arriving at the summit fresh and fit. 
 It is most saddening to see some one else mount a 
 
TirE ART OF WnEEIJXC. A lUCYCfJ'.. 
 
 hill easily, leaving you, puffing and pushing, half 
 way up, and to know that, when you reach the top, 
 speechless and exhausted, that exasperating person 
 will be seated there, cool, contemplative, and com- 
 fortable. 
 
 Intelligent practice, however, should result in 
 scientific attainment. The saddle should be adjusted 
 in relation to tlie pedals for the carrying of the 
 cranks past the dead centre. The angle of the saddle 
 should be studied, and the adjustment permit of its 
 use as a fulcrum in hill-work, while admitting of 
 balance-work on a level and of comfort and ease in 
 coasting. It should support the weight when the 
 feet are on the forks, not merely permit of balancing. 
 
 In stud5nng this adjustment, weight, length of 
 limb, strength, and the work to be done should all be 
 taken into consideration. The rule that what is lost 
 in speed is gained in power should comfort the hill 
 climber when, half-way up a grade, the bicycle 
 gradually loses speed, and seems to be stopping, in 
 spite of all efforts to the contrary. 
 
 In mounting, the machine is started by the plac- 
 ing of the weight on the pedal, and in hiJl-climbing 
 the weight should be used to force the pedal down 
 and around. The bringing of the pedal into position 
 where the weight will take effect is the true secret 
 of success. Follow this by making the weight 
 carry as far as possible, prolonging its usefulness 
 by pushing the pedal back past the lowest dead 
 centre, and following and lifting it. But it is use- 
 less to prolong the work if the commencement of 
 the stroke is not executed in an effective manner. 
 
66 
 
 niC)'i7./.V(; /-OA' LADIES. 
 
 The up-coming pedal must either be pulled up, or 
 have all weight removed to permit the power to be 
 fully effective on the down pedal. What is the point 
 where power applied will begin to tell? If the up- 
 per dead centre is left to be overcome by the down- 
 ward stroke of the foot on the pedal, the foot on the 
 ascending pedal is doing no work, only kept from 
 doing harm, held in a cramped position. 
 
 After carrying the crank past the lower dead 
 centre, the weight is removed and the angle of the 
 foot changed from pointing the toe down to holding 
 the toe up and dropping the heel. As the foot-rest 
 will follow the sole of the foot, it is a simple matter 
 to change the pressure from pushing and pulling lip 
 to pressing and shoving over. Before the crank has 
 arrived at the top of the circle, say at sixty degrees, 
 the heel should be lowered, and the attention di- 
 rected to pushing the cranks over and past the dead 
 centre. As the top of the circle is reached, the foot 
 levels, and prepares to point the toe to make an ef- 
 fective downward thrust. Rise from the saddle a 
 little at this point, to make the weight more effective, 
 and prepare to carry the pedal back as far as pos- 
 sible. This method leaves very little time for the 
 foot to change its angle. From the toe pointing 
 downward to the toe held up ready to push, the 
 change from pull to push is abrupt, and hill- work 
 depends on correct ankle-motion more than anything 
 else. The ankle-motion may be corrected b}" sway- 
 ing, the hands meanwhile being held lightly on the 
 handle-bars ready for emergencies, but not used for 
 the work of climbing. 
 
THE ART OF IVirEF.lJh'G A BTCYCI.E. 
 
 67 
 
 The breathless condition induced by extra work 
 may be remedied; for the upper chest is forced to 
 expand, while, if the arms are held rigid, a plentiful 
 supply of air for the lungs is not insured. (See 
 Chapter on Exercises). Free combustion is needed 
 for the extra power exerted. 
 
 The bicycle and its load are lifted, and a given 
 weight requires a given power to lift it. That 
 power must be supplied by the stored force of the 
 human body, and must be utilized to the best advan- 
 tage if the work is to be prolonged. Hill-work is 
 not impossible of achievement; but it requires intel- 
 ligent work unless one applies mechanical laws in- 
 tuitively. Easy hill-work is delightful; it is work, 
 hard work, but work done without strain. Nothing, 
 on the other hand, can be more injurious than 
 forced hill-climbing; the strain on heart and lungs 
 is severe, particularly for one wearing a tight belt, 
 or any constrictive clothing about the waist. 
 
 Because a hill looks rough and the surface difBcult, 
 it does not at all follow that it will be bad wheeling. 
 If the tires are not too full, inequalities of surface 
 are an assistance, helping to block the wheels, and 
 preventing them from slipping back, while the soft 
 tire takes up the stones and bumps, holding on by 
 them. Always look well at your hill on approaching 
 it; study its inclination, determine its grade, and 
 the nature of its surface, and quickly decide how 
 best to attack it. 
 
 , On mounting the top of a grade, never hurry or 
 increase speed; wheel along slowly and easily, with 
 the mouth shut, until^rested and really ready to start 
 
68 
 
 B/CVCLIXG FOR r.ADTES. 
 
 Up. If there is a good coast, don't hurry to it, but 
 keep working gently until the balance of the respira- 
 tory organs is fully restored. Then take the coast, 
 and all the benefits of hard work, and rest, and the 
 exhilarating effects of swift motion and free oxida- 
 tion are fully realized. 
 
 To work in balance or equilibrium is the aim of 
 hill-work, and there should not be too abrupt a 
 transition after severe exertion. Pedal along at a 
 pace to restore the breathing after hard work, then 
 change; never dismount when breathless, but wheel 
 along slowly. The strain is thus much less than by 
 forcing the body to accommodate itself to a change 
 of position just when a general easing is required, a 
 general slackening of all the muscles that have been 
 at work. 
 
 Rest always before dismounting long enough at 
 least to restore breathing; and rather than coast 
 after climbing, back-pedal gently and slowly if the 
 grade should descend from the top of the ascent. 
 
 Never let a hill get the better of you, if it is one 
 that 3^ou have a chance to attack a second time. 
 Set to work and study it. Find out the changes of 
 grade, and prepare for a change in the amount of 
 power at the proper place in the incline. See if the 
 grade is simple, prolonged, or compound. If the 
 surface is very smooth, it will be more difficult. 
 There is a bit of road that I remember well, a country 
 road, seemingly good enough, with a little grade 
 perhaps in some places; but, one after another, it 
 dismounted us all. A heavy Telford pavement was 
 
77//-; Ak'T oi'\rin:i-:j fX(; ./ iifcvcir:. 69 
 
 laid, but there wos still a mile and a half of that 
 road that winded the best of us every time. Though 
 it was up grade all the way, experience had taught 
 us that at places we must stop, and mount again and 
 go on. Our machines were heavy, but this fact did 
 not explain what puzzled us; for it ought not to be 
 easier to start a heavy wheel up a grade than to con- 
 tinue to wheel up steadily. Knowing this bit of road 
 so well, we were on the lookout to note its effect on 
 others; and there were always wheels lined up at 
 some part of the road, and a curious variety of ex- 
 pressions on the countenances of their riders — puz- 
 zled defeat on those unacquainted with the road, and 
 sad determination on those who knew it too well. 
 
 After a careful study of this grade, that was long 
 but not steep, and seemingly not difficult, we found 
 it made up of a series of differently inclined planes 
 and curves, the up-curves all against us; and, taken 
 from foot to top, there was a continued increase of 
 pitch, with certain changes that were all against 
 wheeling; and moreover a generally increasing pitch 
 for the whole distance, and four places of change of 
 grade, each change an increase of pitch and an in- 
 creased angle of ascent. The smooth surface con- 
 cealed these difficulties at first, making the deceptive 
 stretch appear easy and inviting. It waslike the in- 
 side of a curved line set with scollops. 
 
 To overcome this most difficult kind of incline, 
 wheel along at a good pace, note the increase of 
 grade, and drop the heel at the beginning of the 
 down stroke, or rather while the pedal is half way 
 
70 
 
 BICYCLl.YG FOR LADIES. 
 
 on the up stroke and the foot is prepared to resist 
 the change. Take into consideration the fact that 
 an increase of power is necessary; look where to 
 apply it, adjust the balance of the body to the work, 
 and your work will be effective. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Position and Power. 
 
 The racing wheelman has adopted a position that 
 has received much censure — a position accepted as 
 the one enabling applied power to produce the great- 
 est speed. If this position is analyzed and compared 
 with the erect position, several interesting features 
 may be noted, and by comparing the two positions, 
 important information may be gathered. 
 
 The bicyclist seated upon the saddle, not against 
 it, has little power for work. The thrust is down- 
 ward; there can be no forward push or backward 
 thrust, unless the hands grip the handle-bars and 
 pull against the push, if the push needed is greater 
 than can be resisted by the weight of the body. 
 
 The power of the stroke is all in the downward di- 
 rection; there can be but little power in the forward 
 thrust; the most important part of the stroke in hill- 
 climbing is that given by getting behind the pedal 
 and pushing it down. If the saddle be too far for- 
 ward, power is again lost in the push and thrust, and 
 the up-and-down motion must do the work, and 
 power is lost on the down thrust, though added in 
 the upward and backward push. 
 
 We may conclude that a proper position has much 
 
72 
 
 lUCYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 to do with the work of bicycling; that there is more 
 than one correct position, different positions being 
 adapted to different work. The racing position on 
 the bicycle is the position for speed, and is the posi- 
 tion of the running athlete. It is not adapted to 
 moving at a moderate pace or to being rnaintained 
 for any length of time. It is the position in which 
 power may be most readily converted into speed; 
 where the leverage may be applied with the greatest 
 efficiency, and the greatest amount of work accom- 
 plished in the least possible time. 
 
 The drop position also takes the strain off the 
 upper leg muscles, and is desirable on that account, 
 apart from the fact that more power may be exerted 
 from that position. The leg does not straighten out, 
 and is always ready to give a powerful stroke and 
 maintain an increased or even speed. It is a posi- 
 tion of continuous movement; and if the weight and 
 all the muscles are not directed to propel, the weight 
 is improperly supported on all fours. 
 
 The position for speed where the weight is dis- 
 tributed between handle-bar, saddle, and pedals is 
 not suitable for road work, nor can it be maintained 
 for any long period without injurious results. It is 
 the position where power is best converted into speed. 
 
 For prolonged work a different position is de- 
 manded. Here speed is not a necessary factor, but 
 ease of movement and continuous movement are es- 
 sential. We are not anxious to convert power quick- 
 ly, but rather to reserve our powers, and use them 
 slowly. 
 
 For pleasure riding and ordinary exercise, the erect 
 
POSITION AND POWER. 
 
 73 
 
 position is the best. The drop position is the racing 
 or running position; the erect position, the position 
 of ease. 
 
 Here the saddle question presents itself. The 
 saddle should support the weight while seated, or, 
 in the racing position, hold the weight; it should not 
 hamper movement, and should be comfortable for 
 coasting. In moving over the ground, the relative 
 position for the balance of the cyclist changes accord- 
 ing to the grades; and the seat should be adjusted 
 so as to be adaptable to the different positions re- 
 quired to enable the bicyclist to change the balance 
 for the work of the moment. 
 
 There is also the position adapted to quick work 
 and exercise. Change in adjustment of the applica- 
 tion of power varies with the amount of work done 
 by the bicyclist in covering a certain distance. The 
 resistance caused by change of speed and varied 
 wind resistance have also to be taken into the calcu- 
 lation. People of different lengths of leverage must 
 study the different adjustments of the machine to 
 produce the best results for the different kinds of 
 work required of the machine. 
 
 When a hill is to be surmounted, the climb should 
 be made without effort, that is, effort understood in 
 its technical sense. The position should be such as 
 to permit of work being done by the foot, and the 
 power should be applied at the right time and place. 
 Assistance by a pull on the handle-bars means les- 
 sened power on the stroke. Effort succeeds effort. 
 The work should be done by the foot, the pelvis 
 being the fulcrum. The saddle should be the real 
 
74 
 
 B/CVCLLVG FOK LADIES. 
 
 fulcrum. If the hands are used to do the work by 
 pulling, the pelvis becomes the only fulcrum, and 
 the bicycle saddle is not used at all for the applica- 
 tion of power. The weight should be made to do as 
 much of the work as possible, and the added resist- 
 ance of lever pressure made auxiliary. 
 
 To obtain leverage for the hands, it is necessary 
 to use a fulcrum. Where is that fulcrum located? 
 Each set of muscles pulls on its point of application 
 — the hand on the arm, the arm on the shoulder, the 
 shoulder on the thorax, the thorax on the pelvis. If 
 more power is needed, it must require effort. 
 
 In hill-climbing, effort is a physiological phenom- 
 enon associated with great expenditure of force. In 
 making an effort, exerting force, the air-passages of 
 the lungs are closed, the air in them making of 
 them an air-cushion, as it were, which acts as a ful- 
 crum for certain extra muscular combinations. This 
 accounts for the feeling of suffocation experienced in 
 severe hill-climbing, which should never be pro- 
 longed. The hill should be climbed with the hands 
 held easil5^ not gripping the handles; and gripping 
 and pulling on the handles, it should be remembered, 
 lessen the power for prolonged work. Squeezing 
 the handle-bars induces involuntary lung compres- 
 sion, and pulling on them adds to the strain. Lean 
 forward, if need be, to balance and maintain the 
 equilibrium, but do not maintain the centre of grav- 
 ity by pulling on the handles. 
 
 The fixed position of the arms, when sitting with 
 spinal column erect, certainly prevents a full, free 
 inflation of the lungs; the shoulders are held fixed, 
 
POWER A. YD POSTTION. 
 
 75 
 
 and between the saddle and the fixed shoulders there 
 is no up and down lung-play. In running, the fore- 
 arms and shoulders permit free chest expansion. In 
 the racing position on a bicycle, the arms and 
 shoulders take the same relative position as in run- 
 ning, and a full, free lung expansion is obtained. 
 
 No rigidity is maintained between shoulders and 
 saddle in the racing drop-position. 
 
 For speeding and work of that kind, the position 
 that allows of the greatest flexibility as well as the 
 greatest leverage is the position to be chosen. 
 
 In travelling and in every-day wheeling, the posi- 
 tion should be one permitting the minimum expendi- 
 ture of power; the weight should be supported, yet 
 the position should be such as to permit the weight 
 to be used as a propelling power. The hands should 
 be held where they are supported and in the position 
 where they can most easily control the wheel under 
 any change of conditions. The saddle should be 
 placed where the foot can act most effectively at all 
 parts or at as many parts as possible of the circle 
 that the pedal describes. The height of the saddle 
 should be calculated to permit of extension of the 
 leg without supporting the weight on the saddle, 
 which causes compression of the larger veins and 
 arteries. The foot should at all times be fully on 
 the pedal; that is, the position should permit of 
 throwing all the weight on to the pedals, whatever 
 the position of the cranks at the moment. The 
 handle-bar should be adjusted; also length of arm 
 and relative position ; and the weight, height, a-nd 
 curve of bar adapted to suit individual build. 
 
76 
 
 BfCVCLIXC FOK LADIES. 
 
 Length of crank, gear, height, position, and ad- 
 justments of saddle may be used as factors in adjust- 
 ment of position for ease of movement and preven- 
 tion of fatigue. Each individual has different 
 combinations of lever power, varying with the 
 lengths of the different parts of different limbs. 
 One ma}^ have a long thigh-bone with short lower 
 leg; another may have just the reverse combination 
 — short thigh-bone and long lower leg. 
 
 The crank is the lever of application of power; the 
 gear, the power in resistance. The gear determines, 
 in a sense, how much force is needed; the length of 
 crank, combined with the levers of foot and leg, the 
 proper or most comfortable lever for overcoming 
 that resistance. Long-limbed people do well on 
 long cranks, short-limbed people on short cranks, — 
 the question of length of limb to be determined, not 
 by actual measurement, but as to the proportions in 
 weight and length of limbs generally. Either too 
 long or too short a crank will produce numbness and 
 fatigue. The leg and foot on the crank as it works 
 form a crank lever movement. The crank of a bicycle 
 should be of such length as to permit of the great- 
 est amount of force being conveyed along the lever 
 movement with the least resistance. 
 
 The sprocket-wheel is the weight to be moved by 
 the crank; but the crank is only one of a series of 
 levers. 
 
 The knee, the ankle, and the pedal-pin must re- 
 volve in a circle or a part of a circle; and each indi- 
 vidual must find out the size of circle that is deter- 
 mined by the crank that will best move in adjust- 
 
POWER AND POSITION. 
 
 77 
 
 ment with his individual lever combination. A 
 small circle on the pedal may mean cramped or 
 uncomfortable movement for a long-limbed cyclist; 
 or a large pedal circle too great distance to traverse 
 on the stroke for a short-limbed cyclist. A stout 
 person working on a high gear, with a crank adapted 
 to his requirements, makes fewer strokes of the 
 pedal for distance traversed, but expends more 
 power at each stroke; therefore, when wishing to re- 
 duce weight, he should use a low gear, working 
 rapidly, and when wishing to travel easily, a higher 
 gear. A thin person should be careful to choose 
 such a length of crank and such a gear as will give 
 ease, so that undue fatigue may be avoided. 
 
 The position of the saddle should be most carefully 
 considered. It should be just far enough back to 
 permit of getting a forward pressure on the pedal 
 against the crank, as it were, at the top of the stroke, 
 and yet have something to work against in hill- 
 climbing. The tilt or inclination should be studied 
 as well as the build of the saddle; its height from 
 the pedal should allow the foot, when on the pedal, 
 at its most distant point from the saddle, to press 
 with the ball firmly on the pedal; and yet the saddle, 
 when the leg is extended, should not press so as to 
 compress the large blood vessels of the inside of the 
 leg as it rests against the saddle. 
 
 The handle-bar adjustment permits of individual 
 preference to a certain extent. The handles should 
 be within easy reach of the hands and below the line 
 of the elbow. If above the level, power is lost, and 
 the controlling sense of direction as well. The grip 
 
1^ 
 
 lUCVClJXC FOR LAnrF.s. 
 
 on the handles is instinctive, and as there is much 
 work for the hands to do, they should be able to grip 
 easily and quickly, and to move easily in. all direc- 
 tions that the handles take, retaining their control- 
 ling power undiminished. A position with the hands 
 reaching down a little gives more power than a posi- 
 tion with the hands reaching up; and in this posi- 
 tion the leverage of the elbows and the power of the 
 shoulder and upper arm may be more effectively 
 exerted. 
 
 Speed work should be done only on a track or a 
 place set apart for that kind of work; and the most 
 delicate adjustment and balance of weight and pres- 
 sure should be studied to produce the proper results. 
 Scorching, also, to be effective, should be done only 
 on a track, and the position for the work should be 
 planned most carefully. High speed over rough 
 surfaces on even well-made roads may prove disas- 
 trous if the position for the work is not a correct one. 
 Serious injury may result to the bicyclist working 
 incorrectly, with wheel out of adjustment. 
 
 Scorching and racing, however, are not properly 
 part of the subject of bicycling, but are a sport, and 
 should be separately considered. 
 
 The adjustment of position may be changed for 
 rest or for any particular purpose; but for practical 
 purposes it is well to adopt a fixed adjustment of 
 handle-bar and saddle and length of crank and gear, 
 and adhere to that, endeavoring to acquire the best 
 form on a machine adapted to suit your individual 
 requirements. 
 
 A bicycle should be used only by the person for 
 
rowi'iR Axn rosrriox. 
 
 79 
 
 whom it has been adjusted; for comfort on a bicycle 
 depends on such infinitely small adjustments. Never 
 lend a bicycle or a tool, and never make any change 
 in adjustment by guess. For ordinary use, the sad- 
 dle should be a little back of the pedals and not too 
 high, and the handles within easy reach. This will 
 allow of the balance and adjustment of weight and 
 balance to suit changing conditions of surface and 
 grade. 
 
 Sprinting is often tempting, and comparatively 
 harmless. Scorching is a form of bicycle intoxica- 
 tion, and the taste once acquired, the bicyclist craves 
 its excitement, caring little for the other pleasures 
 of the sport. The scorcher sees little, hears little, 
 and is conscious of little but the exhilaration of the 
 moment, and seems to be imbued with the idea of 
 consuming a certain amount of tissue in a given 
 time. Scorching is a form of bicycling hardly to be 
 commended, and reckless scorching is to be con- 
 demned at all times. Sprinting consumes a large 
 quantity of material in a limited time, and though it 
 is well at times to practise speeding, still the getting 
 up of speed involves considerable expenditure of 
 power and greatly increased momentum, and should 
 be indulged in only by those who understand the 
 limit of their powers and know what. they hold in 
 reserve. 
 
 The wheel of to-day was evolved on the race-track 
 and for the conditions determined thereon; and the 
 amateur bicyclist owes much to the professional 
 wheelman. Improvements in construction, in de- 
 tail, and in adaptability have reached a certain limit, 
 
8o 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 a limit of possibilities in certain directions. It 
 behooves us now to accept the machine and to adapt 
 ourselves to its requirements and to avail ourselves 
 of all that it offers. 
 
 The elasticity of the machine, the resiliancy of the 
 tire, rigidity of frame, position, vibration, and con- 
 cussion should be next considered. 
 
 On a bicycle fitted with a rigid saddle and with 
 hard tires, well blown up, the vibration that is con- 
 veyed through the entire machine is very perceptible, 
 even on a smooth wheeling surface. Over uneven 
 country, Belgian blocks, or other rough or corrugated 
 surfaces, the vibration produces concussion; and if 
 too erect and rigid a position is maintained, fatigue, 
 if nothing worse, is sure to result. 
 
 On a horse the position, while erect, is studied to 
 lessen the concussion; the weight is carried well 
 under to avoid it. The flexible curve of the spinels 
 there, though not perceptible, as the body is held 
 erect and in balance. The lower part of the body 
 becomes part of the saddle, the upper body flexible 
 from above the hips. The concussion comes as each 
 of the horse's feet is placed on the ground; while 
 concussion on the bicycle is produced by the change 
 caused by each inequality of surface. The pneumatic 
 tire lessens this to a degree, if not blown up too 
 hard; for inequalities sink into the yielding surface 
 that would make a wheel with a hard tire bump. 
 
 The frame should be stiff to hold its direction, 
 and the saddle elastic enough to interrupt the vibra- 
 tion 'of the frame. The position on the saddle 
 should be studied to prevent tension or compression 
 
POWER AND POSITION. 
 
 8i 
 
 of any of the joints, large or small; and the spine 
 should be easily erect, not stiff and rigid, but flexible. 
 
 The sense of balance and the adjustment required 
 to balance the bicycle tends to keep the body flexible. 
 The danger to be avoided is concussion induced by 
 a rigid position — a position where, the bones being 
 held closely against each other by tense muscles, 
 shock is easily conveyed over the entire body. 
 
 Let the weight come well on the saddle, in such a 
 position that it can be shifted to the pedals at will; 
 and let the whole trunk be flexible, elastically flexi- 
 ble, equally in all directions. Then the bicycle may 
 be controlled almost unconsciously and from the 
 saddle, the hands being used only in an auxiliary 
 manner. The front wheel may be steered and con- 
 trolled from the saddle by means of the power over 
 the front wheel gained by the bicycle frame con- 
 struction. 
 
 Bicycling can be thoroughly enjoyed only when 
 the machinery ceases to require constant and concen- 
 trated attention. The rhythmical movements of a 
 bicyclist at ease, master of the conditions, comes only 
 with confidence and the persistent practice which 
 causes all the muscles to move easily together in un- 
 interrupted combinations, and the bicycle no longer 
 to require conscious attention. 
 
CHAPTFK X, 
 
 Difficulties to Ozrironie. 
 
 There is the mounting difficulty and the steering 
 difficulty and the pedaling difficulty; and then there 
 is the general difficulty of doing all these things 
 together. 
 
 The first thing to do after learning the theory of 
 starting and stopping the machine is to make it go. 
 No matter what happens, keep it going, the faster 
 the better, until a taste is acquired for the pastime; 
 until the going-forward -forever idea seems to have 
 taken possession of you. 
 
 Then you want to try it again, but mounting 
 seems more difficult than ever. The machine will 
 not do anything it ought to do; it bucks and kicks 
 and stops and spills and slips, and will not stand still, 
 or even move on. You know how to mount, or think 
 you know; but that knowledge does not seem to aid 
 materially in overcoming the tendencies of the 
 machine. 
 
 Now be sure that you do know what to do. The 
 first thing to know is that the weight placed on the 
 pedal starts the machine ; that the foot on the ground 
 will hold the machine, and keep it from starting; 
 that the machine when in motion will move without 
 
rRF.PARIXC, TO MOUNT — SHOWING INCLINATION. 
 
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME. 
 
 83 
 
 falling, and when at rest will not stand still unless 
 held up. 
 
 Then determine the amount of inclination the bi- 
 cycle requires to balance against your weight. The 
 weight placed on the pedal pulls the machine up to 
 a vertical plane; and the inclination to be calculated 
 for soon becomes an accepted quantity. In gripping 
 the handles and inclining the machine, the balance 
 that is felt will set you up on your wheel. 
 
 In mounting, the beginner is apt to stand too far 
 behind the mounting pedal. The position should be 
 beside it, and the mounting foot be placed over the 
 frame and on the pedal. Then, raising the weight 
 by means of the handles, step off the ground, letting 
 the pedal take the weight. Do not give any push 
 from the foot on the ground, but step off the ground 
 as you step on the pedal. Stepping on the pedal 
 sets the machine in motion, and rights it at the same 
 time. There is nothing now to do but to let the 
 pedal lower you to the saddle, and hold the other foot 
 up until the other pedal comes around and carries 
 the foot forward. 
 
 In mounting, the weight should be distributed 
 between the handles and the pedal until seated on 
 the saddle. To practise mounting, take the wheel, 
 and start on a very slight down grade. Never at- 
 tempt to practise mounting against a grade, no 
 matter how slight the inclination. A careful in 
 structor teaches mounting and dismounting thor- 
 oughly; but if a poor method has been acquired, 
 practise alone until you have gained confidence 
 and perhaps a few bruises. The only way to succeed 
 
84 
 
 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 is to try and try again. Practise fifteen minutes at 
 a time, for it is fatiguing work; and do not become 
 discouraged. With sufficient practice, the difficulty 
 vanishes. 
 
 Never practise mounting when tired; for you 
 should be alert, and all your muscles responsive. 
 But persist; practise first mounting, and then dis- 
 mounting; and then rest by walking the machine 
 about to learn its balance. 
 
 Any one who rides or drives, or rows or sails, 
 knows something of the art of steering, — pulling or 
 pushing on one side or the other to change direction, 
 — and on mounting a bicycle has only to apply 
 knowledge already acquired. In steering a bicycle, 
 look directl}^ over the centre of the handle-bars in 
 the direction you wish to take, and push or pull the 
 wheel until the centre of the bars coincides with 
 your objective point. This is really what is done; 
 but the machine is so delicately sensitive that you 
 change its direction almost without knowing that 
 you are doing so. You go where you look; the 
 hands follow the eye; and the art of steering a bi- 
 cycle resolves itself into knowing where you w^ant to 
 go, and looking in that direction as you move. In 
 steering or mounting, always have an objective 
 point. Look up the road well ahead, and keep the 
 general direction. 
 
 A difficulty early experienced is uncertain steer- 
 ing and an uncertain sense of direction. When you 
 are out for practice, look well ahead towards the end 
 of your road over the handles. Novices run into 
 anything they look at, and must concentrate their at- 
 
INCORRF.CT MOUNTING TOSITION- 
 
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME. 
 
 tention, therefore, on the direction the bicycle ought 
 to take. 
 
 The weight inclined from side to side steers the 
 bicycle; pressure on either pedal steers it as well. 
 
 Correct and effective pedaling is a very difficult 
 attainment, to be acquired only with care and 
 practice. First make the bicycle go, then study how 
 you doit, and improve your method. Keep in mind 
 the points that are required for correct pedaling. 
 The early difficulty experienced is to keep the knees 
 and ankles in proper line. Turning the knees in and 
 the heels out will prevent the ankle-bones from strik- 
 ing, a difficulty that many experience. 
 
 The reason that mounting is so difficult for some is 
 because the foot is placed incorrectly on the pedal, 
 with the toe pointing out. The foot should be 
 parallel with the frame of the bicycle, and the knee 
 turned in; or else, when the weight is raised, the 
 ankle will strike, and the discomfort of the blow will 
 render the attempt to mount unsuccessful. The po- 
 sition seems awkward until correctly acquired; but 
 the awkwardness is due usually to lack of confidence 
 to come close to the machine and to taking a position 
 too far back of the mounting pedal. 
 
 The change of direction on mounting often proves 
 confusing, and the bicycle must be steadied, and 
 made to keep its direction at the same time. 
 
 Choose your direction, and assure yourself of 
 plenty of room to work in, away from trees or stones 
 or other objects that might prove a source of danger 
 in case of collision. Then mount and go. Keep 
 these two ideas well in mind. If you are uncom- 
 
86 
 
 BIC ) ■( 7, l\C FOR LA J)JKS. 
 
 fortable, stop and get off; don't try. to adjust any- 
 thing while in motion. When you get on, go. 
 You cannot get on and keep still. Do not get on 
 unless you are ready to go; keep going when you 
 are on; and the mounting difficulty vanishes. 
 
 Steer steadily, and be quick without haste. A 
 hurried change of direction can only be made with- 
 out danger of a spill by an expert, and then only in 
 an emergency or for track-work. Bicycling requires 
 precision, and haste or hurry is out of place, while 
 quick and alert movement is required. 
 
 Take the bicycle out and do as much as you can 
 with it. Part of the fun is conquering difficulties, 
 and each difficulty overcome is an achievement. 
 
 Another difficulty experienced is striking the 
 saddle in mounting. This is usually due to spring- 
 ing from the ground-to the saddle, or attempting to 
 do so, instead of stepping on the mounting pedal, 
 and supporting and holding the weight on the 
 handle-bars. Of course, if the w^eight is not sup- 
 ported on the machine, and the machine is started, 
 it cannot carry the weight forward. The saddle 
 will strike, and push you over. Mount by means of 
 the handle-bars; let them take you; shift the weight 
 up by them on to the pedal. Then lower the weight 
 to the saddle, step clear of the ground, and lean a 
 little over the bars if necessary to clear the saddle. 
 
 In mounting a bicycle, you mount up on the pedal, 
 and settle from that down to the saddle. If the pedal 
 strikes the other foot, it is because the foot is not 
 held up. Do not be in dread of that other foot; hold 
 it well up out of the way, using the mounting foot 
 to make the machine go. 
 
nrFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME. 
 
 87 
 
 Too great inclination of the machine will spoil the 
 mount, and insntficient inclination will have the 
 same effect. The front wheel must be held in line 
 with the frame, and any wrong tendency corrected 
 by the handle-bars after the weight is raised on the 
 pedal, and the machine is upright. 
 
 Many good tires are ruined by ineffectual efforts 
 to mount. The machine is pulled against the tire, 
 and it is hard to understand why the tires are not 
 torn off or ripped to pieces. The light wheels are 
 not made to stand such usage; and it is a mistake to 
 subject a new wheel to it. The rubber is pulled 
 sidewa3^s (a proper way to pull a tire off), and the 
 novice is fortunate if the bicycle is not all pulled out 
 of true by being strained in directions not calculated 
 to resist wear and strain. A twenty-pound wheel 
 may be pulled out of true and so bent and untwisted 
 by ineffectual mounting efforts that it cannot be re- 
 stored without labor that amounts to practically re- 
 building the bicycle. 
 
 In turning a bicycle, always lean in the direction 
 the machine is inclined. Lean in the direction you 
 want to go, and very little correction will be needed 
 from the handle-bars. In turning, lean with the 
 wheel, and meet it with the handle-bars. Meeting 
 the machine is done continually, and is done by 
 swinging the front wheel to meet the inclination of 
 the bicycle on whichever side it has a tendency to 
 fall. Bringing up is done by pulling the wheel 
 around a little further quickly, and very quickly 
 back again. The frame is lifted by the front wheel. 
 This is explained in the principles of bicycle con- 
 
88 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 striiction. When an obstacle, as a car track or rut 
 in the road, is met, the obstacle must be crossed 
 squarely; or if obliged to make a different angle, 
 the angle should be met with the front wheel at the 
 instant of contact, and a proper balance maintained 
 with the pedals. 
 
 To stop and stand still, pedal slowly until the 
 machine is almost ready to stop; then "catch the 
 pedals half w^ay, " that is, stand en them, rising from 
 the saddle, having the pedals at equal heights, and 
 alternate the pressure. Hold the saddle firmly, 
 pressing against both sides to feel the balance and 
 to hold the balance by means of the saddle between 
 the pedals with the weight on the feet. 
 
 As you catch the pedals, give the front wheel a 
 sudden twist towards the back pedal, which will pre- 
 vent the bicycle from falling on that side; then con- 
 trol the balance by the weight on the other pedal, and 
 if necessary restore balance by a quick twist of the 
 front wheel. The best way to practise this is to stop 
 near a smooth wall, and use that to assist to steady 
 the balance. 
 
 Two people can stop and stand still in this way, 
 crossing hands as in skating, gripping the inner 
 handles of the bicycles, and stopping by holding the 
 pedals and controlling the front wheels by the 
 handles, using the outer hand. This makes a very 
 pretty and effective pause. 
 
 Numbness undoubtedly comes from interrupted 
 circulation, caused either by the clothing or the 
 method of working. Numbness of the hands and 
 fingers may be traced generally to tight clothing. 
 
ff 
 
 DIFFICUL TIES TO VERCOME, 89 
 
 and after all surface pressure is removed may safely 
 be attributed to a too tight gripping of the handles. 
 A large soft glove often aids to prevent numbness of 
 the fingers; if gloves are not worn, the hand is apt 
 to grasp too closely. Change of position, too, will 
 tend to counteract numbness. It is not well to work 
 too long at a time without a rest, if there is any ten- 
 dency of this kind. Walk up hill or on the level to 
 restore the circulation. 
 
 Numbness of the foot can be caused by surface 
 pressure, the shoes, or the saddle. Sitting too close 
 to the saddle while working, instead of carrying the 
 weight on the pedals, is apt to produce numbness of 
 the feet. Garters or belts will have the same effect, 
 and must be watched and regulated. A shoe adapted 
 for walking is not at all suitable for serious bicycle 
 exercise; the strains and pressure all come in the 
 wrong places, and confine and numb the feet. Free 
 ankle movement is imperative, and freedom for the 
 lower muscles of the calf of the leg; room for the 
 feet, and especially for the toes to spread and to as- 
 sist in pressing the pedal. The sole of the shoe 
 should be stiff, to prevent bruises from the pedals or 
 from irregularities on the ground. 
 
 Concussion and a consequent vibratory movement 
 of the bicycle are impossible to avoid, but they need 
 not affect the wheeler injuriously. Numbness is 
 sometimes due to a condition of the nerves of the 
 parts affected by the vibratory movement. To pre- 
 vent this condition of affairs, never wheel with the 
 weight on the hands, nor grip the handles of the 
 handle-bars too tight. Rest the hands lightly on the 
 
90 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 handles, and be prepared to squeeze hard when 
 necessary. Study the best position and most con- 
 venient height for the hands when the machine is 
 best under control, and the jar and vibration are not 
 perceived. All joints of wrist, elbow, and shoulder 
 should transmit any motion, not locate it, by being 
 fixed or rigid at any point. 
 
 The tire of the wheel should not be hard, nor 
 should the saddle be fitted with springs; and it 
 should be so placed as to allow the rider to rise easily 
 on the pedals for rough wheeling. These rules being 
 observed, serious danger from this cause need not be 
 apprehended. 
 
 Wheeling over cobble-stone pavement or over good 
 Belgian blocks produces a marked vibration in the 
 bicycle. It would be a satisfactory test for adjust- 
 ment of position to be able to wheel over such a sur- 
 face with comfort, feeling the vibration of the bi- 
 cycle hardly at all. 
 
 The difficulty experienced in wheeling over rough 
 surface is caused by lack of confidence and by 
 general stiffness of all the muscles, which causes the 
 full force of the vibration to be felt. In carrying 
 the weight on the pedals, the vibration is less in- 
 tensely felt. To grip the handles for rough surface 
 riding is almost involuntary, but it is accompanied 
 by acute discomfort from vibration. Pedal work 
 only will meet this difficulty. 
 
 There are different methods of mounting. The 
 pedal mount is usually the one first attempted on a 
 drop-frame bicycle; the mount over the wheel on a 
 diamond-frame. 
 
DIFFICUL TIES TO O VERCOME. 
 
 91 
 
 The diamond-frame mount from the peg is made 
 in this way: Standing directly behind the machine, 
 the handles of the handle-bars are grasped firmly. 
 One foot is placed on the peg, and the wheel in- 
 clined away from that foot; the foot on the ground 
 gives a shove, and the bicycle moves off, carrying 
 the weight on the peg; and the other foot swings 
 forward to catch the pedal, which was a little behind 
 the top of the circle on starting. 
 
 The drop-frame has several rather pretty pedal 
 mounts and vaults. In one, the bars are held, and 
 the machine is started. Watch the rhythm of the 
 pedal, and as it passes the top of the stroke, incline 
 the machine away from you, place the other foot on 
 the pedal, swing the foot next the machine over in 
 front, and catch the other pedal as it rises; then sit 
 easily on the saddle. The vault is made after start- 
 ing the machine, running or hurrying along, and 
 springing from the ground to the saddle, using the 
 handles to help. The pedals are found after being 
 seated on the saddle; and the machine moves with 
 the momentum given it in running before rising in 
 the vault. 
 
 There is a mount from the pedal on the same side 
 on which you are standing. Start the bicycle, and 
 keep along with it, watching the pedals. As the 
 pedal near you comes up and over the top of the 
 curve, step on it with the outside foot, inclining the 
 machine well away from you; at the same time the 
 weight will carry the pedal around with you, and as 
 it rises, the other pedal and the saddle can be found. 
 The same mount may be made without starting the 
 
92 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 machine. Hold the machine inclined from you; 
 place the outside foot against the pedal until it is at 
 its furthest point away from you; hold the bicycle 
 firmly, and step on, swinging the foot off the 
 ground around to the other pedal, in front of the 
 saddle, not behind it. On the diamond-frame, the 
 same mount is made, only the foot is swung behind 
 the saddle, not in front of it, as is possible on the 
 drop-frame machine. 
 
 To stop the bicycle with another person on it, 
 grasp the handle-bars, and take hold of the shoulder 
 of the person propelling the bicycle, if necessary. 
 
\ 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 Dress, 
 
 The matter of dress for bicycling is quite impor- 
 tant from the hygienic standpoint. 
 
 Clothing should be most carefully selected, with 
 the view to an equal distribution of weight and an 
 even thickness of material ; it should have no con- 
 stricting, no tight bands anywhere, but should per- 
 mit of absolute freedom of movement, and be warm 
 enough to prevent chilling through too great radia- 
 tion of heat, yet porous enough to allow of free 
 evaporation. 
 
 All seasons of the year permit of c^^cling; the bi- 
 cyclist therefore has opportunity for much variety 
 in dress. The essentials are knickerbockers, shirt- 
 waist, stockings, shoes, gaiters, sweater, coat, no 
 skirt, or skirt with length decided by individual 
 preference, hat and gloves. 
 
 The knickerbockers should be very carefully cut; 
 smooth and tight just over the top of the hips, and 
 fitting easily below; not fulled or gathered ; full at 
 the knees, and boxed or finished with a band and 
 button and button-hole; nothing elastic on any ac- 
 count. The stockings should be worn folded on the 
 boxed part of the knickerbockers, below the knees, 
 and rolled down and held by the band of the knicken 
 bockers, being fastened below. This arrangement 
 
94 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 does away with garters, which compress surface cir- 
 culation, or pull if attached at the waist, causing 
 pressure where they pull, and are most objectionable 
 for many reasons. The knickerbockers should be 
 made of cloth or woollen material. 
 
 The shirt-waist should have wristbands or sleeves 
 finished to open a little way, and button; the neck 
 finished with a band, with a detachable collar of the 
 same material. The body of the waist should be 
 shaped to the figure at the sides and back, gathered 
 slightly in the front, and finished at the waist=line 
 without a band, and may be of the same material as 
 the rest of the suit. The knickerbockers should 
 button to this waist, the places for the buttons being 
 reinforced. The stockings should preferably be of 
 wool, and of a seasonable weight. 
 
 The combination of knickerbockers, shirt-waist, 
 and stockings forms the essential part of a cycling 
 costume. A union under-garment may be worn and 
 the knickerbocker suit; over this a coat and a skirt 
 if desired, wdth a sweater for an extra wrap. 
 
 Bicycling is warm work, and the clothing should 
 always be rather light in weight. For touring it 
 must all be carried on the wheel, and yet be heavy 
 enough for comfort when not exercising, and not 
 too heavy for work, and should, moreover, allow of 
 adjustment for changes in temperature or for any 
 required change in distribution. To this end, all 
 the clothing should be of one color or of colors that 
 look well together. The knickerbockers, waist, and 
 skirt should match; then if the coat is removed, the 
 costume looks complete. An outfit might consist of 
 
DRESS. 
 
 95 
 
 two suits complete, of different weights; sweaters of 
 different weights; wool stockings, heavy and light, 
 that will roll below the knee without being either 
 bulky or tight. 
 
 The knickerbockers are better fastened with a 
 button, the button being in just the right place, than 
 with a strap and buckle, which is liable to be pulled 
 too tight at times. 
 
 The shoes should be low, made of thin leather, 
 laced well down toward the toe, with light uppers, 
 and soles stiff yet flexible, and made with grooves 
 to take the pedals and prevent slipping. Blocks or 
 cleats on the soles to fit the pedals are sometimes 
 preferred, but are hardly so good for general work. 
 
 The gaiters may be made of almost any suitable 
 material, leather, canvas, or woollen, to match or con- 
 trast with the rest of the costume. They should 
 fit easily around the ankle and over the instep, and 
 should never, on any account, extend more than half 
 way to the knee. The muscles of the calf of the leg 
 must have room to work ; and gaiters badly cut, or 
 too tight or too long, would impede circulation and 
 restrict muscular action. 
 
 The sweater should come well up around the neck, 
 and pull down easily below the saddle; it is better 
 too long than not long enough to cover the large 
 muscular masses that have been at work, and may 
 be turned up if in the way. It should slip on easily, 
 and be soft and woolly, and not so cumbersome that 
 the coat cannot slip on over it and be buttoned up to 
 the throat. 
 
 The coat should be cut long-waisted, and easy 
 
96 
 
 BICYCLTA'G FOR LADIES. 
 
 across the shoulders, single-breasted, and made to 
 button close to the throat; the collar to roll and re- 
 main open, but so cut that it may be easily turned 
 up to the ears. The sleeves should be finished with 
 two buttons and button-holes, so that they may be 
 turned up a little if desired. 
 
 There are occasions when a covert coat made of 
 close cloth may be useful, when out in very cold 
 weather or standing in the wind without shelter; 
 but it cannot be generally recommended. 
 
 Pockets in any part of the dress should be made 
 of woollen material. Cotton retains moisture, and 
 a cotton pocket or a pocket lined with cotton may 
 become damp and clammy and cold, acting almost 
 like a damp compress. The fewer pockets, the 
 better; but a number are often found convenient. 
 Everything if possible should be carried on the 
 wheel, not in the pockets. Metal condenses moisture 
 and interrupts evaporation. 
 
 As the skirt should always open at the side, and 
 fasten with several buttons, a convenient pocket 
 may be placed in the placket-hole; a watch-pocket 
 in the skirt is a good thing, but the watch is better 
 carried on the wheel ; and a pocket should be set aside 
 for matches, where they may always be found quickly. 
 
 Collars and culfs of linen or of celluloid, of silk or 
 of the same material as the suit, may be used for 
 touring ; but soft neckwear should be worn if possible. 
 
 If a neck-muffler is worn, it should be of cash- 
 mere, not of silk. 
 
 Neatness is most important. Each article of 
 dress should be carefully adjusted and fastened. 
 
VKESS. 
 
 97 
 
 Never use pins or put things carelessly together, 
 hoping they will stay, but be sure that every article 
 of dress fits and is securely fastened, and it will 
 never need a thought after it is in place. 
 
 In warm weather gloves with one button are most 
 comfortable; for cooler weather, four buttons, fast- 
 ened about the wrists, keep the hands warm. 
 
 The adjustment of the covering of wrists and 
 ankles makes the greatest difference in comfort in 
 wheeling. In cold weather, hands and feet should 
 be kept warm; in hot weather, it is comfortable to 
 work with the cuffs turned back and wearing low 
 shoes without gaiters. Indeed, in hot weather it is 
 important not to encase the ankles in heavy boots or 
 leggings, as these would ensure overheating. 
 
 The outfit may be completed with a number 
 of hats — a light straw for summer, a soft felt for 
 touring, and a small and becoming hat for the park. 
 The hat should be chosen to stay on easily, and not 
 pinned, but fastened under the hair with elastic, and 
 the hair dressed to stand any amount of blowing 
 about. 
 
 The skirt should not reach more than half way 
 below the knee, and the hem and all seams should 
 be finished on the outside; then there will be noth- 
 ing to catch or pull. The width around the bottom 
 may be a matter of choice, but the skirt need not fall 
 behind the pedal when furthest back, and should be 
 cut full enough in the front to permit the knees to 
 work easily. The top of the skirt should take the 
 place of a waistband, following the curves of the 
 figure, made to flare at the top of the waist, and 
 
98 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 fitted snugly over the hips and hanging from them. 
 It may be worn with or without a belt. 
 
 The coat should be long enough to touch the sad- 
 dle or hang an inch or two below it, to protect all 
 the vital organs and as much of the working masses 
 of muscle as possible. 
 
 The sweater may be worn for coolness or warmth. 
 As an outside garment, it allows the air to pass 
 through its mesh easily; worn under another gar- 
 ment, it is very warm, retaining the heat. 
 
 The color of a bicycle suit may be chosen for the 
 kind of work to be done; its texture may be decided 
 suitable if, a piece being held over the mouth, it is 
 possible to inhale and exhale through it easily. The 
 cloth should be firm enough to stand wear and rough 
 usage; smooth enough to shed dust easily; and of a 
 quality that will stand being wet without shrinking, 
 and will turn the rain if caught in a shower. It 
 should be firm, elastic, soft; have what is known as 
 substance; be very light in weight and yet not cling- 
 ing; and possessing all these qualities, the ideal 
 cloth- for bicycling should not be so expensive that 
 it cannot be renewed easily. 
 
 Simplicity in detail for any garment made to work 
 in is always commendable, and a bicycle dress must 
 be simple to be suitable. 
 
 A corset, if one is worn, should not extend below 
 the waist-line, and should have elastic side-lacing. 
 
 To choose what to wear when the weather is 
 changeable is rather difficult; and the bicyclist start- 
 ing early in the morning for an all-day outing must 
 expect changes of temperature during the day. 
 
DA'KSS. 
 
 99 
 
 Starting, the coat ma)^ be folded on the handles, and 
 the sweater worn ; later, as the sun grows warmer, 
 the sweater may be removed; at the noonday halt, 
 the coat may be donned while lunching, as it usually 
 seems chilly coming under cover; later in the after- 
 noon the sweater is again of use; and before the 
 evening is advanced, the coat worn over the sweater 
 often proves acceptable. 
 
 For touring, only an extra change of underwear, 
 with a change of neckwear, is needed to carry on the 
 wheel. 
 
 To look well at all times when bicycling, it is 
 necessary to remember the possible conditions that 
 may be encountered, and to wear no garment that 
 may prove incongruous. 
 
 When touring, of course, fresh toilettes may be 
 indulged in at the expense of extra luggage. The 
 chief pleasure of bicycling is independence and the 
 joy of being free; yet a long trip without access to 
 the conveniences and even the luxuries of civiliza- 
 tion, should not be attempted. A trunk may be sent 
 home as soon as it has been proved unnecessary, or 
 sent ahead and met at intervals; but its non-arrival 
 should never be allowed to disconcert the traveller. 
 
 It is an accepted fact that bicycling cannot be 
 properly enjoyed unless the clothing is suitable. Of 
 course, one can take a drop-frame bicycle, mount, 
 and wheel slowly for a short distance, barring incon- 
 veniences, in ordinary dress; so can one swim a 
 little if unexpectedly placed in the water. Bicycling 
 requires the same freedom of movement that swim- 
 ming does, and the dress must not hamper or hinder. 
 
CHAPTER XIL 
 
 Watch and Cyclometer. 
 
 Suitably attired, with a bicycle of the latest 
 model and most perfect construction, it matters little 
 whether the residence be in town or country, for the 
 largest city is soon left behind. The country, when 
 the highway ceases to be passable, is easily travers- 
 able on the foot-trodden pathway beside it. Wher- 
 ever the foot has trodden, the wheel may follow, if 
 the path be well defined ; and as the wheel can be 
 carried easily, there is no limit but the limit of en- 
 durance in crossing country that cannot be wheeled 
 over. But in order to cover distance without dis- 
 mounting and within a time limit, where the speed 
 attained is an element to be considered, good roads 
 should be chosen. 
 
 The bicycle multiplies our power of advancing by 
 five. One who can walk three miles in an hour can 
 wheel fifteen miles on a bicycle, given all the condi- 
 tions necessary to attain that speed for the period of 
 an hour. The wonderful speed of the running and 
 sprinting athlete is again multiplied by five, for a 
 short time, in the contests where wheeling records 
 are made. 
 
 While increasing the distance travelled the bicycle 
 
WATCH AXD CVCI.OMK'J'F.R. 
 
 lOI 
 
 has greatly decreased the time limit. A person 
 travelling afoot at the rate of three miles an hour 
 (the average walking gait) covers a mile in twenty 
 minutes, and at the end of an hour is not more than 
 three miles from the starting point. On a bicycle a 
 mile is covered usually in four minutes or less. The 
 average distance, owing to the varied resistance met, 
 is not usually so great; and more power may be ex- 
 pended in the hour than is required to walk three 
 miles in the same length of time. Six miles may be 
 the record for an hour on a wheel, and yet the 
 amount of work done be very great. Until the po- 
 sition is adjusted to suit individual requirements, 
 the output of power to accomplish a certain distance, 
 even though it be a short one, is necessarily great. 
 Considerable study is necessary to work out the per- 
 fect individual adjustment of the bicycle, weight of 
 clothing, and amount of practice requisite to easy, 
 rhythmical movement; but that once attained, the 
 world lies before you. 
 
 Bicycling trains and quickens the perceptions; it 
 cultivates and develops courage, judgment, and dis- 
 crimination as well as prompt decision and quick 
 and accurate sight. The hand follows the eye 
 without effort; and the machine responds to each 
 impression received without conscious expenditure 
 of power. 
 
 To cyclists is due the keen public interest recent- 
 ly aroused in good roadways and in legislation to 
 effect their construction, and the consequent im- 
 provement in public highways. For years the ama- 
 teur cyclists of the country labored to this end in 
 
I02 
 
 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 the interest of the sport, the League of American 
 Wheelmen intelligently preparing the minds of the 
 public on the subject. 
 
 To be accomplished as a bicyclist means something 
 more than knowing how to wheel a bicycle and to 
 be able to get about on it. It is necessary besides 
 to keep informed of the laws and ordinances relating 
 to bicycles and to vehicles in general; to possess a 
 complete and accurate knowledge of the wheel as a 
 machine; to be able to do for it all that can be done 
 one's self or to direct another who has not this 
 knowledge; to know the country travelled, know 
 distance and direction; the use of map and compass, 
 and how to travel without them, finding the direc- 
 tion by sun or stars, or even, if need be, without 
 either; to understand the effect of time and season 
 on the face of nature and to cultivate the senses of 
 the woods. 
 
 If, while touring with a party, you find that you 
 have missed the way in a strange country and that 
 something about the bicycle has given out, calm 
 decision is requisite. Estimate your resources, and 
 keep quiet. Do not try to find your party; let them 
 find you. Study your wheel-tracks; if off the line 
 of travel, follow them carefully to where they join 
 the tracks of your companions. Then wait until 
 some one comes for you. Rest or be busy about your 
 wheel. Do what you can easily, not to be tired and 
 worn out when your companions find you. It is sel- 
 dom wise to try and walk after the party; the only 
 object in moving would be to keep warm, for a chill 
 must be avoided. 
 
WA TCI/ A ND C YCL OME TER. 1 03 
 
 There is a wonderful difference in the distances 
 covered under different conditions. Winds, adverse 
 or favorable, affect the bicyclist more than anything 
 else. An unfavorable wind is one directly ahead or 
 that can be felt on either cheek while advancing. A 
 favorable wind is one that blows on the back, or 
 cannot be felt on either cheek while looking ahead. 
 A wind blowing directly at right angles with the 
 direction of the wheel is a favorable wind; you un- 
 consciously balance against it, and the bicycle glides 
 forward under pressure as a boat does with the sail 
 trimmed in. 
 
 When starting out, note the weather conditions; 
 what the prevailing winds are and what the changes 
 are likely to be during the time you expect to be on 
 your bicycle. If the wind is west or northwest, do 
 not take that direction for the run out, unless the 
 trip is to be a short one. Always try to have the 
 wind with you, both going and returning. Learn 
 the peculiarities of the weather and study the govern- 
 ment weather reports; they are of quite as much 
 assistance to the bicyclist as to the mariner who 
 knows how^ to use them ; for winds frequently change 
 their direction, and the indications for such changes 
 should be sought and studied. 
 
 If a short trip is planned, as the wind is not likely 
 to change during the run, start out against the w^ind ; 
 that is, plan to do the hardest work first, and let the 
 wind help on the return. Avoid hard work when- 
 ever possible. Hill-climbing against the wind is the 
 hardest kind of work; with the wnnd to assist, even 
 quite steep hills may often be coasted part of the 
 
I04 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 way up, and all easy grades taken with the feet off 
 the pedals. Coasting should be indulged in with 
 discretion, or the bicycle may run away with you. 
 Check speed at the first indication that the wheel is 
 escaping control by applying the brake and catching 
 the pedal, back pedaling at the same time. On a 
 public road, the bicy:le should never be be3^ond 
 control. 
 
 To thoroughly enjoy an outing, road, direction, 
 and atmospheric conditions should be studied. If 
 you are out for several hours' spin in chill)^ weather, 
 there is little pleasure to be had in exploring; but 
 in weather when the temperature permits of stops 
 without danger to health, frequent dismounts and 
 short-distance trips across country are enjoyable. 
 One of the pleasures of bicyclists is the good fellow- 
 ship existing between them, which is rarely dis- 
 turbed. On the bicycle conversation is interrupted 
 by long pauses, by intervals of silence, when each 
 rider is alone, with opportunity for reflection and 
 mental expansion. 
 
 On long trips note first the general direction of the 
 road, the wind, and the sun; try to have the wind 
 with you and the sun behind you for the better part 
 of the day. Be able to change your plans quickly 
 to meet changed conditions, and have a reserve of 
 grit to fall back on if things do not go quite to your 
 liking. Dressed for bicycling, it matters little 
 whether it rains or shines; but wind, sand, and stones 
 make impossible conditions for the bicyclist. When 
 wind has reached a certain velocity, wheeling be- 
 comes unsafe. Mud causes the wheels to slip and 
 
WA TCH AND C Y GLOME TER. 
 
 prevents them from turning; sand does the same. 
 A surface offering little or no resistance is impossible. 
 Stones are dangerously liable to cause spills, while 
 ruts and bumps twist the bicycle and are apt to throw 
 the rider. 
 
 In the autumn months, when the sun sets early, a 
 lantern should be provided even when it seems an 
 absurdly unnecessary encumbrance; for a town or 
 village where the ordinances are strict may lie on 
 the route, and the unlucky bicyclist without a light 
 must go afoot. 
 
 Of course, speeding cannot be attempted with 
 the bicycle encumbered; but with all the extras, 
 a good average speed may be maintained. The 
 bicyclist wishing for freedom from all encum- 
 brance is apt to forget unpleasant possibilities. 
 A punctured tire thirty miles from anything is 
 such a possibility; so, though the tool-kit weighs 
 something, it can never prudently be dispensed 
 with. 
 
 Have the bicycle all ready, and start free from care 
 and with a quiet mind, after a last careful and reas- 
 suring inspection of the machine. Starting from a 
 town with a perfectly running machine, the attention 
 is first directed to getting into the country easily, 
 either by train or by wheeling. In wheeling, streets 
 free from traffic and with the best possible surfaces 
 should be chosen. 
 
 Country wheeling is often good when city work is 
 impossible. The dangers of city wheeling are traffic, 
 car tracks, and mud. City mud is usually of a 
 greasy nature, very difficult to wheel over. Even 
 
io6 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 pedaling is very necessary, and uneven pressure on 
 the pedals means a side spill. 
 
 In wheeling over mud, never attempt to control 
 the machine by the front wheel; it must be con- 
 trolled by the pedals. If too much pressure is used, 
 there is nothing left but to step off. Do not try to 
 recover by means of the front wheel; the attempt 
 will be useless, and a fall can be avoided only by 
 stepping o£E. Keep the front wheel steady, and rely 
 on the weight-carrying wheel to take you clear of 
 the mud. Keep a sharp lookout, and travel slowly. 
 Any one can make a bicycle go. 
 
 Get out of town, and then be ready to pedal up to 
 time on the first clear stretch of good road. Make 
 time, but never hurry. Never work hard over hill- 
 work or try to go fast against the wind. When using 
 side-paths, always recollect they may be protected 
 by local ordinances. Keep posted on the law of the 
 road, taking to the highway on approaching towns 
 and villages. If the work is hard, travel slowly, and 
 look ahead. Two good rules are — To travel fast, 
 look well ahead; and watch the ground when there is 
 a hard bit of road to pass over. 
 
 A good stiff pull against the wind can be accom- 
 plished easily, really easily, if you take your time, 
 giving full attention to pedaling, and keeping the 
 eyes a short distance ahead of the wheel. It is much 
 easier to rest on the bicycle by slowing than to dis- 
 mount. In cold weather, never stop without 
 seeking shelter, at least the lee of bank or wall; 
 and keep away from a fire, as it renders one 
 liable to take cold. Nothing is so dangerous in 
 
WA TCH A A C YCL OME TER. i o 7 
 
 frosty weather as a pause of even a few minutes 
 dismounted. 
 
 In warm weather, it is permissible to drink water 
 when wheeling; but it should be remembered that 
 the bicyclist passes through all sorts of country, and 
 the water may sometimes be anything but drinkable 
 from a sanitary point of view, even causing typhoid 
 and other fevers. Water that has been boiled is un- 
 palatable, but it is safe; boiled and cooled, it may be 
 rendered more palatable by shaking it or pouring it 
 from one pitcher to another to mix air with it. Ice 
 in water is another source of danger. The water, 
 after being boiled or filtered, should be placed in 
 bottles with absorbent cotton for stoppers, and cooled 
 by being placed on ice. Muddy water may be 
 cleansed with a piece of alum. If a lump of alum is 
 stirred about for a second or two in a pail or pitcher 
 of muddy water, and then the water allowed to settle, 
 it will be found fit to boil for drinking. Bottled 
 waters are safest when the country is unknown or 
 when there is doubt as to the purity of the local 
 supply; but failing these, the precautions mentioned 
 will ensure safety. 
 
 Never prolong bicycle exercise without eating, 
 and never work after a hearty meal; but the con- 
 sumption of a couple of sandwiches at noon cannot 
 be regarded as a serious meal; and it is often better 
 to push on after a short halt, moving slowly, than to 
 sit around on rocks or stumps to wait for a proper 
 digestive period to elapse. It is well to have a small 
 reserve supply of food, such as chocolate or beef 
 tablets, to tide one over a prolonged period between 
 
lo8 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 meals. Milk and bread and cheese are good to take 
 as an extra meal. Never work hungry if it can be 
 avoided ; the bicycle will lag, and the cyclist wonder 
 at being weary. Keep up the food supply by all 
 means, for fatigue sets in quickly with the desire for 
 food, and the system quickly becomes enfeebled. 
 
 The cyclometer registers each revolution of the 
 wheel, and by an ingenious mechanism the dial gives 
 the record in miles. There is a great temptation to 
 roll up miles, that the cyclometer may make a good 
 showing; indeed, this striving after mileage often 
 becomes a ruling passion, interfering with the real 
 pleasures of the sport. 
 
 The pedestrian, accustomed to noting distances, 
 can usually judge the rate or pace travelled, and de- 
 cide very accurately upon the distance traversed, 
 with only the time as a guide; for the pace, so many 
 miles an hour, multiplied by the number of hours, 
 gives the distance. 
 
 On the bicycle the pace is very easily estimated in 
 a similar manner. Count the strokes per nnnute as 
 each knee rises, divide that by two, and you have the 
 number of revolutions of the crank. The gear gives 
 the diameter of the wheel larger than the one on the 
 bicycle; sixty-four gear, for instance, means that the 
 crank revolution covers a distance equal to a wheel 
 with a diameter of sixty-four inches. The circum- 
 ference of a wheel is three times its diameter; and 
 64 multiplied by 3 equals 192 inches measured on the 
 ground for one revolution of the crank. Multiply 
 the distance measured on the ground by the crank 
 revolution by the number of strokes made per 
 
PVA rCH A ND C YCL OME TER. 1 09 
 
 minute, divide by twelve to give the number of feet 
 the crank has covered in one revolution, and you 
 have the distance in feet travelled per minute. To 
 find the rate of miles per hour, multiply that result 
 by 60 to find the number of feet travelled per hour, 
 and divide the result by 5280, the number of feet in 
 a mile. The watch should have a second hand for 
 bicycle work. The cyclometer taken for five minutes, 
 then multiplied by twelve, gives the rate of mileage 
 per hour, a very convenient way of ascertaining the 
 rate of speed per hour. 
 
 It is well to know the rhythm of stroke of a certain 
 rate per hour, for it is often of assistance in determin- 
 ing distance, and will frequently prevent a hurr}^ 
 when train connections are to be made, by assuring 
 you that you are easily travelling a pace that will 
 take you to your destination on time. 
 
 The alertness and quickness of perception that bi- 
 cycling cultivates seem marvellous. A road, pre- 
 viously accepted as ordinarily good, becomes full of 
 pitfalls that the wary learn to avoid. Slippery or 
 uneven surfaces, tacks and broken glass, are to be 
 noted and avoided, inequalities allowed for, and 
 preparation made to overcome the tendency of the 
 machine on unexpected hard bits of road. 
 
 One of the dangers of sidepath wheeling often en- 
 countered is a slippery spot or a place where the sur- 
 face may give way, such as the edge of a bank along 
 which the path runs, with a fence on the other side. 
 Here, if the bicycle slips, the bicyclist is pretty sure 
 to be thrown against the fence. In sidepath wheel- 
 ing a sharp lookout must be kept for these slippery 
 
I lO 
 
 B/CVCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 spots and weak edges, and also for stones or stumps 
 that run through the uneven surface. 
 
 A first coast on a hill whose pitch has been miscal- 
 culated, and which proves steeper than was antici- 
 l)ated, is a terrible surprise. To find one's self cling- 
 ing desperately to a runaway machine, with no hope 
 save in the ascending grade that seems so far away, 
 is anything but a pleasant experience. In such case 
 sit still, hold fast, keep straight, and if nothing is in 
 the way to collide with, there is hope, barring unex- 
 pected surface obstacles. The coaster's safety in 
 steering lies in swaying; the pedals are out of the 
 question, and the front wheel is better undisturbed. 
 A slight inclination to either side will alter the course 
 of the bicycle without interfering with balance or 
 momentum, and the hands can be read}^ gripping 
 hard, to keep the wheel steady. 
 
 In coasting, sit well in the saddle, letting that take 
 the whole weight, and do not push too hard with the 
 feet on the coasters. The feet should not be braced 
 against the coasters, but should rest easily against 
 them with an even pressure. 
 
 To learn to coast, practise at first either on a 
 slight or a small grade; another way is to get up 
 speed on the level, and take one foot off at the time. 
 The most marvellous experience of bicycling is to 
 have a wind carry you coasting up hill — a wind, too, 
 that is seemingly adverse, or at least not directly 
 favorable. 
 
 Trust to the map, the watch, and the cyclometer 
 to locate your whereabouts, and do not place too 
 much faith in answers to inquiries, unless you are 
 
WATCH AND CYCLOME'IKR. 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 vSpeaking to a bicyclist; for people unaccustomed to 
 accurate judgment differ greatly in their estimation 
 of a given distance or a general direction. You need 
 only stop three or four times in a mile or two, and 
 inquire the way to a town say five or six miles dis- 
 tant, to be convinced of this fact. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 Women and Tools. 
 
 Most women can sew on a button o-r run up a seam ; 
 sewing, in fact, is regarded rather as a feminine in- 
 stinct than an art. There are many capable people 
 in the world, both men and women, who can compre- 
 hend at a glance the use or the application of an 
 article or an idea — people who instinctively use 
 their eyes and hands with ease and accuracy; there 
 are others who learn more slowly to use their me- 
 chanical senses; and there are also those whose at- 
 tention has never been called to certain simple me- 
 chanical facts and details that they are quite capable 
 of understanding. To all the mastery of these facts 
 means an expenditure of more or less time, and in 
 this busy world of ours, there is nothing so much ap- 
 preciated or so carelessly wasted. It is my intention 
 to place before my readers a few simple mechanical 
 explanations. 
 
 I hold that any woman who is able to use a needle 
 or scissors can use other tools equally well. It is a very 
 important matter for a bicyclist to be acquainted with 
 all parts of the bicycle, their uses and adjustment. 
 Many a weary hour would be spared were a little prop- 
 er attention given at the right time to your machine. 
 
\ 
 
WOMEX AXD TOOLS. 
 
 Ask any carriage maker or coachman, and he will 
 tell you that everything on wheels needs attention. 
 Any owner or lover of horses will say that horses re- 
 quire constant care. The bicyclist is the motor, the 
 horse; the bicycle, the vehicle. These ideas should 
 remain distinct. When you mount a wheel, you do 
 not mount an iron horse; you are a human propel- 
 ling power, and the bicycle is a carriage. 
 
 It is all important to work without unnecessary 
 effort, and for this you must have a knowledge of 
 bicycle construction, how to make the machine run 
 smoothly,and how not to injure the human motor or 
 the mechanism. The human body is so beautifully 
 self-adjustable that it may be safely attributed to ig- 
 norance or neglect if anything goes wrong with it. 
 Attention should always be paid at the right time to 
 nature's warnings; they are danger-signals, and if 
 disregarded, unpleasant results are sure to follow. A 
 little common-sense goes far; and with that and a 
 right knowledge — not necessarily an extensive knowl- 
 edge — of the working of the human machine, there 
 need be little to fear from injuries resulting from 
 athletic exercise. 
 
 The amount of work different individuals can per- 
 form, of course, varies. Find out how much work 
 you ought to do, and do it. A physician is the only 
 competent judge of your limitations. Never at- 
 tempt any new form of exercise without being ex- 
 amined for it. Sensible people when they purchase 
 a horse require a veterinary certificate to accompany 
 the guarantee; and the work the horse is to do is 
 planned according to the ascertained amount the 
 
114 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 animal is capable of performing. If it is right for 
 you to wheel but five miles every other day, and at 
 a certain hour only, it does not follow that that is 
 always to be your limit. Practice accomplishes great 
 results; and the strength and endurance that come of 
 exercise taken regularly, under proper conditions, 
 seems marvellous to those who, after a course of 
 proper preparation, attempt and accomplish with 
 pleasure and ease what at first seemed impossible. 
 It is hard, of course, to see some one else do what 
 you would like to do and cannot; but it is weak not 
 to be able to say, "I have done enough, and I must 
 stop. ' ' There are many other people similarly placed. 
 
 The bicycle may be so adapted and adjusted as to 
 enable bicyclists of different powers to work together 
 and enjoy a fair amount of sociabilit}^ ; for if one has 
 wheeled around the world, why should that spoil 
 one's pleastire in wheeling around a block? To 
 wheel alone is not much pleasure. Find some one 
 to wheel around the block with you, and you have 
 the beginning of a club. 
 
 Many people do not understand what is best for 
 them. The experienced athlete knows the amount 
 of work he can do, and what must be done and 
 avoided to enable him to do his work well. Women 
 and girls are able to do good work, but they should 
 not expect to accomplish such a result through igno- 
 rance or neglect. They must be willing to study 
 and to give proper attention to important details, 
 and their knowledge of the subject must be sufficient 
 to enable them to use judgment and discrimination. 
 Almost any form of athletics will aid in cultivating 
 
IVOMEX AiVD 'J'OOLF.. 
 
 these qualities; and bicycling has besides valuable 
 educational features of its own. A certain familiar- 
 ity with mechanics is assured by a course of bicy- 
 cling, for it is impossible to handle a bicycle with- 
 out taking some degree of interest in its construction. 
 
 Women must expect ridicule and little sympathy 
 from experienced cyclists if they essay feats they 
 should not attempt. Many decide that a thing must 
 be easy of accomplishment because they have seen 
 some one do it easily. Easy muscular work, how- 
 ever, is the result of strength, confidence, and pre- 
 cision of movement, which come only from practice. 
 All new muscular movements and combinations of 
 movements must be learned ; they cannot be acquired 
 hurriedly with good results. People who can work 
 well are usually patient with a beginner who is doing 
 his best, knowing themselves what it means to work 
 hard and to face disappointment and failure and what 
 is involved in repeated effort. Theambitiousare liable 
 to over-exertion, the timid not to practice enough. 
 
 There is much prejudice against athletic exercise 
 for women and girls, man}' believing that nothing 
 of the kind can be done without over-doing; but 
 there is a right way of going about athletics as every- 
 thing else. Prejudice can be removed only by sho\v- 
 ing good results, and good results can be accom- 
 plished only by work done under proper restrictions. 
 To do a thing easily is to do it gracefully ; and grace, 
 without properly balanced muscular action, is im- 
 possible; grace is the embodiment of balance, 
 strength, and intelligence. Jerky movement indi- 
 cates lack of muscular development and training. 
 
ii6 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 The human machine is capable of a seemingly un- 
 limited series of muscular movements and combined 
 muscular motions. Any training or practice of mind 
 or muscles assists to fit them for new combinations. 
 But little time is necessary to learn to know how to 
 do and what to do, though the subjects to be consid- 
 ered, mechanics and physiology, are. exhaustive and 
 extensive in their range. 
 
 It is always a pleasure to do a thing well, whether 
 it is handling a needle or using a screw-driver; and 
 the art of using either successfully is not difficult to 
 acquire. With the bicycle it is necessary to know 
 what to do; the human motor, unless pushed beyond 
 reasonable limits, is self-adjusting. Over-taxing is 
 the result often of too great ambition, of failure to 
 keep in view the proper aim of exercise, and sacrifi- 
 cing health and ultimate success for passing vanity. 
 The bicycle is but the means to the end, first of all, of 
 health — health of mind and body. The human me- 
 chanism is far more difficult to adjust when out of 
 order than the mechanism of the bicycle. In bicy- 
 cling, the two machines are one and interdependent. 
 The foot on the pedal pushing the crank is but one 
 point of application of power conveyed by a series 
 of levers, actuated by muscles, controlled by nerves, 
 supplied and directed by accumulated power. 
 
 We hear of horse-power as a unit ; we have also 
 human power — the amount of power the average in- 
 dividual can exercise. Food supplies material to be 
 converted into power, stored and transmuted in the 
 human system either for use or waste, as the case may 
 be. Energy or power, unless applied within a speci- 
 
WOMEN AND TOOLS. 
 
 117 
 
 fied time, is given off as heat, etc. Less food is 
 needed, loss of appetite follows, if too little work is 
 done. The muscular tissues become almost useless, 
 it is an effort to do any kind of work; the power is 
 not there. By gradual and persistent practice, 
 strength is acquired, and power stored in reserve. 
 Exercise tends to strengthen, not to weaken; over- 
 exercise uses up stored power and newly acquired 
 power as well; longer periods of rest are needed to 
 renew the wasted tissues than is necessary when ex- 
 ercise is not carried to excess. It must be kept in 
 mind when bicycling that rider and wheel are a com- 
 plete, compound, combined mechanism, and mechan- 
 icall)^ inseparable. The wheeler's weight, when 
 shifted or inclined, affects his equilibrium, and 
 wheeler and bicycle are as much one as a skater and 
 his skates. 
 
 Levers and their application ; power, stored, dis- 
 tributed, or wasted ; how to prevent v^aste and ac- 
 quire reserve ; proper adjustment to mechanical en- 
 vironment, translated to mean the use of a few 
 common tools, and their application to the adjust- 
 ment of the bicycle; and the care, adjustment, and 
 proper preparation of the machine for work, are 
 points of such importance that too much stress can- 
 not be laid on them. A little thought, a little atten- 
 tion at the right time, prepares for emergencies, for 
 cheerful work, and for the enjoyment of the exercise, 
 and the health and accumulated benefits sure to 
 follow. 
 
CHAPTER XI y. 
 
 Tools and How to Use Them. 
 
 "A NUT is a piece of metal adapted to screw on the 
 end of a bolt." "A bolt is a stout metallic pin 
 adapted for holding objects together." The nut is 
 to the bolt what the knot is to the thread, to keep it 
 from slipping through. Iron and steel are fibrous 
 materials, and ver}^ hard; though strong, they are 
 also brittle. Indeed, these metals, and metals gen- 
 erally, resemble molasses candy in their nature more 
 than any other familiar substance that will serve for 
 illustration. When heated, they become soft and 
 liquid; when cold, they are tough, hard, and even 
 brittle. A few powerful, sharp blows with a heavy 
 object are enough to fracture a piece of metal. Di- 
 rect, heavy blows or tapping on the end of a bolt 
 will flatten and alter its shape sufficiently to cause 
 the edges to project, a very little seemingly, but 
 enough to render it useless. 
 
 If you wish to remove a bolt that seems to fit too 
 tight and resists ordinary methods, place the nut on 
 the bolt, and screw it on level, so that the end of the 
 bolt will be flush or even with the top of the nut. 
 Then lay your piece of wood, quite smooth and flat, 
 on the nut and bolt, covering both, and hammer 
 
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM. 
 
 119 
 
 gently on that with a heavy hammer, with gentle, 
 short, sharp, even strokes. The most obstinate bolt 
 will usually yield to this method of persuasion. 
 Should a burr have formed on the end of a bolt, a 
 file is necessary to remove it; and filing off a burr is 
 a somewhat lengthy and tedious operation. 
 
 Unscrew a nut gently and examine it. On the in- 
 side will be found a spiral groove and a spiral ridge 
 or thread. Examine the bolt, and observe a similar 
 spiral groove and thread. These, when screwed to- 
 gether, prevent slipping, and the nut cannot be 
 pulled or pushed off. To remove the nut, it is ne- 
 cessary to turn it; and always turn one way, from 
 left to right, if the nut lies uppermost. 
 
 To keep a nut from unscrewing by jarring, etc., 
 screw it down until it jams, as it is called, firmly 
 against the surface it rests on. If screwed too tight, 
 it will burst or break the thread, or if enough force 
 is applied the bolt may break. This hardly seems 
 possible until we realize that in the wrench we pos- 
 sess a very powerful lever, capable of destroying 
 quite a large bolt and its accompanying nut. If 
 pains be taken always to start a nut on square and to 
 turn gently and firmly and not too fast, the previous 
 instructions may prove unnecessary. 
 
 There are usually two kinds of wrench in a bicycle 
 outfit — an adjustable wrench with sliding jaw, and 
 one or more key-wrenches, so called because made 
 to fit particular parts of the machine, and to be used 
 for them only. The adjustable wrench with sliding 
 jaw should be used with the pressure or pull coming 
 on the angle of the head, and the sliding jaw so 
 
1 20 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 placed as to hold its position, the wrench applied so 
 that the greatest strain is taken at the strongest part ; 
 then the faces of the jaw keep smooth and true, and 
 will not deface the plating or polish of the machine. 
 
 There is another point to note — that a properly 
 adjusted wrench starts a nut easily, while if the 
 strain is taken on the movable jaw of the wrench, 
 there is give enough in the wrench itself to prevent 
 the nut from starting, and the wrench slips off the nut 
 without effecting its object. The handle of the 
 wrench acts as a lever, and the head of the wrench 
 forms a right angle with the handle; it is here that 
 the power is centred, not at the angle made by the 
 movable jaw. Of course, this position seems the 
 reverse of proper until it is analj^zed; but once 
 understood and adopted, it will prove most effec- 
 tive. 
 
 There are various screws in and about the machine. 
 A screw is defined as a bolt or bar having a thread 
 cut upon it spirally, so that it will enter a hole in 
 which a corresponding spiral groove and thread have 
 been cut, or on which they will be formed by the 
 screw entering the hole. The thread and screw in- 
 terwind and prevent the screw from being withdrawn 
 unless it is turned. To turn the screw, a notch is 
 cut on one end, which is made flat for that purpose, 
 and the other end of the screw is pointed, to enable 
 it to enter the hole easily. After a screw is placed 
 and started in its proper hole, it is only necessary to 
 turn it until it is driven home. To turn the screw, 
 a short bar is flattened thin to enter the notch on the 
 end of the screw. 
 
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM. 121 
 
 The screw-driver should be held and turned with 
 one hand, and steadied and guided with the other. 
 Metal is not so hard but that the leverage of the screw- 
 driver is enough to bend the notches on the end of a 
 screw, and thus render it useless. The question 
 may be raised, Why are not screws made harder? 
 If metal is tempered too hard, it becomes brittle, and 
 flies. A well-tempered screw should be neither too 
 hard nor too soft, but adapted for its particular use 
 or position. 
 
 A screw should always be made clean before it is 
 screwed home, any particle of dust or rust being 
 liable to injure the thread and spoil the screw. If 
 the screw is oily or greasy, it will work loose. All 
 screws, bolts, etc., therefore, should be carefully 
 wiped, and never placed where there is any chance 
 for even a little dust to settle upon them. A nut 
 with a small grain of sand inside will burst or break 
 the thread of the bolt. 
 
 Bolts and screws are used to hold different parts 
 together or in place and to give strength and firm- 
 ness. 
 
 There is usually an oil-can belonging to every ma- 
 chine, and a bicycle should be provided with a good 
 one, small, light, and easily carried ; and special care 
 should be taken that it does not leak. A greasy oil- 
 can is unpleasant to handle and almost useless, as it 
 cannot be handled properly. The least possible 
 amount of oil that can be used is the proper quantity. 
 Greasy bearings only collect dust, and the dust 
 follows the oil back into the friction surfaces, where 
 its presence is always undesirable. 
 
I 22 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 Two kinds of lubricant are used on a bicycle — oil 
 and graphite. A lubricant is used to diminish fric- 
 tion where two or more surfaces move over each other. 
 If these surfaces are of the same material and the 
 same degree of hardness, they do not slip ; but the 
 unevennesses ot the surfaces engage each other and 
 cause resistance, which produces friction, and friction 
 causes heat, and the parts move more and more 
 slowly, until at last they stop. Now, if a substance 
 of a different character, like oil or graphite, is intro- 
 duced between the moving surfaces, it forms little 
 cushions, which prevent the two surfaces from com- 
 ing into close contact ; and, as the oil or graphite 
 splits up readily into minute particles, the surfaces 
 slip upon that, instead of holding fast. A smooth 
 surface of metal is full of inequalities, perceptible 
 when magnified, and slipping past each other with 
 as much difficulty as would surfaces of sand paper. 
 Only oil of the best quality and pure graphite 
 should be used. Nothing sticky or gritty in its na- 
 ture should be allowed near bearing surfaces. 
 
 The pump is an all-important and indispensable 
 adjunct of the pneumatic tire. Each tire is fitted 
 with a valve, and accompanied by a pump with which 
 to inflate it. A valve is a lifting, sliding cover, 
 connected with an aperture to prevent the passage of 
 air or other fluids, and so constructed that the pump 
 forces the cover down, and the air pushes past. 
 The cover is held in place by a spring and air pres- 
 sure, and, fitting tightly against a washer of some 
 soft, impervious material, makes an air-tight joint, 
 and will not move unless displaced. The pump it- 
 
TOOLS AND HOW TO USE Til EM. 123 
 
 self is fitted with a valve to fill its cylinder or barrel 
 with air, and to hold the air after the cylinder is full 
 and when the plunger of the pump is forcing- the air 
 out of it again. A flexible tube coupling is used to 
 connect the pump-barrel with the valve of the tire. 
 
 The valves are of many patterns and sizes, and 
 there are pumps made to fit special tires, and pumps 
 that will in a manner suit almost any ordinary valve. 
 It is most important to note that all the washers 
 about the pump and valves are in place. Deflated 
 tires are often caused by a misplaced washer; and 
 though valves are so constructed that it is not easy to 
 disturb the washers, still it is well to know where 
 they are and when they require attention. Washers 
 wear out and require renewing, and sometimes a de- 
 fective washer should be replaced; they are usually 
 made of rubber or leather, but miCtal washers are 
 sometimes used where there is much pressure or 
 friction. 
 
 The metal used in bicycle construction must be 
 finished, smoothed, and prepared to resist the corro- 
 ding effects of the atmosphere and to present an at- 
 tractive and durable exterior. The metal used for 
 the different parts must be smoothed and polished; 
 all foreign substances, like grease, removed from 
 their surface by a chemical process; and lastly a 
 coating of nickel deposited on the surface by means 
 of electricity. The nickel in this way becomes a 
 part of the original metal, and protects its surface 
 from rust and corrosion. A well-nickeled piece of 
 metal, beautifully polished, and kept free from finger 
 marks, loses its lustre only when neglected. Of 
 
124 
 
 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 course, there are other ways of finishing the surface 
 of the metal parts of the bicycle; other plating metal 
 may be substituted for the nickel, and other finish 
 than polish used. 
 
 Light wheels cannot be recommended for rough 
 country or for very fast work over only moderately 
 good roads. A certain weight of material has been 
 taken from the bicycle to make it light; the machine 
 begins to lose its rigidity and consequentl}'- its ac- 
 curacy, and cannot maintain its direction, but wavers, 
 and really travels further to attain a given distance. 
 The weight of a bicycle should depend on the roads 
 it is to cover and the purposes it is to serve. Very 
 light wheels wear out quickly; they cannot stand 
 the strain of practice. Beginners, therefore, should 
 choose a wheel that can endure the handling they 
 will give it. 
 
 A very light, well-made, and delicately adjusted 
 bicycle can carry a skilled cyclist anyw^icre; but a 
 light wheel sooner loses its accuracy, and is then 
 more difficult to work than a heavier w^heel that luns 
 true. Heavy wheels are not to be endured; light 
 wheels, too light wheels, not to be encouraged. 
 
CHAPTER XK 
 
 Solving a Problem. 
 
 When choosing a wheel, you should know what 
 you want and why you want it. Machines are built 
 for special purposes, and any reliable dealer can 
 help you in selecting a machine and wull guarantee 
 vsatisfaction. Bicycles wear out, of course, but 
 with proper care they may be made to last a long 
 time. 
 
 Careful examination of your wheel should always 
 be made before starting for even a short ride; and 
 on returning it is well to test gear and pedals, to 
 look at spokes and tires. Any needed repair can be 
 noted, and attended to at convenience. Always ex- 
 amine your bicycle thoroughly after a collision, for 
 shocks are dangerous even to the toughest metal, and 
 such precaution may prevent a serious accident. 
 
 On returning from a ride the wheel should have a 
 thorough going over, the enamel dusted, and any 
 mud washed off with a wet sponge. The chain, if 
 your machine has one, should be taken off every two 
 or three hundred miles of dusty road, and soaked in 
 kerosene over night; the nickel or metal well dusted, 
 rubbed with a chamois, and polished; and all the 
 bearings, axles, and gear carefully wiped, and dust 
 
126 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 and grit removed. Then the chain should be re- 
 placed, oiled, graphited, and the bearings oiled. 
 
 The chain is a complicated mechanism, consisting 
 of many repetitions of parts; it should be kept clean 
 and well lubricated. To apply graphite, turn the 
 wheel upside down, hold the graphite still against 
 the chain, and turn the wheel. The oil is needed in 
 the joints of the chain; the graphite where the chain 
 engages the cogs. The other parts used for applying 
 power need the usual care given to the best machines 
 — absolute cleanliness, freedom from grit, and 
 thorough lubrication. 
 
 The chain is at present a mechanical detail only, 
 and the application of power to the wheel capable of 
 a great variety of forms. The principle remains 
 the same, the application of power; the mechanical 
 contrivance for transmitting it is a detail of con- 
 struction. The difference of individuality can be 
 compensated for in the length of the lever, size and 
 number of gear, size of wheel, diameter of wheel, 
 and width of tread. 
 
 The ideal machine requires little adjustment. 
 The less the screws, the nuts, and the bearings are 
 wrenched, the more perfect is the machine, the more 
 free from wear and dents and scratches. To apply 
 a wrench is a serious responsibility that should not 
 be undertaken lightly. It seems easy, and yet skilled 
 men are employed just for that kind of work, for it 
 is work requiring the precision of the trained me- 
 chanic. 
 
 After purchasing a watch, the owner does not at 
 once investigate the machinery; yet many, because 
 
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 
 
 127 
 
 the tools are at hand, are tempted to experiment on 
 a bicycle. A bicycle, like a watch, should be ready 
 to run, and only require winding up to keep it going. 
 It should be adjusted; and if it needs regulating, this 
 should be done by people who understand the ma- 
 chine and have the requisite knowledge and respon- 
 sibility to do well what is to be done. Two rules 
 may be laid down for one who does not study me- 
 chanical details — never to touch the bicycle except 
 to ride it ; and never to let any one else touch it who 
 has not skill and experience. 
 
 This practice will prove satisfactory until some 
 day, miles from home, the bicycle will not go; you 
 carry it more miles to the nearest conveyance, and 
 send it home. There you have it examined, and find 
 that a touch sets it free; just as sometimes, when 
 your watch will not go, you take it to a watchmaker, 
 and he examines it, winds it up, and hands it back, 
 telling you there is no charge. After learning to 
 wheel a bicycle, therefore, the next step should be 
 to learn to care for it. Unless somewhat familiar 
 with machinery, it is bewildering to contemplate 
 taking the thing apart and putting all those parts to- 
 gether again; even more bewildering is it, having 
 taken the thing apart, not to be able to put it togeth- 
 er. In such case, there is nothing to do but to gath- 
 er the pieces of the puzzle, and send them to be set 
 up. If in this extremity a friend who knows all 
 about a bicycle should offer assistance, it is well to 
 hear what he has to say before he undertakes the 
 work. "I do not think your wheel is just like 
 mine," perhaps, or "Where do these things belong?" 
 
128 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 is enough for the wise. Better send to the shop for 
 a machinist at once. All the parts of the bicycle are 
 made to go together in one way, and any attempt at 
 experiment may injure the mechanism. 
 
 When you undertake to investigate a bicycle for 
 the first time, take an old one as a subject, and en- 
 deavor to put it in perfect running order. If an old 
 bicycle cannot be had, proceed with much circum- 
 spection. Go where you will be undisturbed, where 
 there is plenty of room, and where a key may be 
 turned if there is possibility of interruption. There 
 is sure to be some oil and grease spattered about, in 
 spite of the utmost care, and it is well to remember 
 this while making preparations. Have ready a pile 
 of old newspapers, some cups, plates, and boxes, and 
 a painting apron if you possess one; if not an old 
 skirt and apron, and sleeves well rolled up. For 
 tools, a monkey-wrench, two or three screw-drivers, 
 large as well as small, a hammer, one or two pieces 
 of wood, the bicycle kit, oil, graphite, a can of kero- 
 sene, some cheesecloth and canton flannel, and a large 
 wooden box. 
 
 Take two newspapers folded in half, and put them 
 on the floor for the saddle and handle-bars; then 
 turn the bicycle upside down, and arrange the news- 
 papers under the saddle and handles. If there is a 
 bell, take it off, or place a block under the opposite 
 end of the bar to balance it. Before turning the bi- 
 cycle over, remove the lantern, if there is one on the 
 bicycle, as the oil will be spilled out if the lamp is 
 turned upside down. 
 
 Begin by carefully removing all mud and grit 
 
TURNING THE BTCYLCE OVER 
 
• 
 
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 
 
 from the bicycle. Wear old gloves, and remove mud 
 with the hand when possible, finishing with a cheese- 
 cloth duster and an old oily cloth. Go over all the 
 joints where the wheels turn, and remove every par- 
 ticle of grit, then remove mud and dust. 
 
 An experienced worker, to save labor, cleans each 
 piece as it comes off, but the beginner must work 
 more slowly. Have ready a shallow box or tray to 
 receive the parts as they are removed. Lay each 
 part, as it is taken off, in the tray, with the oily side 
 up, for a guide. First, remove the chain, turn it 
 until the nut of the little screw-bolt is found. This 
 little bolt forms one of the link-pins, and can be 
 found quite readily. One end of the bolt has a 
 screw-head notch, and the other a nut and thread. 
 Use the small bicycle screw-wrench for this, a large 
 screw-driver, and a small screw-driver to fit the 
 screw. Turn the chain until the bolt is in a conve- 
 nient position, then take the large screw-driver or a 
 rod, and place through the spokes of the rear wheel, 
 letting the bar rest on the frame. This will prevent 
 the wheel from turning, and keep the pedals and 
 sprocket-wheel in position; your fingers may be 
 caught and badly cut if this precaution is not taken. 
 Fasten the small wrench on the little nut, and hold 
 it there with one hand, with the other unscrewing 
 the little screw with a small screw-driver. Should 
 the screw fail to yield easily, a drop or two of kero- 
 sene will soften the rust and grit, and help to start it. 
 
 Return the nut to the screw end, and place it on 
 the tray. Take hold of one end of the chain, and 
 remove the bar that steadies the rear wheel, then 
 
130 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 turn one of the pedal cranks, and the chain will come 
 off in your hand. The chain should be placed in 
 kerosene and left to soak. 
 
 The enamel of the frame should then be carefully 
 rubbed and polished with canton flannel. A clean 
 piece should be kept for the purpose, for if greasy it 
 gives a dull look to the enamel. The plating should 
 be first polished with a cloth, and then if dull with 
 whiting. Nickel plating takes a beautiful polish 
 with electro-silicon used on canton flannel. 
 
 Go carefully over each oil-cup, and be sure it is 
 cleaned, and work around the ends of the axles. 
 Ascertain if either wheel needs adjusting, and look 
 carefully to see that the rims are true. A good way 
 to do this is to hold a pencil-top on the frame against 
 the rim of the wheel, and spin the wheel. If it 
 touches evenly all around, the wheel is true; if un- 
 even, take the bicycle to a repair shop and have the 
 wheels trued as soon as possible. 
 
 After cleaning all the bearings, put oil in the oil- 
 cups and replace the chain. It is well to leave the 
 chain soaking in kerosene, and later hang it up to 
 drip, and when dry, it will be found bright and clean ; 
 or keep a can of lubricating oil in which to soak the 
 chain, and after draining it thoroughly, wipe clean 
 before replacing on the machine. Take an oil-can, 
 and oil each separate rivet. Start the chain on the 
 sprocket, and pull it over the rear sprocket by turn- 
 ing a pedal crank, bringing the ends on the lower 
 side. Place the bar across as before, to keep the 
 sprocket from moving, and then replace the little 
 screw-bolt, using a small wrench, and a screw-driver 
 
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 
 
 that fits the screw. Remove the bar, see that the 
 chain is not too tight, and note if it requires any 
 taking up, an adjustment that is done in the rear 
 wheel. 
 
 Hold the stick of graphite on a convenient surface 
 of the chain, and turn the cranks; then dust the 
 chain to take off any small lumps of the lubricant, 
 and the wheel is ready to be run. Examine the tires 
 and valves, see that the tires are not too soft, and in- 
 flate them. See that the valves are in order, then 
 set the wheel right side up. Replace bell and lan- 
 tern, rub off any finger-marks, and the bicycle is 
 ready. 
 
 If the bicycle has been running for some time, 
 and in spite of the care bestowed on it, the chain runs 
 a little heavy, the pedals don't spin as they should, 
 or the cranks revolve as often as they might, and 
 the wheels are sluggish, there is no remedy but to 
 take down the bicycle, clean It thoroughly, set it up 
 and adjust it. It will require several hours' hard 
 work to do this, combined with a knowledge of ma- 
 chinery and a knowledge of bicycle working, or else 
 enterprise, care, and common sense. 
 
 Begin work on a wheel perfectly free, as far as the 
 outside can be made so, from sand, mud, and grit. 
 Remove the chain and put it to soak. Have a pan 
 of kerosene, and place each small part in that to soak, 
 and any part that has friction surface or is notably 
 oily or greasy. 
 
 Begin serioias work on a pedal, which is small and 
 easily handled. If the pedal is a removable one, 
 take it off. If the spindle is stationary, take off the 
 
132 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 movable parts, first the nuts or screws, then loosen 
 the cones, having a box placed underneath to catch 
 the balls if any should fall out. Support the box 
 well up under the pedal, as the balls bounce and 
 jump about. Even if you have had the pedals off 
 before, and know how it is done, it is well to have 
 something- to catch the balls, as otherwise you must 
 atone for any mistake by a scramble. Place the balls 
 in a separate dish of kerosene, and carefully count 
 them. Wipe the movable parts of the pedals with a 
 cloth wet in kerosene, and finish with a dry cloth. 
 
 In taking a pedal down, the place of each part 
 should be carefully noted, so that it may be a simple 
 matter to replace the parts. If, the first pedal being 
 now apart, the novice is confused, there is the other 
 pedal to afford comparison. Study that, then return 
 the parts of the dismembered pedal to their proper 
 places, and adjust them. The balls ma}^ prove 
 troublesome; but a screw-driver dipped in vaseline 
 will pick up any very small balls, and pliers can 
 manage the larger ones. See that cones and washers 
 are replaced, then add a few drops of oil, adjusting 
 the pedal to spin easily without lateral play, and 
 tighten cones and nuts. Spin the pedal for a final 
 test, and then begin on the other pedal. 
 
 If after several hours' work, but one pedal is fin- 
 ished, if that one pedal is in perfect order, there is 
 much cause for congratulation. The other pedal 
 may be done very much more easily and rapidly. 
 Of course, it takes time to wipe all the balls and 
 cones, and nuts and screws, and washers and spin- 
 dles, and when the pedal is in your hand, a little 
 
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 
 
 133 
 
 time may be spent to give it an extra rub to brighten 
 its polish. Wipe off any oil that may have shown 
 in the joints of the bearings, and the pedals are 
 finished. 
 
 The front wheel should next engage attention. 
 Take a large wrench, and start the bearing cones, 
 and take off the nuts at opposite sides of the ends of 
 the forks. These nuts are screwed on the ends of 
 the axle, and perhaps have metal washers under them. 
 Place them in a box by themselves, and if the forks 
 are notched, there will be nothing to do but to lift 
 out the wheel. If the ends of the forks have only 
 eyes, the forks must be sprung to take the wheel out. 
 
 When the wheel is in your hand, avoid letting any 
 grease or oil touch the tire, for it will injure the 
 rubber. Now proceed to work on the axles. Sup- 
 port the wheel on a large, empty wooden box. The 
 axle is a spindle, and has cones to hold the balls in 
 against the bearings. The cones must be removed 
 and cleaned, and the socket of the hub made clean 
 with an oily cloth followed by a clean one. The 
 axle's spindle should be replaced, and the balls and 
 cones restored to their proper relative positions. 
 Drop in a little oil, adjust and tighten the cones, 
 then spring the wheel back between the forks, and 
 true it; see that it runs even between the forks and 
 that the cones are keyed up firm and even. Replace 
 the nuts, and screw up firm. Wipe off any oil that 
 may have worked out, and spin the wheel to try it. 
 If it runs long and steadily, and has no lateral play, 
 and everything is keyed up tight and true, this part 
 of the work may be considered finished. 
 
134 
 
 BJCYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 Some prefer to use a little pure graphite for the 
 balls, and no oil; and again some bicycles are made 
 without oil-cups. For the first work, oil is safer to 
 handle; but remember that two or three drops are 
 enough. Too much is worse than useless, for oil 
 spreads over a large surface, and will cover all the 
 surface of the bicycle with a thin film, which will 
 need to be constantly wiped off. 
 
 The rear wheel may be removed without springing 
 the frame. Unscrew the adjustment attachment, 
 and the wheel will come out. Clean the rear wheel 
 bearings in the same way you have cleaned those of 
 the front wheel : replace the rear wheel, and put back 
 the adjusting attachment. 
 
 Give the crank axle the same care and attention 
 that the wheel axles have received. The pedal 
 cranks are fastened on either end of the crank axle 
 in such a way that the dead centre is avoided as much 
 as possible. The large sprocket-wheel is on the 
 crank axles, and sometimes not movable. The 
 cranks are screwed or fastened with pins to the ends 
 of the axles, and should not be disturbed. Take the 
 large key-wrench from the kit, and start the bearing 
 cones. If the crank must come off, see that the nut 
 on the end of the crank-pin is flush with the end, and 
 place a piece of wood on it before striking it with a 
 hammer, as already explained, to start the bolt or 
 pin. Or if you have some one to help, let a heavy 
 hammer-head be held under the crank beside the bolt, 
 at the other end; and the double shock and recoil 
 from the heavy hammer as the blow is struck will 
 jar the bolt loose. 
 
SOLVING A PROBLEM. 
 
 Remove and clean the cones and balls, then replace 
 and oil them, and adjust the cones tight, ready for 
 adjustment when the cranks are in place. The only 
 bearings left to attend to are those in the head of the 
 frame. Take out the handle-bars, and wipe them 
 and their socket very careful y ; never allow any oil 
 to remain there. The handles should never be im- 
 movably tight; yet grease, if any were introduced, 
 would perhaps cause them to slip when they should 
 remain in place. The crank axle-key usually fits the 
 cone of the head of the frame, and that may be 
 treated as any other set of ball bearings — loosened, 
 removed, cleaned, replaced, oiled, adjusted, and 
 tightened. Any dust may be removed from inside 
 the frame-head while the bearings are off. 
 
 When the head bearings have been restored and 
 the handle-bar replaced, put on the chain and adjust 
 it. The rear wheel is arranged to move forward or 
 back on the frame by the adjusting attachment. 
 This allows the two sprocket-wheels to be placed 
 nearer together or farther apart, and the chain may 
 be stretched and held between them to any desired 
 degree of rigidity or of slackness. 
 
 When the bicycle has been set up, the parts correct- 
 ly replaced, before turning it right side up, go over 
 the entire adjustment of the machine, to see that 
 nothing has been forgotten. Have wrench and screw- 
 driver at hand and a clean cloth. Begin with the 
 bearings of the front wheel. See that the oil is not 
 working out, and wipe them again. Take the key, 
 and see that they are true and tight. Apply the 
 screw-wrench to the nuts of the fork, and see that 
 
BICYCLING FOR lADIES. 
 
 they are screwed home. Treat the rear wheel in the 
 same way, and look that both wheels travel on the 
 same line or plane; if they do not, it is because the 
 bearings are out or the frame is bent. Go over the 
 axle bearing, feel the chain, spin the pedals and 
 wheels. A well-adjusted wheel will carry the weight 
 of the valve around quickly and then swing back, 
 showing how sensitive it is to so small a w^eight. If 
 you are satisfied that everything is right, turn the 
 bicycle right side up, and square the handle-bars. 
 The only w^ay to do this is to stand in front of the 
 bicycle, and take the wheel between the knees while 
 the handles are pulled into place. 
 
 The saddle-post and screw-nuts that hold it should 
 be examined and removed and carefully wiped, as 
 well as the socket where they belong. The screw 
 that holds the saddle-post in place does its work by 
 friction, and any oil would prevent it from acting 
 properly, and the saddle would slip. Keep the oil- 
 can carefully wiped, and see that the little spout has 
 a clean round hole at the end that will allow only a 
 drop at a time to escape; for oil travels and spreads 
 in a marvellous manner, appearing where least ex- 
 pected or wanted. If there is a hand-brake on the 
 bicycle, adjusted to alter with the handle-bars, 
 examine it carefully, and wipe the rods. Oil here 
 wnll allow the coupling to slip and the action of the 
 brake to be impaired. 
 
 There are so many things to be carefully observed 
 and accurately done in this kind of work that mis- 
 takes and omissions may be easily made by the in- 
 experienced ; but there need not be so many blunders, 
 
SOLVING A rJWBl.KM. 
 
 after all, if one works slowly and observingly, tak- 
 ing notes, in writing if necessary, as for instance 
 how far the bearing cones are keyed in when in 
 place, which is the reverse side of the crank and 
 pedal pins, if they are interchangeable, or rights and 
 lefts. 
 
 Screw threads are made rights and lefts, and 
 threads are made to fit them in the sockets where 
 they belong. That pedals may not work loose, the 
 spindles are made right and left, with a reverse screw, 
 so that forward pedaling drives them tighter. In 
 the older constructions, the pedal sometimes became 
 unscrewed and fell off, or the nut fell off and the 
 pedal loosened. All such matters should be studied 
 before taking down a machine. Usually the maker's 
 catalogue will describe and illustrate these details. 
 Study that, and learn the names and uses of all the 
 parts of the bicycle, and then you will be prepared 
 to go to work by yourself, or with but little assist- 
 ance. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Where to Keep a Bicycle, 
 
 Almost anywhere that a bicycle can stand or hang 
 will do for a place to keep it; and almost any place 
 will do to go to work on a bicycle — the roadside, 
 the lawn (though the grass is worse than a haystack 
 to lose things in), anywhere, in fact, that may suit 
 your convenience. The accessories of the bicycle 
 should have places where they may always be found, 
 and the bicycle itself should be kept where it will 
 be undisturbed and where it may be kept free from 
 finger-marks, dust, and oil. 
 
 With the bicycle should be kept certain conveni- 
 ences for handling it — a table or bench fitted conve- 
 niently, frames to hold the wheel for cleaning and 
 adjusting, a good light to work by, and a place for 
 the tools that are sure to accumulate. There are 
 two kinds of workshop for the amateur — the one 
 that you fit up for yourself, and the one that is fitted 
 up for you. The amateur with a place well fitted 
 out likes to add details of home construction, and the 
 proud owner of a corner cupboard is always anxious 
 to replace makeshifts. In either case, get the best 
 you can, and take care of it. Of tools, the best are 
 always cheapest; but good tools, or tools of any 
 
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE. 
 
 139 
 
 kind, can become a very expensive luxury. Taste 
 for the best comes quickly to even the moderately 
 enthusiastic. 
 
 A bicycle rack room should be light, with plenty 
 of head room, and conveniently fitted with racks, 
 shelves, and lockers. Each rack should have its 
 corresponding shelf-room and pigeon-hole, either 
 beside it or above and behind it. There is an infi- 
 nite variety of racks to select from, from the two 
 stakes driven into the ground or fastened to the floor, 
 to the handsomely finished metal racks with joints to 
 hold the frame at any angle. 
 
 If there is but one bicycle to care for, it is better 
 to have its rack and shelf and cupboard together — 
 the rack to hold the bicycle in a proper position, the 
 shelf for sundry attachments, and the cupboard for 
 the lamp and extras. Such a bicycle corner can be 
 made very attractive to look at when everything is 
 arranged and kept in perfect order. When several 
 bicycles are to be cared for together, when neatly 
 set up they make a very pretty showing. If possible, 
 the rack-room should be separate, set apart for that 
 purpose, and kept under lock and key; it should be 
 dry and well lighted, free from frost, and not likely 
 to be over-heated by direct sun-rays in summer. 
 The frost is injurious to metal and enamel; and the 
 sun or too much heat will spoil rubber, and possibly 
 injure enamel as well. 
 
 An even temperature, not any special degree of 
 temperature, is requisite ; for changes of temperature 
 cause different degrees of expansion and contraction 
 in different materials; and as the steel frame, and 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 the enamel it is covered with, do not expand and 
 contract in quite the some degree, they will gradual- 
 ly work loose from each other, and the enamel will 
 flake or split. 
 
 The rubber tire should be kept out of the sun, and 
 the place where it stands should be kept very clean, 
 and no oil allowed about; for oil is injurious to the 
 rubber, and in case of punctures makes repairing 
 very difficult, if not impossible. A rubber surface 
 with even the slightest film of oil will not make a 
 joint, as the oil prevents the rubber surface and that 
 of the cement and the article to be repaired from 
 uniting. 
 
 If the workshop is to be used by more than one 
 person, each should have a tool-chest and a work- 
 bench of his own, and each tool-chest provided with 
 lock and key, and each person with a key to the outer 
 door. Tools are but the continuation of the individ- 
 ual brain and will power. What one handles 
 becomes, while in one's hand, a part of one's self, 
 as it were. Tools, therefore, should be individual 
 property always, just as scissors and thimble are, 
 though of course extra tools may be provided for 
 general work. Every one prefers a good pair of scis- 
 sors to a poor pair, and the same preference is likely 
 to be evinced in the case of other tools. If the 
 tools are common property, the best will be always 
 taken, and often not restored to their proper place. 
 
 A bicycle workshop is devoted to metal work, 
 woodwork, and rubber work. The metal work 
 should be kept by itself, and the tools used for metal 
 work only. 
 
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE. 
 
 141 
 
 The amateur can commence fitting a shop by set- 
 ting up a small deal table and a vise. The table will 
 do for a work-bench, and one vise will serve for a 
 beginning ; it should be of medium size, quite heavy, 
 made of wrought iron or cast steel, and capable of 
 holding a wrench in its jaws, though a less expensive 
 one could be made to do. A cheap vise, however, is 
 pretty sure to break if a strain is put upon it; and, 
 while a good workman could get comparatively good 
 work out of a poor vise, the poor tool in unskilled 
 hands would be sure to show its weak place. * 
 
 Have a notch cut in the edge of the table to let 
 the vise back to where there is bearing surface; and 
 it is well to have it as far in as convenient, for the 
 weight will thus be supported more steadily. Get a 
 plumber to cut a section of lead pipe about as long- 
 as the jaws of the vise, and have the piece of pipe 
 split and flattened. You can do this yourself if 5^ou 
 can handle a saw, and have one that is suitable for 
 cutting metal; or a jig saw will do, and the lead can 
 be flattened on a block with a mallet. Screw one of 
 the flattened pieces of lead into the jaws of the vise, 
 leaving about an inch to project above ; hammer the 
 projecting part over, and one side of the jaws will 
 have a lead face that can be taken out. Do the 
 same with the other piece of lead. Replace them 
 both, and the vise is fitted with a pair of lead jaw 
 faces, which will be found most useful. 
 
 The lead being sofc, any small metal object may 
 be held between the jaws without injury, while if 
 the steel face of the vise came in direct contact with 
 the metal, a screw for example, the thread might be 
 
142 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 bruised; or if the screw were harder than the vise, 
 the face of the jaws would be marred. 
 
 With a work-table, a vise, and the bicycle kit, a 
 very fair beginning may be made, and any refractory 
 small part handled with ease. Even the spindle oi 
 the axles of one of the wheels may be screwed in, 
 and the bearings removed, while held in this way. 
 The vise will act as a clamp for holding pieces to be 
 polished, and it is most useful in taking a pedal or 
 other small parts down. Above the table should be 
 a tool-rack, three feet of board ten or twelve inches 
 wide, with a ledge or shelf nailed along the lower 
 edge, and a strip of leather or some stiff and pliable 
 material nailed on in loops to hold the tools. Under 
 the table should be kept a couple of boxes — wooden 
 boxes such as canned goods come in will do— one as 
 a receptacle for oil-cans, kerosene, and cloths, and 
 the other to use as a frame. The outfit should be 
 completed by a little bench, and a wooden stool to 
 sit on when working at the table; for much of the 
 work about a bicycle may be done while seated com- 
 fortably, and it is always well to save strength when 
 possible. 
 
 A workshop once started, many little contriv- 
 ances suggest themselves for convenient working, — 
 a nail must be put up for the apron, a corner found 
 for the working gloves, separate places allotted for 
 oily cloths and clean ones and for the kerosene. The 
 bicycle lamp, if an oil-lamp, should have a stand 
 for trimming and filling, and should be cared for 
 regularly; the best of lamps will smoke occasionally, 
 and the soot must not be allowed to fly about. 
 
WHERE TO KEEP A BICYCLE. 
 
 143 
 
 From fitting up a bic3''cle workshop, the transition 
 is easy to studying accomplishments that may be of use 
 — planning tours and trips, exercising scientifically 
 to prepare to enjoy them, studying the construction 
 and improvement of modern contrivances, learning 
 the use of map and compass, investigating camping 
 possibilities, and learning how to depend on limited 
 resources when cut off from supplies. The simple 
 appliances and contrivances of the home workshop 
 lead the mind to appreciation and desire for some- 
 thing better, more workmanlike. A choice of tools 
 suggests itself ; and from the first assortment of a 
 couple of wrenches, a few screw-drivers, a hammer, 
 and a couple of wooden boxes, is finally evolved the 
 well-furnished amateur workshop. 
 
 The ideal room for this purpose should have a good 
 north light, with windows on two sides if possible, 
 and high enough from the floor to allow a work- 
 bench to be placed in front of the window with the 
 light falling upon it, and a space of ten inches or a 
 foot between the lowest part of the window and the 
 bench; this space to be arranged as a rack for tools. 
 The windows should open and shut easily, and be 
 fitted with two kinds of shades, dark green and 
 white, two pairs of shades to each window, two roll- 
 ing up from the lower part, and two down from the 
 upper part. Nothing is so fatiguing as working by 
 light not suited to the work to be done. With shades 
 arranged in this way, light may be perfectly con- 
 trolled, and distributed where needed by means of 
 reflectors. Ventilating and heating, also, must be 
 arranged for. 
 
144 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 The workshop should have running water, and a 
 closet for working clothes, which are apt to be oily 
 or greasy. There should be plenty of shelf-room, 
 and an extra cupboard or two. The floor should be 
 of wood, unpainted. There should be a bench for 
 carpenter work and carpenter tools; a bench for 
 cabinet-working tools for fine wood-working ; a table 
 for rubber and naphtha; and a long, heavy, narrow 
 bench fitted with vises of different sizes and pat- 
 terns; a table devoted to the blast furnace, a corner 
 for an anvil and portable forge and another for a 
 lathe and power-saw, though these may be dispensed 
 with. The movable furniture may consist of stools 
 and benches of different heights, and the frames 
 necessary to take down and handle a bicycle on. 
 
 Metal can be bent, twisted, cut, pressed, elong- 
 ated, sawed, stretched, and melted into any shape 
 desired. The tools adapted to this work may con- 
 sist of holding tools, carving tools, molding tools, 
 and bending tools; and contrivances and tools made 
 to perform certain work, as screw-driver, etc. 
 
 Cutting tools are knives, saws, files, and chisels, 
 which perform their work by applied power, wheth- 
 er controlled directly by the hand or otherwise. 
 
 The m.etal-working outfit may contain many vari- 
 eties of tools. 
 
CHAPTER Xyil. 
 
 Tires. 
 
 In the older forms of wheel, the tire did duty in 
 protecting and strengthening the wheel and holding 
 it together. In the bic3^cle wheel, the rim is the 
 strengthening and supporting contrivance. The tire 
 protects the rim, and acts as a spring cushion as well, 
 receiving shock and jar. The solid rubber tire was 
 an advance over the old steel tire on the bone-shak- 
 ing machine, as it was called, in the days when the 
 bicycle was still in its experimental stage. 
 
 The solid tire was narrow, and after a certain 
 diameter of material was reached, the weight of 
 rubber became too great if the tire was made larger. 
 It was found that a certain thickness of material was 
 sufficient for wear and tear and that more surface 
 was desired to grip the roadway, and that conse- 
 quently the tire should be made lighter. Hose-pipe 
 was tried, and did well; and then experiment suc- 
 ceeded experiment in the effort to produce a tire that 
 would fit, wear well, be light, and give speed and 
 resiliance. 
 
 A pneumatic tire is made of a tough, hard outer 
 material to resist wear, a fibrous inner material to 
 give stiffness and prevent stretching, and an imper- 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 vious inner layer to retain the air. Rubber is a 
 sticky, gummy substance, easily melted at a com- 
 paratively low temperature, and becoming hard 
 when exposed to the air and moderately low tempera- 
 ture; it dissolves readily in benzine or gasoline or 
 naphtha, and is insoluble in water. Grease and oil 
 have a peculiar disintegrating effect on rubber and 
 rubber materials, and are most injurious to them. To 
 prevent rubber substances from adhering to each 
 other, they are prepared in a particular way, and feel 
 dry and gritty to the touch. 
 
 Tires are made in layers, and double-tube tires 
 have a separate inner tube of impervious rubber to 
 hold the air, and an outer covering of toughened 
 material, that is quite separate and not necessarily 
 air-tight, to resist wear. 
 
 The tire must be held immovable on the rim of the 
 wheel. There is all the pull of the weight of the 
 moving bicycle against the surface over which it 
 moves, and the tire must be secured to the rim in 
 such a way as to keep it forced in place. There are 
 two methods of fastening it permanently to the rim, 
 — with cement or other material of that character, so 
 as to make it a part of the rim, as it were; and by 
 clamping it fast. A cemented tire, or indeed any 
 tire of rubber, should never be left in the sun, as the 
 heat affects the rubber and perhaps the cement. 
 
 Changes of temperature affect different materials 
 in different degrees, and the different materials ex- 
 pand and contract, working loose from each other 
 until something gives way, with apparently inexplic- 
 able results. When two or more different materials 
 
TIRES. 
 
 147 
 
 are used in construction in this way, this problem 
 will always present itself. 
 
 The tire inflated, the impervious inner covering 
 of the tire tube, which is made of a soft and yielding 
 substance, fills the interstices in the outer covering, 
 rendering it air-tight. Should a hard substance then 
 be introduced into this material, and a puncture oc- 
 cur, it is necessary to locate the puncture. This is 
 very difficult to do if the puncture is small, and the 
 substance that made the hole has been removed. 
 Ascertain first that the trouble is not with the valve 
 cf the tire if the air is not retained properly. Then 
 test for puncture in this way. Wet the surface of 
 the tire, and note the bubbles that form under the 
 film of water, and the puncture is found. 
 
 The inner surface tire is made to resist the air, and 
 is usually of pure rubber. The outer covering is for 
 strength and wear. Rubber may be repaired with 
 rubber easily enough, and the purer the rubber, the 
 easier it is to cement it with a cement made of pure 
 rubber dissolved in a volatile vehicle. Almost any 
 repair or renovation of the tire may be accomplished 
 with rubber material, rubber cement to be used for 
 plugging, and twine or cotton cloth to be used for 
 strengthening purposes. Small punctures require 
 only plugging from the inside; tears and rents re- 
 quire plugging and reinforcing as well. Each make 
 of tire has its repair-kit and directions for use. 
 
 The single-tube tire, with its inner coat, is so made 
 that the inner covering wnll act as a continuous plug. 
 The soft rubber is compressed, and put on in such a 
 way that the air pressure, even if a puncture occurs, 
 
148 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 will help to close the hole by pressing on all sides 
 around and about it. To illustrate this principle, 
 cover the outside of the tube with soft rubber cement, 
 and let it dry. Then turn the tube inside out. 
 The rubber will be in an active state of compression. 
 Force air against the surface, and it is easily seen 
 how the rubber is crowded if there is any place 
 made by puncture, and how the hole would be closed. 
 
 Numberless punctures are made and resealed, and 
 the tire works all right. The puncture that does not 
 reseal must be plugged or patched. Rubber plugs 
 are made in all sizes; and rubber cement, liquid 
 rubber, is put up in collapsible metal tubes, like 
 paint-tubes, with a pointed spout to introduce the 
 cement behind and through the puncture. There 
 are numberless convenient contrivances made to hold 
 plugs, enlarge holes, and to do the repair work 
 neatly. 
 
 In mending a puncture, the tire remains on the 
 wheel, and the work is done from the outside of the 
 tire. If the hole is very small, it must be enlarged 
 sufficiently to introduce the plug. The rubber of 
 the plug is very soft and compressible, and the hole 
 should be considerably smaller than the shank of the 
 plug. 
 
 The plug must be held firmly, and forced through 
 the hole, and held in place while the nose of the 
 cement-tube is introduced, and a plentiful supply of 
 liquid rubber smeared over the inside of the hole 
 around and on the plug, and enough extra cement 
 added to flow all about the inside of the tire arourxd 
 the puncture. Pull the plug back by the shank, 
 
TIRES. 
 
 149 
 
 allowing the head to rest on the inside of the tire, 
 and the shank to come back through the hole. Pull 
 the plug firmly into place by the shank, which should 
 fit the hole very tight. Cut off the projecting end 
 of the plug shank, and the repair is made. Turn the 
 wheel until the plug comes to the lowest point, and 
 keep it there until the cement gets around the plug. 
 To smooth a ragged hole before introducing the plug, 
 when the proper tools are not to be had, a heated 
 wire may be used to make a round smooth hole. 
 Rubber may be handled and cut while wet with 
 water, but must be dry and free from grease to take 
 cement. Always wet the knife-blade before cutting 
 the end off the plug; this will ensure a smooth, clean 
 cut. 
 
 A puncture may be repaired by introducing almost 
 any material on the inner surface, and holding it in 
 place; and it is well +0 know of a few substitutes for 
 the regular repair-kit for emergency use. Punctures 
 difficult to locate may be found by inflating the tire 
 and wetting with soapy water, when a bubble will 
 form where the air escapes. 
 
 A puncture that goes all the way through the inner 
 tube of the tire must be repaired on the inside. The 
 outer covering of the tire is porous, and if the hole 
 is plugged or patched on the outside, the air will 
 escape in other directions through the material of the 
 tire. Failing the repair-kit tools, a rubber plug, 
 some liquid cement, a piece of string, and a pair of 
 pliers will do good work. Tie the string to the plug 
 to keep it from slipping, apply plenty of cement to 
 the plug, then grasp it with the pliers, and introduce 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 it through the hole prepared for it in the tire. Pnll 
 the string to pull the plug into place, see that there 
 is plenty of cement around and about it, inflate the 
 tire, and the air will hold the plug in place until the 
 cement hardens. 
 
 The plugs that are supplied are disks of rubber of 
 different sizes, with stems attached to the centre, 
 and a nice tool is made for the purpose of punching 
 the hole in the tire. When a hole is burned, the 
 charred edges should be removed, and if possible 
 cleaned with benzine. A tire well patched on the 
 inside is almost as good as new% and very serviceable, 
 unless the brake is applied frequently and unevenly, 
 when the plug is almost sure to feel the push. 
 
 The commercial patch or plug makes the most sat- 
 isfactory repair for a puncture, although there are 
 other things that may be used. Rubber bands may 
 be pressed into service, and sheet rubber also may be 
 used. Repair on the roadside is made in the same 
 way as repair in the workshop, the differences being 
 in the conveniences for working and the permanency 
 of the patch. A rent may be repaired with plugs, it 
 being first stitched together, then the plugs intro- 
 duced, and finally a patch cemented on the outside 
 over the rent to protect the stitches. A puncture 
 may be repaired with rubber bands held in place on 
 a wire, covered with cement, and forced into the 
 hole made in the tire. A piece of wire flattened 
 on the end, a cross piece with a notch cut in it and 
 twisted below, makes a fair repair needle. The end 
 of the projecting rubber cut off, a very fair plug 
 results. 
 
TIRES. 
 
 Sheet rubber may be placed over the hole on the 
 inside, though it is difficult to keep it in place. 
 Twisted up and tied into a plug, or spread into place 
 on the inside, the difficulty with this repair is that 
 the patch must be held in place until the cement 
 hardens, and then is liable to work out of place. 
 Inner tube tires are repaired with patches of soft 
 rubber. After the puncture is located, the patch 
 will retain its place by being pressed against the 
 inner surface of the tire when inflated. 
 
 To do good work in repairing rubber, always clean 
 the surface of the rubber material thoroughly, wash- 
 ing with benzine when possible; and always test a 
 patch when finished by placing it in water or wetting 
 it, to ascertain that it is satisfactory. On the road a 
 puncture may be plugged in any time under five 
 minutes when located. In the workshop, it is more 
 convenient to hang the wheel up while making a 
 patch, as it is more readily held in place when work- 
 ing from bejow. 
 
 There are many ways of doing makeshift repairs. 
 Melted rosin may replace the rubber cement, and 
 rosin may be found at any tinsmith's. Melt the 
 rosin, and dip the rubber in that to make it stick. 
 
 Tire tape may be used in a variety of ways. Find 
 the puncture, cut strips three or four inches long, 
 and place them lengthwise on the tire, lapping the 
 edges at least half way over ; then wrap the two thick- 
 nesses of tape round and round the tire, and keep 
 lapping the tape each time over the last turn to hold 
 the edge down, making it air-tight. Well put on, 
 tire tape will last for many miles. The tire should 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 be partly inflated while the tape is being put on, and 
 fully inflated when it is all on. Force more air into 
 the tire to cause the tape to grip securely. Such re- 
 pair, though not permanent, may prove serviceable 
 in emergency. 
 
 A simple and effective substitute for the rubber 
 plug is absorbent cotton or jeweller's cotton, well 
 dipped in cement, and the cement worked into the 
 cotton. Quite a large puncture may be repaired with 
 this, and the hole need not be enlarged or burnt to 
 receive it, as the soft mass of cotton fills the irregu- 
 larities in the puncture. It rfiay be introduced into 
 the puncture either with an ordinary repair tool or 
 a piece of twisted wire. The tire is held on the rim 
 by cement made of shellac or some other equally 
 good cementing substance. Of course, in using a 
 cotton plug, the greatest mass of the cotton should 
 be on the inside of the tire, leaving a stem in the 
 puncture, and then the outside ends should be 
 trimmed off. 
 
 The tire may be readily removed with the hands 
 by pulling at right angles with the wheel. Rubber 
 cement ma}^ be made by dissolving perfectly pure 
 rubber in naphtha; but the commercial cement is 
 usually found the cheapest in the end. 
 
 If you should be so unfortunate as to break down, 
 what are the problems you must meet? The bicycle 
 is made of different materials — iron, metal, steel, 
 wood, rubber, and leather, and each different ma- 
 terial requires a different kind of treatment. The 
 general idea in any kind of repairs is to effect the hold- 
 ing of the parts in position with a material that will 
 
TIRES. 
 
 supply strength and stiffness. The use of glue or ce- 
 ment is merely to hold parts in position, to replace the 
 fractured pieces and keep them in place, to enable 
 the particular part to do its duty, and to keep the 
 piece in place while the cement hardens. 
 
 There is room for great ingenuity in handling re- 
 pair work and in estimating the available resources. 
 The most common accident is a puncture in a pneu- 
 matic tire. There are also repairs to be considered 
 to the wooden rims and the spokes and the tubing 
 and lost or broken parts. A great deal of damage 
 could occur in a collision, and the bicycle be in very 
 poor shape, but it can be set right with a little assist- 
 ance from a mechanic, even though he does not un- 
 derstand the mechanism of a bicycle. 
 
 Suppose nothing to be injured except a piece of 
 the supporting tubing; or that the bicycle could be 
 made to go if the rim were spliced or strengthened 
 at a place where it has been split. A temporary 
 repair usually takes considerable time, and should 
 never be attempted unless there is nothing else to 
 be done. A blacksmith shop, unless the smith is 
 very ingenious, is not a very good place to look for 
 assistance; a plumber or tinsmith or locksmith, 
 unless a bicyclist, can help but little. For a broken 
 rim I would betake me to a carpenter shop or car- 
 riage maker's. If the break is in a straight piece 
 of tube, get the carpenter to make a round stick, 
 not as long as the broken tube, and fit it to the 
 inside, to slip in easily. Hardware stores keep 
 round wooden rods, and perhaps one of these would 
 answer. Push the round stick up into the tube, and, 
 
154 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 holding the parts in place, let it slip down into the 
 other part of the break; this will keep the ends of the 
 break together. Then get the carpenter to take two 
 blocks of wood, hollow them out to hold the tube, 
 and screw them fast together, holding the tube 
 between them. If he has an auger-bit the size of 
 the tubing, he can easily bore a hole in a block the 
 size of the tube; then have this block cut in two with 
 the saw, leaving the hole cut in half, and screw the 
 pieces together after they are placed on the broken 
 part. The same kind of a repair may be made on 
 the angles of the frame if the blocks are hollowed to 
 fit. This makes an unsightly job, but can be recom- 
 mended as strong and safe when properly done. 
 
 A broken spoke ma}^ be repaired, if it cannot be 
 replaced, by bending the ends of the broken parts 
 into loops; then, taking a piece of wire through both 
 loops, fasten it together, and tighten by screwing it 
 up. 
 
 A wooden rim may be w^hipped or wound. The 
 tire must be deflated first, and removed from the rim 
 at the broken place; then wand fine wire or fish-line 
 about the place, after filling the break with glue or 
 shellac. In wrapping, take care that the turns are 
 made very smooth and even, and close to each other. 
 Then the tire may be cemented and inflated. Of 
 course, there will be a lumpy place on the rim, but 
 it will do until the rim can be replaced. 
 
 Any bolt that has lost its nut, when the nut cannot 
 be replaced, may be held by hammering a burr on 
 the end. If the end is too long, a piece may be cut 
 or filed off, and a burr hammered down to hold. 
 
TIRES. 
 
 A bicycle cannot travel easily if the frame has been 
 bent out of true; and to straighten a bent frame is 
 an easy matter. Take out wheels, saddle, and handle- 
 bars, and use a piece of broom-handle to spring the 
 frame into true; or take a stout cord, fasten it to 
 either end of the part to be straightened, insert a 
 stick, and wind the cord up tight. 
 
 There are three things to take into consideration 
 when doing repair work: First, finding out what is 
 to be done, then doing it, then seeing that it has 
 been done right. 
 
CHAPTER XyiJL 
 
 Mechanics of Bicycling, 
 
 All applied mechanical power is the application 
 of lever movement (and lever movement is but the 
 effect of applied power), either simple, compound, or 
 complex. 
 
 In the bicycle propelled by human power, we have 
 a series of lever movements, initiated and executed 
 by the highest and most effective mechanism known 
 — the human body, applied human power. There is 
 the seat of power, the point of application, and the 
 object. The bicycle or object is so constructed that 
 it continues the application of power applied. 
 
 The lever is described as "a bar or other rigid in- 
 strument having a fixed point for the exercise of 
 power and the application of power to the object to 
 be moved." The series of lever movements in the 
 human body is the most wonderful known. 
 
 There are three varieties of levers, of three differ- 
 ent degrees of efficiency, known as levers of the first, 
 second, and third classes, or orders, of levers. 
 
 In the lever of the first class, the fulcrum is 
 between the weight and the power: P F W. 
 
MECHANICS OF BICYCLIXG. 
 
 ^57 
 
 In the lever of the second class the fulcrum is op- 
 posite to the power: P W 
 
 F 
 
 In the lever of the third class the fulcrum is oppo- 
 site to the weight: P W. 
 
 F 
 
 These different powers of levers are used in com- 
 bination, and produce a great variety of power effects 
 and applications. 
 
 Other factors to note are: 
 
 That a bod)' in motion persists in maintaining its 
 direction unless other forces intervene. 
 
 That the gyroscope overcomes the force of gravity 
 while rapidly revolving. 
 
 That a body set in motion tends to move in a 
 straight line. 
 
 That the centre of gravity must be maintained by 
 balance if disturbed or shifted. 
 
 That force is the cause of a change in the velocity 
 or direction of motion of a body. 
 
 That all alterations of velocity take place gradually 
 and continuously. 
 
 That centripetal force and centrifugal force are 
 force directed by radial action. 
 
 That the air offers resistance, which increases 
 when the air is in motion. 
 
 That friction offers resistance to power. 
 
 That the smaller the surface presented, the less 
 friction there is to resist. 
 
 That resistance must be overcome by power ex- 
 pended for the purpose. 
 
 That the base of the bicycle is practically without 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 width, and is usually about from forty-two to forty- 
 four inches long. 
 
 That the direction of the base may be changed at 
 will within certain limits. 
 
 That the bicycle will fall unless prevented from 
 doing so. 
 
 That to prevent a bicycle from falling, or to main- 
 tain a bicycle on its base, it is necessary to balance it. 
 
 That the constant effort to maintain the bicycle 
 upright upon its base is on account of the motion of 
 the different opposing forces. 
 
 The bicycle is constructed to overcome the resist- 
 ing forces in different ways, supplying as many 
 forces as can be made available to accomplish a par- 
 ticular purpose, permitting a certain choice and dis- 
 crimination in the matter. 
 
 The bicycle has one weight-carrying wheel and a 
 frame and a pivoted wheel. The driving power is 
 applied to the weight-carrying wheel, and the steer- 
 ing is done with the pivoted wheel. The bicycle 
 remains upright because several forces co-operate to 
 enable it to maintain its plane, change direction, and 
 overcome certain resisting and opposing forces. 
 
 A bicyclist is propelled at a sufficient velocity to 
 maintain the plane of movement. By altering the 
 centre of gravity, inclining one way or the other, 
 change of direction may be made. 
 
 The front or guiding wheel of the bicycle, being 
 controlled by the different angles of resistance it pre- 
 sents to the surface it rotates upon, and not being 
 immovably fixed, can pivot to a plane corresponding 
 to a plane of least resistance. After a little momen- 
 
MECHANICS OF HICYCLIXG. 
 
 turn is attained, a bicycle will maintain its speed 
 with but little assistance of power, unless it is acci- 
 dentall)^ obstructed, or an increase of grade requires 
 an increase of power. 
 
 The frame of a bicycle is a compound lever, com- 
 bining the second and third orders. The wheels are 
 a compound lever of the second and third orders. 
 The fork and handles a lever of the second order. 
 
 The forks and handle-bars are set at an angle with 
 the front wheel, thus conveying the touch on the 
 ground or other surface to the pivot head and the 
 hands. 
 
 A moving body tends to pursue its direction. A 
 wheel loses its power to change its direction after 
 passing the point of friction. With the forks at this 
 angle, the blow is felt, and change of direction 
 caused by an obstacle conveyed; but the w^heel has 
 still some power to maintain its plane from friction, 
 and is steadied by its head. The motion of swaying 
 is conveyed and overcome at the tire base. If the 
 pivot were directly over the tire base, the swing 
 would be given to the wheel; and the tire, having 
 passed its point of friction, would continue to swing. 
 If the head were pivoted on a point, there would be 
 no side friction on the rim; because it is pivoted 
 at an incline, the friction base is increased in pro- 
 portion, and the wheel, steadied in itself, is easily 
 controlled by an increased line of friction or by 
 prolonging the time from the point of contact. 
 
 A body in motion persists in maintaining its plane 
 of motion unless additional forces intervene. The 
 occurrence of these forces is detrimental and frequent, 
 
l6o BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 requiring a continuous swing of the guiding wheel 
 either by the hands or by balance. The direction of 
 the base line is continually changed, as it were, 
 broadening the base line. The weight must incline 
 with the front wheel, and the front wheel will sup- 
 port it. If inclined away from the direction of the 
 front wheel, the weight becomes the long arm of the 
 lever, exerting weight against weight at the base of 
 the bicycle, there being no opposing force. The 
 front wheel being turned away, the bicycle falls or 
 slips over. 
 
 With the fork at this angle the wheel is inclined, 
 the frame held on the wheel at this angle, as the 
 wheel is turned sideways, it gradually brings the 
 centre directly over the axles, raising the front end 
 of the frame up. This pressure or leverage from 
 the frame tends to keep the wheel straight in the 
 line of least resistance. In turning, the wheel must 
 lift the weight, and push it up; and this factor 
 greatly adds to the steadiness of direction. 
 
 A bicycle with the steering wheel held fast will 
 maintain its plane so long as its momentum is not 
 overcome. With the steering wheel the plane of 
 movement may be regained after each opposition, 
 provided the proportionate amount of power is 
 expended. 
 
 The radius of a wheel is the long arm of a lever; 
 the pedal crank is the short arm of the lever, though 
 its length may exceed that of the radius of the 
 wheel. 
 
 Power and speed are interchangeable. The shorter 
 the arm of the crank, the greater the weight required 
 
MECHANICS OF BICYCLING. 
 
 i6i 
 
 to balance the long arm at the rim of the wheel (an 
 imaginary line). If the pedal crank is lengthened, 
 it will require less power to move it. At the same 
 time the foot, following the crank, describes a larger 
 circle for the distance travelled by the rear wheel. 
 The crank lengthened, the power is diminished, de- 
 manding increased exertion to follow it, the foot 
 travelling at a rate determined by the distance to be 
 traversed. 
 
 When the hub rests on the axle of the wheel, there 
 is considerable friction to overcome in the entire 
 length of the hub, the friction, or ability of the 
 wheel to turn, depending on the amount of axle sur- 
 face. The axle, therefore, becomes heated when 
 the air cannot readily reach the surface to convey 
 away the heat generated by friction. 
 
 Weight may be balanced and supported on a point; 
 when weight rests on a sphere, only a point supports 
 weight. By surrounding the axle with balls, the 
 weight is taken from point to point on each ball, 
 and a circulation of air allowed. The weight, 
 carried from ball to ball, gives the advantage of a 
 larger cooling surface in a confined space, while the 
 weight and friction are applied directly to a very 
 limited area. Each ball is also an axle in itself, and 
 carries the weight, and passes it on to the next ball. 
 The balls act as lubricators, preventing the moving 
 surfaces from contact. 
 
 The problem of speed produced by power means 
 that speed is obtained at the expense of power ex- 
 pended. The relative size of the sprocket-wheels 
 determines the relative speed of the cranks and rear 
 
1 62 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 wheel. To get the greatest speed with the least 
 power possible means diminished friction and les- 
 sened weight. The band or chain complies mechan- 
 ically with these requirements, permitting a certain 
 amount of play, which lessens the danger of sudden 
 strains and jars, and supplies the power to the rear 
 wheel with the least possible loss by friction. 
 
 Gear 
 
 63 
 
 72 
 
 76 
 
 80 
 
 6}4 crank proportion 4 
 
 11-13 to I 
 
 5-13 to I 
 
 5 11-13 to I 
 
 6 2-13 to 
 
 8 crank " 3 : 
 
 15-16 to I 
 
 44^ to I 
 
 33^ to I 
 
 5 to 
 
 crank pressure 
 
 4.85 
 
 5-54 
 
 5.85 
 
 6.15 
 
 8 crank 
 
 3-37 
 
 3-84 
 
 4.5 
 
 5.00 
 
 6Vz crank ground cover- 
 
 
 
 
 
 ed by large wheel 
 
 16 ft. 
 
 19 ft. 
 
 20 ft. 
 
 21 ft. 
 
 8 crank gronnd covered 
 
 
 
 
 
 by large wheel 
 
 16 ft. 
 
 19 ft. 
 
 20 ft. 
 
 21 ft. 
 
 crank ground covered by pedal 40.84 inches 
 8 crank *' *' '* 50.26 inches 
 
 '■^Scientific American Supplement^ No. 102^1'' August 24, 1895. 
 
 Rating wheel by the amount of progression for 
 each turn of the crank (pedal), the following table, 
 compiled by Henry Starkweather, will be found of 
 
 26 in. wheel. 
 No. teeth in small sprocket. 
 
 6789 
 
 20 ft 17 ft 15 ft 13 ft 
 
 21 ft 18 ft 16 ft 14 ft 
 
 22 ft 19 ft 17 ft 15 ft 
 28 inch wheel. 
 
 22 ft 19 ft 16 ft 14 ft 
 
 23 ft 20 ft 17 ft 15 ft 
 
 24 ft 21 ft 18 ft 16 ft 
 
 The following table, from the New York Evening 
 Post^ shows the gear according to the number of 
 teeth on large and small sprocket-wheels: 
 
 advantage: 
 
 No. teeth in 
 large Sprocket. 
 
 18 
 
 20 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 
MECHANICS OF B/CVC/JXC. 
 
 •63 
 
 Sprockets 28 in. wheel 
 
 pedal crank. Sprockets on rear wheel. 
 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 
 68 
 
 
 53 
 
 18 
 
 72 
 
 63 
 
 56 
 
 19 
 
 76 
 
 66 K 
 
 59 
 
 ao 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 62 
 
 21 
 
 84 
 
 73^ 
 
 65 
 
CHAPTER XIX, 
 
 Adjustment. 
 
 In bicycling, the word "adjustment" means much, 
 for the movable parts of the bicycle must be adjusted 
 to suit the requirements of the individual bicyclist, 
 and the mechanical parts of the bicycle's construc- 
 tion adjusted so that they will work together 
 properly. 
 
 In a machine properly adjusted, the chain and 
 other gear should run smoothly, the chain be neither 
 too tight nor too loose, and the sprocket-wheels 
 exactly in line. The bicycle wheels should run true 
 and be exactly in line with the frame, and the rear 
 wheel follow the identical plane of the front wheel 
 when in place. The frame should be true and square 
 at all points, and should be examined and tested 
 always after the machine has been travelling by rail 
 or has had a fall. The bearings in all parts of the 
 machine should have their cone-caps in place and so 
 screwed and keyed that the balls run easily without 
 perceptible play. Nuts and washers should all be in 
 place and screwed home. The handle-bar should be 
 tight and square with the front wheel, but only tight 
 enough to turn the wheel on a good surface, not so 
 tight as to prevent it from turning easily if the 
 
ADJUSTMENT. 
 
 wheel is caught or held. The proper adjustment for 
 position has to do with the frame, wheel-base, length 
 of crank, height and position of saddle; the curve, 
 width, height, and general adjustment of the handle- 
 bar; the size and number of teeth on the sprocket- 
 wheels, which determines the gear; and the weight, 
 construction, and inflation of the tire. 
 
 The saddle is one of the 'most important, if not the 
 most important, part of the bicycle to study, as it 
 should provide the fulcrum to work from. Any sad- 
 dle may be adjusted to be comfortable, but saddles 
 seldom remain comfortable after being adjusted. 
 The saddle should be hard enough to act as a ful- 
 crum and should not give or spring under work, for 
 power is lost on each stroke that presses down on a 
 soft saddle; it should also permit of change of posi- 
 tion without readjustment, unless it is intended for 
 racing purposes, for the bicyclist should be able to 
 speed, climb, or coast on a saddle properly con- 
 structed for general purposes. Each of these different 
 kinds of bicycle work requires a different applica- 
 tion of muscular power, and the saddle should per- 
 mit of a readjustment of position that will at least 
 accommodate the altered tendency caused by a 
 shifted centre of gravity in grade work. 
 
 Every individual is differently proportioned, with 
 differing lever lengths and lever power. If people 
 differently proportioned find the same adjustment 
 possible, it would be for the reason, not that their 
 different requirements average the same, but that 
 the average of their different requirements is the 
 same. A higher gear means greater resistance; a 
 
i66 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 lengthened crank causes the foot to travel in a larger 
 circle while gaining in increased leverage in the 
 lengthened arm. 
 
 In determining the proper proportion of crank 
 length and gear, it may be calculated that the same 
 amount of resistance may be overcome by using a 
 higher gear and longer crank as by using a lower 
 gear and shorter crank, the difference being in the 
 rapidity of the stroke necessar}^ to cover a given dis- 
 tance in a certain length of time. This adjustment 
 may be considered equivalent to length of pace and 
 rapidity of pace in w^alking. It is well to have crank 
 and gear selected by some one sufficiently experienced 
 to make an intelligent choice. 
 
 In the lever action of the leg, working the bicycle 
 crank, care should be taken to prevent waste of 
 power in carrying the foot back and behind, render- 
 ing the lever movement useless behind the line where 
 the power may be made to tell. This loss will occur 
 when the saddle is placed too far forward. The 
 foot in returning should supply the pull, and lift with 
 a push-back. The power here gained cannot com- 
 pensate for power lost on the forward and down 
 thrust, and the saddle should be placed far enough 
 back to permit of the full power of the forward push 
 and downward thrust. The knee should never fully 
 extend when the pedal is pushed to the point where 
 it is furthest from you, for if it is, there is danger in 
 hill-climbing of straining the knee as well as the ten- 
 dons and muscles of the back of the leg. 
 
 The handle-bars should be adapted to the work to 
 be done, whether racing, touring, or ordinary. 
 
ADJUSTMENT. 
 
 167 
 
 They certainly should not be high enough toprevsnt 
 them from taking part of the weight of the body, nor 
 so low as to cramp any portion of the trunk. 
 
 Fatigue, with its various manifestations, cramp, 
 stiffness, and numbness, comes from too long a 
 period of work without change of position. For this 
 reason different muscular combinations should be 
 called to do the same work, or different work should 
 be done with unused muscular combinations, permit- 
 ting rest or partial rest to muscles that have been 
 taxed. 
 
 A bicycle should be fitted with adjustable handle- 
 bar and saddle-post, and in case of fatigue or cramp, 
 a slight change in the adjustment will reduce the 
 tendency at once. Travelling should be done with 
 as little weight on the saddle as possible, working on 
 the pedals and resting on the handles. But when it 
 comes to climbing, the push must be located from a 
 fulcrum, and that fulcrum must be the saddle. All 
 weight must be removed from the handles, and the 
 wheel ridden by balance. 
 
 A hill should be coasted with the weight all on the 
 saddle, the feet supported, and the handles held firm- 
 ly and lightlv, a proper average position for con- 
 tinuous worK: being, however, maintained. To carry 
 weight forward, the weight should be forward of the 
 centre of gravity, and the hands dropped. 
 
 The question of handle-bars, with the reason of 
 their many varying curves, may pertinently be dis- 
 cussed here. The bar is a pair of levers finding a 
 common fulcrum in the head or centre bar, and the 
 difference in curve has to do with the distribution of 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 weight and the touch best suited to control the bi- 
 cycle according to position and individual balance 
 and lever power. A distribution of weight and 
 leverage may be made without altering the wheel 
 base by the use of a different pattern of bar that 
 seems to suit the individual touch. 
 
 To analyze the curves in a handle-bar, and their 
 different lever values, would be difficult. Prefer- 
 ence has much to do with it, and this may be ac- 
 counted for by the different steering touch of the 
 differently adjusted bars. The forward drop should 
 never be so great that the face cannot be lifted easily 
 and the eyes always able to see up and ahead. 
 
 In the tire we look for elasticity, and the amount 
 of air it contains has much to do with the comfort of 
 the rider and the speed of the wheel. vSoft tires are 
 adapted for a rough or stony road. The soft tire may 
 wear out a little sooner, but the extra wear is fully 
 compensated by the gain in lessened shock and ap- 
 parent improvement of wheeling surface. A very 
 hard tire is not necessarily made of rubber. The 
 advantage of the rubber tire is its elasticity, which 
 should come between the fulcrum and the power. 
 
 To attain a proper position and its equivalent ad- 
 justment, first have the saddle as nearly right as 
 possible so that you can work comfortably ; then have 
 the handles and the height of the bar tested, working 
 on these until you can determine if the saddle is too 
 far forward or too far back. Then change the height 
 of the bars to suit the saddle. 
 
 Next attend to gear. Find if with comfort you 
 could exert more pressure on the pedals. If so, have 
 
ADJUSTMENT, 
 
 169 
 
 the gear increased. If there is cramp in the foot, or 
 the foot feels strained, have the length of crank 
 changed. If the foot is long in proportion to the 
 other lever lengths, lengthen the crank to permit of 
 freer instep play; or have it shortened to relieve a 
 strained feeling in the foot. The crank length may 
 be changed to relieve either cramp or strain in the 
 leg and thigh until the pressure and length are ar- 
 ranged to suit the natural step or pace. 
 
 While these adjustments are in progress — and it 
 may take months to determine them — the shoe may 
 cause discomfort. The slightest pressure, a shoe too 
 tight or ill-fitting, would be responsible for much 
 more discomfort than could possibly be caused by 
 either crank or gear. Waist-bands, or any pressure 
 on the trunk, Vv'ill cause numbness of the foot; and 
 a saddle of imperfect construction or wrong adjust- 
 ment would be responsible for the same evils — un- 
 equal pressure and unequal strains and overcharged 
 blood-vessels, with their accompanying discomforts 
 of cramp, fatigue, numbness, and more permanent 
 disorders. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Exercise. 
 
 How shall be determined the proper amount of 
 exercise for any individual? The human body is 
 constructed for use, and will suffer from want of use, 
 rust out, as it were; and it will suffer from over-use 
 if any one set of muscles or any one supply of nerve 
 power is overtaxed. 
 
 Exercise, in some form, is necessary for every 
 one; work is necessary; recreation is necessary. 
 Rest is to recreate, to renew. The food that we eat 
 is digested and made into blood; the blood flows 
 through the system of tissues, depositing building 
 material and taking up waste matter. The arterial 
 system, phj-siologists tell us, supplies the new ma- 
 terial; the venous system takes up the waste material, 
 returning the blood to the heart, after which the 
 fresh air comes in contact with the blood in the lungs, 
 and is aerated and oxygenated, and waste material 
 given off. The heart pumps the blood through the 
 arterial and venous systems. When we move or 
 work, more blood is needed, and the heart pumps 
 harder. When little or no exercise is taken, the heart 
 loses its vigor from want of use; and it may be 
 strained if overtaxed. 
 
EXERCISE. 171 
 
 Brain power and nerve power depend on the blood 
 supply for renewal of their tissue. Any organ or 
 any combination of organs and muscles, when exer- 
 cised, give off their accumulated material, and then, 
 after a limit of assimilation is reached, the products 
 are reabsorbed. The materials properly accumulate 
 only when needed. 
 
 These facts bring to our notice three conditions — 
 a condition of atrophy, or too little use; a perfect 
 condition of equilibrium of forces; and a condition 
 of strain from over-work. In the condition of equi- 
 librium or perfect health, the brain is active and the 
 muscular tissue under perfect control. The mind 
 can receive impressions, and can convey them at 
 will; and the muscles obey without difficulty and 
 without fatigue, because of the great existing power 
 of resistance. On the power to resist fatigue depends 
 the power of prolonging exertion. 
 
 In exercising we exert our powers, and if from 
 lack of use or other cause our amount of stored 
 energy is small, exercise for even a very short period 
 will produce a condition which makes rest absolutely 
 necessary. Muscles must be gradually accustomed 
 to work; and if work is prolonged beyond the point 
 where exercise is beneficial, a state of tension and 
 exhaustion ensues which can be remedied only by 
 rest prolonged enough to allow the system to recu- 
 perate. Where the tissues, from disuse, have come 
 to have little resistance value, a very gradual and 
 persistent course of exercise must be determined 
 upon, for unaccustomed muscles are quickly 
 fatigued, and the subsequent rest they require may 
 
172 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 seem out of proportion to the work done. This con- 
 dition of affairs is discouraging when not under- 
 stood; yet there can be no different result except 
 in degree; and in degree must the condition be 
 changed and the tissues gradually renewed. If 
 there is but little power stored, only little may be 
 used until the power of assimilation is established. 
 
 The thin woman is benefited by bicycling; the 
 liver works better, the food digests better. The 
 stout woman is benefited, for the exercise hardens 
 and condenses the flesh. The average healthy woman 
 is kept in the best of health by the exercise and 
 plenty of pure, fresh air. For the sedentary, the 
 undeveloped, and the insufficiently nourished, the 
 bicycle seems to work wonders. All the powers 
 are accelerated and a general renewing of tissues 
 takes place. The organs of digestion are stimulated 
 and do better work, the appetite improves, the com- 
 plexion brightens, and the mind responds readily. 
 But people of either of these classes should be care- 
 ful not to prolong exercise until loss of appetite is 
 brought about; for the exercise should tend to in- 
 crease, not to decrease, the desire for food and 
 power of assimilation. 
 
 Baths should be taken in moderation, the skin be- 
 ing kept in free, healthy condition by dry rubs and 
 tepid baths until the system is brought to the state 
 where the cold bath can be used beneficially. The 
 diet should be generous and wholesome, and care 
 should be taken to avoid food that does not digest 
 easily. Sufficient clothing should be worn but not 
 too much, and all exercise should be avoided that 
 
EXERCISE. 
 
 173 
 
 might produce very copious perspiration. Only a 
 healthy activity of the skin should be induced, and 
 plenty of water drunk. 
 
 Do not work nervously. Go to work gently, and 
 save your energies to make the wheels go around. 
 A thin person can remain thin and a fat person re- 
 main fat while exercising assiduously if the exercise 
 is not properly directed. 
 
 To overcome fat, persistent, systematic, and regu- 
 lar exercise is needed, and attention to diet must be 
 considered essential. For the food consumed pro- 
 duces certain results; and if the system selects and 
 digests most readily the fat-producing elements, 
 their amount should be curtailed, and a diet of good 
 working quality chosen. Fat is burned in producing 
 heat; but if the same amount of fat-producing ele- 
 ments are again taken into the system, the same 
 amount of fat results. The fat-producing tendency 
 must be overcome, and the fat already accumulated 
 consumed, until a good healthy average of tissue is 
 produced and maintained. 
 
 Tea and coffee are not foods; they retard the as- 
 similation of tissue, and must be eliminated from 
 the diet of the weight-reducer. Sugar and starch — 
 the latter when eaten is converted into sugar — are 
 heat-producing foods, first forming fats which are 
 used as energy-producing material. Persons wishing 
 to reduce weight, therefore, must manufacture, not 
 so much fat, but bone and sinew. To produce these, 
 nitrogenous foods must be eaten. Fat consists 
 largely of water; and heavy work, like hill-climbing, 
 which induces free perspiration, is desirable. But 
 
1/4 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 any one wishing to seriously undertake weight-re- 
 duction should learn to enjoy bicycling for itself be- 
 fore attempting this application of the exercise. 
 
 Excess of fat produces physical laziness, which is 
 hard to overcome; and stout persons, after exercise, 
 crave fat-producing elements of food to reduce the 
 tissue consumed. A taste seems to develop for sweet 
 stuff and mild stimulants, and it is difficult to refrain 
 from indulging it. Stout people are apt to believe, 
 also, that they cannot endure exercise. They cannot 
 comfortably, and must work with care until they are 
 in a fair state of balance, where exercise ceases to 
 fatigue, before attempting anything like scientific 
 weight-reducing. Sufficient exercise regularly ta- 
 ken, proper diet persistently selected, will finally 
 have the desired effect. 
 
 Exercise sufficiently to produce good, thorough 
 perspiration; take a bath and rub down, and put on 
 fresh clothing; avoid tea and coffee, sugar and ice 
 cream, dessert and pastry. 
 
 For those in health and in the habit of exercising 
 regularly, there are only the dangers of the sport to 
 avoid while enjoying its pleasures and benefits. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Training. 
 
 If you intend a fifty-mile or a week's trip awheel, 
 it will be very necessary to accustom yourself to the 
 woik before attempting a distance you have not yet 
 covered. Suppose, though your muscles are unac- 
 customed to long-continued exercise, that you know 
 how to wheel a bicycle and are anxious to go with 
 your friends. They perhaps wheel for an hour or 
 two hours daily, or for several hours twice a week. 
 They are afraid to take you with them ; and you feel 
 sure that you can go as far as they do, and at the 
 same rate of speed. 
 
 You must make your opportunity and prove your 
 ability. Suppose you can wheel for half an hour 
 without fatigue. Wheel that half-hour every day 
 the weather permits; know your distance and 5^our 
 road; arid then practise increasing speed, that is, do 
 your distance in less than the half-hour without 
 hurry. Start slowly, and keep the pace until you 
 get your breathing apparatus steady; then ride fast- 
 er, and maintain that pace; and so on, in increasing 
 ratio. If you have been in the habit of covering 
 your distance in five minutes under the half-hour, 
 next time add that distance to your spin, and do it 
 
176 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 in your limit time. When you easily do five miles 
 in half an hour on the road, add a mile or more for 
 the next two or three spins; then do not wheel for 
 one day; the next day wheel twice the distance, 
 wheel eight miles, and rest a day. Then double 
 your distance again. If you cannot do this without 
 feeling the effects seriously, go back to w^here you 
 made your greatest distance with ease, and start 
 from that point again. 
 
 Keep a careful record of your outings, dates, wind, 
 sun, time of day, and humidity. The latter is very 
 important, for on a hot, dry day, greater distance 
 can be done with safety than when evaporation is 
 slow. Consider all the conditions when you find 
 that you are fatigued, and decide if the trouble is 
 with yourself or with the weather. Do not start for 
 at least an hour after eating, and always rest after 
 exercise before taking a meal. Observing these di- 
 rections, you will soon find that you are making very 
 fair progress, that your confidence is assured, and 
 that you have acquired a certain amount of endurance, 
 and can attempt any reasonable distance. 
 
 Exercise transforms, making the inactive capable 
 of performing work and of enjoying opportunities 
 for using their newly discovered powers. The weak 
 are strengthened; the strong retain and renew their 
 stores of strength; the young are symmetrically de- 
 veloped, and the older remain supple and active. 
 Exercise preserves and develops all parts of the or- 
 ganism that are capable of performing work. Exer- 
 cise is work, muscular work; and in working the 
 muscles, all the tissues become readjusted, and all 
 
TRAIN INC. 
 
 177 
 
 materials and accumulations tending to hinder 
 movement are diminished in quantity and equalized 
 in distribution. 
 
 Ease of movement and a state of muscular inactiv- 
 ity are incompatible. To be active, one must work ; 
 and the whole organism will respond, and adjust it- 
 self to the conditions imposed by occupation and 
 manner of living. The complicated mechanisms 
 and intricate processes of the human body adapt 
 themselves to required conditions; it is only neces- 
 sary to determine what those conditions shall be to 
 produce certain results. 
 
 It is difficult for some to overcome the tendency 
 to a state of inactivity ; and there are others to whom 
 even the contemplation of repose is distasteful. 
 The physiological effects produced by exercise differ 
 in different individuals, active persons and those 
 not in the habit of doing muscular work being ver}^ 
 differently affected. For exercise, of whatever kind, 
 is muscular work, and ''muscular work tends to mod- 
 ify the nutrition of all motor organs and to give them 
 a structure favorable for the performance of work." 
 
 All muscular work is done through the contractile 
 power of the muscles. By use the fibres become 
 freed from fat and other accumulations, the muscles 
 increase in size, the contractile power becomes great- 
 er, and the impedimenta of fat, etc., are removed by 
 the processes that are accelerated by movement. 
 "Repose causes atrophy of muscular tissue, " and the 
 necessary discernment and powers of discrimination 
 must be cultivated to avoid a tendency either in the 
 direction of over-doing or of insufficient exercise. 
 
178 
 
 BICYCLING I' OR LADIES. 
 
 ''The effect of muscular exercise is to render vital 
 combustion more active; it causes more active pro- 
 cesses of assimilation." "Muscular education leads 
 to an economy of forces. Practice leads to a diminu- 
 tion of muscular expenditure" — more-work done for 
 power expended. For the power to perform work 
 depends on knowing how to do it properly. Real 
 strength lies, not so much in the mass of muscular 
 tissue as in the ability to use it. 
 
 "Exercise of strength demands the simultaneous 
 action of a great number of muscles." "Exercise 
 of speed involves repetition of movement and the 
 application of nervous energy." "Exercises of en- 
 durance permit of economy of fatigue," and are 
 characterized by the necessity of perfect equilibrium 
 between muscular effort and the powers of assimila- 
 tion of the system. 
 
 In exercise of strength, every muscle should bring 
 its whole force into play, and the bony structure is 
 united by pressure to make a rigid whole. "Exer- 
 cises of speed are accompanied by fatigue out of 
 proportion to the mechanical work represented." 
 "Every movement needs the intervention of a g^eat 
 number of muscles; each muscle must contract with 
 definite force in order that the whole work may lead 
 to definite movement." 
 
 Co-ordination is the operation of choosing the 
 muscles which shall participate in a certain move- 
 ment and of regulating the exact quantity of nervous 
 energy necessary to produce the right amount of 
 contraction. Automatism is acquired by practice; 
 and the muscles must be exercised regularly to en- 
 
TRAINING. 
 
 179 
 
 able them to respond intuitively. A complicated 
 series of movement can only be acquired gradually, 
 unless the mind has a large number of muscular 
 combinations at command. 
 
 "Exhaustion will result from overwork even when 
 well fed. " ''Exercises of endurance do not disturb 
 the working- of tne organs; while increasing their 
 activity, it gives to the system the power to repair 
 wasted tissue, even during work." Carbonic acid is 
 not^formed in excess, and is eliminated without pro- 
 ducing noticeable results. 
 
 The bicyclist, even though indulging moderately 
 in the pastime, must consider these things, and de- 
 termine the course to be pursued; otherwise the 
 exercise will prove a bane instead of a blessing. 
 There are principles capable of general or special 
 application; and there are special laws that maybe 
 generalized; and all may be made to accord with 
 the exercise of bicycling, but each individual must 
 accept a certain responsibility in the matter. The 
 bicycle having been accepted as a means, the end 
 sought for can be attained only by its intelligent use 
 and application. 
 
 One of the many advantages of cycling is that the 
 exercise involved is not limited to the use of any one 
 set of muscles. The legs propel the machine, the 
 muscles of the trunk engage in balancing the body, 
 and the arms are employed in steering and control- 
 ling the front wheel. All the larger joints are active, 
 and are made supple as well as strengthened and de- 
 veloped. Muscles, unless directed by mental effort, 
 are useless. The bones give stiffness, and act as 
 
B/CYC/.IXC FOR J.ADlllS. 
 
 levers and fulcrums; the muscles are tools of the 
 mind, levels wherewith to pull and push the bones 
 into position. 
 
 Precision of movement means economy of expen- 
 diture of force, no more effort being expended than 
 is necessary for the act of the moment. People who 
 hunt for the pedal, and try for the saddle two or 
 three times, and fall off because the bicycle fails to 
 start, work hard enough to have mounted a number 
 of times; that is, they have lifted or supported their 
 own weight in different directions a number of times 
 without attaining their object. They appear to be 
 awkward; they are really unaccustomed to their 
 work. Practice will accustom the muscles to the 
 work they have to do. 
 
 Try to do one thing only at a time. If it is mount- 
 ing, for instance, memorize each thing that must be 
 done; how, when, and where to doit. Do not think, 
 because the mind does not at once grasp all that is 
 forced upon its attention, that your brain is of infe- 
 rior quality ; it may not be able to adapt itself to that 
 particular mental process at that minute. But the 
 effort made will result in added tissue, and next time 
 there will be more hope of success. Increase by a 
 little at a time the amount of exercise undertaken. 
 You can gauge the practice you need only by the 
 amount of attention you give to the subject. After 
 muscles are once trained to an exercise, the mind 
 will not readily lose power to reproduce the combi- 
 nation, and experience begins to help. 
 
 Endurance means well-directed strength as well as 
 capacity of power stored in reserve ; and the aim of 
 
TRAINIXC. 
 
 i8i 
 
 all athletic work is to give an increased store of 
 strength, vitality, and power to draw upon, not 
 merely to expend the stock already on hand. 
 
 The muscular development that comes with bicy- 
 cle exercise will often cause surprise. In persons 
 unaccustomed to active exercise, the increase is most 
 noticeable on the chest and forearms, the chest de- 
 velopment increasing two and three inches, the 
 arm and forearm in proportion, and the whole mus- 
 cular system gaining in firmness and tone. Persist- 
 ent bicycling, prolonged exercise on the wheel, speed 
 work on the track, develop » disproportionately the 
 muscle of the leg. The track-man, therefore, pre- 
 pares for his season of work, not by exercising and 
 developing his legs, but by general exercise and 
 special work that will develop the arms and back and 
 other sets of muscles not called upon for heavy work 
 during the season when he is to do his best. Get- 
 ting up speed, increasing speed, and hill-climbing 
 all tend to develop the muscles of the leg, which in 
 such exercise are called upon for the heavy work of 
 push and thrust, using a concentrated power to pro- 
 pel. Light dumbbell work is recommended as a 
 good alternate for bicycle work and a means of keep- 
 ing the muscular system in balance. 
 
 Leisure and the weather limit bicycling; other 
 causes are incidental. The weather, indeed, affects bi- 
 cycling more than any other sport. One of the most 
 imperative needs of bicycling is rapid evaporation, 
 and conditions that do not permit of that are unfavor- 
 able. Observe atmospheric conditions, therefore, and 
 avoid severe work when the dew point is approached. 
 
l82 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 All the hard work wanted can be accomplished in 
 half an hour after the wheel has been taken out; or 
 it may be used as a vehicle for travelling steadily 
 hour after hour for days consecutively; or an invig- 
 orating spin of two or three hours may be taken, 
 regulating the pace and the work. One of the things 
 to know about a bicycle is that you can get almost 
 any kind of work you want out of it. To realize 
 that you are doing the work you have been ac- 
 customed to have a horse do for you, and in a simi- 
 lar way, and to know that many of a horseman's 
 rules for the care of their working animals may be 
 equally well applied to human beings who do the 
 same work, is apt, perhaps, to cause a sensation of 
 unpleasant surprise. It is a fact, however, that 
 there is much information about the care of horses 
 that the cyclist may study and apply with advan- 
 tage. 
 
 The bicycle is not an iron horse; it is more like 
 skates; is in some things like a boat; in some like 
 a coasting sled; and in many ways is different from 
 anything else. It seems alive at times, as does a 
 boat; but it is the power propelling it that causes 
 the delusion. The only thing alive about bicycles 
 is the persons who propel them; and if they are only 
 half alive before attempting to mount, they will be- 
 come very alert and keenly appreciative of all that 
 concerns them long before the sport has ceased to be 
 a novelty. 
 
 ''Exercise is important as a regulator of nutri- 
 tion." "The best athletic exercise for increasing 
 the size of the chest is that which compels the deep- 
 
TRAINING. 
 
 '83 
 
 est inspiration." The lower limbs, with their mass- 
 es of muscular tissue, are most capable of awakening 
 the respiratory need which is proportioned to the 
 expenditure of force. Exercise induces change of 
 shape as well as change of size; and too much exer- 
 cise of any one kind will produce a local effect. 
 
 Breathlessness is not the only form of fatigue, 
 and fats are not the only reserve material. Nitro- 
 genous products of combustion, which cannot be 
 derived from fatty substances, are produced by 
 work; and these are stored among the reserve mate- 
 rial, and produce stiffness, as fat produces breath- 
 lessness. 
 
 In no other sport is the blood sent coursing 
 through the veins in the same way as in bicycling; 
 and as there is not a very great quantity of that 
 wonderful fluid passing and repassing through the 
 circulatory system, any obstruction or pressure is 
 instantly felt and provided for. To avoid giving 
 nature unnecessary trouble in providing for inter- 
 rupted or unequal circulation, not even a glove that 
 is the least tight should be worn; indeed, the cover- 
 ing of head, hands, and feet should be carefully se- 
 lected. And the same precaution should be exercised 
 with regard to all clothing. No tight underwear 
 should be worn, and nothing like equestrian tights, 
 which interfere with surface circulation. The waist 
 and lower ribs must be kept free. You should never 
 ride so hard as to allow the air to force the ribs out 
 and in, so that you cannot control them. It is a 
 good rule not to ride so hard that you cannot hold 
 your breath at pleasure. 
 
1^4 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES. 
 
 It is important always to remove perspiration be- 
 fore cooling; therefore, take a bath at once on com- 
 ing in from a ride ; if you cannot do that, rub off with 
 a dry towel, or sponge with tepid water, and rub dry 
 gently; then put on dry underclothing. The cold 
 bath is most invigorating and refreshing, and never 
 more refreshing than after bicycle exercise; but all 
 cannot use it wnth good results. Provide for your 
 change of underclothing before starting out, and if 
 you do not intend to return, take it with you. 
 
 Remember always that it is essential to provide 
 an entire covering for the body that will admit of 
 free exhalations, and warm enough to prevent chill- 
 ing under all circumstances. While riding, provided 
 the condensing moisture is allowed to escape, it is 
 quite possible to feel overheated, yet the skin must 
 be protected from chill resulting from rapid motion 
 through the air. Air pressure and evaporation near- 
 ly balance each other, and the extra heat caused by 
 exertion is tempered by moisture and the constant 
 fanning of rapid locomotion. These effects a^e most 
 appreciably felt upon halting. If the covering is 
 thin, of light weight, and of too hard a texture to 
 admit of quick passage of air and steam, the garments 
 at once become saturated with moisture, and a seri- 
 ous chilling follows. Even if the halt be but short, 
 it will be found that an appreciable time passes after 
 remounting before one becomes warm, and the dis- 
 taste for work that follows is a sure indication that 
 something is amiss. If energy were preserved, in- 
 stead of wasted in warming up after halting, the 
 benefit of the rest would be felt. 
 
7A\l/X/XG. 
 
 185 
 
 A proper porous material should be always worn. 
 With a flannel shirt-waist and woollen sweater, even 
 in quite warm weather, riding is not at all uncom- 
 fortable; but substitute a Holland linen coat for the 
 sweater, and the rider will be first very warm, and 
 then very damp indeed and most uncomfortable. 
 Nature provides various means for keeping the body 
 at an even temperature, and it is most essential not 
 to disturb this balance. While working, heat is 
 generated, the skin becomes moist, and a normal 
 temperature is maintained by the rapid evaporation. 
 Too little covering means too great evaporation and 
 lowering of temperature; and even if no chill is 
 experienced, the too rapid cooling TJrevents good 
 working results, and stiffness is apt to set in wnth 
 fatigue after the day's work, and a languid, sleepy 
 feeling on the day following. 
 
 Too much stress cannot be laid on the necessity 
 of being able easily and expeditiously to adjust or 
 redistribute the clothing. Flannel is a good non- 
 conductor of heat, but the bicyclist must use dis- 
 crimination in selection. Too heavy flannel will 
 induce a copious and weakening perspiration; in- 
 sufficient clothing will allow the body to be chilled 
 by too rapid evaporation. 
 
 One of the greatest benefits to be derived from 
 bicycle exercise is the free, healthy action of the 
 skin that is induced. If this activity is retarded by 
 pressure, much injury may be done by the holding 
 and reabsorbing of waste matter. This reabsorbed 
 matter, which is a direct poison and must be worked 
 off again in the complexities of the system, causes 
 
i86 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 languor and headache and a feeling that exercise is 
 of no benefit, as indeed it is not if proper hygienic 
 laws are not complied with. 
 
 While in the open air, there is little danger to be 
 apprehended from damp clothing, as oxidation is 
 going on freely. It is under shelter that danger 
 lurks, where the air does not circulate freely. The 
 underwear should be changed before eating, or the 
 food will do little good. Where you can get shelter, 
 you can usually find conveniences for making the 
 change; otherwise, it is better to eat in the open air. 
 
 Digestion involves muscular action as well as 
 chemical processes. Wherever in the system mus- 
 cular work is being done, the blood is needed in large 
 quantity to enable the muscular processes to con- 
 tinue. In the process of digestion important chem- 
 ical work is accomplished by the action of certain 
 juices or secretions of the stomach, and rhythmical 
 muscular work in the walls and coatings of the 
 stomach is required to regulate their supply. It may 
 be easily understood, therefore, that digestion should 
 be properly or rather uninterruptedly accomplished, 
 and it cannot be thus properly accomplished if too 
 much of the blood supply is called away in the earlier 
 stages of assimilation. 
 
 Active muscular work should never be undertaken 
 immediately after a full meal. The more food 
 there is to be digested, the more work there is to be 
 done, the less capable is the rest of the system for 
 severe work. Such work, after eating heavily, 
 would involve an interruption, almost a suspension, 
 of digestive processes, and a consequent difficulty 
 
TRAINING. 
 
 187 
 
 in the adjustment of the processes involved in mus- 
 cular work. It would mean a much longer time to 
 get the second wind, inability to do hard or heavy 
 work, as well as inability to prolong the work with- 
 out discomfort. Such a course of action must lead 
 to serious complications and derangements of the 
 digestive functions and eventually induce liability 
 to disease. 
 
 It is very injurious, also, to attempt to perform 
 heavy work fasting, or to prolong the period of ex- 
 ercise when food or rest is required. The human 
 machine requires a certain amount of fuel, and the 
 supply must be taken at regular intervals, or re- 
 served material, which is too valuable to be reckless- 
 ly expended, will be consumed. 
 
 A mixed diet, with plenty of variety, is the best 
 to work on, everything to be thoroughly cooked. 
 Three good meals a day, and no eating between 
 meals; though, when tired, it is not well to work on 
 an empty stomach, and if you are delayed it is better 
 to eat something while waiting than to go too long 
 without eating. Beef and mutton are always good 
 food; and fresh vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs, 
 and cereals either with cream and sugar or milk and 
 sugar. Simple desserts are not harmful, neither are 
 they necessary. 
 
 The so-called sustaining power of stimulants 
 merely enables one to burn up reserve tissue, to use 
 up more fuel, to produce more power. Work done 
 under such conditions is forced work, like the forced 
 draught of a steam-engine using power to force the 
 air into the furnace. In both cases, intense heat 
 
i88 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 and great power can be produced, and corresponding 
 radiation and depression occur while the system is 
 undergoing its processes of restoration. Tea, coffee, 
 bouillon, are stimulating, and good as food accesso- 
 ries; but they are not good to work on. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 1. 
 Breathlessness; The Limit Mechanical, 
 
 Seated awheel, the bicyclist feels master of the 
 situation. The bicycle obeys the slightest impulse, 
 moving at will, almost without conscious effort, vir- 
 tually as much a part of the rider, and as easily 
 under control, as hand or foot. It is because weight 
 is supported and friction overcome that the bicy- 
 clist loses consciousness of effort as he moves, with 
 seemingly no limit to endurance. 
 
 A trouble often experienced is breathlessness. 
 For this there are several causes. Sometimes the 
 machine is started too hurriedly and before the pro- 
 cesses of the body have had time to adjust themselves. 
 To work easily, the muscles must be heated gradual- 
 ly, until they are brought to the proper point of ten- 
 sion. Again, the easy movement of the wheel often 
 causes the cyclist to become oblivious of the fact that 
 the muscles are working quickly w^hile doing easy 
 work, that the power applied is being converted into 
 speed with little appreciable effort, until suddenly 
 his breath becomes labored, and a halt must be made 
 for rest. We need not attempt here to give the 
 figures for power expended and work done, though 
 both factors may be estimated. 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 Technically, effort is a physiological condition in- 
 volving complicated chemical changes and concen- 
 tration of power. The work of the lungs is done 
 mechanically, automatically, is muscular work, in- 
 volving chemical changes and giving chemical re- 
 sults. We breathe in air full of oxygen; we exhale 
 air loaded with carbonic acid. Muscular effort pro- 
 duces carbonic acid through chemical changes in the 
 tissues of the body. The oxygen of the air, taken 
 into the lungs to purify the blood, is absorbed and 
 stored. Easy muscular movements give off a limited 
 quantity of carbonic acid and other products, but not 
 more than can be eliminated without readjustment 
 of processes. When a succession of efforts is made, 
 involving the manufacture of larger quantities of 
 carbonic acid, the eliminating capacity is correspond- 
 ingly taxed. 
 
 In making an effort, the lungs become momen- 
 tarily fixed, and their regular respiratory movement 
 is suspended. Carbonic acid is held, not given off, 
 and a feeling of suffocation is observed. Unless res- 
 piration is restored by a pause, poisoning by the 
 waste products ensues, they being reabsorbed, and 
 inducing discomfort and fatigue. Working with 
 effort, the lungs should be free to expand and 
 contract. To this end it is all-important to exhale, 
 expelling the air from the lungs by compression 
 of the chest after severe exertion. Air rushes 
 naturally into the chest cavity; attention, there- 
 fore, should be directed, not to getting in air, 
 but to expelling the air already in the lungs. This 
 successfully done assists materially in bringing 
 
BREA THLESSNESS; LIMIT MECIIA NIC A I. 191 
 
 about that desirable condition known as "second 
 wind," and gives control over the muscles of the 
 chest, which enables waste products to be readily 
 eliminated. 
 
 The intensity of breathlessness during exercise 
 is in direct proportion to the expenditure of force 
 demanded by the exercise in a given time, ' ' Breath- 
 lessness is due to power expended in a limited time. 
 This, at least, is one of the inducing causes. On 
 the bicycle, power is converted into speed. In hill- 
 climbing, shortness of wind is due not so much to 
 position on the wheel as to the amount of power ex- 
 pended in doing the work. If power is wasted, the 
 work attempted is usually not accomplished; if in- 
 telligently expended, the work is done easily and well, 
 leaving the bicyclist in condition to renew the effort 
 when necessary. 
 
 Hill-climbing is like stair-climbing ; power is ex- 
 pended in a succession of efforts made in raising the 
 weight on an ascending plane. The weight must 
 be lifted, either pushed up or pulled up, and the res- 
 piratory need is increased. The hill-climber must 
 aim to mount with as little effort as possible and to 
 make the ascent with the minimum expenditure of 
 power. 
 
 Rapidly increased heart-beat is accompanied by 
 deeply inflated lungs and a tendency the bicyclist 
 should guard against to work open-mouthed. Here 
 the question of tight clothing comes prominently 
 forward. Sitting erect and holding by the handle- 
 bars, the bicyclist's upper chest muscles are held 
 comparatively fixed or rigid; the arms, being used 
 
192 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 for support, act as levers holding down the upward 
 expansion of the chest. The air, being compressed, 
 is forced laterally and downward. The downward, 
 expansion of the chest is checked by the movement 
 of pedaling, there being a constant upward pressure 
 in the ascending stroke and an increased muscular 
 compression in the descending stroke. With a tight 
 belt, the breathing is chiefly upward, and downward 
 when sitting or walking, the lateral expansion de- 
 pending on the width and compression of the belt. 
 
 When working on a bicycle, with the hands fixed 
 and holding hard, the upper chest is comparatively 
 rigid, the muscles below the diaphragm hard at 
 work; and muscles at work do not admit of compres- 
 sion, which prevents the diaphragm from moving 
 downward. The diaphragm is a muscular wall, 
 stretched across the trunk below the lung cavity and 
 near the waist-line. If the lower muscles of the 
 trunk are actively at work, the diaphragm can be 
 distended but a little way in a downward direction 
 by lung pressure. The air in the lungs, which are 
 hard at work, and over-full, presses against the heart, 
 and makes harder work for that organ. When the 
 lungs are distended, any clothing that can be felt 
 about the waist exerts more or less pressure. The 
 lungs of a bicyclist at work are constantly distended, 
 seldom deflated, and an equal pressure is exerted in 
 all directions. The diaphragm is forced downward, 
 pressure comes on the large blood-vessels, and the 
 legs feel tired as one of the results of the constric- 
 tion. Pressure on the heart and the large blood 
 vessels of the lung cavity causes rush of blood to the 
 
BREA rilLE SSNE SS; LI MI T ME CI/ A NIC A L. 193 
 
 head and gives a lieated look to the face and a feel- 
 ing of faintness and headache. 
 
 The muscles of the waist are elastic, but lose their 
 elasticity when not in use. Fat accumulates, and is 
 pressed down, usually below the belt, causing the 
 muscles of the figure to sag and the trunk to lose its 
 proper lines. Compression of the waist while cy- 
 cling is dangerous, and will cause enlargement of 
 the hips and distort the lines of the figure below and 
 above the waist. If tight clothing must be worn, 
 do not wear it while exercising any rnore than while 
 sleeping. 
 
 Bicycling is a great equalizer of tissue. The sys- 
 tem, when this exercise is moderately indulged, is 
 freshened as is a city by a heavy rain, all accumula- 
 tions and deposits being swept away. 
 
 There is a difference, a very great difference, 
 between muscular fatigue and breathlessness, and 
 the two conditions should not be confused. Breath- 
 lessness is general fatigue; muscular fatigue is 
 fatigue localized. When you are breathless, all your 
 muscles are tired; they do not want to work and are 
 indeed incapable of performing work. Work per- 
 formed by the lower limbs causes breathlessness 
 more quickly than any other kind of exertion, and 
 the bicyclist must bear this fact in mind. The res- 
 piratory need is increased in proportion to the 
 amount of carbonic acid in the blood. The lower 
 limbs can perform a great deal of work in a few 
 seconds, the large masses of muscle in the legs at 
 work throwing large quantities of carbonic acid into 
 the blood to be given o£E or eliminated by the lungs. 
 
194 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 Each individual has his own limit or pace, at 
 which he can do work most easily. If this pace is 
 exceeded, effort follows and increased expenditure 
 of power; a greater quantity of carbonic acid is pro- 
 duced to be given off; and fatigue is induced sooner 
 than when working at the pace which can be kept 
 without extraordinary exertion. Every bicyclist 
 knows his own natural pace, and when departing 
 from that must expect to be winded sooner or later. 
 
 Rapid work on the bicycle is similar, as muscular 
 exertion, to running, racing, speeding, and sprinting. 
 Here we have the time limit, — great speed pro- 
 duced in a short time; tissue consumed, and carbon- 
 ic acid produced in large quantities to be quickly 
 eliminated. Increased effort means more power ex- 
 pended. The fixed lung cavity means lessened 
 capacity for increased air-consumption and greatly 
 lessened means of inhaling and expelling air. One 
 of the effects produced by carbonic acid in the blood 
 is a stimulation to increased effort, which causes a 
 desire to prolong work after reasonable limits have 
 been exceeded, a feeling that more must be done, 
 rather than a desire to stop and rest. 
 
 Second wind is the condition produced by the ad- 
 justment of the processes of the body to the new 
 state of exertion, where the heart and lungs balance 
 and work according to the demands of the new con- 
 dition. A pendulum, slipped on its spindle and let 
 go, swings irregularly until it finds its new rhythm. 
 The rhythm that corresponds with its weight, mo- 
 mentum and length of spindle, leverage, is the 
 rhythm of the work. All repeated work has a 
 
BREATHLESSMESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL. 195 
 
 rhythm, and the movement disturbed requires a 
 little time for readjustment. The heart and lungs 
 work automatically and rhythmically, and any new 
 movement disturbs their rhythm, which must be ad- 
 justed for change of occupation or exercise until the 
 balance of the working functions is established. 
 
 The second wind usually comes after the first 
 fifteen minutes of work. Quickly acquired, it means 
 rapid and easy adjustment of processes, a quick re- 
 sponse to effort, and little power wasted. Though 
 individuals differ in this respect, a difficulty in get- 
 ting the second wind, when exercise has been sus- 
 pended for a time, will sometimes be experienced, 
 and care should be taken not to overwork when tak- 
 ing up an exercise that has been for some time dis- 
 continued. 
 
 When you have had exercise enough, stop and rest. 
 Change of occupation, turning from active mental 
 work to active muscular work, has been said to give 
 rest to the mental faculties. Though they perhaps 
 do, in a sense, experience rest, it might be unwise to 
 assert that this rest is really recuperative. Repeated 
 alternation from active mental exercise to active 
 physical exercise would inevitably result in a state 
 of exhaustion, in which the reserve fund of energ)'- 
 or strength would be completely consumed. It is a 
 more accurate statement that a certain amount of 
 muscular work, which will restore the balance of the 
 system, is a good preparation for rest after active 
 mental exertion. 
 
 During mental work of any kind, muscular work 
 must be performed ; for breathing, seeing, moving 
 
196 
 
 BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 the hands, require muscular movement. The ques- 
 tion, therefore, resolves itself into one of degree of 
 work done and equilibrium of forces to be main- 
 tained, rather than one of restoration of one set of 
 faculties by the overtaxing of another set. Good 
 muscular work cannot be accomplished without the 
 exercise of brain and will; therefore, v;hen the mind 
 is actively employed, a certain amount of muscular 
 tissue is consumed, though not enough to maintain 
 the system in a state of bodily activity. For body 
 and mind, to be in a state of perfect health or equi- 
 librium, should be equally active. 
 
 The tissues of the body are constantly renewed, 
 and the amount of work, mental or muscular, that 
 can be accomplished is determined by these con- 
 stantly renewing processes. The amount of material 
 taken up and stored for use depends upon the amount 
 of material needed ; and this is gauged by the amount 
 of work already done, and restricted by the amount 
 of work the material is capable of performing. The 
 balance of w^ork and rest, quantity and quality, 
 varies with different temperaments. 
 
 Training means nothing more than preparation. 
 For those engaged in active mental occupation it is 
 well to consider if they are giving themselves the 
 best preparation for resisting the fatigue consequent 
 upon their occupation. Cycling is a pastime and 
 sport, and may be a relaxation and the alternate of 
 other athletic exercises. After the machine is under 
 control, the muscular work becomes virtualh' auto- 
 matic; and for this reason cycling, in its various 
 forms, has proved so beneficial as a relaxation. 
 
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL. 197 
 
 Overwork produces the effect of poisoning of the 
 system, and reduces its power of resistance. This 
 poisoning is produced by the waste products of the 
 system, which accumulate during work, as the forces 
 for eliminating them are overtaxed; and before 
 work can be properly resumed, the poison must be 
 eliminated from the system, and the power-producing 
 materials again stored for use. 
 
 Stiffness is a form of fatigue due to an accumula- 
 tion of deposits in the tissues, which are best removed 
 by exercising after a period of rest. With their re- 
 moval, stiffness disappears, to return with fresh de- 
 posits if exercise is again prolonged. The amount 
 of material not taken up by the system lessens with 
 regular exercise, and the tendency to stiffness grad- 
 ually disappears. The only remedy for stiffness is 
 work, then rest, then work again. Sleep does not 
 always come to the over-tired, and w^e may therefore 
 conclude that it is better to be rested before attempt- 
 ing to sleep. 
 
 A pause, to be recuperative, need not be prolonged ; 
 fifteen minutes' rest after exertion should be suffi- 
 cient; and during a day's work, this fifteen minutes' 
 rest between changes of occupation, not including 
 the quiet necessary for digestion, w^ill keep one fresh. 
 A pause longer than fifteen minutes prepares or re- 
 adjusts the processes. Do no work, mental or mus- 
 cular, for at least an hour after a meal; and sleep in 
 a cool — not cold — well-ventilated room. 
 
 Low tension power usually accomplishes its object 
 without waste. Work done at high pressure, that 
 might be done at low pressure, indicates waste of 
 
BICYCLING FOR LADIES. 
 
 effort under strain. The intense concentration of 
 effort when the beginner is struggling with a bicycle 
 is made at high pressure. The excitement of the 
 unexpected probably has something to do with this, 
 as well as the novelty of the situation. If all bicycle 
 work required the same state of tensioii, however, it 
 could not be long endured ; the strain would be too 
 great. 
 
 There is a certain amount you can do, or think you 
 can do; this is one measure of your capacity. The 
 work you do is done by stored energy. How may 
 that energy be applied to give the best results? 
 The intricate workings of the mind we may not at- 
 tempt to analyze: what we do, we do because we 
 wish to, or because we ought, or because we must. 
 Concentrated effort, persistent effort, continuous 
 effort, all consume force. When you dread any- 
 thing you have undertaken as too difficult of ac- 
 complishment, just so much more force is required 
 to overcome that idea. If, mounted on your bicycle, 
 you wheel along in a state of apprehension, you in- 
 duce a high nervous tension that requires a great 
 reserve of power to resist and supply. Fear, or a 
 sense of insecurity, or a lack of confidence, produces 
 the same result. A bicycle is run by the direct 
 application of power; and power diverted is power 
 wasted. 
 
 In wheeling, after the invigorating freshness of the 
 exercise has reached a certain point, the benefit de- 
 rived lessens with the amount of power drawn from 
 the reserve. Bicycle exercise, moreover, to be really 
 beneficial, should be alternated with other exercise. 
 
BREATHLESSNESS; LIMIT MECHANICAL. 199 
 
 The bicycle freshens and brings into g-ood condition 
 muscles already developed, but it is an exercise that 
 must be taken with judgment. It is not a panacea 
 for all human ills; it can be generally beneficial, or, 
 immoderately indulged, may become most harmful. 
 
 Wheeling for long distances should not be under- 
 taken without proper training. For the sedentary, 
 and for all others tempted by the fascinations of the 
 sport to over-exertion, caution is most necessar5\ 
 Reaction from over-exertion will bring about a phy- 
 sical condition as detrimental as that caused by lack 
 of exercise — general lassitude and unfitness for work, 
 if nothing more serious. 
 
 Persons who are naturally timid cannot accomplish 
 in the same time as much as the more courageous, 
 for their powers are actively at work overcoming 
 their dread of collision and fear of falling; and the 
 distance covered, for power expended, must conse- 
 quently be less than when no other exertion is re- 
 quired than is needed for propelling the bicycle. 
 
 Learn to work without strain or effort; practise 
 where fear is not likely to be aroused, for fear in- 
 duces a state of tension, and bicycling cannot be en- 
 joyed or prolonged if this drain of the power-supply 
 is allowed. Confidence will come with the knowl- 
 edge that you are no longer at the mercy of the ma- 
 chine, that it is in your power. 
 
 No one make of bicycle is acknowledged the best, 
 and no one is absolutely perfect. The selection of a 
 bicycle, therefore, is a matter of knowledge and nice 
 discrimination, and its use opens a wide field of op- 
 portunity before you — touring and cruising, and 
 
200 
 
 BICYCLIXG FOR LADIES, 
 
 expeditions of all kinds; travel and sight-seeing; 
 means for study and investigation. 
 
 The possible cost of cycling may be quite appal- 
 ling to consider; but in cycling, as in other things, 
 you may choose between the demands of necessity 
 and the suggestions of luxury. One — almost the 
 chief — fascination of the sport is its simplicity as a 
 mode of travel; the possibility of doing away with 
 all impedimenta. The bicyclist soon learns to dis- 
 pense with every accessory not positively necessary 
 and to know every possible use of indispensable 
 articles. 
 
 The bicycle bestows and restores health; it has 
 its limit, though it does so much that more seems 
 always possible. Take the bicycle as it is, use it in- 
 telligently, enjoy it, and become an enthusiast.