A Bicycle Tour in England and Wales

By Alfred D. Chandler and John C. Sharp, Jr.188115 chapters16 images

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Contents

• I. (opens in a new tab)

  Chandler and companion Sharp depart London by rail to Stroud (Kent), beginning their 1879 bicycle tour through England; covers equipment, Ordnance Survey maps, railway bicycle transport rates, and the first day's ride through Rochester and Maidstone to Canterbury Cathedral and onward to Margate.
• II. (opens in a new tab)

  The tour continues south along the Kent and Sussex coast through Dover, Folkestone, Hastings, Brighton, and Arundel; Sharp's bicycle breaks down at Arundel, requiring a detour to London for a replacement, while Chandler continues alone to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, visiting Carisbrooke Castle and H.M.S. Victory. The party then rides inland via Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge, and the Avon valley.
• III. (opens in a new tab)

  The second leg begins with a return to Reading by rail, then bicycle up the Thames valley through Wallingford, Oxford, Blenheim, Woodstock, and Banbury to Warwickshire, visiting Kenilworth Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington, Coventry (where bicycle manufacturers are inspected), Tamworth, and Burton-on-Trent.
• IV. (opens in a new tab)

  The northern leg takes the riders into Derbyshire, visiting Matlock Bath, Chatsworth, and Haddon Hall; they detour to London to watch the great six-day race at Agricultural Hall before returning and riding on to Chesterfield, Sheffield, Doncaster (attending the St. Leger races), Selby, York, then westward through Chester and into North Wales, climbing Snowdon and visiting Carnarvon and Conway Castles, before returning to London.
• Practical Bicycling Advice (opens in a new tab)

  Reprinted from 'The Bicyclist's Pocket Book and Diary' (London, 1879), offering detailed guidance on bicycle selection (light vs. heavy machines, crank lengths, brakes, tyres), riding technique, hill climbing, clothing and luggage for tours, and road etiquette.
• Hints on Continental Touring (opens in a new tab)

  Extracts from 'The Wheelman's Year Book' (1881) by an experienced rider covering thirty English and Scottish counties and much of Europe; advises on road conditions and distances in France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Styria, Carinthia, and the Tyrol, including a crossing of the Brenner Pass, plus guidance on luggage, clothing, and language difficulties abroad.
• Increase of Bicycle Riding (opens in a new tab)

  Statistical note on the rapid growth of cycling, citing capital invested in bicycle manufacture in England (seven to eight million dollars) and the United States (five hundred thousand dollars), and the number of bicycle and tricycle riders.
• Table of the Fastest Times Recorded as Having Been Made upon the Bicycle by English Professionals (opens in a new tab)

  Tabulated record of fastest professional times on the bicycle at distances from 1 to 100 miles, dominated by J. Keen riding at Cambridge and Wolverhampton, with times recorded up to 1880.
• Table of the Fastest Times Recorded as Having Been Made upon the Bicycle by English Amateurs (opens in a new tab)

  Tabulated record of fastest amateur times on the bicycle at distances from 1 to 25 miles, led by Hon. I. Keith Falconer and H. L. Cortis at venues including Cambridge, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, and Surbiton.
• Road Riding. Long Distances in Twenty-Four Hours. (opens in a new tab)

  Compiled from 'The Cyclist' (March 9, 1881), this table lists fifty of the best known 24-hour road bicycle performances in Great Britain, recording distances of 124 to 220 miles, riders' names, routes, and road conditions.
• Bicycle Riding in the United States (opens in a new tab)

  Argues that American roads are not universally inferior to English roads, noting that Massachusetts has good roads near cities but poor roads through the countryside; discusses the spread of cycling in the United States and the activities of American cycling clubs.
• Is Bicycle Riding Healthy? (opens in a new tab)

  Essay drawing on medical opinion and personal experience to argue that bicycle riding is beneficial to health, strengthening the lungs, aiding digestion, and benefiting sedentary workers; discusses the mechanics of effort on a bicycle compared with walking and the experiences of Boston-area riders.
• Where Bicycles may be obtained in the United States (opens in a new tab)

  A directory of bicycle agents and dealers across the United States as of May 1881, listing towns from Maine to California and Minnesota to Texas, noting that the first American agent was Colonel T. W. Lawford, British Vice-Consul at Baltimore, only four years earlier.
• Maps (opens in a new tab)

  Describes the four maps included with the book: a skeleton map of England showing the tour route, two detailed road maps of Southern England reduced from the Ordnance Survey, and a road map of Eastern Massachusetts.
• Index (opens in a new tab)

  Alphabetical index of places, people, subjects, and bicycle-related topics referenced throughout the book and its appendix.