Practical Hints to Wheelmen

Published by Columbia Carriage & Cycle Company18936 chapters1 image

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Contents

• HINTS ON THE CHOICE. (opens in a new tab)

  Argues that cycling has outgrown sport to become a means of quick and easy transportation, and likens choosing a mount to choosing a horse. Advises the business man, professional man or artisan to ignore the records set by crack riders on special-built wheels and the "Sets the Pace" advertisements, to buy from a house of high standing, and to judge a machine by its bearings and lines rather than by nickel plating, which needs constant care and wears badly; weighs English against American builds and notes the tubing still came from England.
• HINTS ON RIDING. (opens in a new tab)

  For learning, set the saddle low enough for the feet to touch the ground, always turn the handle-bar to the side the machine slopes towards, and practise on a wide quiet street clear of curbing so the pedals do not strike. For position, keep the handle-bar about level with the saddle line and the saddle high enough to rest the heel on the pedal at the longest reach, pedal with the ball of the foot rather than the instep, sit erect with a slight forward slope and straight arms, keep the knees close together and the head up, ride to the right of the road and not too close to other wheels or vehicles.
• HINTS ON CARE. (opens in a new tab)

  Wipe the enamelled parts with a soft cloth or chamois, slightly oily for preference, and the nickel with a separate piece and a sprinkling of whiting; keep the bearings oiled every day or two without flooding them. The neglected chain should get a kerosene bath every three or four weeks until the grit dissolves, then be brushed dry and dressed with chain graphite mixed to a thin paste with cycle oil and vaseline; bearings are flushed by running kerosene or benzine into the oil holes with the wheels spinning until it runs clear, and no oil must reach the tires as it injures rubber.
• HINTS ON DRESS (opens in a new tab)

  A short plea for proper cycling clothing: a full dress suit is right for dinners, balls and theatres but not for the bike, and the small expense of the correct outfit is cheaper than spoiling an expensive suit or handsome dress.
• HINTS ON REPAIR. (opens in a new tab)

  Broken parts belong with an experienced mechanic rather than a quack, but the rider must manage his own tires: the Morgan & Wright is the most generally used for its ease of repair and lasting qualities, though as a rule the easy repair is the easy puncture, and a road repair outfit carries its own instructions. Keep the tires well filled with air with the front softer than the weight-bearing rear, keep them out of the hot sun lest the expanding air burst the inner tube, and deflate and suspend the machine for storage; also gives the gear formula, rear-wheel diameter in inches times the teeth in the large sprocket, divided by the teeth in the small sprocket.
• GENERAL HINTS ON EXERCISE AND HEALTH. (opens in a new tab)

  Lists what daily riding does for the body, purifies the complexion, prolongs youth, prevents the blues, braces the nervous system, strengthens a weak heart, improves the breathing powers and gives grace and dignity of bearing. Prescribes a warm sponge bath after a brisk run, followed by a rubbing with equal parts Pond's Extract and alcohol to relieve soreness and prevent a chill, and a wipe-over and look-round of the wheel before putting it away.