Safety Cycling
Contents
- The author explains that, though many cycling books exist, there is room for one that is up to date and moderate in price, and states that he has aimed to tell the novice what points to look for rather than describe specific articles, writing largely from his own experience as a rider and manufacturer.
- Henry Sturmey, editor of The Cyclist, recalls first seeing a velocipede near Yeovil about 1863 and traces the rise of the ordinary and then the safety, before making the case for the "giraffe" or high-framed safety as a touring machine — its elevated view, freer attitude and luggage capacity, set against its extra weight and its undeserved reputation for slowness.
- Introduces the rear-driving safety bicycle as the safest and most practical cycle type, explaining its mechanical advantages over earlier designs.
- Explains how to calculate gear ratios and measure a machine's effective gear, with practical guidance on pedalling technique and descent control.
- Discusses atmospheric resistance and the substantial effort required to overcome headwinds, with tactics for crosswinds and steep descents.
- Preparations for a tour: joining the Cyclists' Touring Club, building up to sixty or eighty miles in a day, practising hill-climbing, and writing to the district Chief Consuls (or consulting the Club Road Book) for descriptions of the roads, amplified with notes on objects of interest along the route.
- Encourages mastery of trick-mounting and balance exercises to build the confidence and control needed for difficult road conditions.
- A few hints rather than a treatise on path racing, arguing that racing gives the rider pluck and muscular control and improves his health, setting a mile in about 2m. 40s. as the mark a tyro should reach before competing, and urging him to consult a doctor before training.
- Guides the buyer through the key components of a rear-driving safety bicycle—wheels, frame, tyres, and joints—advising what to look for in each.
- Continues the guide to machine construction, examining tyre fitting, frame tube joints, lugs, and the critical bottom bracket.
- Discusses chain gear cases and guards fitted to keep dust, mud and rain from the chain and to protect the rider's trousers, comparing Harrison Carter's oil-tight bath lubricator and guard with fixed and detachable metal cases and with leather, japanned fabric and celluloid guards.
- Describes the saddle and its spring, advising on choosing a spring suited to the rider's weight and free from lateral movement, and on the shape, fit and leather of the seat for comfort and to avoid pressure on the perineum, with notes on protecting the leather from wet.
- Sets out what a brake must be — instantly applicable, variable in effect, simple and reliable — and compares the spoon and band types and front- versus back-wheel fitting, tabulating the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- Reviews practical accessories including brake controls, toe clips, trouser clips, and other fittings for the safety bicycle.
- Recommends cycling road books and the forthcoming C.T.C. guide as indispensable aids to route planning for touring cyclists.
- Why a good machine costs what it does, and how to buy one: beware the agent offering an undue discount, judge a maker partly by his price list, treat testimonials cum grano and check their dates, and understand the terms of extended-purchase agreements.
- Advises on storage, cleaning, lubrication, and seasonal winter care to preserve nickel plating, rubber, and all moving parts.
- A reference table of cycle carrying rates and practical repair guidance for cyclists travelling by train or attending to roadside breakdowns.
- Advocates all-wool clothing as the cyclist's best defence against chill and dampness, and notes the passing of gaudy early cycling fashions.
- Argues that the rear-driving safety is well suited to women, citing medical endorsements and noting that inclines seem to trouble female riders less.
- Advises the novice to ride with several clubs before joining one, then describes the two great cycling institutions — the National Cyclists' Union, "the parliament of cyclists", and the Cyclists' Touring Club.
- Outlines the legal liability of cycle manufacturers for defective machines and the time limits for bringing actions against highway authorities.