Spalding's Official Bicycle Guide (1898)

Edited by S. A. Nelson189819 chapters77 images

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Contents

• The Year 1897 in Cycling (opens in a new tab)

  Reviews the 1897 American racing season, highlighting middle-distance match racing led by Jimmy Michael, the national championships and circuit, and the leading amateur and professional riders.
• Long Distance Riding and Methods (opens in a new tab)

  F. J. Titus explains the methods of long-distance racing, stressing the importance of skilled multi-cycle pacing and detailing how a rider should train for a record attempt.
• Training (opens in a new tab)

  Sets out the principles of training for general health and racing, with detailed rules on rising, bathing, diet, exercise and the avoidance of tobacco and alcohol.
• The Chainless Wheel (opens in a new tab)

  Describes the bevel-gear chainless bicycle, particularly the Spalding model, explaining its mechanism and arguing for its cleanliness, durability and ease of running over the chain-driven type.
• Enameling (opens in a new tab)

  Advises cyclists on touching up chipped or worn enamel on a machine, noting that original high-class enamel requires heat but several preparations answer for repairs.
• Learning to Ride (opens in a new tab)

  Gives the beginner instruction in learning to ride, recommending first lessons on a tandem under a guide so the novice can master pedalling, then steering and braking, before riding alone.
• Pedaling (opens in a new tab)

  Explains the difference between the novice's plunging stroke and the expert's continuous ankle motion, and how the proper saddle height and pedalling technique are acquired by practice.
• Distance (opens in a new tab)

  Counsels the rider on how far it is wise to travel, advising the absolute novice to limit early rides to a few miles to avoid stiffness and soreness.
• Hills (opens in a new tab)

  Offers practical advice on dealing with hills, both ascending and descending, which the beginner soon finds more challenging than level roads.
• Stiffness of the Limbs (opens in a new tab)

  Discusses the stiffness and soreness common to beginners and at the start of the season, recommending a warm bath and a rubbing-down with an embrocation as remedies.
• Food (opens in a new tab)

  Advises that the cyclist not in strict training may eat much as he pleases but should not eat too heavily, and recommends avoiding indigestible pastry before riding.
• What to Drink (opens in a new tab)

  Argues that the best cycling work is done on non-alcoholic drinks, warning that even mild alcoholic beverages leave the rider jaded, and that the less one drinks while riding the better.
• Hard and Soft Tires (opens in a new tab)

  Weighs the relative merits of hard and soft tires for speed and comfort and discusses how riders test and judge the proper degree of tire inflation.
• Cycling and Walking (opens in a new tab)

  Presents scientific experiments and reasoning to demonstrate that cycling is the easier of the two exercises, so that a trained rider can cover far greater distances than on foot.
• Lending to Friends (opens in a new tab)

  Cautions against lending one's machine, advising that the loan of a bicycle is a serious matter not to be granted unless the borrower is known to be fully competent.
• Advice to Lady Bicyclists (opens in a new tab)

  Addresses lady riders, noting that nearly all the manual's advice applies equally to them, and adds counsel on not riding too fast or far and choosing a suitable machine.
• Bicycling Hygienically Considered (opens in a new tab)

  Dr. Sanger Brown sounds a warning about the health dangers of an unsuitable seat or saddle, explaining the physiology of sitting and the harm that may result to the rider.
• The Form of Bicycle Saddles (opens in a new tab)

  Dr. G. Frank Lydston examines the pathological effects of cycling in relation to saddle form, addressing the genito-urinary disturbances that may arise from the practice.
• Bicycle Records (opens in a new tab)

  Presents tables of bicycle records compiled by Chas. W. Mears, listing world's competition records by distance with riders, tracks, dates and times.