Vol 2, No 16
Articles in this issue
- Full report of the Bath-to-London road trial, from the journey down and the half-crown sweep at the "White Lion" to the 7.30 start of twenty-six men at Cleveland Bridge, with times taken at Newbury, Reading and Maidenhead. A. H. Koch won on a 54-in. Humber in 8hrs. 57min. 55sec. from Arthur Herbert, P. Dalton and Theo. Godlee; sections on casualties (Colman's broken hind wheel, Butler's spill in Savernake Forest, Buckler fainting near Colnbrook), the state of the roads and the machines ridden follow.
- On 7 June all districts meet at the usual place and time for a run to be chosen by those present; on 14 June the meets are Lea Bridge Road and Syborn's Corner for Ingatestone, Jack Straw's Castle for Essendon, Kew Green for Slough via Thorney Mill, and Kingston and Croydon for Leatherhead. The Race Meeting is on 21 June and the W. district runs every Wednesday evening from Acton Church.
- M. D. Rucker, Jun. announces that the joint meet with the Dark Blue Bicycle Club is postponed: the Maidenhead road was in fearful condition on Monday and it rained through Tuesday, and the D.B.B.C. Captain agreed by telegram that a long ride for both clubs would leave them little time together. District runs go ahead from the usual starting places, destination by vote.
- The series reaches the "Carver" of James Carver, bobbin and lace-carriage maker of Alfred Street Mills, Nottingham, Humber-like in appearance, with a patented sliding dust cover over the Stanley head, a cross-barred spring on a swivel, hollow forks stiffened by an internal steel strip, and patented hollow spokes that occasionally snap at the brazed joint. Its weak point is the tyre; price from £13 10s. for a 48-inch.
- "Eavesdropper" celebrates Koch's jump from novice to front-rank roadster on a diet of a soup square and a half, two hard-boiled eggs and three pints, notes Godlee's total road expenses of twopence, and reports Alison at Reading as cheerful as Mark Tapley. The O'Reilly, who coached his son to a medal last year, was coached by the son this year and came in thirteen minutes too late for one.
- Members are reminded of the inter-club match at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The probable representatives are Wyndham, Thorn and Rucker for the mile; Wyndham, F. S. Colman and Herbert for four miles; and Thorn, Trollope and Cleaver for fifteen; admission to ground and grand stand 1s.
- J. Conyers Keynes answers "Rusticus" point by point: bicycling's changing scene and hills compensate for the excitement of field sports, and its pleasure is never bought by the suffering of fellow-creatures; its effort is steadier and more modifiable than cricket's; and it is no more weather-bound than the cricket ground or the river, with a longer season, cheap changes of air and an iron horse always at hand.
- "Urbanus" refuses "Rusticus's" pill, insisting the prejudice against bicyclists is very much alive, he heard three different people call the sport "bad form" in a single evening, and that riders will keep asserting its rank while so many under-rate it. The Editor appends a note that a little good-natured fizzing is not amiss, but that the less bicyclists "crack up" their pastime the readier the nicest people will be to acknowledge their claims.
- Norman B. Morris continues the tour from Lorient through Hennebont and Landevant to Auray and Carnac, where 200 gamins nearly mobbed the party and the menhirs and galleried dolmens of Plouharnel were examined, then on by Vannes, Elven and the Lande de Lanvaux to Ploermel, Rennes and Dol. He warns against the exorbitant "Hotel des Voyageurs" at Carnac and finds the "Grand Hotel" at Rennes decidedly dear.
- Dated list from the L.B.C. v. Cambridge University match at Stamford Bridge on 10 June to the Lombard and Wanderers meetings on 19 July, taking in the Kingston B.C. races at Surbiton, the L.B.C. Race Meeting on 21 June and the Bicycle Union Championships at 1, 5, 25 and 50 miles.
- Letters replying to "Whoa's" brake article of the previous number, from C. R. Hutchings and from "Emma," followed by a short mathematical squib on the Keith-Falconer/Keen two-mile verdict.
- C. R. Hutchings explains that his strap-brake mishap came not from grit but from an eight-to-one lever that was simply too powerful; with a six-to-one lever he has descended Reigate and Marlborough hills on the brake alone for two years. "Emma" adds that a concave roller on any front-wheel brake can jam with sand or grit when hard on downhill, with the fate of the late Honorary Secretary as warning.
- A squib pointing out that if Keith-Falconer's published two-mile time of 5min. 36¾sec. and Keen's 5min. 37sec. really represent a three-inch verdict, then Keen covered those three inches at the rate of a mile in 2 hours 20 min. 48 sec.