The Bicycling World, Vol 12, No 11
Articles in this issue
- Overman Wheel Company promotes the Victor as an easier hill climber, faster coaster, and stronger for its weight than any other machine, noting it is most ridden by old and experienced riders.
- E.C. Hodges and Co. at 8 Pemberton Square list a full page of cycling books and periodicals available by mail, including Health upon Wheels by Dr. Gordon Stables, Cortis on Training, Cycling for Ladies, Club Songs, Guide to Bicycling, Road Book of Boston, and the American Bicycling Journal.
- Stoddard, Lovering and Co. promote the Leaping Saddle as the leading saddle for 1886, made from single-thickness English leather with tension screws and india-rubber buffer; accompanied by notices for the Springfield Wheelman's Gazette, the Missing Link bicycle lock, Montreal winter sporting goods, and short classified cycling accessories listings.
- Classified notices offer a Victor Tricycle in perfect repair at $78 and a Columbia Three-Track at $100, alongside a standing offer to purchase any second-hand bicycles, tricycles, and parts for spot cash.
- The Bicycling World offers its bound volume set at two dollars each with Volumes I through XI available (Volume II already out of print), alongside subscription rates and local single-copy sale points in Boston, New York, and other cities.
- A notice warns clubs and rink owners against an entertainer named Moulthrop, who falsely claimed his show was under the auspices of the Springfield Bicycle Club; club manager Henry E. Ducker states the club was never consulted and the use of its name constitutes a base fraud.
- A correspondent defends professional bicycle riders against criticism in the L.A.W. Bulletin, arguing that riding in skating rinks for purses is not gulling the public; a further note reports an upcoming race at the Institute rink involving professionals including Hanlan, Teemer, Wallace Ross, Hosmer, and Gaudaur.
- W.B. Everett and Co. announce that L.D. Hunger of Detroit broke the American twenty-four hour record on 20 and 21 November, covering 259½ miles on a single 57-inch Singer machine weighing 34 pounds without breaking a backbone or buckling a wheel.
- A technical note reprinted from Wheel World describes a handlebar design secured by a squeeze-joint and lock nut that allows the bar to be completely removed in moments, saving space when storing a bicycle against a wall and deterring theft when leaving the machine temporarily.
- The illustrated Peculiar Patents series continues, presenting five numbered drawings of impractical and eccentric velocipede patent designs from the archive, with brief commentary on their mechanical failings.
- Brief paragraphs report that 'gone over to the United States' is the English phrase for a wheelmen getting married; note strong sales of Health Upon Wheels; mention the Chicago Track Association settling its tournament debt; and report an accident to Van Sicklen of Chicago.
- Short notes report that a race in England saw a rider carry and drag his damaged machine to the finish and win the prize; update on John S. Prince's partnership with fancy skater R.J. Aginton for tours to California and Australia; and explain why there are two legitimate Genuine Humber bicycle firms after their original partnership divided.
- A poem in several stanzas describes the drama of a bicycle race from the first-person perspective, recounting riding tactics, crowd roaring, and the moment a rival named Lea crashes out and is carried off, leaving the narrator to press on.
- Reports cover the annual supper of a Utica wheel club on 9 January 1886, with toasts to guests including L.A.W. representative Charles H. Metz, and the semi-annual meeting of the Knockabout Wheel Club of South Gardner, Massachusetts, at which J. Myron Moore was elected president.