The Bicycling World, Vol 2, No 7
Articles in this issue
- Christmas editorial column by 'Rad.' with humorous commentary on the bicycle as a holiday gift, cold-weather riding in New England, and squibs on new Pope Manufacturing models and a Boston club member who attempted to ride to church on Christmas morning.
- Sentimental holiday poem addressed to the writer's bicycle, cataloguing shared adventures and spills across 1880 and pledging loyalty through the new year's ice and mud.
- Editorial survey of American racing venues for 1881, comparing Charles River Park, Beacon Park, and New York circuits and calling for purpose-built tracks with smooth clay surfaces and properly banked turns.
- Letter from a professional man arguing that the bicycle serves hard-working office workers as efficient daily transport rather than mere sport, and urging cyclists not to condescend to practical commuters who ride for utility.
- Narrative account of a two-day bicycle excursion from Paris north to Calais and by ferry to London, describing cobblestone roads north of Paris, the mixed reception from French villagers, and the contrast with smooth English roads near Dover.
- Account of the Capitol Bicycle Club's Thanksgiving run from Washington, D.C., to Marlboro', Maryland, and back — a 72-mile round trip in cold and muddy conditions — with riders' times and a note on the club's subsequent charity dinner.
- Monthly digest of Chicago Bicycle Club affairs: election of officers for 1881, membership at forty-two, proposals for an indoor riding hall, and plans for a racing programme beginning in May.
- Letters to the editor: F.A. Jackson of New Haven on the best bicycle-lamp oil formula; James Dwight on the Beacon Park cinder track surface; E.F. Woodcock of Lansing coining nicknames for cyclists; G. Herbert Ide correcting the pronunciation of 'Claremont'; 'Jennie' replying to Madeline's account of watching Boston riders.
- 'Knick O'Bocker' on the New York Bicycle Club's Christmas social, the Mercury Club's gymnasium practice nights, Miss Elsa Von Blumen's rolling-rink exhibitions in Rochester, J.S. Dean's challenge ride, and holiday club gossip.
- Reprinted from the New York Sun: account of the Boston Bicycle Club's 1880 English tour, describing smooth roads from London to Bath, encounters with the Bicycle Touring Club, comparisons of English and American road conditions, and the tour's final banquet.