The Bicycling World, Vol 3, No 2
Articles in this issue
- Opening editorial column including a humorous story about a 'Masher' who laughed at a Boston cyclist's header into a gutter and was himself silenced, and a note on growing public demand for seats at Music Hall for the May 30 League Meet evening entertainment.
- Editorial arguing that wheelmen should defend their rights assertively rather than submissively — citing a Boston riding teacher who tried to horse into a group of cyclists, a LAW consul injured by a dog bite, and another whose arm was fractured when a vicious dog threw him from his machine.
- Continued review and compilation from Henry Sturmey's new tricycle handbook, classifying machines into eight types by steering and driving arrangements, and noting that among the 99 models catalogued there are 6 centre drivers, 29 double drivers, and 64 single drivers.
- Humorous satirical sketch by 'Launcelot' imagining the League of American Wheelmen's Boston parade: the 'ancient and honorable Bostons' in varied uniform colors like a 'well-stamped cigar box,' the Washington Capital Club riding with feet off the pedals, the League unattached collapsing into 'a mountain of spokes, handles, rims, and profanity,' and a clown division that wabbles, wriggles, and soars majestically into space.
- A cyclist starts from the Battery at 9 a.m., takes the ferry to Vanderbilt's Landing, and rides south to Fort Wadsworth on 1.5 miles of macadam (one-third good riding), then west along the south shore, reporting on road quality and gradients at West Brighton and Tottenville.
- Analysis of the legal and commercial status of bicycle import duties following Ex-Attorney-General Devens's reduction from 50 per cent to 35 per cent, and what this means for the price of English machines in the American market.
- Official notice to League members about regulations or rights relevant to the upcoming May 30 Meet, likely covering road-use rulings, hotel arrangements, or specific LAW by-law changes affecting visiting wheelmen.
- Preview article on the forthcoming L.A.W. parade on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 30 May 1881, with details of divisional assignments, badge colors for commanders and marshals, and railroad companies offering free bicycle transport for the occasion.
- Brief notes from Cleveland, Canandaigua, Burlington, Montreal, and Roxbury bicycle clubs, covering new memberships, planned excursions, and preparations for the League Meet.
- Letters column including Milwaukee Notes: reports from the Milwaukee Bicycle Club on spring road conditions, new members, and plans for the coming riding season.
- Chicago club digest covering the Chicago Bicycle Club's spring preparations, recently elected officers, proposed race events for the summer season, and notes on road improvements around the city.