The Bicycling World, Vol 9, No 20
Articles in this issue
- Editorial arguing that the carrier tricycle is ready for widespread commercial use in America, citing English and French precedents such as London newspaper deliveries, a Horsham baker's tricycle, and the replacement of Bath chairs by Coventry-made conveyances. The editors urge American businesses to adopt tricycles for freight and delivery work.
- Editorial notes cover the defense of S. Sellers's mile world record set at Hartford, praise for Eliot Norton's emergence as a top amateur, lament at the disbanding of the Boston Ramblers, and a preview of the C.T.C. autumn Wheel Around the Hub run. The editors also criticise the League's official handicapper as unqualified.
- Correspondence from B.B.A. on Illinois cycling affairs: amateur violations by riders who compete for cash prizes at country fairs, a contentious debate over whether Chicago's clubs should share a grand clubhouse, lamp laws on the west-side boulevards, and Van Sicklen's racing dominance (reportedly winning seven medals a week).
- Abm. G. Powell of Philadelphia describes building a home-made convertible tandem tricycle by attaching a trailing rear frame with pipe axle to a standard Victor single; tests showed it climbed 1-in-11 grades satisfactorily and steered reliably with a rubber-band stabiliser on the front bar.
- Humorous account by "Skinny Variety" of a 27-man wheelman tour from Boston through Maine to the Kennebec River, 29 July–6 August 1884, taking in dances at Augusta and Skowhegan, fireworks, a pillow fight, Moxie Falls, and the sandy roads that forced riders to push their machines.
- Miscellaneous notes include the Indiana Division's meet at Indianapolis on 1 October, Prof. Harry W. Tofts's clandestine marriage (revealed to the cycling community), a reminder of the 100-mile road race on 4 October, a tribute to the World from the Hamilton Spectator, and the Star Drill Squad's performance at the opening of the G.A.R. Rink in Lynn.
- Poem by Ninon Neckar, the third in the series "Cycling Songs of Sundry Places," evoking a moonlit evening ride along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, with reflections on the quiet road and the pleasure of the wheel.
- Practical advice for new cyclists on caring for nickelled machines (wiping dry each evening), carrying tire cement and twine for road repairs, using only best-quality oil, straightening bent handlebars and cranks on the road, and the etiquette of yielding to horse teams on country roads.
- Results from Toronto (6 September), Rochester NY (4 September), Pittsfield MA (9 September), and Brooklyn (6 September), plus the full prize list for the upcoming Union Athletic grounds tournament in Boston (25–27 September), with prizes supplied by the Meriden Britannia Company.
- The Boston Ramblers vote to disband and consolidate with the Massachusetts Bicycle Club (7 dissenting votes only), after the president cited failure to raise funds for a clubhouse; the Star Bicycle Club of Lynn held a supper at Nahant; and Atlanta Bicycle Club officers are listed.
- Brief editorial replies to readers on machine comparisons, threats from the waste-basket correspondent, and a test report on the Pony Star.
- Race calendar listing the Springfield two-day meet, the Wheel Around the Hub, the New Haven Tournament, Troy, Brooklyn championships, the 100-mile road race on 4 October, Northampton, Scranton, and the Cleveland meet.