The Cycle Age And Trade Review, Vol 21, No 35
Articles in this issue
- p. 1
A New Zealand correspondent reported that despite a current glut of imported American and English bicycles, the growing sport-loving Australasian population was expected to sustain a steady market, while cemeted single-tube tires remained unpopular because riders could not repair them without English instructions.
- p. 1
A New Zealand inventor claimed to have developed a chemical treatment that could quadruple the durability of pneumatic tire rubber without removing the tires from the rims, and the process was reported to be attracting serious attention from the local trade.
- p. 1
Cleveland cycle material makers were receiving early orders for 1899 parts at levels never seen so early in the year, with manufacturers placing specifications for three-crown frames, one-piece forks, and taper-gauge tubing before the current season had even ended.
- Preparation for World's Commerce: Austria's Export Academy
Austria-Hungary announced the opening of a commercial export academy in Vienna to train young Austrians to represent their country's business abroad with full command of foreign languages, offered as a model for how American firms might better prepare export representatives.
- Pearls Are Enjoined in Patent Action
A successful injunction was obtained against a manufacturer producing pearl handlebar grips alleged to infringe an existing design patent, adding to the season's roster of patent enforcement actions across bicycle components.
- p. 3
The editorial argued that excessive and often groundless patent suits were doing serious harm to the trade by imposing legal costs on legitimate manufacturers and discouraging the investment in improved designs that the industry needed.
- Call for Taper-Gauge Tubing Grows
Shelby Steel Tube Co. and Cleveland suppliers reported surging advance orders for taper-gauge frame tubing for 1899 models, as manufacturers sought to reduce weight without sacrificing stiffness in an increasingly competitive market.
- p. 14
The ongoing shift by parts suppliers toward cash-only terms was examined, with analysis of how the tightening of credit was accelerating the exit of undercapitalized small builders while strengthening the position of established manufacturers.