The Cycle Age and Trade Review, Vol 21, No 39
Articles in this issue
- A Cleveland parts manufacturer described a small builder who kept careful accounts only to discover his entire output of forty bicycles had earned him eight dollars profit, attributing the failure to insufficient working capital that forced him to tolerate idle time among hired assemblers.
- A Buffalo department store selling a high-grade make as shop-worn at $35 and $45, well below the established $50-$75 price, triggered retaliatory cuts by other local dealers, while accidents from broken bicycle forks continued to generate public concern and press calls for regulation.
- A Canadian government trade report analyzed Canada's overwhelming preference for American over British bicycles, attributing it to American makers' ability to supply attractive, nickel-trimmed machines at $35 to $50 suited to a market where cycling was practical only six months a year.
- The directors of the National Board of Trade of Cycle Manufacturers convened to discuss the timing and location of the next trade convention, with production levels, price schedules, and industry organization on the agenda.
- Kokomo Rubber Co. announced a price increase of 25 to 50 cents per tire effective August 20, citing rapid rises in raw rubber costs, with Goodrich and other tire makers expected to follow suit.
- The League of American Wheelmen annual meet at Indianapolis functioned as an informal trade reunion, with parts makers, tire men, and saddle company representatives attending nominally for the racing but actually to exchange business ideas and place preliminary orders.
- The consequences for dealers who sold cheapest-grade bicycles were illustrated through an auction incident, while the case for quality steel in bearing cups and cones was made on the grounds that repair costs and customer complaints from inferior materials erased any original savings from cheap construction.
- The editorial argued that the industry's trend toward undersized frames, low-dropped hangers, and thirty-inch wheels was directly connected to the wave of broken fork stems and steering heads causing accidents, and called for standardizing longer steering heads as a safety measure.
- Additional revelations from the Hooley bankruptcy proceedings described the systematic use of cash payments to newspaper editors and titled company directors to inflate share prices, with London commentators predicting a wave of similar investigations into cycle company flotations.
- A continuing series on repair shop profitability examined labor scheduling, the economics of flat-rate versus time-charge billing, and the best approaches to pricing summer tire repair work during the peak season rush.
- New bicycle patents included Dr. Roman's acquisition of American rights to a European device, a novel milling machine attachment for wheel work, and a French spring axle bearing design that incorporated a tilting handlebar for steering control.
- A Paris motor-cab trials competition was described, in which one petroleum-powered cab competed against eleven electric vehicles, with the gas-driven cab judged superior in endurance and hill-climbing while the electrics showed smoother performance in level city streets.
- The Keeler Mfg. Co. of New Albany, Pennsylvania introduced a flexible coupler that joined two standard bicycles side by side into a steerable quadricycle, with the device described as suited to dealers seeking novel sideline merchandise.
- Race results and cycling news from across the country were compiled for the week preceding the Indianapolis national championship meet, covering track events, club news, and riders' preparations for the season's most important competition.
- After the Indianapolis national championship meet, the updated LAW championship points table placed E. C. Bald first and Major Taylor second, with the Indianapolis results having substantially reshuffled the standings among the season's leading riders.
- The nineteenth annual LAW national championship meet in Indianapolis was reviewed in detail, covering individual race outcomes across all championship distances, the riders who divided the titles between them, and the new records set during the competition.
- F. F. McDuffee defeated Taylore in a race match, with Taylore's performance badly undermined by a series of mechanical failures and crash incidents throughout the event.