Vol 4, No 20
Cite this issue
Citation
The Wheel World 4, no. 20 (1881). cyclearchive.com, https://cyclearchive.com/magazines/the-wheel-world/vol4-20/
Page numbers are pages of the PDF, which can differ from the numbers printed on the page.
Articles in this issue
- An editorial examining the troubling decline of once-prominent cycling clubs, questioning the causes of stagnation and membership loss.
- A practical article by "Observer" of the L.B.C. and B.T.C. arguing that understanding road surfaces and terrain through geological knowledge is essential preparation for any cycling tour.
- A humorous narrative by "Jarge" recounting a tricycle cruise undertaken as light exercise after he was injured in a collision with a fallen hoarding during an October gale.
- The fourth instalment of Harry J. Swindley's serialised romantic cycling narrative, resuming events after a two-year gap and moving towards the story's resolution.
- A reflective poem addressed to the author's bicycle, recounting shared miles of spring rides, summer tours, encounters with dogs and rough roads, and moonlit evenings.
- The magazine's regular editorial column surveying current cycling affairs, commenting on club life, the growth of the sport, and the defection of once-keen riders.
- A profile of W. E. N. Coston, the all-round Southern athlete who holds the Hampshire Amateur Championship in both walking and bicycling, having taken up the latter sport in 1876.
- A comic dramatic sketch set at a cycling club committee meeting in the private room of the Superb Hotel, Dirthampton, satirising the foibles of club administration.
- A short lyrical poem describing a joyful solo ride out of London through sunlit valleys and villages, with birdsong overhead and a cheerful return home.
- A touring narrative recounting an extended bicycle journey through Central Europe, forming part of the magazine's regular column of notable long-distance rides.
- A cycling tour account describing a ride through Brittany from St. Hilaire towards Caen, taken advantage of the August 15th French holiday.
- Notes from a Melbourne subscriber describing cycling conditions and records in the colony, including an authenticated 104-mile Melbourne-to-Kyneton-and-back record.
- A playful poem narrating a dawn elopement by bicycle, with the rider and his "dark-haired darling" slipping away from the orchard while family sleeps.
- A legal commentary examining the complex and often inconsistent body of statute and case law that governs cyclists on public roads.
- A round-up of recent court cases involving cyclists, including a claim for damages against a reckless brewery drayman whose victim was ultimately denied relief by the County Court judge.
- The Irish correspondent's column, raising questions about an unpaid race prize and offering commentary on local cycling club affairs.
- A compiled listing of recent patent applications and grants relating to velocipedes, brakes, and bicycle components, compiled by Hart & Co., Patent Agents.