The Wheelmen's Gazette, Vol 1, No 5
Articles in this issue
- A humorous telephone exchange advertises the Rudge Racer ahead of the Springfield races, with a rider confident of winning medals on his new machine.
- The Coolby Hotel near Union Depot in Springfield, Massachusetts advertises first-class accommodation at daily rates for visiting cyclists attending the races.
- George W. Rouse and Son in Peoria, Illinois advertise cycles on instalment plans and promote their newly illustrated catalogue featuring a pilgrim cycling narrative.
- William Read and Sons advertise unabated demand for the Royal Mail, its ball-bearing head, grip-fast rim and tire, and interchangeable parts, reprinting a Cyclist testimonial by Henry Sturmey on the rim's cementless tire fastening.
- A detailed account of the Rudge Humber Tandem traces its origins through the Humber, Marriott and Cooper partnership, explains the split that created the Beeston and Rudge Humber variants, and describes the machine's ease of handling and popularity in England and America.
- Stoddard, Lovering and Co. describe three key improvements to the Rudge Humber Tandem for 1886 — a double-lever brake, an adjustable semi-circular handle-bar, and a detachable brace to prevent chain loosening.
- S. T. Clark and Co. of Baltimore advertise their bicycle as the handsomest, strongest, and highest-grade machine yet produced, inviting readers to send for a catalogue.
- A poem by T. W. E. imagines a bell atop Hampden Park tolling an invitation to wheelmen everywhere to come to Springfield's September 14-17 tournament.
- The editor dismisses Chief Consul Aaron's jab at a misprinted Associated Press figure claiming the Connecticut Bicycle Club withdrew 1,400 members from the League, noting the club's genuine membership and growing L.A.W. loyalty.
- An editorial mocks English critic G. Lacy Hillier's Bicycling News attack alleging Springfield's 1885 prize cups were cheap Britannia metal, calling his campaign against the Springfield tournament ridiculous and self-contradictory.
- Defends the Connecticut and Springfield clubs against charges of being mere money-making organizations, arguing their profitable tournaments have benefited American cycling broadly.
- A Connecticut Bicycle Club member reviews the club's recent history — its 1885 tournament, the new Hartford Wheel Club, the L.A.W. election, tandem fever, and short-crank riding — and previews the club's September 8-9 tournament under A.C.U. rules.
- A Paris correspondent reports on French racing progress compared to Germany, an exhibition tour by De Civry, Duncan, and Dubois, a new Truffault 'Sphinx' safety with multiplying gear hub, and the French national championship won by H. O. Duncan.
- 'Faed' describes the North Road Cycling Club's windy 50-mile road race won by a tandem tricycle, a fraudulent advertising claim by the 'Premier' tandem's makers, G. P. Mills's end-to-end record ride, and National Cyclists' Union championship results.
- P. C. Darrow begins a serialized account of his solo bicycle tour home from the Boston L.A.W. meet, describing a Star-machine acrobat collision in Boston, a lost luggage carrier, and increasingly sandy, hilly Rhode Island roads that force him to walk long stretches before reaching Hartford.
- The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford advertises accident policies covering bicycle riders for $5 a year per $1,000 of insurance, alongside a life policy described as the best and cheapest in the world.
- Freeman Lillibridge of Rockford, Illinois advertises his saddle as the only one adjustable in length, height, and width, with a bifurcated seat and coasting plate, fitting Safeties and the Star.
- A full prize list for the Connecticut Bicycle Club's September 8-9 tournament at Charter Oak Park, Hartford, listing amateur, promateur, and professional bicycle and tricycle races with prizes from gold medals to cash purses.
- Philadelphia correspondent 'Chris' discusses excitement over the coming Hartford, Springfield, and Lynn tournaments, the new Association for the Advancement of Cycling's membership drive, and a dispute over tolls on a poorly maintained stretch of Lancaster Pike.
- 'President Bates' argues from the spectator's perspective that makers', dealers', and club amateurs produce the fast 'fliers' the paying public wants to see, and that banning them would empty the grandstands at Springfield and other tournaments.
- Reports on Outing correspondent James Ricalton's low-budget round-the-world travels, the Orange Wanderers' ten-mile road race for the Hudson-Essex-Union counties championship won by Baird, and the Atalanta Wheelmen's resignation from the L.A.W. to join the A.C.U.
- A column of short items on the L.A.W.-A.C.U. rift, including G. Lacy Hillier's renewed attacks on Springfield, Ducker's dispute with President Beckwith over his removal as chief consul, Fred Cook's reinstatement as an amateur, and race and record roundups.
- Reports on club and racing news around Brooklyn, including the New Orleans tourists' thank-you letter to League clubs, a Victorian Cyclists' Union professionalism dispute, and correspondence on Dr. Beckwith's removal of Henry Ducker as chief consul.
- Correspondent 'Stamson' reports local Stamford, Connecticut cycling gossip, including new Facile riders, a boating mishap, and jokes about club members' riding habits.
- A Brooklyn correspondent describes repaved streets benefiting cyclists, the new Prospect Bicycle Club, and a farcical horse-versus-bicycle race at the Nassau Athletic Club's grounds that drew a poor crowd.
- Starley and Sutton of Coventry advertise the Rover safety bicycle's road records, including fifty miles in 3 hours 5 minutes and ten miles in 29 minutes.
- Professional champion R. Howell fractured his collar-bone and suffered concussion symptoms after crashing into a boundary post while training at the Belgrave Road Grounds, jeopardizing his hoped-for trip to compete at Springfield.
- Announces the Berkshire County Wheelmen's two-day tournament at Pittsfield on September 10-11, listing the amateur, professional, and invitation races planned for each day.
- Describes the New Jersey Cycling and Athletic Association's new three-lap track at Roseville Station, Newark, modeled on Springfield, and previews its first tournament on September 30 and October 1-2 under A.C.U. rules.
- Promotes the Lynn Cycle Track Association's fall tournament, describing the newly improved third-of-a-mile track, the city's tourist attractions, and its record of hosting fast racing including Wm. A. Rowe's world ten-mile record.
- Traces the Springfield Bicycle Club's history from its 1880 founding to its newly renovated and lavishly decorated club rooms in the Parsons block, describing the parlor, assembly room, and billiard room furnishings in detail.
- Lists newly elected officers for clubs including the Bay City Wheelmen, Berkshire County Wheelmen, Crescent City Cycling Club, District Wheelmen, Los Angeles Wheelmen, Massillon Wheel Club, Meriden Wheel Club, and several others.
- Detailed results from the Detroit Bicycle Club's June 24 race meeting, including novice, amateur, and Michigan division championship events with times and placings.
- A calendar of race meetings and tournaments for August and September 1886, including Williamsport, Scranton, Cleveland, Millville, Troy, Buffalo, and the Ohio division meet, culminating in the Hartford tournament.
- Reprints an English Wheeling editorial urging the National Cyclists' Union to recognize the American Cyclists' Union's three-class system and let British racers compete at Springfield, arguing the makers' amateur issue is unavoidable on both sides of the Atlantic.
- Profiles the New Zealand amateur champion undertaking a 16,000-mile journey to compete at the Springfield tournament, describing his earlier 600-mile tour across New Zealand's North Island.