PREFACE.

To the Cyclist who appreciates the advantage of understanding his wheel, its mechanism and its construction, for the same reason and because of the same interest felt by a horseman in his roadster, an engineer in his locomotive, or a yachtsman in his boat, the following pages can scarcely fail to be of interest and value.

Bicycles without number have been consigned to the scrap heap or discarded for new mounts, as the result of abuse and the lack of proper care, due solely to the ignorance of riders as to a wheel’s construction and requirements, while disappointments have resulted, in many instances, because the same lack of knowledge has prevented the wise selection of a well constructed and properly adjusted mount at the outset.

A bicycle can no more be expected to run smoothly without a proper adjustment of its parts and their maintenance in perfect running condition than can any other piece of machinery, and while the chain and chainless productions of 1898 are admirable for their simple mechanism, such points as the bearings and running gear require periodical inspection and attention to insure satisfactory service. This cannot be adequately given by a rider who has no conception as to the details of construction of his machine, and so it frequently happens that a bicycle sinks into an early grave because its rider persists in calling upon it for continued service, while utterly indifferent to its construction and requirements.

“Know thy wheel” is an excellent maxim for every rider to follow; for those who heed it the matter of emergency repair will be a simple thing, a smooth running wheel will be assured, the chance of accident reduced to the minimum, and the life of the machine extended throughout its fullest period. It is partly with a view to bringing about a better acquaintance between the average rider and his wheel that the following pages are presented.

To the bicycle manufacturer and to the repair man and dealer—who are frequently called upon for advice and service concerning any and all makes of wheels—to the student of cycle construction, and to the mechanical expert, the volume will scarcely fail to be regarded as a valuable reference book for many years to come.

The idea of presenting to riders—through the columns of “The Commercial Advertiser”—an illustrated description of the lines, parts and improvements of the bicycle for 1898 was conceived chiefly because of the absence during the winter of 1897-98 of a National Cycle Show. Just prior to the opening of preceding seasons tens of thousands of riders throughout the country were able to see at the annual shows, and at those held under the auspices of the various local cycle trade organizations, all that the maker had to offer in changes and improvements for the new year. This opportunity was also furthered by the columns of descriptive matter published by the daily press and cycle trade journals in their reports of these shows and their exhibits. Riders were to have none of these advantages for the season of 1898, however, and “The Commercial Advertiser” accordingly began the work of collecting and presenting the information which appeared in its columns in serial form during February, March and April of 1898, and which is now presented in this volume.

It is not claimed that all of the new features and changes evolved by the master mechanics of the cycle building industry have been embodied. It is believed, however, that none having an important bearing upon, or any way likely to cause material changes in, the methods of bicycle construction have been overlooked. Further than this, the gradual processes through which these changes and improvements have been evolved are shown throughout the periods of distinct advancement, also those of reversion, as they have followed, one upon the other, until the present state of the industry is reached, and its product set forth as the most advanced, from every standpoint, in the history of bicycle building.

Likewise the progress and improvement made in the manufacture of tires, saddles, lamps, bells, brakes, and the many other articles common to the well-equipped modern bicycle, have received careful attention, with the result that the work of presenting this amount of information to the readers of “The Commercial Advertiser” has, we believe, been as complete and thorough as it has been practicable to make it.

THE PUBLISHERS.

NAMES OF THE PARTS OF A BICYCLE.

1. Handles or grips.38. Rear mud guard.
2. Handle bar.39. Mud guard stays, arms or braces.
3. Handle bar stem.40. Front hub.
4. Fork crown.41. Rear, or back hub.
5. Fork side.42. Top head cup.
6. Lamp bracket.43. Bottom head cup.
7. Handle bar clamp, binder, or “pinch bind.” 44. Step.
8. Brake lever.45. Head lock-nut.
9. Brake joint and screw.46. Chain adjuster.
10. Brake rod or plunger.47. Pedals.
11. Brake collars and screws.48. Pedal end plate.
12. Brake tube.49. Pedal side plate.
13. Brake spoon.50. Pedal axle, or spindle, and centre tube.
14. Head.51. Head adjusting cone.
15. Upper, horizontal or top tube.52. Outside, or small, pedal nut.
16. Lower, head to bracket, tube.53. Inside, or large, pedal nut.
17. Seat mast, diagonal, or saddle-post tube.54. Saddle, seat or L post or pillar.
18. Rear or back stays.55. Arm or top piece of pillar.
19. Rear or back forks.56. Saddle.
20. Head lugs or connections.57. Saddle adjusting screw.
21. Saddle post frame—connection or cluster.58. Saddle spring.
22. Saddle post clamp or binder, bolt and nut.59. Saddle clamp or clip.
23. Rear or back fork-end.60. Brake spring.
24. Crank hanger or bottom bracket.61. Rear axle nut.
25. Chain—Humber or block pattern.62. Valves.
26. Rear or small sprocket or chain wheel.63. Hub oil cup.
27. Front, or large sprocket or chain wheel.64. Crank hanger, or bottom bracket, oil cup.
28. Crank axle, shaft or spindle.65. Sprocket wheel tooth.
29. Cranks.66. Braces, stays or bridges of rear frame.
30. Crank key, or cotter pin.67. Brake guide.
31. Front, or steering, wheel.68. Mud guard clip.
32. Rear, or driving, wheel.69. Coaster or foot rest.
33. Tires.70. Fork stem or neck tube.
34. Rims.71. Centre block of chain.
35. Spokes.72. Side plate.
36. Spoke nipples.73. Chain rivet.
37. Front mud guard.74. Front fork.

CHAPTER I.
EVOLUTION OF THE BICYCLE—1816 TO 1899.

“The nothing of the day is a machine called the Velocipede. It is a wheel carriage to ride cock-horse upon, sitting astride and pushing it along with the toes, a rudder wheel in the hand. They will go seven miles in an hour. A handsome ‘gelding’ will come to 8 guineas; however, they will soon be cheaper unless the army takes to them.”—Letter of John Keats to a friend, about 1818.

The future historian of cycledom will clearly note that 1898 was memorable for the reincarnation of the chainless; that the chain models were improved in quality and reduced in price, and that the trade did not hold a show, this being the first lapse since those events began in this country in 1890. Conservative old England, where shows were first held and the bicycle really began to succeed, has just closed her twenty-first or “coming-of-age” show in London, and the other large cities of the kingdom are, in their turn, pushing the show around the circuit as usual. America—progressive and enthusiastic—after less than one decade of it, exhausted itself for the time, and the National Board of Trade of Cycle Manufacturers decided to pass 1898, refusing to give sanction to either national or local exhibitions.

From the stand of the riding public much might be said on the affirmative side of the show question. The show brings under one roof all the new models and accessories for the coming year, affording ready means of comparisons, instructive, even if sometimes odious; maker and rider come together, and the latter especially, has opportunity to renew old friendships; the copious reports and illustrations in the daily and trade press arouse expectation in the cycling public, and undoubtedly make many new converts; the gap between riding seasons is bridged across “the winter of our discontent,” and things are kept on the move. Not denying aught of this, the makers reply that they are not in the amusement business; that this is a costly form of advertising directly, also delaying trade both by inducing buyers to wait to see it all and by tying up their representatives when they ought to be on the road visiting agents; that no other business has or needs such gatherings; and that shows were originally intended to bring together maker and dealer, not maker and rider.

Intelligent and impartial observers who have studied the question from both sides, say that all the trouble has come from the American habit of overdoing, and that the makers are to blame for deviation from the original idea, and for going into gorgeous competitions in electric lighting, costly furnishings and decorations and a prodigal waste of printed matter; that when aisles are packed and the week is a society event, the greatest thing in a show, the one chiefly cared for, and really about the only one that can be seen, is the show itself, the crowd itself being what the crowd attends; that the thing becomes a grab for “souvenirs” and a spectacular waste, instead of an exhibit of cycles and accessories to those who really want to see them.