VARIOUS MAKES OF WOOD RIMS.
Another popular rim is called the Winona. The process of making the Winona rim is as follows: There is about six inches difference in the circumference between the inside and outside of the rough rim. The bars being straight before they are bent, it is obvious the inside must stretch or the outside upset. The process used prevents stretching of the outside fibre of the rim, and actually upsets the outside as well as the inside, thereby interlocking the entire fibre and doubling its original strength. They use a plain beveled dovetail joint. They also make a laminated rim, and what they call a screwed rim. This rim has screws at stated intervals running crosswise of the rim, coming just under the seat of the groove, as the greatest strain on the rims is caused by the spokes, which sometimes result in splitting the rim. They have undertaken to overcome this, or, rather, to strengthen the rim by putting in these screws. The illustration shows a sectional end view of the rim and the manner of inserting the screw from side to side. The Winona rims are made of butt cuts, and they use what is known as a second cut rock elm only for their rims. Rock elm has dark streaks running through and is dark in color, differing, therefore, from second growth white ash, which is very light in color.
A well known wood rim is that known as the [Plymouth], which consists of a single piece of rock elm bent, jointed and turned on a lathe. The joint in the Plymouth rim is so constructed that the ends come together square across. It consists of a series of tongues and grooves interlocking, the tension of the spokes making them tighter instead of straining them apart. One of the special features of the Plymouth rim is the fact that the spoke holes are eyeletted and are thus made waterproof. The illustration shows their reinforced joint.
The [Kundtz] is known as a double reinforced rim. It requires two rims to make one, and the manner of cementing one rim into the other, with a section of thin wood between them, which has its grain running crosswise to the two main sections, as shown in the illustration, produces one of the strongest wood rims made. Another improvement in this make is the fact that its glued joints are not exposed to the weather, which has been considered a detriment in building up rims of the old style.
One of the most popular rims is that which is known as the Fairbanks-Boston. A laminated wood rim is one, as is now quite generally known, formed of curvilinear maple segments, indissolubly cemented into perfect unity under enormous hydraulic pressure, which, because of this principle of jointure, remains perfectly true both laterally and in periphery, while the transverse grains of the adjoining segments or laminæ absolutely prevent splitting along the line of spokes in the impact of collision or shock. The fact that no single joint extends through the rim effectually overcomes any tendency to break off in any direction or manner. The makers use three curvilinear segments of Pennsylvania rock maple. Each segment is planed on both sides to a thickness of mathematical exactness throughout the entire length, thus insuring absolute unbroken contact when cementing to the adjoining segments.
The overlapping ends of each segment are by special machinery then “scarfed” to feather edges, obtaining laps equal in length tapering on an angle which experience has proven correct. By this process of bending the rims do not require steaming, which disintegrates the fibre of the wood, and in cementing the joints the three laps are placed at points of the circumference of equal distance apart, rendering the tensile strength absolutely uniform in all parts. In compressing the segments of the rim together hydraulic pressure is applied to the periphery of the rim after the application of the cement. An enormous pressure is applied equally at all circumferential points, and it is maintained until the cement has completely solidified the three independent segments into the form of a permanent circle. They also make what is known as a covered laminated rim, the enveloping fabric, which is a special quality of pure Irish linen, fitted exactly on the rim and secured permanently with liquid cement, and it is estimated that enclosing the rim in this manner imparts at least 30 per cent. to its strength, with a corresponding increase in is resiliency, and these rims are therefore recommended in damp climates, and for use on tandems and other multicycles. All the makers furnish their rims in a natural varnish, and also stained in imitation of rosewood and other woods, and many of the makers in addition to this furnish the rims painted and striped in different colors, in many instances matching the colors of the enamels used on the frames.
At the ’96 Cycle Show papier-maché rims were shown, for which great claims were made and a great deal expected, but none of the well-known manufacturers adopted them, and the company that brought them out has since gone out of existence. Trials within the knowledge of the writers proved that these rims as made then were not practical.
CHAPTER VIII.
EVOLUTION OF THE TIRE.
At all times through the history of the art of cycle construction distinct efforts were made to decrease the vibration and to increase the velocity, and none of these efforts were successful with the exception of the pneumatic tire.
Indeed the pneumatic tire has been well described as being “the great marvel of bicycle making, both literally and figuratively, and the foundation upon which the modern bicycle rests.”
Spring forks, spring frames and springy saddles were at one bound replaced by it. Invented late in 1888 by John Dunlop, a veterinary surgeon of Belfast, Ireland, it was tested quietly for nearly a year in and around Belfast before being launched on the British and foreign cycle markets, and its success in 1889 and ’90 was so remarkable that it was regarded as the distinctive feature of the decade. The first pneumatic tires were received in this country in the fall of 1889 on some English bicycles. They were placed on a flat steel rim, were about 2 inches in diameter, and the outer shoe or cover had a heavy, thickened tread, and was fastened to the rim by two canvas flaps, which were slit to pass the spokes, thus completely enveloping the rim. The inner tube was a very heavy one, not nearly so resilient as those in use at the present time. The great features of this tire were, however, its strength and its non-liability to puncture. Its chief objections were its great cost, its enormous weight, and the difficulty to repair when once punctured. It was almost a day’s work to soften with naphtha the cemented flaps, remove them carefully from the rim, withdraw the inner tube from its enveloping tube of seamless constricted canvas which enveloped it to repair the puncture and to replace the tube and to recement the flaps to the rim. This type of tire is, however, now extinct, save that Dunlop’s fundamental idea of the pneumatic tire still prevails with modifications only in methods of attachment, material and details of construction. The advantages which the pneumatic tire possesses are so many and so well known that it is not here necessary, however, to enumerate them. Comfort to the rider is, of course, its greatest point. Vibration is intercepted at the best possible point, namely at the point of contact between the tire and the ground, and thus the vibration is not distributed through the entire structure of the bicycle, the air cushion of the tire being really a spring which is always ready for use, and which works without rubbing surfaces. When an obstruction is encountered it sinks into the tire and the bicycle rides over it without vibration or jolt being communicated to the rider. Its next great point of advantage is of course its speed. The invention of the Dunlop, or inner, tube tire in England, was followed in England by the invention of a type of tire known familiarly here as the hosepipe tire. The hosepipe or single tube tire was first suggested and fully described by I. W. Boothroyd of London, England, in a letter to the Cyclist in 1890. He did not, however, patent the tire, and he has, unfortunately, no pecuniary interest whatever in the single tube tire. The old [Draisene], the wooden and iron “[Boneshakers]” or velocipedes all had iron tires on wooden rims. The Phantom, an English production, was the first bicycle put upon the market that had wooden rims and rubber tires. Its rubber tires, however, were nailed on. When the [ordinary] came into vogue, U and V shaped steel rims were used. These were usually made solid, although some of the makers made them hollow. Into these rims solid rubber tires were cemented, and a few of the English makers had an arrangement for fixing them in mechanically, with corrugated wires. They averaged ⅞ and 1 inch in size and were very comfortable riding, although they were somewhat heavy. Between 1876 and 1882 there was a tendency to decrease the thickness of the rubber tire and a perfect fad ensued for thin tires. This, however, like other fads in bicycle construction did not last very long, and a few years later there was a distinct tendency to return to tires of a larger diameter. Shortly after the safety bicycle was introduced in this country the cushion tire was invented. This was usually a large round rubber tire, which was moulded with a core in the centre and which, when withdrawn, left a hole varying in size from ¼ to ⅜ of an inch, according to the size of the core. The ends were then lapped and then vulcanized together, forming a complete circle and having an unpuncturable air cushion of small diameter. The objections to this style of tire were its weight and cost. It was, of course, superior to the solid tire, but greatly inferior to the pneumatic tire in every way, and, coming, as it did, into existence at about the same time that the pneumatic tire did, of course, it did not survive. One of the most popular American cushion tires at that time was the Victor. They used a hollow rim and the tire was a simple arch of rubber extending from edge to edge of the rim. Its side walls were held against spreading by side flanges having rounded edges, and which the tire covered and protected. The base of the tire rested upon a horizontal rim bed, and which added greatly in giving lateral stiffness to the tire and strength to the hollow rim. Like the pneumatic tire, this tire displaced inwardly under pressure, and the movement of the rubber was, therefore, wholly radial, which accounted for the great elasticity of the Victor cushion tire. These tires were not, however, cemented to the rim or stretched over the rim, but were compressed to the rim by a peculiar process of their own, and it was almost impossible to pull a Victor tire from the rim. In 1890 T. B. Jeffery of the Gormully & Jeffery Manufacturing Company of Chicago, who had invented a detachable tire in the days of the use of the solid tire, conceived the idea of applying his previous ideas in regard to detachable tires to the pneumatic tire, and the result was the invention of the G. & J. tire with a corrugated tread. From year to year it has been improved in detail, always retaining the corrugations, the number of which is changed annually to indicate the year of manufacture, but the principle of the tire remains unchanged. The G. & J. tire, as adapted to wooden rims, has proven a great success. The wood rim is made with a square central groove, with a supplementary groove at each side with double beads at each edge of the outer case of the tire, which fit into the grooves of the rim. The tire is so constructed that the entire strain of the air pressure comes upon the square central groove, where the rim is strongest. The outer cover is made with a supplementary flap. In applying the tire the edge of the case having the flap is placed on the rim first. The flap extends a little past the edge of the rim and the other edge is easily slipped under the supplementary flap into its place in the rim.
MORGAN & WRIGHT TIRE.
A tire somewhat similar to this was invented in England about the same time, known as Bartlett’s Clincher, and manufactured by the North British Rubber Co., under Bartlett’s patents, and a tire largely used in this country in 1891 to 1893 was that known as the Bidwell-Thomas tire, and which was similar in construction to the Dunlop tire already described; and among the early American tires in addition to those already mentioned were the hosepipe tires known as the Columbia, Ideal, the New York Belting and Packing Co.’s Protective Strip and the Palmer. But even of these, some that have survived have undergone some radical changes in their construction. The Dunlop tire, for instance, now has an endless wire in each side of its outer shoe. The inner tube lies in the base of the rim, and when the inner tube is inflated the air pressure holds the outer shoe to the rim. The Dunlop, although it is largely used in this country, is still more largely used in England, although plans have been laid by the American makers of hosepipe tires to increase the sale of their product in England this year.
To the makers of the Columbia, however, must be given the credit of introducing the hosepipe tire in this country, for in 1892 they were practically alone in their belief that the single tube tire was the coming tire. The hosepipe tires made at that time were, of course, very heavy and difficult to repair, but they continued to manufacture them and gradually became skilful in their processes of manufacture, and developed repair methods that are still in use. At the Chicago Cycle Shows of 1895 there were only two tire makers who exhibited hosepipe tires, but a year later at the shows nearly every great tire maker in the country exhibited hosepipe tires, and since that time they have been the most popular tires in use in this country.
BUCKEYE RIM.
Mention here should be made, however, of the invention in this country at this time of what has been popularly known as the Morgan & Wright inner tube tire, and which differed from the detachable inner tube tires in its construction, the outer shoe resembling a hosepipe tire with the exception that on its inner or rim side it is slit open for about six inches each side of the valve stem, and the inner tube is drawn into the shoe through this opening. When the tube is placed in position the slits, which have eye-holes on their sides, are laced together, and the tire is cemented to the rim. The Morgan & Wright tire is one of the most popular on the market, and has been improved by placing in the inside of the inner tube what is known as a quick repair strip.
The Quick Repair strip is simply the addition of a thin web or film of rubber which lies inside of the inner tube next to the rim. They also make this year, for the first time, a single tube tire containing this quick repair strip, so that punctures can be easily repaired without plugs and with the added advantage of permanence. This tire also has a valve which can be removed so that a defective valve stem does not mean a ruined tire. In making the tire the inner rubber lining is vulcanized before the tire is built up instead of afterward, so that it is much less likely to have holes in it or leak. Another advantage of this type of single tube tire is that large cuts in it can be readily vulcanized.
The Palmer tire is also one of the original tires that has survived. In construction the Palmer tire differs from other pneumatics in that linen threads are used instead of woven cotton fabric. To use the language of the inventor, “Upon a pure gum tube is wound spirally two layers of thread; each thread imbedded in rubber and out of contact with its neighbors, the two layers separated from each other by a wall of pure rubber, and one wound at an angle of forty-five degrees to the other. This method makes a seamless, endless, spirally laid tube, unequalled in strength, speed and durability, in combination with resiliency. Its advantages are summed up as follows: Each thread being laid straight under high tension and at a tangent to the rim of the wheel, power is transmitted without loss. Each thread being separated from all neighboring threads by an elastic body of rubber, they are free to move over each other without friction to the limits of the elasticity of the said rubber. This, in combination with the construction described, gives the greatest possible speed and resiliency. By reason of the threads being separately cushioned by soft rubber, the whole strength of the fibres is utilized. As there is absolutely no friction between the threads, they cannot wear each other out. Hence durability is assured. As there are but one hundred and twenty threads in the whole tube each extending spirally around its entire length and imbedded in an elastic body, any inequality in tension adjusts itself. As the tube is seamless there is no chance of its bursting through bad joints.”
A well-known detachable inner tube tire is that known as the Liberty. It resembles the Dunlop in its general construction, save that the wires instead of being endless are joined together at their ends by a turnbuckle, having right and lefthand threads, and after the outer shoe is placed in the steel rim these turnbuckles are slipped into holes cut into the edges of the rim on the opposite side, and operated and adjusted by inserting a wire key into the holes in the turnbuckles. In using this tire on a wooden rim, however, the turnbuckles are not exposed, but lie on the interior edge of the rim, so that by deflating the tire slightly and pushing the shoe back the turnbuckles are exposed and can be readily operated.
Among the old tire makers who are still in the field are the New York Belting and Packing Company. Their League Special single tube tire is a high speed road tire, constructed of precisely the same rubber and fabric used in the League racing tire, the quantity of each being practically doubled, to give the strength and wear required for road service. The rubber is fine Para, the fabric Sea Island, strong and light, woven so that each individual thread has free play in every direction. This elasticity of texture permits the tire to yield instantly to obstructions, carries it over small obstacles without jolt or jar and reduces vibration to a marked degree.
The Vim tire people, who were the first in the field with the famous pebble tread tire, are this year showing a new design which they call the “Vim Serrate.” This tire has a narrow strip of perfectly smooth rubber about three-eighths of an inch wide encircling the tire on the tread. On either side of this strip are eight fine and accurately moulded corrugations. The effect of this construction is to produce a tire which has a perfectly smooth tread when the tire is vertical, but which when the wheel is inclined at an angle in rounding corners will bring these serrations in contact with the ground, thus counteracting the natural tendency of the tire to slip in turning corners at speed. This design combines the advantages of both the smooth and pebble tread, and in addition to its utility in this direction gives the tire a very stylish appearance. The Serrate is being fitted to a very generous number of the early ’98 model sample wheels. Its appearance is certainly in its favor, but it remains to be seen how well it will take with the public.
INDIAN
ARROW TREAD TIRE.
The ’98 Defender Special single tube tire is manufactured by the Kokomo Rubber Company, Kokomo, Ind. The material used in the construction of this tire is the same as was used in the ’97 Defender, being the finest of Sea Island cotton fabric and Old Upriver Para. The tire itself does not differ materially from the Defender single tube, aside from the tread, which has a corrugation about one-half inch on either side of the centre of the tread, and is entirely new and very sightly.
A novelty in treads is a tire called the “Won’t Slip,” which was invented by C. J. Bailey, the inventor and patentee of Bailey’s rubber brushes. The entire tread of the tire is covered with round teeth closely set together. The makers say it will not slip under any conditions of surface, such as wet car rails, asphalt or macadam, and that it is 90 per cent. puncture proof when under pressure.
The B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron, O., make a corrugated rubber tread band which is endless and which can be applied with rubber cement to the worn treads of all kinds of pneumatic tires. A pair of these treads cost only $1.50. They look as if they might be a practical thing. The Hodgman tire, style F, has a fleur-de-lis design on the tread. This may be regarded simply as a novelty in roughened tread construction.
The American Tire Company of New York are marketing a new tire called the Apex, the base of which is round, but the whole construction of the tire somewhat resembles an arrow or spearhead, and on the point of which is a very thickened tread preventing puncture, but having thin flexible side walls. The India Rubber Company of Akron, O., have a tire presenting what they call an “arrow” tread. It has a small arch or rib on the centre of the tread of the tire, from which run tapering ribs to the sides somewhat resembling an arrow in shape, the idea of this being to prevent side slip on wet or greasy pavement, and on turning corners.
DREADNAUGHT TIRE.
The Dreadnaught tire is a peculiar one, its peculiarity consisting in having an articulated tread band, which consists of pieces of wood having concave sides and pivots between them which enables freedom of yield with the give of the tire, but preventing sharp pointed projections from passing between the joints, and this articulated band is enveloped in a bed of rubber that is coated with a suitable fabric, the arrangement being such that the individual members of the band have free movement, enabling the pneumatic cushion behind to yield to the same extent as it would without this band, but the manner of yielding is different. For whereas the ordinary pneumatic tire absorbs at its point of contact the [Dreadnaught] yields at its tread over an extended surface, and also yields freely at its side walls. They claim that this tire possesses great speed owing to the very slight frictional contact of the surface and that upon a loose or sandy road its broad flat surface will ride upon the top of the sand and not sink down in it like the ordinary round tread tire would. Side slip is also avoided by the use of the rib and the edge of the tread.
STRAUS
PROTECTED TIRE.
Every one actively interested in the subject of tires will readily admit that the puncture proof tire is the tire of the future. Inventors are aiming to that end, and it is unfortunately true that the aim of most of them, while high, has not been straight or true. The result has been a confusion of so-called puncture proof tires, the non-utility and impracticability of which are observable at a glance. Steel, iron, wood, cork and chemical compounds have all been brought into use, and in such ludicrous shapes as to make the average puncture proof tire an object of deserved ridicule. In common with other interested people, the inventor of the Straus protected tire has for years sought the end in view—a practical puncture proof tire. He was one of the very first to engage in the tire trade, and since the year 1890 has been continuously and prominently identified with the business in expert capacities as inventor, manufacturer and seller. His extensive knowledge has been concentrated in the Straus protection tire. It is composed entirely of rubber and fabric, the same as all of the practical tires now in universal use. As the single tube tire is now the leading tire in use in this country, and as for easy riding and speed it cannot be excelled, the [Straus protected tire] is made in the single tube form. It can be produced, however, in double and detachable forms. It is called a “protected tire” because the tire proper is protected by a shoe, which is made with six plies of fabric and which surrounds the tire proper loosely when fully inflated. This protector is not a part of the tire proper, but a fixed attachment thereto, affording a surface over which the tire rides. The tire proper is a highly resilient single tube tire, actually a racing tire, which gives the tire its life. The cover or protector does not in any way subtract from its resiliency for the reason that the outer cover does not come in contact with it any more than the ground does with any tire, the cover being simply the road over which the tire proper travels. In fact, the “[Straus protected tire]” carries its own road, so to speak. In other words, the protector acts the same as if it were laid on the ground and the tire proper passed over it. We have found that the tire does not slip on wet pavements or wet asphalt, and that it prevents cutting on the rim. In coasting tests the tire complete has coasted as far as the same tire with the cover removed, sufficiently proving that the protector does not take away any of the life of the tire proper. It is proof against nails, thorns, pins, glass and all other of the “ills” which a tire encounters on the road in everyday use, and the result is obtained without a resort to freakdom or without affecting the life and practical utility of the tire. In appearance the tire is just the same as any other single tube tire, and is applied to the rim in exactly the same way. In case of puncture remove the protector, the protector being only cemented to the tire with rubber solution and easily removed. It is very necessary that the space between the tire proper and the protector is not too great, else the tire will drag. It should be just loose enough to be felt when the tire is fully inflated, and no more. The weight of a pair of the regulation 1⅝ in. tires is about 4½ pounds.
The Buckeye tire has a square base and is held to the [rim] by steel toothed washers which are held in place by the heads of the spoke nipples, and the teeth of these washers prevent creeping of the tire, making cementing unnecessary, and there is no possibility of the tire ever creeping and cutting the valve stem off. The outer cover is open at its base and laced all around in sections, so that when punctured only one section needs to be unlaced. The lacing holes through the base and the side screws which enditch the cord are vulcanized in a mould. The inner air tube is endless and is entirely surrounded by the outer cover, thus giving an even pressure of air all around, which sometimes butt ended tubes do not.
In producing a tire that has all the qualities demanded by experienced riders, namely, speed, resilience, strength and durability, the manufacturers of the Kangaroo, the National India Rubber Company, have made a radical departure in the construction of their tire. The Kangaroo tire is made to conform to the prevailing weight in tires, but in doing so it has been necessary to use more rubber, owing to the fact that only about one-half the quantity of thread is used.
THE KANGAROO.
One of the principal objects sought in designing the [Kangaroo tire] was to reduce to the lowest possible point consistent with strength the inelastic material (thread or fabric) employed, and to this end a special yarn or thread of Sea Island cotton of a tensile strength of seven and one-quarter pounds each was obtained. To secure greater elasticity in the fabric continuous threads, coated with rubber, are wound spirally from one end of the tire to the other, doing away with the friction of thread upon thread and stiffness to the ordinary fabric. The inner tube is placed on the mandrel of the tire machine, and the threads are wound spirally around it at an angle of 45 degrees, after first being immersed in a solution of rubber. An intermediate inner tube is then put on, and a second layer of thread wound about it at the same angle, but in an opposite direction, making an angle of 90 degrees between the two layers. It will be readily seen that only one-half as much thread is used as is contained in two-ply of woven fabric, and yet the peculiar construction gives, among other advantages, nearly twice the strength of any other make of tire.
The next step is the application of the tread strip, which serves a double purpose. In the road tire it is used to thicken the tire at its most vulnerable points, and in the track racing tire serves as a tread and as a protector of the threads. The outer cover is now put on, the ends spliced and the tire is ready for the mold. A great increase of speed is obtained by this method of construction, and the pliability, elasticity and yielding qualities of the Kangaroo tire lend an additional pleasure to road riding. Its constructive features make punctures exceedingly rare and easily repaired.
The intermediate inner tube, it is claimed, positively prevents porosity. The method of manufacture, as above described, produces their road tire. The only difference between their track tire and road tire is that in the racing tire the outer shoe is omitted. In all other respects they are the same.