CHAPTER XVIII.
WORKMANSHIP IN CYCLES—ENGLISH AND AMERICAN MAKERS.
Unfortunately, it is next to impossible to practically test the durability and general excellence of a wheel before purchasing. The buyer therefore has to depend upon his skill in judging of workmanship. It is impossible to give many set rules that would be of much assistance to a prospective buyer, but of one thing he can be reasonably certain,—if he finds a single poorly made or undeniably botched part, it is a valid cause for a rigid examination into all others. A first-class manufacturer is not liable to botch a single part, but if you find that he has done so, it is well to be very cautious in patronizing him. It is generally a safe plan to examine a machine that has been in use in order to judge of the durability of a maker’s work, though durability will generally accompany good workmanship and finish when new. A cheap quality of nickel-plating often gives the appearance of a good job, but it will peel and rust; and to prevent this good platers put on a coat of copper under the nickel as a base upon which to plate. It is difficult to determine in a new machine the amount of the nickel deposit, or whether it is upon a copper base; hence it will be seen that the maker’s work in the past is the only standard from which such matters can be judged. With enamel and paint it is much more easy to determine the quality, though a glossy surface is not necessarily a true gauge of good work. It is the finish of the under surfaces that takes the labor. A good job of painting is to my mind superior to enamel or japan, but it is attended with considerable labor. In olden times, when paint was more common, a maker could be identified by the finish and striping of his machines; there was such a difference in the quality of the work. Now, however, since the dead-black japan rules the day, it is more difficult to judge between makers by the outward finish of their wares. There cannot be much difference in the amount of labor put upon the work by the various manufacturers, for the reason that a certain process has to be gone through before it can be done at all. À propos of striping, it may be considered gaudy, but an artistic job sets off a machine as compared with a plain black now in vogue.
The quality of rubber in the tire of a bicycle affords a splendid field for an expert; only those who have to use rubber in other connections realize the great differences in its quality. Rubber can be made absolutely useless by adulteration; and when we see how easily some tires cut, we cannot doubt that makers often sacrifice quality for the sake of price. Buyers should notice carefully the old tires of different makers, and see how they have stood the test.
In the matter of quality of tubing of which machines are made there is little difficulty at present, as nearly all of the firms buy from one or the other of two great English factories, but when the industry of weldless tube-making becomes more disseminated, and small concerns with inadequate facilities enter the field, we can expect more trouble. About the brazing of the tubes it is utterly impossible to tell anything except from the way it stands.
The screws and nuts about a machine should be provided with sharp, deep threads, and work easily though not loosely. A maker can almost always be judged by the kind of screws he cuts. The nuts and screw-heads should be case-hardened and be neat and square on the corners, and not rounded by the nickel polisher. In all cases where it is practicable some device for preventing the nuts from coming loose, or being entirely lost, is a great boon; this point will have to be looked after now since complicated machines are becoming more popular. The device generally used on the outer end of pedals should become more common, especially on tricycles, tandems, and chain Safeties, where there are so many parts. A good practical jam-nut has never yet been invented, and the cycle-builders are therefore not to blame for not having provided some means against loose nuts generally.
In the matter of saddle and other springs, we are somewhat at a loss for a guide; there is not so much carelessness in quality of the steel used as in the tempering, and in this the buyer has again to rely on reputation and observance of other machines of the same make. The quality of leather often used in saddles is simply an insult to the judgment of the fraternity, and if we will go on in blindly taking any and everything that is offered, the imposition will continue. If buyers scrutinize closely, the makers will be proportionately careful, thus making it harder for unscrupulous tradesmen to foist poor work upon the market, an evil which has existed and will increase as the industry advances.