I.
Imagine an individual who has some knowledge of riding, but who is unable to mount alone; refusing all offers of assistance she determines to assert her independence.
FIG. 1.
Standing on the left side of the machine with the right pedal just past its highest point, she steps across the frame, and places her right foot securely on the pedal, the saddle being so low that she is able to take her seat easily, the left foot being still on the ground. Then putting as much pressure as possible on the right pedal and pushing off with the left foot, she starts the machine—not perhaps without a few failures first, but nil desperandum. Independence must cost something, and if she will consider, I have no doubt her failure can be traced to one or the other of the above mentioned causes. But how tiring the ride will be, and how awkward the whole position, the knees moving most ungracefully high with each revolution of the pedal—all defects caused by the saddle being adjusted much too low.