Yet, as one of these journals puts it, “the vogue which has been given to the chainless bicycle by the booming of the [Columbia bevel-gear] has brought out all sorts of expedients for suppressing the chain.” A few of these appeared at the recent exhibition in Paris, which, however, was almost exclusively American; at the English shows this winter the [Columbia] and the Quadrant were the sole specimens of any consequence.
“ENGLISH” CHAINLESS
DRIVING GEAR
When the rear-driving chain wheel began to press the “[good old ordinary]” out of the field the latter endeavored to compromise upon a modified pattern called the “Rational.” The changes were few and simple. The back wheel was enlarged to 22 inches diameter and finally to 24; the backward “rake” of the front fork was made 2 and next 4 inches; the saddle was placed further back, and thus, with a crank lengthened to 7 inches, the rider was able to use a wheel two sizes smaller than formerly. This construction was much nearer to safety from “headers,” but after three or four years the rationalized “[ordinary]” had to give up the struggle. It was succeeded by the [geared ordinary], which favored safety by further reducing the size of wheel, obtained leg-room by placing the saddle further back and raising it above the backbone, and retained speed by gearing up. A number of spur gears for this purpose were in the market five years ago. The best pattern of this type of bicycle is shown in the cut. This had a 24-inch back wheel; a 4-inch rake, with the saddle from 12 to even 16 inches behind the head; 7-inch cranks; a 46-inch wheel, geared to 62, although 44 and 48 were made; weight about thirty-six pounds, which was moderate in those times. The gear was the Crypto, brought out in 1883; being hidden out of sight and closed against dirt in one of the hubs, it formed its own gear case.
In conformity to the growing use of small wheels, the [geared ordinary] went on shrinking in size to 42, 38, 36, 34, 32, 30, the gear being modified to retain a proper ratio. The name was changed to the [Bantam], and with the 1898 model shown in the cut, with its peculiar “Alpha” frame, the long evolution process comes down to this present date.
THE BANTAM CHAINLESS.
BANTAM CHAINLESS—1898.