Some form of adjuster will always be necessary to adjust the chain on a chain driven bicycle. On the early models of the safety type of bicycles made in this country the adjustment was produced by a swinging crank bracket. The crank bracket was not an integral part of the frame, but was bolted to it and was held in position by a set screw and lock-nut. Somewhat later an improved form, which by the usual form of reversion has now come into use again, consisted in making the crank bracket an integral part of the frame and fitting an eccentric adjustment inside of it. The Remington Company varied this somewhat by making the rear forks a detachable part of the frame and having them bolted through and locked by a threaded lock-nut and bolt at the crank hanger, and they thus produced their adjustment by shifting the rear forks out backward or drawing them forward. Since that time the makers of the Remington have always used the rear fork-end adjustment, but this season they have a new feature. The crank-hanger ball pocket is eccentric and turns in the bracket either forward or backward when the set bolts are loosened. The whole arrangement is a very simple one and prevents the liability of the rear wheel getting out of alignment.
The makers of the Iroquois also use a 3-inch eccentric hanger. The rear wheel is always centred by this method, and is provided with two sprockets, so as readily to allow a change of gear.
On the Defender is shown an eccentric crank-hanger, on which neither the wheel, nuts or bearings are disturbed to make the adjustment.
The Shirk bicycles have a new rear fork and chain adjustment, the advantage of which is that the rear wheel can be removed without disconnecting the chain. The sides of the rear fork ends are machined with teeth, which fit into the teeth of the washer, and by simply unscrewing nut and withdrawing the axle bolt the wheel drops out of frame. Absolute equality of adjustment on both sides is obtained, as the wrench is only used to loosen the axle nut, and as the outward opening the rear fork ends is done away with, strength and rigidity is thus added to this end of the frame.
The makers of the Northampton made a new chain adjuster consisting of a small round steel plate on the outside of the rear forks, with scroll cut on the inside which follows steel lug on the forks, making it easy to adjust chain to any tension and set the wheel true in the frame rapidly.
The chain adjuster used on the Globe is of very neat and simple construction. A threaded adjuster, having an open hook end is pivoted to the upper part of the rear fork end, and is operated as follows: Loosen the axle nuts and turn the thumb screw either way, as the case may be, until the chain has the right tension and then tighten the axle nuts again. To take the rear wheel out, loosen the axle nuts and swing the hooks off the axle. To replace the wheel slip the hooks back over the axle, tighten the nuts and the whole adjustment is complete.
On the Relay is shown a patent chain-adjusting device which enables the rider by simply loosening the nuts on either side of the rear wheel to remove the rear wheel without taking the chain apart. The fork ends are of cold rolled steel, corrugated, with the washer corrugated to correspond, allowing accurate adjustment of the chain.
VICTOR SPROCKET.