Bicycling for Ladies / The Common Sense of Bicycling; with Hints as to the Art of Wheeling—Advice to Beginners—Dress—Care of the Bicycle—Mechanics—Training—Exercise, etc., etc.

by Maria E. Ward

SCREWING UP.

The screw-driver should be held and turned with one hand, and steadied and guided with the other. Metal is not so hard but that the leverage of the screw-driver is enough to bend the notches on the end of a screw, and thus render it useless. The question may be raised, Why are not screws made harder? If metal is tempered too hard, it becomes brittle, and flies. A well-tempered screw should be neither too hard nor too soft, but adapted for its particular use or position.

A screw should always be made clean before it is screwed home, any particle of dust or rust being liable to injure the thread and spoil the screw. If the screw is oily or greasy, it will work loose. All screws, bolts, etc., therefore, should be carefully wiped, and never placed where there is any chance for even a little dust to settle upon them. A nut with a small grain of sand inside will burst or break the thread of the bolt.

Bolts and screws are used to hold different parts together or in place and to give strength and firmness.

There is usually an oil-can belonging to every machine, and a bicycle should be provided with a good one, small, light, and easily carried; and special care should be taken that it does not leak. A greasy oil-can is unpleasant to handle and almost useless, as it cannot be handled properly. The least possible amount of oil that can be used is the proper quantity. Greasy bearings only collect dust, and the dust follows the oil back into the friction surfaces, where its presence is always undesirable.

Two kinds of lubricant are used on a bicycle—oil and graphite. A lubricant is used to diminish friction where two or more surfaces move over each other. If these surfaces are of the same material and the same degree of hardness, they do not slip; but the unevennesses of the surfaces engage each other and cause resistance, which produces friction, and friction causes heat, and the parts move more and more slowly, until at last they stop. Now, if a substance of a different character, like oil or graphite, is introduced between the moving surfaces, it forms little cushions, which prevent the two surfaces from coming into close contact; and, as the oil or graphite splits up readily into minute particles, the surfaces slip upon that, instead of holding fast. A smooth surface of metal is full of inequalities, perceptible when magnified, and slipping past each other with as much difficulty as would surfaces of sand paper. Only oil of the best quality and pure graphite should be used. Nothing sticky or gritty in its nature should be allowed near bearing surfaces.

The pump is an all-important and indispensable adjunct of the pneumatic tire. Each tire is fitted with a valve, and accompanied by a pump with which to inflate it. A valve is a lifting, sliding cover, connected with an aperture to prevent the passage of air or other fluids, and so constructed that the pump forces the cover down, and the air pushes past. The cover is held in place by a spring and air pressure, and, fitting tightly against a washer of some soft, impervious material, makes an air-tight joint, and will not move unless displaced. The pump itself is fitted with a valve to fill its cylinder or barrel with air, and to hold the air after the cylinder is full and when the plunger of the pump is forcing the air out of it again. A flexible tube coupling is used to connect the pump-barrel with the valve of the tire.

UNSCREWING.

The valves are of many patterns and sizes, and there are pumps made to fit special tires, and pumps that will in a manner suit almost any ordinary valve. It is most important to note that all the washers about the pump and valves are in place. Deflated tires are often caused by a misplaced washer; and though valves are so constructed that it is not easy to disturb the washers, still it is well to know where they are and when they require attention. Washers wear out and require renewing, and sometimes a defective washer should be replaced; they are usually made of rubber or leather, but metal washers are sometimes used where there is much pressure or friction.