CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 17, 3 January 1912, Page 8

CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES.

Nearly a quarter of a million people visited the recent Olympia Motor Show held in London. There is no doubt that the anti-motorist feeling is dying out fast. A decade ago everyone but a few enthusiasts were up in arms against the motor, which was declared on all sides to be a nuisance and a danger to the public, and a fad that would soon die out. To-day it has become a necessity in our commercial and social world, besides having grown into one of toe world’s biggest industries, giving employment to hundreds of thousands of bands.

There are now 7000 taxi cabs on the London streets. An English writer predicts that the present up-to-date, comfortable and almost noiseless motor busses, running in London will seriously affect the earnings of many of the taxi companies during .1912. During the recent taxi cab strike in London, many people who were frequent users of taxi cabs were compelled to use the motor bus services with the result that they will for the future lie satisfied with the cheapness of this service now that they have realised how fast and comfortable this class .of vehicle is. If is said that the popularity of the taxi cab in London received a big set hack during the recent London strike, and it will suffer in popularity for a long time to come. There is nothing more remarkable in the history of the development of tlio auto-vehicle than the 'mange of of view which has been forced upon the motor manufacturer and dealer in regard to many detail parts of the mechanism. The writer can distinctly remorher that time when tube, ignition was considered practical and sensible, and electric ignition considered visionary and hopeless. Within a year or two no car was built arranged for tube ignition. Then came the struggle between accumulator and coil on the one’ hand, and magneto on the other, a struggle of which the final result is not yet fully visible. Tn view of the tendency to use electric lamps, the presence of accumulators on the car may continue, and he a stand-by in case of failure of the magneto. But the' magneto has undoubtedly forced its way to Ihe front. .'gain, llm automatic governor has disappeared, and the throttle control, once only known on a certain French- car, has become universal. Later, how keen was the fight between the conservative supporter of the automatic inlet valve action, which has now become almost non-existent, the mechanically constructed valve being practically universal. The struggle between chain drive and live-axle drive is not decided in favour of either. It may he that the chain will survive for many classes of vehicles, though the live axle may supersede it for all light and pleasure vehicles, hut the chain, if banished from the wheels, is "finding its way into the gear box. Then there is still a contest between bevel drive and worm drive, although worm drive is finding many votaries. The wire wheel was for many years tllic pet of one skilled engineer, but found little favour. Now it is becoming more common every day, and has been found highly efficient at a ■si»e of no less' than .4feet Cinches diameter in ..an. omnibus that has undergone severe official tests in London. Lastly comes the. change ; from the poppet, valve to the sleeve valve. Long dissertations were written to prove that it would not be, and could not be a rival to tbo poppet: yet firm after firm in Europe and America have adopted it after observation and experiment, adopting it to the suppression of the valve system altogether. The progress and advancement made in automobile construction during .regent years has been such that it would he a rash effort to try and : forecast, what the motor car of tgn years hence will ho like'. Lieutenant lloss of the Italian navy, and an export , aviator, demonstrated during the recent hostilities in Tripoli the practical utility of the aeroplane in actual warfare by dropping bombs upon tbo enemy from the lippar regions. Quite a sensation was caused amongst the Turks and Arabs by explosion of the aerial bombs. This is the first occasion the aeroplane has been used for dropping explosives in actual warfare.

Some years ago an effort was made in England to market a hand gear as a supplementary means of propelling a bicycle. In one instance a crack rider was retained to establish records witli the hand gear attachment, but despite some good performances the gear was not taken up by cyclists, and it disappeared off the market. According to the latest files an effort is again being made in England to bring the hand gear into use, and a greatly improved form of this attachment is now being offered for sale in England. ‘The attachment is known as the O’Neill hand gear and the mode of operation is as follows: —The front wheel of th j bicycle is built up with a rear wheel huh, including a free wheel, which is driven by the rotary motion of a chain wheel fixed to the handle bars, the power being transmitted through the medium of a light Remold chain. The handle bar stem has two forward extensions, .upon which the driving mechanism is securely clipped, ensuring the perfect alignment of the chain wheels. The left hand portion of the mechanism is enclosed in a shell, through which a shaft or spindle passes and runs naked on the rightliand side. The chain wheel is fitted to the spindle, and power is applied by the rotary motion of the handles, which are connected with the -spindle' by means of short cranks. The handles rotate in •unison, i.e., both hands are always in similar positions, simplifying the steering difficulty. Should it lie necessary to allow the hands a rest, the handles stay in any position required by the rider, a ratchet wheel fitted in the handle bar bracket preventing the backward motion of the handles. Jf for any reason the rider should desire to ride without applying the hand power, the handles may he .securely locked in any position by the application of a simple bolt arrangement affixed to the left handle crank. Also fixed to the left crank and rotating with it is the lever of a clever-ly-designed rim brake operating upon either wheel. The inventor lias selected for the hand power a gear that is 7b per cent of the foot gear, as he has found that that ratio permits a greater “pull” against the pedals. 'flic question of what motor tyros are in favour is an important one with motorists. It will therefore interest them to learn that at the recent London Olympia Motor Show, the leading exhibition of its kind in tlm world, the Dunlop tyre was far and away the most prominent amongst I exhibitors. 1200 of tin's British-mado article being shown as against 1211 made up of all the other makes of tyres grouped together. This overwhelming success is only a reflex of the popularity of the Dunlop amongst motorists the world over. There is keen competition annually j amongst many English cycling cn- I thusiasts as to who rides the great- *

cst distance on the road during the year. ’Die record last year was 2b,070 miles by H. Long, but these figures have been easily eclipsed tins year by two riders, M. Hanes and Weils, and they still had six weeks to complete the year’s total when the English mail left. M. Plane, who was in 11 10 lead, a .markable performance up to loth November, having since the beginning ol the year ridden 100 miles no loss than 20S limes, and barring accidents hi anticipated covering 00,100 by the 01st .December. This total would beat E. Hale’s world’s record ol 02,179 miles by GOO odd miles. Plane s series of rides—-which have boon proudly checked—have .been accomplished on a 6-yoar old machine, which with full equipment weighs Iblbs. Iho cast of the ride has worked out at about a shilling per 100 miles.