CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 32, 8 October 1913, Page 7

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

The Fastest Speed. The fastest speed at which a human being has ever travelled. for a hundred miles stood until recently to the credit of J. Goux, the crack French racing motorist, who a few months hack covered 106 miles 387 yards in 60 minutes on Brooklands track, Eng-

land. This speed has now been eclipsed by the French aviator, Guillaux, who in a remarkable flight at Paris last week, covered 119 miles in 50

minutes. This is a speed no motorist can hope to attain on a circular racing track.

One Hour Unpaoed.

Particulars are to hand from Paris in reference to the one hour unpaced world's track record by Marcel Ber- | thet, the bare announcement of which was cabled out some weeks back. Berthet covered 26 miles 726 yards in the hour, and accomplished his great ; ride at an evening race meeting at the i Buffalo Velodrome, and naturally re- i ceived a splendid reception after his j fine performance. This is the most strenuous and least artificial record on the books. Berthet rode to sche- | dule and just got inside the previous ■ test at half distance. Variable Gears.

The use of variable gears, says Cycling (England), on roadster bicycles, is exteremely widespread, if not yet universal, but it is probable that such aids to. ease would have attained even greater popularity had they been properly understood by all who have experimented with them. They arrived upon the scene at a time when there was a pronounced tendency towards overgearing, and this they corrected in a certain measure, because in all the gearing-down patterns, they made the possession of a dimunitire ratio obligatory, and this was naturally used to some extent, if not quite as much as'-'might be conisdered desirable by advocates of low gearing. Unlortunately, however, many riders do not recognise the real purpose of a variable gear. They imagine, for instance, that a low ratio is intended. to give increased pace up hill, and they -pedal furiously to attain this result, whereas, if'pade is the desideratum, it is better to keep the normal gear in engagement, the low one being intended for easy riding at a crawling jpeed. There is also a marked, inclination to put the highest gear to.jex; cessive use. It has-a certain fascination by reason' of .the high p speed wihehit 1 permits in conjunction with slo'w : and'stately pedalling,! and ,\yhen. Used for'its legitimate purpose—running befoite the Uvrod or, des,cending i slope? liptguite steep enough for, freewheeling—ft is a defcitfed luxury! But to switch it in for long periods over give and take roads, which is an error commited by far too many cyclists,eimply perpetuates''the ¥O% of excessive gearing and results in clumsy pedalling and unnecessary fatigue. The variable" speed hub '\ .makers,,,, cycling, J it jising ,_wi,th due regard to its fundamental principles; Benzol as Fuel. Whilst hiotonsts in this country have heard of benzol as a. motor fifet i i place of petrol,' feAv know much a shout • this ■• much discussed liquid. Benzol is a colorless, volatile, and highly inflamable liquid of the hydrocarbon series. In appearance-it is very

similar to petrol, but chemically there is a considerable difference. Speaking generally, benzol is obtained either by extraction from coal gas, or re covered from the distillation of tar. With the majority of carburetters benzol may be used equally as well as petrol, and if any adjustment is required, it is generally in the.direction of slightly reducing the jet orifice. Advantages claimed for benzol over petrol are less engine knocking from 12 to 15 per cent more power, and a considerable increase in mileage per gallon. This substitute for petrol is becoming more popular amongst the English motorists every day, and from all accounts it is going to prove a welcome solution of the fuel problem.