CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1917, Page 2

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

NEWS AND NOTES. The revival of interest in cycling has ever been expected by those who know and appreciate what 'wheeling really is, and when we speak of cycling, we refer to the pastime and to the utilitarian -side of the pursuit, and not at all to racing cr competitive events of any kind, which come under the comprehensive heading of sport. Yet there are very many people who fail to discriminate between the sport and pastime, and when'cycling is referred to f'.eir thoughts invariably revert to the race track. The recrudescence of the touring phase of wheeling is to be welcomed, for not only can its exponents view the country at leisure, but they are also deriving inestimable benefits from the exercise—an exercise-which not only must be taken out of doors, aiding greatly the physical condition, but the constant changing of scene supplies a beneficial mental tonic. Cycling has aptly been described as a gymnasium in itself, without the monotony .of a gymnasium—really a sugar-coated exercise if the rider will but rationally follow the pursuit. At the same time it is not expected that the present revival will approach the boom time in the early nineties. The direct cause of that great wave of popularity of cycling was the proved practicability of the pneumatic tyre as given to the world a few years previous by John Boyd Dunlop, the Belfast- veterinary surgeon. The smoothness of progression when riding on the perfected Dunlop tyre compared with the bumpiness, even harshness, of the thin solids then affected quickly broke down all prejudice, and tiie pleasure of "riding on air" was irresistible among the members of all classes, from Royalty downwards. The perfection, too, only a few years previous, of the safety machineas the standard type of cycle, to-day was then called—and the immunity from headers, or croppers, of thosi who used the safety cycle, was a potent factor in attracting more elderly, even aged, riders to the wheel—men who never would, because they never could bring themselves to mount the old, tall "ordinary" bicycle that was standard in the, eighties. Adverting to the boom period, when the demand for cycles was greater than the trade could supply, simply because it could not foresee how great would be the call for wheels, Hie writer has known of dozens of would-be purchasers going into a depot with offers of 30 golden sovereigns for a bicycle. But many were disappointed; the agents began to cable for hundreds where previously the orders were for dozens, and still they did not cope with the demand, and that was the period when the American cycle came into the market and established itself. It may be said that hitherto the machines sold were very nearly all of British build, while the trade did next to nothing in the way of building bicycles, or even assembling component parts, for that department, of the business was not at all developed. It can be said that the vast majority of the machines sold were used for touring and pleasure purposes, and touring was widely indulged tin by. all classes of society; and it is that'desirable state of tilings to which the enthusiasts of to-day aspire. A very interesting article appeared in Motor-cycling (Eng.) a few weeks ago respecting the needs of the more elderly motor-cyclists in.regard to types of machines. What was wanted, it wn? thought, was a slower machine altogether, No doubt there are many elderly people who have considered the purchase of a motor-cycle, but have hesitated before making up their minds what to do about it, because it has been so difficult to obtain any experience from older riders. The younger generation has [countless machines from which to choose, but what suits this class is not what the older people desire. Writing on the subject, a correspondent to the same paper says:—'• What wo want, i take it, is a first machine which will run slowly, say, at 10 m.p.h. and which embodies reliability, economy, comfort, silence and safety, all of these qualities being equally necessary. To start, the main consideration is a machine that will run slowly, for without that few elder !ly people will take the plunge, and few will learn to drive a machine that must tear along at 20 m.p.h. This is the general impression one receives when he first suggests learning to ride. The idea abroad seems to be that as the engine in of the high-speed type, it must not bedriven too slowly else it will overheat.' Something like that has been heard from time to time, and, roughly speaking, it may be true that to obtain the best results from your engine it .must be driven fast. Some engines, especially those of the horizontal type, can easily be be driven at 10 m.p.h. or even slower, though it may not be best for ths engine. People who enlarge upon the difficulties of learning to ride do not realise that the mention of sparking plugs, carburetters and short circuits are so much Greek, and need not be mentioned in the first place. In soaie instances the very noise of the engine has distracted, the attention of the beginner. He should be told that it is not necessary to understand all about the machine before he dare handle it; as a matter of fact, the oldest motor-cyclist (in experience) is always learning,

Standardisation in motor-manufacture is, to some extent, at least, desirable. In the. pnst, and during the ovolutbn of the utility vehicle from its very crude state of say a decade ago, when the commercial ear trials of 1007 showed how much was wanting, it has happened, and properly so, that various manufacturers have striven <o (iiui the. same result—viz., the practical utility vehicle, but to a considerable extent along different lines. The best !>as survh°d, butmany have fallen in the fight or been discarded as experience lias shown a better and a cheaper way of arriving at the desired end. The result is that in design as well as in construction we. have arrived at reliable vehicles produced along certain definite although parallel lines. And so we are- como to the great question of standards of design, material and factory methods. In Great Britain the general practice has r~en for each manufacturing concern to work on its own lines without much reference to the practice of other firms in the industry, and we have consequently a great deal of variety in many directions, though the achial amount of difference is i-.i many eases so «mtll as to entitle the user to inquire if these divergencies may not be partly due to (lie individuality of the designer, perhaps mere idiosyncracies. Whatever the reason, wo find fractions of a millimetre added here or taken off there, with the result that many items which could be produced in very large quantities, and sold at a lower iost, if they wore but standardised, are now produced in the very much smaller lots required by each manufacturer, although the total output is approximately - the same. . Fear, lias been expressed that standardisation would eventually mean (Stagnation, jet at the sanio time some ;

progress has been made in that direction, ehiolly, however, amongst tJie smaller items; but the general tendency has so far seemed to consider this as' an academic question—one that did not matter much practically, and one that might almost be left to solve itself.

Through being caught in the rain reeciilly, and having to traverse some muddy stretches of roadway, the question of efficient mudgunrding on motorcycles recurred, and with the coming of the winter the matter will be more or less prominent with the average motorcyclist who does hot lay up his machine during the wet season. As a rule, most of the. mud that, is cant about.flies off the front guard, which, however, has more to contend with than the rear guard. The mud blown back from the latter is left behind, that blown back from the front guard reaches both machine and rider unless it is trapped by splash-guards. The side-valances of a fretat guard are >not much use because nyld simply runs down them and drips fiom the edges or blows back from the forks and mudguard stays. Also the valances make the guard more difficult to clean and more prone to become chot. Ed, which, latter can very easily occur if travelling in red soil country, or on the elaypans such as exist at Little River on the Geoiong Eoad. The e-jutra wide guard* extending beyond the -forks seem to be the most efficient and satisfactory standard guard's at present on the market, but are not always to be. found on the machines. These guards could doubtless be improved by being made with a continuous slope downwards from the rear, and the edges turned upwards and inwards to act as channels down which the- liquid mud could .run. Thick mud would stick in these grooves, but beim; accessible they could easily bo cleaned. It is not a very difficult matter for the rider to fit efficient, if comparatively misightly, splashguards for himself, but after all it is a matter that should be attended to by the manufacturer. In connection with guards, it has been mentioned that very few machines me fitted with screens beneath the engine, where they are not unsightly, while easily attached and very useful. Moreover, they protect the engine and other parts from a great quantity of objectionable road dirt, and render the cleaning of the machine at any time very much easier. There was a time, when most motorists learning from experience of old-time cyclists, used nail catchers for the purpose of preventing punctures in their tyres, They were usually in the form of cliain-, pendant from the wings, or of a bridge of wire just clear of the tyre tread. In these days 'of electricity, however, one ingenious inventor has called upon the services of this form of energy to answer the same purpose, two electric magnets, energised from the lighting batteries, being carried in such position that each just precedes a front tyre, a little out of the line therewith, and in close proximity to the real surface. Nails, tacks, and all other pieces of iron and steel, it is assumed, will he attracted to the magnets, which even if they do not pick them up, will lure them from in front of the tyres by reason of their being set slightly to one side. It is seen from a sketch that the arms carrying the magnets are attached to tiie steering pivots so as to turn with the wheels in steering.