A brief "Care of the Cycle" section begins on page 57 of Albert
Ordway's 1892 "Cycle-Infantry Drill Regulations":
***
Let's flip the bike upside-down for simplified maintenance!
"Bearings should be thoroughly cleaned twice a year, and the best way
is to remove the cones, balls, etc. A more simple process is to invert
the cycle, allowing it to rest on the handle-bar and saddle, injecting
benzine into the bearings and revolving the wheels until the grit has
worked out."
***
Who needs fancy spoke wrenches?
"Nippled spokes are adjusted by turning the nipple to the left or
right; an ordinary monkey-wrench suffices in the case of most cycles."
***
Tie-and-solder _before_ you adjust the spokes with that monkey wrench!
"To insert a new tangent spoke, draw it through hub and pass threaded
end through the felloe [rim]. Having loosened a small portion of the
[glued] tire, screw the nipple on the spoke, putting it through the
hole in the felloe, and after tying and soldering the crossings adjust
with wrench."
***
Peter Chisholm's tubular secrets revealed--a hot iron and twine!
"To cement a tire, place tire on wheel with side to be cemented turned
out; sear it slightly all around with a hot iron, in order that the
cement may stick to the rubber; remove tire; pour heated cement in
felloe and distribute it evenly; replace tire and heat the felloe
underneath; let stand for several hours, or if it must be used soon
after wind twine around the tire and felloe tightly."
***
The Pope bicycle addressed by these instructions is shown on page 71,
complete with single-shot breech-block Springfield percussion-cap
carbine and 36-front, 40-rear spoking.
The military model lacks the front suspension of the civilian model,
but has the same not-quite-triangulated near-diamond frame. The round
spring sticking out from the handlebar stem is an empty lamp mount,
while the odd wire running at an angle to the downtube is part of the
rear-brake mechanism. Here's the civilian model:
http://www.princeton.edu/~humcomp/bikes/hist/histo_11.htm
Cheers,
Carl Fogel