A charming 1899 bicycle tire catalogue:
http://ia310141.us.archive.org/1/items/threegoodtires00atcuoft/threegoodtires00atcuoft.pdf
The pictures are good. Page numbers are for Adobe Reader, set to one
page per screen.
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page 1 (3 of 52)
Hitherto unknown tire-tread secrets:
"For instance the corrugations in the tread prevent side slip. At the
same time they don't throw mud. The mud can cling to a smooth
tire--but not to a tire shaped which has corrugations shaped like
those on the Goodrich-Resflex Single Tube [[what we would call a
tubular]."
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page 6 (8 of 52)
What you always suspected about guarantees is true:
"[censored] Double Tubes [what we would call clinchers]. Every repairman
needs a cheap tire. . . . [description of a secret code for dating
tire sale that involves cutting one arm off the twelve arms of the [censored]
to represent the month of sale] . . . The plan is easily understood.
But make your guarantee short."
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page 7 (9 of 52)
Don't try this with your modern inner tube:
"In showing customers the Goodrich Inner Tubes, you can easily
stretch it to 35 feet [these were butt-ended tubes about 8 feet long].
That is a proof that the gum is strong and pure."
***
page 9 (11 of 52)
Grade 19 ball bearings:
"These balls are carefully hammered out of steel. They are within
19-10000 of an inch of correctness. They are so hard you can hardly
break them with a hammer. You can never break them while in the
bearing. We needn't say any thing about these balls. They're too well
known."
***
page 12 (14 of 52)
Chains:
The inch-pitch Indianapolis block chain has massive solid blocks
between side-plates that have cut-outs to save weight.
page 13 (15 of 52)
The inch-pitch Baldwin block chain is made entirely of detachable
master links for easy repair.
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page 14 (16 of 52)
Add-on coaster pegs, nickeled, 25 cents per pair.
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page 15 (17 of 52)
Turn your worn-out clincher into a tubulars with a shoe-lace:
"Covers make a tire good as new. We have these covers for both Morgan
& Wright Double Tubes [clinchers] and G. & J. Detachibles [another
kind of clincher]. When received they are all ready to put on. Lace up
the Morgan & Wright cover with a shoe lace, after inserting the inner
tube. Cement on rim, partially blow up, and allow to stand. When
cement is set, blow up as hard as you like."
The cyclometer below the worn-tire cover ad boast of reading in
increments of 176 yards.
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page 17 (19 of 52)
How often does your LBS need to bake the enamel on half a dozen
tandems at once?
The catalogue sells enamel ovens for baking enamel to frames at 420F,
with sizes that "begin with an oven for two single frames, and run up
till large enough for six tandem frames at once."
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page 18 (20 0f 52)
Protect that enamel:
"A new bicycle with drop or ram's horn bars is certain to have the
enamel broken off where it strikes the top tube. That isn't necessary.
We have two very nice rubber frame protectors for the purpose of
shielding the top tube from the handlebar."
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page 19 (21 of 52)
Handlebar grips of various kinds are available, but who knew that they
came with a paper lining?
"The old cork grips were so unsatisfactory that we have searched the
country for something new and good. We have discovered a grip made of
leather that can t break. We have discovered another grip made of
"corkine." Still another has a paper reinforcement inside which keeps
it from breaking."
The paper reinforced grips sold for 25 cents, the leather for 35
cents.
***
page 20 (22 of 52)
For an extra 50 cents, you can upgrade from a round-tube handlebar to
the octagonal version.
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page 24 (26 of 52)
Prevent chain stretch with flowing-jelly graphite!
"The trouble with a chain lubricant is that it has to be as dry as
possible in order to avoid the gathering of dust on the chain. The
best known dry lubricant is graphite. Graphite, however, is very dirty
and dusty. Often it contains grit, which is as bad as dust from the
road. Some makers have tried to avoid the dusty quality of loose
graphite by incorporating it with a heavy oil, such as grease, making
a solid stick. The trouble with this kind of a chain lubricant is that
it remains for the most part on the outside of the chain, discoloring
every thing, and what works into the chain is too heavy for fast
moving parts. Our chain lubricant Goodflex Chain Lubricant contains
fine graphite in suspension in a jelly-like oil which flows the
graphite to all parts of the chain, and evaporates where it is exposed
to the air, thus leaving the chain no surface to catch dirt. The
portion which is applied to the sprocket dries, leaving a fine layer
of the purest graphite to take up the friction between block and
tooth. It is especially useful when chain and sprockets are new,
preventing the wear which brings about this frictional contact, and
preventing chain stretch."
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page 26 (28 of 52)
Does your LBS offer five different models of oil can, including a
leak-proof vest-pocket design? Does your LBS sell jerseys with vest
pockets to put it in?
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page 27 (29 of 52)
Tribologists, take a deep breath before reading further . . .
"The best oil is free from chemicals. Chemicals corrode bearings. They
make them rough. Some oils are impure. They contain acids. Goodflex
Oil is absolutely pure. If an oil is too light, it will cut the
bearing the same way sand in the bearing would do. A poor oil will run
as thin as alcohol or benzine, when it gets hot. For an example, put a
little leaf lard in a journal box of some machine, and watch the
journal heat up within five minutes. Goodflex Cycle Oil never thins
out under use. For slow machinery, a heavy oil like tallow is the
best. For fast machinery, like a bicycle hub, a light oil of good
quality is necessary. Goodflex Cycle Oil is an ideal good light oil.
Goodflex Oil never stiffens in hot weather. It contains no dregs. It
is made for bicycles. It is too pure to gum. Gum indicates the
weighting of a poor light oil with resins. Goodflex Oil is good."
What the hell is leaf lard?
"While some bakers and cooks insist that nothing equals lard, not all
lard is equal. The best lard is what’s known as leaf lard, which is
obtained from the hard white fat around the kidneys (the leaf) of
young pigs. It has a neutral flavor that won’t make pie crust taste
like bacon."
http://dwb.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/5160098p-4693041c.html
Apparently leaf lard isn't much good in a gearbox.
***
page 28 (30 of 52)
Racing pedal physics:
"The idea in this pedal is to omit the useless bottom of a pedal, to
expend that weight in a toe clip that doesn t come off, to put all the
pedal above the line of the crank pin, to avoid accidents from wheels
with low crank hangers, to make a strong pedal with the least weight."
***
page 31 (33 of 52)
Re-tread your worn-out tires:
"Often good tires like the Goodrich-Resilex Single Tubes are worn down
to the canvas through long running. If run longer, the tire will be
ruined. But, by attaching the Tread Band, which can be done at home,
by any rider, this worn tire can be made quite as good as when it was
new."
***
page 33 (35 of 52)
Tire repair bands:
For some reason, the tire repair bands appear under the heading
"Surgical Appliances." We would call them exterior tire boots. They
were broad strips of rubber with wire fasteners moulded into the ends.
After you fixed patched your inner air-tube, you slathered Jiffy over
the outside of the tire (Jiffy tire cement/flat sealant, not peanut
butter), wrapped the band twice around the tire and rim, pulled the
wire loop over the stud to tighten the tape up, pumped the tire up,
and rode home. As a bonus, the tire repair bands could serve as bungee
cords: "A pair of the Puncture Bands are often used as a parcel
carrier. Some riders use the Puncture Bands as trousers guards. They
are very handy."
page 35 (37 of 52)
"Jiffy cures punctures in tires. This is a secret preparation of
rubber made by the Goodrich Company. For repairmen it comes in pints,
quarts, and gallons. For riders it comes in tubes. It is applied by
means of the Jiffy tool, to be found on page 2. Jiffy has another use.
When you get a tire to repair, put it liberally inside the tire,
having diluted it with benzine, and it will stop cheap porous tires
from leaking. In that it is very valuable."
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page 40 (42 of 52)
Let's powder some inner tubes!
"Soapstone is used by both riders and repairmen. When an inner tube is
being placed in a tire cover it is first shaken around inside to
enable the inner tube to slip easily. When a tire is being vulcanised,
the surface of the vulcaniser is covered with soapstone to prevent the
tire from adhering to the hot bed which effects the necessary chemical
union between the sulphur and rubber. To apply it pour the soapstone
into a small cheesecloth bag and sift it out as required. In
cementing, soapstone should be applied liberally to the hands of the
repair man to remove the adherent properties of the cement."
***
page 42 (44 of 52)
Does your LBS have its own steam vulcanizer?
"There is a good deal of money in vulcanizing tires, and this
vulcanizer will do the very best of work."
page 43 (45 of 52)
Your larger LBS will prefer a bigger gasoline-fired vulcanizer, like
"the Morgan & Wright Vulcaniser which can vulcanise as many as a dozen
tires at one time."
page 44 (46 of 52)
For the pathetic little LBS that scarcely ever vulcanizes tires, "We
have also the smaller vulcanisers for use by the dealer and repairmen
in small towns where the business is not very large. The larger one,
which is called the Redcross Vulcaniser, is heated by means of a
spirit lamp placed under the dome shaped boiler, while the smaller one
receives its heat direct from a spirit lamp placed underneath the
bed."
***
page 47 (49 of 52)
Your LBS may have wood rim cement, but does it have an up to date
cement kettle that includes a wheel to apply the hot cement?
"The old way to put hard tire cement on rims was very troublesome.
This is the new way. When the rim is on the wheel and trued up, it is
run around on the wheel of the kettle. The little wheel takes up the
hot cement as it passes around and transfers it to the rim. The more
times the bicycle wheel is turned, the thicker is the cement deposited
on the rim. Thus hard cement can be put on very thinly or very thickly
at pleasure."
Cheers,
Carl Fogel