Hot off the presses in 1877! Harry Hewitt Griffin tells you what to
buy and where! Covers 51 models in 34 pages, with plenty of text and
lots of illustrations, advertisements restricted to the opening and
closing pages.
Price only sixpence!
(Okay, $5.25 plus shipping--there's been some inflation in the last
130 years. If you've seen Sharp's 500+ page "Bicycles & Tricycles,"
that's what the text and illustrations look like.)
This pathetic ad doesn't do justice to the little pamphlet, but it
does tell you where to get it:
"Bicycles of the Year 1877"
http://dev1.boomersdomain.com/cgi-bin/store_pedalinghistory_2/00919.html
Those guys have other reprints, too, but this is the one that arrived
in the mail today.
Here are a few tidbits from pages 4-9:
Are you an unabashed saddle bigot?
"The saddle is a novelty, being covered with black leather, and is an
improvement--as a change in appearance--on the ordinary yellow
pigskin."
Do you enjoy arguing about Japan versus Italy?
"Coventry has been, and always will be, the chief 'head centre' of
manufacturers. Here all are first-class houses; no poor or petty make
leaves the city, so that the mere fact of a machine being Coventry
built is always a guarantee that it can be relied on."
Do you wonder if the new-fangled safety is just for fatty masters?
"Among the established novelties is the Safety, which has not met with
the success expected. It can certtainly be put along at ten or even
twelve miles an hour by an experienced rider on it, if in good form;
but we fear it will never become popular, the chief objection being
that it is almost as unmanageable as a tricycle when moving it
(leading); but some riders will, no doubt, hail it as what was wanted,
chiefly those advanced in years; but more of this anon."
Do you fear that formulas for bike fit are foolish?
"It is simply ridiculous the way in which makers' lists differ. We
take a man of 6 ft., and refer to a few lists: The Coventry Machinists
give only 54 in. (or general rule a 6 ft. 6 in. man for 60 in.);
Dedicoat, 54 in.; Desideratum (H. H. and Co.), 58 in.; and Challenger,
60 in."
Are you fussy about your rims, tires, spokes, and hubs? U-rims are
thought to be better than vee-rims, red rubber better than grey, and
charcoal iron spokes better than drawn steel, so consider the
aforementioned Desideratum from Hinde, Harrington, and Company:
"In the wheels preference is given to the U rim (certainly the
neatest), in which are well cemented the red (or grey) rubber tyres.
Charcoal iron wire spokes screw into gun metal or solid hubs."
Does the weather worry you?
"All machines [from H. H. and Co.] have also a mud guard, to keep the
bicyclist's unmentionables from being soiled in wet weather."
Do you fret about your spokes working loose? Forget motor oil, bearing
grease, loc-tite, linseed oil, higher tension, bubble-gum, and all
other mistaken modern remedies:
"There is, however, one great feature which of itself is sufficient to
recommend the Desideratum--we refer to Harrington's patent (No. 315)
Tenax lock nut. . . . The nut is formed from the best steel, and is
cut through at the dark line; when the nut is off itt is almost
closed, but when on the bolt it grips and binds in a splendid manner,
causing the wire in the screw to "bite" much better. By the use of
these nuts another of those manifold ills that the bicyclistt is heir
to has been done away with, att least so far as the Desideratum is
concerned, for it is only on that machine that they are to be found."
Pages 10-32 add exciting wheel developments in the brand-new Ariel No.
2 that answer Jobst's objections to lever-tension-arms! High-tech
pogo-stick spring-steps to assist in mounting the highwheeler!
Unheard-of tangent spoking! Air saddles, thumb-brakes, solid versus
hollow frames, and more!
Cheers,
Carl Fogel