TJie Angling Cyclist 



47 



having one or two good features, are defective 

 from the fact of being stationary and requiring 

 considerable practice to secure the feet prop- 

 erly on the pedals without bending the clip. 



The new toe-clip has several good features. 

 The construction is such that when the pedal 

 is not in use and hanging downward, the toe- 

 clip swings out of the way, so that the pedal 

 may be caught by the rider's foot without any 

 attention being paid to the clip. 



The instant the foot is placed upon the 

 pedal, the clip flies up into position, where it 

 locks firmly, and when the foot is removed 

 from the pedal it turns with the clip on the 

 under side, the mechanism immediately 

 unlocks of itself, and is at once ready for fur- 

 ther use. By the use of this clip, the side 

 guards on the pedal may be dispensed with, as 

 the clip is provided with a metal strip which 

 acts as a guard, and which can be made wider 

 or narrower, to suit the rider's foot. 



The clip can be readily adjusted to fit almost 

 any make of pedal. The construction is very 

 simple, having no parts to become disar- 

 ranged or get out of order, and the weight is 

 only three ounces. 



How to Use the Pedal. 



There can be no continuous riding of the 

 bicycle where the rider does not pedal, and yet 

 as essential as pedalling is to cycling the ma- 

 jority of riders know nothmg of its proper 

 performance, and apparently care less about 

 it. Why this should be so must ever remain 

 a mystery and one of the chief drawbacks of 

 correct wheel propulsion. If, says the editor 

 of The IVheel, the rider will observe the follow- 

 ing he will be surprised how little he under- 

 stands of riding a bicycle, and how much he 

 may learn regarding it by a small amount of 

 attention. 



Place the ball of the foot on the pedal, leav- 

 ing an inch and a half or two inches of shoe 

 sole projecting in front of it. Proper ankle ac- 

 tion will add 25 per cent, to the speed that the 

 proper placing of the rider's foot will give him, 

 without in any way increasing the amount of 

 fatigue in its production; but, unfortunately, 

 good ankle action is only the result of study 

 and long practice on the part of its possessor. 

 The object to be sought for by the student of 

 ankling and pedalling is the exertion of a 

 steady propelling force on the pedals through- 

 out as large a part of each revolution of the 

 pedal as possible. 



To accomplish this raise the ball of the foot 

 above the heel as the pedal approaches its 

 highest point, then push it forward, exerting 

 a steady pressure through the entire down 

 stroke, gradually lowering the ball of the foot 

 below the heel, so that even at the lowest 

 point you can still maintain some amount of 

 pedal pressure. Avoid the habit of applying 

 pressure as the pedal begins to raise. Each 

 foot should begin its work before the other 

 leaves off, and the upper reach of the chain 

 should always, when riding, be kept taut. 



Practice ankle action alternately with each 

 foot, and then with both of them, riding slowly 

 at first to learn, and now and then asking a 

 companion to note if your chain slacks between 

 strokes. If it does, the chain will more quickly 

 wear out; and there is loss of power besides. 

 A great portion of the knack of riding fast 

 without undue exertion lies in early beginning 

 of the forward-pedal thrust, in acquiring which 

 the clips will be found advantageous. The 

 backward pull of the pedals, when they are at 

 the bottom of their orbits, will be facilitated by 

 slots in the shoes, which will also help in the 

 forward thrust where toe clips are not used. 



For long-distance riding the great essential 

 is to economize your powers of endurance 

 and strength by exerting the smallest continu- 

 ous pressure on the pedals which will keep 

 them revolving at a moderate speed. Even the 

 expert rider may with much advantage to him- 

 self and his riding concentrate his attention 

 now and then on the action of each of his feet, 

 to make sure that they are working correctly 

 automatically, as they should do. 



Good for Pulmonary Complaints. 



The stimulus to breathing which is given by 

 riding is of a wholesome measure, and those 

 with slight pulmonary atTections are just the 

 ones who should ride a bicycle. It strengthens 

 the muscles of the back and cultivates a habit 

 of deep breathing. It also develops new 

 tissues in the upper lobes of the lungs, which, 

 as a rule, are little used. It is to this employ- 

 ment of new air cells that is due the lameness 

 just inside the shoulders complained of by 

 new riders. All this increased lung power is 

 excellent, and means more power, but with 

 those having severe and long-standing forms 

 of pulmonary complaint the lungs are apt to 

 be too weak for the strain, and many go to 

 pieces under it. Even in cases where light 

 hemorrhages are caused by riding, however, 



