1^6 



The American Angler 



ter adjustment of them, because a narrow 

 tread means narrow ball races, and when the 

 ball races lie close together a little looseness 

 or wear permits the crank axle to spring around 

 sidewise, and binds the chain ; and, as before 

 stated, a little extra friction will more than 

 destroy the gain, if any, due to a narrow tread* 

 The writer sa3'S "if any" advisedly, because 

 he is far from being convinced that a narrow 

 tread is a great advantage, or, in fact, any 

 advantage at all. He has noticed the position 

 of his own feet when standing at ease, and has 

 not found them close together. In walking, 

 one of necessity puts his feet nearly in the 

 same line, because they carry the load, and 

 in order to do this must get nearly or quite 

 under the centre of gravity, but on a cycle this 

 condition does not exist ; the'weight of the 

 rider is carried largely by the saddle or by 

 the handles, in which case it remains centrally 

 over the machine. In slow speed, as in hill 

 climbing, the push on the pedals may be as 

 much, or more, than the'rider's weight, and if 

 narrow treads are valuable anywhere they 

 should be in hill climbing, but under great 

 strains of this kind the narrow bearings tend 

 to permit deviation of the crank shaft from 

 its position parallel with the ^rear axle, and 

 so are objectionable, rather than otherwise. 

 At fast speed, where the first thought is that 

 one's body must shift from side to side in 

 order to get over the pedal each time, one does 

 not apply a great amount of power, and there 

 is sufficient inertia in the body to prevent 

 sidewise motion, in applying a small amount 

 of power, therefore, no need to have a tread 

 objectionably narrow. 



If there is a great value in narrow treads, as 

 some people insist, than for track use a tricy- 

 cle ought to be a proper thing, provided it was 

 built with double cranked shaft, which would 

 permit the feet to come so close together that 

 the ankles might be rubbed. It is the writer's 

 belief that such a machine would be not only 

 valueless, but detrimental, because a man sit- 

 ting astride a saddle does not naturally bring 

 his feet so close together as when standing, 

 and when standing the writer generally finds 

 six or seven inches between the inside of his 

 shoe soles at the ball of the toe. A few meas- 

 urements on persons standing unconsciously 

 will convince unprejudiced people that there 

 is no great natural necessity for getting the 

 feet close together, or else the writer is much 

 mi taken. 



The Fault is Often the Xycler's. 



Did you ever take note of the fact that, no 

 matter how carefully you adjusted pedals, 

 saddle or handle-bars, one leg or one arm 

 seemed always subject to more strain than the 

 other? asks the editor of The Wheel. 



Did you ever examine a saddle you had rid- 

 den for some time, and note that it was de- 

 flected more on one side than the other ? 



If you have noticed these things, and are 

 seeking for the cause thereof, look for it in 

 yourself, not in the wheel you ride, and the 

 chances are that you will soon discover the 

 cause. Each side of a bicycle is mathemati- 

 cally and mechanically the same, both sides of 

 the human frame are neither anatomically nor 

 actually so. 



The physiologists and scientists in general 

 have been making some curious experiments 

 with a view to determining the relative length 

 and strength of "right" and "left" limbs. 

 Fifty and nine-tenths per cent, of the men 

 measured had the right arm stronger than the 

 eft ; 16.4 per cent, had the two arms of equal 

 .,ength and strength, and 32.7 per cent, had the 

 left arm stronger than the right. 



Of women, 46.9 per cent, had the right arm 

 stronger than the left; 24.5 per cent, had the 

 left stronger than the right. In order to ar- 

 rive at the average length of limbs fifty skele- 

 tons were measured — twenty-five of each sex. 

 Of these, twenty-three had the right arm and 

 left leg longer ; six the left arm and right leg. 

 while in seventeen cases all the members were 

 more or less equal in length. 



With a knowledge of this in mind, do not 

 think because your right pedal is fastened to a 

 crank just five and one-half inches in length 

 that the left pedal must be just at the same 

 length. Study your own defects and accom- 

 modate them in the adjustment of your ma- 

 chine, and you will find that your riding will 

 be easier in consequence. 



Mineral Specimens. 



I will asree to collect and send 1,000 specimens of ore- 

 one or more from every principal mine in Montana- 

 name of mine, location and assay value with each speci- 

 men, and average weight one pound or more. Also 100 

 specimens from National Park. Will box in fjood order 

 and deliver to R. R.— will do all this for $1,500.00— $.")00.00 

 first of May. $500 00 first of Auffust. $500.00 first of No- 

 vember. 18W. Will give bond for faithful performance if 

 required. 



B. P Van Horne, Chico Park Co., ^lontana. 



