Cycling having taken such a mighty grasp upon the land, it has
naturally followed that an etiquette of cycling should be established,
and that it should be well established and rigidly regarded by society.
There are the details of meeting, mounting, right of way and various
other points which are carefully observed and give the desired air of
fashionable righteousness, without which, for many people, the pleasure
of meeting in a social way on one’s wheel would be but legendary.
It is distinctly understood in the first place that “cycling” is the
correct word; the up-to-date woman dares not speak of bicycling nor of
wheeling.
A Cycler’s Guide.
If in town, the early hours of the morning are chosen for a ride
through the park. This is on the same principle that it is considered
good form for a young woman to drive only in the morning, that is, when
she herself is the whip. In the country the rules, both as regards
cycling and driving, are not as rigid. The maiden, however, who is a
stickler for form, does all her cycling in the hours which come before
noon—unless there be a special meet, a bicycle tea, for instance, or a
spin by moonlight.
Neither is it correct for a young woman to ride unaccompanied. In the
matter of chaperons we are becoming almost as rigid as the French, who
scarcely allow a young girl to cross the street, to say nothing of
shopping or calling, without being accompanied by an elder woman, her
mother, relative, or a friend, as a chaperon.
During the past few years there has been a tendency in America toward a
closer imitation of all French etiquette which has brought in its train
a strict construction of the duties of a chaperon.
Maids Do Duty.
The unmarried woman who cycles must be chaperoned by a married lady—as
every one rides nowadays, this is an affair easily managed. Neither
must the married woman ride alone; failing a male escort, she is
followed by a groom or a maid.
A woman is very fortunate if among her men or women servants, one knows
how to ride a bicycle. Ladies occasionally go to the expense of having
a servant trained in the art.
A Man’s Duty.
If one possesses such a commodity as a brother or a husband, he can
always be made useful on a cycling excursion. Never is a man better
able to show for what purpose he was made than upon such occasions.
The man’s duty to the woman who rides might be made the text for a
long sermon; but long sermons are never popular; therefore, it may be
better to state briefly that he must always be on the alert to assist
his fair companion in every way in his power—he must be clever enough
to repair any slight damage to her machine which may occur _en route_,
he must assist her in mounting and dismounting, pick her up if she has
a tumble, and make himself generally useful and incidentally ornamental
and agreeable.
He rides at her left in order to give her the more guarded place, as
the rule of the road in meeting other cyclers is the same as that for a
carriage, to turn to the right. In England, the reverse is the case.
Assisting the Lady.
In mounting, the gentleman who is accompanying a lady holds her wheel;
she stands on the left side of the machine and puts her right foot
across the frame to the right pedal, which at the time must be up;
pushing the right pedal causes the machine to start and then with the
left foot in place, the rider starts ahead—slowly at first, in order
to give her cavalier time to mount his wheel, which he will do in the
briefest time possible.
When the end of the ride is reached, the man quickly dismounts and is
at his companion’s side to assist her, she, in the meantime, assisting
herself as much as possible. This is done—that is, dismounting in the
most approved style—by riding slowly, and when the left pedal is on the
rise, the weight of the body is thrown on it, the right foot is crossed
over the frame of the machine, and, with an assisting hand, the rider
easily steps to the ground.
In meeting a party of cyclists who are known to each other and desire
to stop for a parley, it is considered the proper thing for the men of
the party to dismount while in conversation with the ladies.
As to the furnishings of the bicycle, to be really complete, it must be
fitted out with a clock and a bell, luggage carrier and a cyclometer,
the latter being an absolute _sine qua non_ to the woman who cares
for records. From five to six lessons are always considered necessary
before one can master even the details of riding.
On the Road.
On the road the woman who wishes to ride _a la mode_ has to know a
number of little things that are overlooked by another woman, just as
the smart set have a code for riding and driving that is as inexorable
as that they should not eat with their knives or put sugar on oysters.
Society insists on an upright position, with, of course, no attempt
at racing pace. It also frowns upon constant ringing of the bell—that
will do for the vulgar herd who delight in noise. The well-informed
wheelwoman keeps eye and ear alert and touches her bell rarely. She
dresses daintily and inconspicuously—effaces herself, in fact, as much
in this exercise as she does in all public places.
Very gallant escorts use a towrope when accompanying a lady on a
wheeling spin. These are managed in various ways; one consists of an
India-rubber door-spring just strong enough to stretch a little with
the strain, and about six feet of shade cord. One end is attached to
the lady’s wheel at the lamp bracket or brake rod by a spring swivel,
and the other end is hooked to the escort’s handle bar in such a way
that he can set it free in a moment, if necessary. When he has finished
towing he drops back to the lady’s side, hanging the loose end of the
cord over her shoulder, to be ready for the next hill. A gentle pull
that is a bagatelle to a strong rider is of great assistance to a weak
one up hill or against a strong wind.
For Protection Against Dogs.
Every bicyclist in the land will rise up and call the inventor of the
ammonia gun for dogs blessed. Nothing is more annoying to the rider
than to have a mongrel dog barking at his pedals and scurrying across
his pathway in such close proximity to the front wheel as to be a
constant reminder of a possible “header.” The gun is calculated to
make an annoying dog sneeze and sniff away all future ambitions to
investigate the pace of a rider. It is said to be a perfect instrument
in every way. The advantages enumerated for it are: Positively will not
leak; has no spring to press or caps to remove, and will shoot from
five to twelve times from fifteen to thirty feet with one loading.
A Few Don’ts for Cyclers.
Don’t try to raise your hat to the passing “bloomer” until you become
an expert in guiding your wheel.
Don’t buy a bicycle with down-curve handles. It is impossible to sit
erect and hold that kind of a handle.
Don’t go out on a bicycle wearing a tail coat unless you enjoy making a
ridiculous show of yourself.
Don’t travel without a jacket or loose wrap, to be worn while resting.
A summer cold is a stubborn thing.
Don’t allow a taste for a bit of color in your make-up to tempt you to
wearing a red or other gay-colored cap.
Don’t get off the old gag about “that tired feeling” every time you
stop by the roadside for a little breathing spell.
Don’t absent yourself from church to go wheeling, as you and your
bicycle are welcome at most houses of worship.
Don’t leave your bicycle in the lower hallway of your flat-house for
the other tenants to fall over in the dark.
Don’t believe the farmer boy who says that it is “two miles to the next
town.” It may be two, four, six or twelve.
Don’t be more than an hour passing a given point, although wheeling on
a dusty road is honestly conducive to thirst.
Don’t smile at the figure others cut astride their wheels, as it is not
given you to see yourself as others see you.
Don’t coast down a strange hill with a curve at its bottom. There is no
telling what you will meet when it is too late.
Don’t ride ten miles at a scorching pace, then drink cold water and lie
around on the grass, unless you are tired of life.
Don’t try to carry your bike downstairs under your arm. Put it on your
shoulder, or you will come to distress.
Don’t laugh the watchful copper to scorn because your lamp is burning
brightly. He can afford to wait his time to laugh.
Don’t dress immodestly or in the costume of a track sprinter. Sweaters
worn like a Chinaman’s blouse are almost indecent.
Don’t forget that the modern law of the road requires you to turn out
to the right in passing another bicycle or other vehicle.
Women’s Bicycle Rides.
“Women who ride bicycles should make it a law with themselves never to
ride after a feeling of weariness comes over them,” said a well-known
physician. “I just came from visiting a woman who tried to ride around
the city last Sunday. It was the fourth time she had ever ridden a
wheel out of doors. She got half way around, came home in street cars
and a carriage, and has been sick in bed ever since. She ought to be an
example to all women who ride. For those who are beginning, especially,
and in a measure for all women, there is a great danger in overdoing.
Some women ride centuries, it is true, but they are men in strength. No
ordinary woman should start out before knowing how far she is going.
Ordinarily, though, they ride twice as far as they ought. They start
out and ride away from home until they get tired.
“Then they have to ride back, getting more and more exhausted with
every turn of the wheels. No ordinary woman who rides once or twice
a week should go more than ten miles at a trip. That is perhaps an
hour’s ride, that may be easily extended to an hour and a quarter
before that distance is covered, and if she does not feel fresh and in
a glow when she stops, she may be certain that she has ridden too long.
Naturally there is that healthy tired feeling which any one recognizes
after athletic exercise, but it is quite different from and never to
be mistaken for the weariness which comes from too much exertion and
straining of the nerves and muscles. Very few women have ever been
injured on a bicycle who kept to this rule and limited their riding to
nominal distances.”
Length of the Ride.
“This limit of distance, which is designated by the feeling of
weariness, is only a little more important than the limit of speed
which the female frame is capable of undergoing under healthy
exercising rules. Whether a man can ride at full speed for a long
distance and still retain his good health is a doubtful question. It
is certain, however, that no woman can keep up a high rate of speed
for even a generous portion of a mile and not create the beginning
of injuries. The added strength required to increase speed even a
little after a certain amount of power has been expended is out of
all proportion to the results. There is no relaxation of the muscles
between revolutions of the pedals, nor any let up on the nervous and
muscular strain while the speed lasts. The heart is far more taxed than
one realizes at the moment, and that species of tingling or numbness
in the nerves and muscles which often results is only a sign that they
have both been overtaxed.”
Properly used, a wheel is certainly a promoter of health. It develops
muscles that are seldom, if ever, otherwise used. It gains for women
that ideal condition of the flesh so prized by sculptors and artists,
namely, a firm, solid tissue when the muscles are flexed, and a
softness of an infant with muscular relaxation. It develops the entire
torso and limbs, it renders one’s nerves like steel and is a splendid
antidote for headaches.
An exceedingly smart and yet thoroughly practical cycling costume is
known as the “Londonderry,” and is made in gray-green hopsack, a soft
fabric which lends itself admirably to the full folds of the ample
knickerbockers, which form a most important part of this costume. The
“Londonderry” coat is made with long and very full basques, which form
a kind of skirt when on the machine, and which, nevertheless, do not
interfere in the least with the rider’s freedom of action. This coat is
prettily braided with black, and fastened with big black buttons. It is
so arranged in front that it can be worn either with a shirt or over a
double-breasted vest of cloth or leather.
Skirts are an Abomination.
A renowned lady writer says: “In the first place let me condemn the
skirt—not from prejudice, but from experience. Skirts, no matter
how light, how trim, how heavy, are both a nuisance and a danger. A
nuisance because they are always subject to entanglement in the wheel;
because they fly up with every breeze and motion; because they have
not the chic appearance of the properly made bloomer, and because, if
they are weighted, like a riding habit, they make so much more to carry
against the wind. And breeze makes weight.
“They are a danger because with the constant pumping of the pedals the
knee is required to raise too great a weight; this bears upon the body
just below the back of the hips, giving backache; often more serious
troubles. I wouldn’t wear a skirt. I had one torn off me by the wheel;
but I rode with them long enough to give a just comparison of the
merits of skirts _versus_ bloomers.
“Riding suits should be of fine, light weight, navy blue or black
material, made with bloomers, and the blouse with tailor-made jacket.
I wear the sweater myself in preference, because it is not so apt to
leave one subject to changes of temperature. The Alpine hat of Tam
O’Shanter is _au fait_ for street, with leggings to match the bloomers
and jacket, and low shoes made broad on the ball of the foot. All
bicycle shoes should be broad on the ball, because the pedaling is done
with the ball, not with the under curve, as so many think. Doeskin
gloves are best for ordinary riding. Bloomers should be made to fasten
at the left side of the back, which leaves room for a pocket on the
right side. Tinted leggings should always match the hat and gloves.
“Tell the ladies to have their saddles built high and wide in the back,
sloping away and downwards in front; and that if they pedal properly
there is no reason why bicycling should not be a healthful, moral,
modest and permanent form of exercise. For, mark it,” she added, as a
parting sally, “the wheel has come to stay.”
A Pace Indicator.
A man who rides for health and pleasure and not to race or score
centuries says that his plan is never to go so fast that he must
breathe through his mouth. As long as his nostrils can supply
sufficient air he knows that he is not over-exerting himself. As soon
as he feels an inclination to breathe through his mouth he slackens his
pace.
Don’t Dodge a Bicycle.
Before bicycling will ever become a success a meeting must be called
for the purpose of allowing the wheelmen and the pedestrian to arrive
at some understanding. “I am in favor of a convention or something of
that sort,” said a prominent wheelman to a reporter.
As it is now, a rider comes down the street and sees ahead of him at a
crossing a man or woman who is supposed to be endowed with reasonable
intelligence. This person is in the act of crossing the street. He
looks up, sees the rider coming and stands still right in the middle
of the street. Of course, he is mentally calculating his chances for
getting across safely.
In the meantime, the rider is getting closer and closer and is in a
study equally as profound as to what the person is going to do. The
pedestrian takes a step forward, takes another glance up the street,
stops, starts back, makes an effort to reach the pavement, stops again,
starts forward, stops.
Of course, by this time the cyclist is almost at a standstill and is
also zigzagging from one side to the other, waiting and muttering. The
pedestrian seems to give up all possibility of escape, faces the rider,
both arms extended, jumps from one foot to the other, and the two
collide. The cyclist is thrown to the ground, his wheel twisted, and he
gets the blame.
And how easily all this can be avoided! Let the pedestrian, instead of
performing all these trying evolutions, merely walk along as though
there was nothing behind him, keep his course, and the cyclist will
know what to do. He will turn his wheel to one side and slide past
with perfect ease and safety. On the crossings let a man walk along as
though there were not a bicycle in the state, and the wheelman will
judge his course accordingly. He has control of his wheel and is as
anxious not to collide as the other fellow.
[Illustration: Decoration]