If you are strong and accustomed to active exercise, the time may be
prolonged to an hour or an hour and a half; or you may practise twice
daily, morning and afternoon, or afternoon and evening. Cycling weather
is an uncertain quantity, and all possible advantages should be taken of
it. If tired after the first day’s practice, do not attempt to resume it
until entirely rested, even if it is necessary to wait for two or three
days; for unless the wheel is well understood and the wheeler fairly
practised, it is hard work. The practised cyclist controls the bicycle
without conscious effort, and may direct his attention to his
surroundings; but the novice must concentrate his attention on his
machine.
A bicycle should always be handled carefully; for though it is made
strong enough for the emergencies of being thrown and pulled and
twisted, none of these things improve it. Keep the polish free from
scratches, and the more delicate parts free from dents. Do not let the
bicycle fall or throw it down carelessly. Learn to balance it against a
curb or post or fence or any other convenient object, without injury to
the bicycle or to the supporting surface.
A bicycle will balance in this way: The front wheel kept from moving at
either the tire or the centre of the frame; the pedal resting against
some firm object.
Do not wheel near anything, but give yourself as much room as possible.
A practised cyclist can take a bicycle wherever it is possible to walk,
but it is sometimes a feat to do this.
The proper position cannot be too soon acquired. Sit erect and not too
far from the handle-bars. Let the hands grasp the handles in an easy,
natural position. The saddle should be quite over the pedals to give a
natural movement, forward, down, back, and up. The bicycle is sensitive,
and yields to almost unconscious direction; but if the eye is not
trained to judge distances, steering will be difficult at first. It is
necessary to look well ahead, to decide quickly what you will do, and to
do it. Pedal fast, but do not hurry. Don’t try to find out how fast you
can go. This is not a good time for such an experiment; it will be easy
later to test your speed. Pedal fast enough to keep the machine running
easily and smoothly and to feel it take care of itself a little. It is
easier to guide and control it when it is in motion with the wheels
rolling rapidly.
[Illustration: CARRYING THE BICYCLE.]
It is not a good plan to select a very light wheel for practice. The
tendencies and the peculiarities of the bicycle are more readily
determined when there is a little weight to resist. Be careful to wear
nothing tight, particularly shoes, gloves, waistband, or hat; for they
might prove a source of discomfort or even danger.
Learn to steady the bicycle as soon as you can. It will wiggle and
wobble from a number of causes. The front wheel must be kept steady.
Wobbling results from losing the sense of direction for a moment. To
overcome the difficulty, either stop and dismount, or, if it is
possible, increase your speed.
Before taking a bicycle out, have any oil that may have settled on the
outside of the bearings wiped off, and add a little fresh oil to the
oil-cups. The chain or power gear should be lubricated, and any
superfluous lubricant carefully removed. The ease with which the bicycle
runs depends on proper cleaning and oiling; an illy cared for or badly
oiled machine, moreover, is very unpleasant to handle.
A course of practice will inspire confidence, and wobbling will occur
less and less frequently. Then the inequalities of surface will be
noticed, and the cyclist will wonder why it is harder to wheel in some
places and in certain directions. Parts of the road are covered, the
wheeler being almost unconscious of exerting any force, and again in
places the foot seems to be pushed up. Ease and comfort in wheeling are
dependent to a large degree on the wind and to a much larger degree on
the grades and hills. A very little grade, a very slight rise, quite
unnoticeable to the pedestrian, is disagreeably obvious to the
bicyclist. The difficulty presented may be overcome by pushing on the
pedal at the right place as it descends, and at the right time, time and
place being also adjusted to the weight and power of the bicyclist. To
push at just the right time on a grade assures an easy ascent. Any
difficulty in pedaling may be traced to a wrong application of power.
Hill-climbing and grade work require thought and practice. Do not be
discouraged because a little bit of a hill seems quite impossible.
Overcoming grades is no easy matter, and is usually learned slowly;
every time a grade is attempted, however, some progress is made. Wheel
as far as it is possible to go comfortably; then dismount, and walk the
rest of the way. Never try to mount on an up grade unless you are
expert, for this is a difficult and most fatiguing thing to do. When
mounting, notice the grade, and if it is downward, do not have the
mounting pedal at its full height; and select a clear place to mount in.
If an up grade must be wheeled over, it is often advisable to mount in a
downward direction, wheel far enough for a start, and then turn to
ascend without dismounting. Learn to pedal slowly and steadily and to
start and stop easily. These things may be practised at convenient
times, and with sufficient practice will be mastered, but meanwhile need
keep no one from attempting a moderately long run.
[Illustration: PICKING UP A BICYCLE.]
Uncertain attempts at mounting are very fatiguing. Get some one to mount
and start you when off for the first long outings; the energy saved can
be better utilized in wheeling. Do not be afraid to wheel over small
inequalities if their direction is at right angles to the direction
of the bicycle; but avoid all ruts and depressions parallel with the
wheel’s direction. It is easy to slip into them, and difficult to get
out of them without a spill.
Never eat a full meal before starting on a bicycle trip; if possible,
set the time for starting at least an hour after eating. Ten, twenty,
and thirty miles are often covered after the first or second trial. It
is better to sit on your wheel and pedal slowly than to dismount.
Getting on and off, stopping and starting, are much more fatiguing than
wheeling; and it is well to economize your strength at this stage.
Always see that the tool-kit is in place on the bicycle, and never go
far without a wrench and a screw driver.
The tires also should receive close attention; they should be properly
inflated, and the hand-pump carried on a convenient place on the
machine. It is never well to use a tire that is not property inflated.
Avoid all broken glass, nails, etc., and do not rest the wheel against a
barbed wire fence.
The wheeler who desires to succeed cannot too soon begin to observe and
take notes. Early learn to use the wrench yourself, and study how to
apply that instrument properly. Study the different parts of the
bicycle, and note how they are put together; and particularly observe
each nut and screw, and determine its purpose. Each nut must be at its
proper tension to hold securely. Study the valves of the tires and learn
their construction; and be sure you know how to apply the pump-coupling
properly. Learn the names and uses of the different parts of the
bicycle, and study their construction. This is mechanical geography, if
I may use such a term. Learn to care for your health and how to prepare
your system to resist fatigue. Then you will find that you have mastered
the subject, and are prepared to avail yourself of the many pleasures of
the sport.
The oftener discouraged, the oftener the opportunity to hope again. The
art of bicycling is a purely mechanical attainment; and though its
complications may at first seem hopeless, sufficient practice will
result in final mastery.
_CHAPTER VI._
_Helping and Teaching; What to Learn._
Accuracy is the first principle of cycling; and the would-be bicyclist
should learn as early as possible that ease of movement and precision of
movement are inseparable; and that bruises and bumps and wrenches,
though they may have an educational value, are not a necessary
accompaniment of the sport. The skilful instructor need never allow a
scratch or a bruise. Some people want to learn everything at once; but
only so much should be done at each attempt as can be done accurately,
if it be only walking the machine about and standing it up. This
exercise is helpful, for walking a bicycle about requires a series of
accurate movements, and accurate movement is necessary in learning
mounting and propelling.
The bicycle is a marvel of adjustment, and the bicyclist is obliged to
adopt movements that correspond with the movements of the bicycle. The
more accurate this correspondence of movement, the greater the ease of
propulsion.
The lines and angles of the levers of feet and legs must be studied to
so apply them as to secure the best results. Avoid undue tension. Learn
just how much to lean the bicycle in mounting, just where to place the
foot, where to stand in relation to the handle-bars, and where to place
the weight on the machine. This understood, mounting is accomplished.
The bicycle may be mastered, and easily mastered, by remembering all the
things not to do and by doing all the things that should be done.
To assist another to do what you do not know how to do yourself is not
an easy task; yet there are people who are willing to undertake it.
A bicycle is so nicely balanced that it is easy to hold it up if it is
taken hold of in the right way. Grasp the back of the saddle firmly with
one hand, take hold of one of the handles with the other, and the
machine is in your power. A person seated on the saddle with a firm hold
of the handles of the handle-bar, becomes, as it were, a part of the
machine, and when sitting quite still is governed by the same laws of
balance that control the bicycle.
Take hold of a bicycle with some one seated in the saddle, and move it a
few inches forward, then a few inches backward, and it becomes at once
perceptible that but little force is necessary to overcome the inertia
of the combined weights of wheel and rider. The wheel has a tendency to
fall to either side, but it is easy to balance the weight on the tires.
Then hold the wheel a little toward you, for it is easier and less
fatiguing than to hold it from you. If the bicycle is allowed to incline
from you, it will pull you over; if it inclines toward you, you can
support its weight against the shoulder. If the rider sits still and
inclines with the machine, it is easily righted; but if the rider’s
weight is thrown in a direction opposite to the inclination of the
bicycle, the tendency to fall is increased, and the inclined bicycle is
pushed over.
[Illustration: LEADING A BICYCLE ABOUT.]
Before assisting another person with a bicycle, it is well to note all
the tendencies of the machine. This may be done by taking a bicycle and
putting it in all the different positions mentioned. The motions are the
same whether or not there is any one in the saddle, and it is well to
learn to manage the machine without exerting too much force. Stand on
the left-hand side of the bicycle, and hold the saddle with the right
hand. The steering may be done with the left hand, and the bicycle kept
upright by wiggling the front wheel. It is better to do this than to
attempt to hold the front wheel still. Walk the bicycle about by the
handle-bars only, and you will find that to keep the wheel straight it
is necessary to hold the bars stiff, and this is quite a difficult
undertaking. Allowed to move gently from side to side, the wheel is more
easily controlled.
When assisting a person for the first time, stand beside the machine,
see that the pedal farthest from you is raised to its greatest height,
and move the bicycle forward until the pedal is commencing its down
stroke. Then let the wheeler step in beside the bicycle, in front of you
and on the same side of the machine, and grasp both handles firmly.
Stand as close as possible to the bicycle, having it inclined toward you
at such an inclination that the weight of the wheeler, stepping to the
opposite pedal, will right it. Then, while you hold the bicycle still,
the wheeler should step on the raised pedal, stand upon the pedal with
the knee stiff, and then settle slowly on the saddle; the other foot
must find the down pedal. Do not let the machine move yet, but have the
beginner go over these movements again, practising them from both sides
of the machine until a little confidence is felt.
It is all important to get on the saddle quickly and easily and without
necessity for readjustment. If a skirt is worn, it should be arranged
before placing the weight on the pedal, and the knee should be slightly
bent when the pedal is lowest. The saddle should be the right height;
the handle-bars should be a trifle high, that is, when the rider sits
erect; the hands should rest easily and comfortably on the hand-grips.
Now the thing for the rider to do is to ride and hold on to the handles.
Don’t let the wheel get away from you. To prevent an accident, should
this happen, the beginner should know how to come off the bicycle. An
active person can step to the ground before the wheel has time to fall.
To get off, step on the pedal that is down, and throw the other foot
over.
If the saddle is not right, dismount the wheeler in this way: Have the
wheeler’s feet firmly placed on both pedals, and see that the down pedal
is on the side on which you are standing. Pull the machine a little to
that side, and see that the foot is on the down pedal. Then direct the
wheeler to step on this down pedal, throwing all the weight on it, and
to pass the raised foot over in front of the down foot to the ground.
The foot on the down pedal should not be removed until the other
foot, placed on the ground, has taken the rider’s weight.
[Illustration: PREPARING TO DISMOUNT.]
Say that you are now going to move, and let the wheeler mount as before.
Show that a wiggling movement must be kept up with the front wheel, and
say that you will help to do it. See that the wheeler has both handles
held firmly, and then grasp the bars just in front of the handle. Keep
firm hold of the saddle, and control the balance and push by that,
letting the bars do their own work.
A learner always pushes too hard on the pedals.
Take the machine about, and trot it up and down, holding it firmly and
keeping it balanced. Should it pull you over, the wheeler can step off
without difficulty.
It is much easier for two than for one to help a beginner. A trio of
novices can form a very fair school. A bicycle is inclined either to
pull or to push, and if supported on both sides, the pulling tendency is
avoided and the pushing tendency readily corrected. If ladies are
helping one another, the best way is for two to hold the bicycle,
standing one on each side of the machine. Both should hold the saddle
and both should hold the handle-bars just beyond the handles and above
the hands of the wheeler. One should instruct, and the other help to
hold the machine.
Let a beginner first learn to mount, then to dismount, practising these
movements several times before starting; then, having made sure that the
pedal on that side is two-thirds up, come to the left hand side of the
wheel, step on the pedal, and be seated in the saddle; then put the
weight on the pedal that is down, and step off with the other foot.
Repeat several times, mounting from each side, dismounting on the same
side and on the opposite side, at command, and repeating. Tilt the wheel
as the weight goes on the pedal. Dismount the pupil, and walk the wheel
about between you, wiggling the front wheel. Then mount your pupil, and
proceed as already explained. After the pupil begins to propel the
wheel, very little assistance from the instructor is necessary, and care
should be taken not to confuse the pupil as to the amount of work they
are doing. Call attention to the ease with which the wheel is brought up
when inclined to fall, and explain about turning and steering and
wiggling, and what these motions are for. You cannot propel a bicycle
unless you know what you are doing; there cannot be guess-work about it.
The perfect confidence that comes with familiarity and practice must
precede success.
Given three people with one bicycle, all can learn to ride, helping each
other in turn. Having learned to mount and dismount, the next thing is
to learn to start the bicycle. The weight should be allowed to start the
bicycle as soon as the foot, pressing on the pedal as it descends,
brings the wheeler to the saddle.
The stop should be learned next. The wheeler should be reminded to
notice which is the down pedal, and to step on it with all the weight
just as it begins to rise. This will stop the machine, and the dismount
is made in the usual way by throwing the other foot over, and stepping
with that on the ground. The foot that has stopped the machine should
not leave the pedal too soon, but remain on it long enough to control
the bicycle.
[Illustration: DISMOUNTING.]
As soon as the wheeler can pedal a little and has the balance well
enough to ride without assistance, the next thing is to learn to ride
over ordinary obstructions, and to remain on the wheel for a given
number of minutes without dismounting. All this can be taught in an
ordinary room or on a piazza; and both teacher and pupil will find a
smooth surface, such as a board floor or a pavement, best adapted for
the work. Attention cannot too soon be directed to taking the weight off
the ascending pedal, and the exercise should not be prolonged for a
moment after this becomes a difficult thing to do.
At first the practice leaves the beginner much agitated and breathless;
but these conditions are overcome after a few lessons, though
experienced riders sometimes experience a return of them when they find
mounting difficult and do not notice the grade they are attempting. The
sensitiveness of the wheel sometimes puzzles the beginner, and the sense
of adjustment is often difficult to acquire.
Nervous work and nervous effort are noticeable in no other sport in the
same marked degree. Some seize and adopt its salient points at once and
almost unconsciously, but the majority are not so fortunate. The first
fifteen minutes on a bicycle are frequently enough to cause thorough
exhaustion. The best remedy for this is to take the wheel and walk it
about; the pupil should be left alone with it. If fifteen minutes’ work
is too much, alternate five minutes’ work with rest at the next lesson.
The balance and distribution of strength for the pull by the hands is
quite important in directing and controlling the machine. The feet are
used to propel and to balance. The teacher should note carefully if the
beginner errs by incorrect pedaling or by too much pull on the handles,
and correct the wrong tendency.
Balance by pedaling comes next in order, and cannot be practised too
early; and as by this time a fair amount of speed will have been
attained, the natural balance begins to be acquired.
Balanced pedaling and swaying are very different, and should not be
confused. The bicycle may be propelled, balanced, and controlled
entirely by the pedals; and as this is the best and most important mode
of wheeling, it should early be understood and attempted.
The adjustment of the machine should now be taken up, and the wheeler
should know how and why the bicycle can be changed to suit individual
peculiarities. The wiggling tendency of the front wheel lessens as the
wheeler acquires confidence; and its unsteadiness can be overcome and
controlled with the balance and by pedaling, with the swaying of the
body or the pressure of either foot.
There is much to avoid as well as much to do. Incorrect position means
difficult work, almost impossible propulsion and possible personal
injury. The knowledge that everything is firmly screwed up about the
bicycle, and particularly that the saddle is secure, cannot be too soon
acquired. Never attempt to mount or even to try the bicycle unless the
saddle is properly secured and immovable. If anything breaks, it is not
necessarily your fault; if anything is insecure, blame no one for not
attending to something you should yourself have attended to. Always
examine the pedals to see that they turn easily; and be sure about that
saddle. It is a good deal of trouble to screw the nut up tight for a few
minutes, or even for half a minute, but it should be done.
When adjusting the saddle, never be hurried when tools are to be used,
for it is necessary to apply them carefully to insure accuracy; and a
nut really requires serious attention, for often a good deal depends
upon it. If screwed hurriedly, the thread is in danger of being injured,
and on that thread the holding power of the nut depends.
When the beginner can balance and propel the bicycle for a little way
alone, the really tedious part of learning often begins. At this point
beginners become discouraged, for there seems to be nothing new to
learn; yet the results attained are unsatisfactory. What is needed is
practice.
Practise on a smooth piece of road, with some one running beside the
bicycle to give confidence and prevent falls. The proper position in
mounting should be studied. In mounting a drop-frame machine, never step
over the frame and place the foot on the ground; it is an awkward and
ungainly method. Take a proper position, then be sure everything is
right, and last of all, step on the pedal, and you are moving.
A good way to practise, if you have no one to help you, is to mount the
bicycle in the gutter, and limp along; or if in the country, a roadside
fence may give the needed assistance. Grasp a post firmly, and holding
by it, try to mount; and study the tendencies and the balance of the
bicycle without letting go the post.
Make up your mind how to mount, start the pedal properly, and keep
trying until you can ride a little. If a little, why not more? Keep on
practising, avoiding faults.
For instruction, the bicycle should be fitted with an instructor’s
handle, and the pupil provided with a belt having one handle or more.
The instruction handle and a hold on the handle-bar are sufficient
safeguard for most pupils, but the belt will often give confidence to
the timid and aid the instructor.
_CHAPTER VII._
_A Few Things to Remember._
Two important points for the bicyclist to study are avoidance of road
traffic and consideration of the surface ridden over. The law of the
road applies to all traffic passing over the road; the law of mechanics
to the surface of the road as it affects the bicycle and the cycler. In
cities, on much-used thoroughfares, careful work, quick eyes, experience
and caution are demanded to insure safety.
The law of the road, “Keep to the right, pass on the left anything going
in the same direction,” is explicit, and if always observed would render
collisions almost impossible. The avoidance of careless and unobservant
travellers is quite a study. Passing to the right, you can see and be
seen; passing on the left, a traveller moving in the same direction does
not become aware of your intention without being notified. You give
notice to prevent others from changing their direction and to enable
them thus to avoid crowding.
To pass a vehicle on the road, when travelling in the same direction,
involves increase of speed if the vehicle in front maintains its pace;
should it go slower or stop, and the roadway permits, a change of pace
is neither necessary nor desirable, unless you wish to steady your
machine. In nearing any vehicle or person coming from the opposite
direction, keep your share of the road. Be always alert and observant;
do not fail to give ample room to the approaching vehicle; but on the
other hand, do not permit yourself to be crowded or inconvenienced, and
keep enough of the roadway on your right in reserve in case a change of
direction becomes necessary.
The importance of having your machine at all times perfectly under
control cannot be over-estimated. Put faith in your pedaling, and never
ride at greater speed than you can determine and check at will.
Dependence on any brake, however perfect its action, is bad practice.