require constant and concentrated attention. The rhythmical movements of
a bicyclist at ease, master of the conditions, comes only with
confidence and the persistent practice which causes all the muscles to
move easily together in uninterrupted combinations, and the bicycle no
longer to require conscious attention.
_CHAPTER X._
_Difficulties to Overcome._
There is the mounting difficulty and the steering difficulty and the
pedaling difficulty; and then there is the general difficulty of doing
all these things together.
The first thing to do after learning the theory of starting and stopping
the machine is to make it go. No matter what happens, keep it going, the
faster the better, until a taste is acquired for the pastime; until the
going-forward-forever idea seems to have taken possession of you.
Then you want to try it again, but mounting seems more difficult than
ever. The machine will not do anything it ought to do; it bucks and
kicks and stops and spills and slips, and will not stand still, or even
move on. You know how to mount, or think you know; but that knowledge
does not seem to aid materially in overcoming the tendencies of the
machine.
Now be sure that you do know what to do. The first thing to know is that
the weight placed on the pedal starts the machine; that the foot on the
ground will hold the machine, and keep it from starting; that the
machine when in motion will move without falling, and when at rest
will not stand still unless held up.
[Illustration: PREPARING TO MOUNT--SHOWING INCLINATION.]
Then determine the amount of inclination the bicycle requires to balance
against your weight. The weight placed on the pedal pulls the machine up
to a vertical plane; and the inclination to be calculated for soon
becomes an accepted quantity. In gripping the handles and inclining the
machine, the balance that is felt will set you up on your wheel.
In mounting, the beginner is apt to stand too far behind the mounting
pedal. The position should be beside it, and the mounting foot be placed
over the frame and on the pedal. Then, raising the weight by means of
the handles, step off the ground, letting the pedal take the weight. Do
not give any push from the foot on the ground, but step off the ground
as you step on the pedal. Stepping on the pedal sets the machine in
motion, and rights it at the same time. There is nothing now to do but
to let the pedal lower you to the saddle, and hold the other foot up
until the other pedal comes around and carries the foot forward.
In mounting, the weight should be distributed between the handles and
the pedal until seated on the saddle. To practise mounting, take the
wheel, and start on a very slight down grade. Never attempt to practise
mounting against a grade, no matter how slight the inclination. A
careful instructor teaches mounting and dismounting thoroughly; but if a
poor method has been acquired, practise alone until you have gained
confidence and perhaps a few bruises. The only way to succeed is to try
and try again. Practise fifteen minutes at a time, for it is fatiguing
work; and do not become discouraged. With sufficient practice, the
difficulty vanishes.
Never practise mounting when tired; for you should be alert, and all
your muscles responsive. But persist; practise first mounting, and then
dismounting; and then rest by walking the machine about to learn its
balance.
Any one who rides or drives, or rows or sails, knows something of the
art of steering,--pulling or pushing on one side or the other to change
direction,--and on mounting a bicycle has only to apply knowledge
already acquired. In steering a bicycle, look directly over the centre
of the handle-bars in the direction you wish to take, and push or pull
the wheel until the centre of the bars coincides with your objective
point. This is really what is done; but the machine is so delicately
sensitive that you change its direction almost without knowing that you
are doing so. You go where you look; the hands follow the eye; and the
art of steering a bicycle resolves itself into knowing where you want to
go, and looking in that direction as you move. In steering or mounting,
always have an objective point. Look up the road well ahead, and keep
the general direction.
A difficulty early experienced is uncertain steering and an uncertain
sense of direction. When you are out for practice, look well ahead
towards the end of your road over the handles. Novices run into anything
they look at, and must concentrate their attention, therefore, on the
direction the bicycle ought to take.
[Illustration: INCORRECT MOUNTING POSITION.]
The weight inclined from side to side steers the bicycle; pressure on
either pedal steers it as well.
Correct and effective pedaling is a very difficult attainment, to be
acquired only with care and practice. First make the bicycle go, then
study how you do it, and improve your method. Keep in mind the points
that are required for correct pedaling. The early difficulty experienced
is to keep the knees and ankles in proper line. Turning the knees in and
the heels out will prevent the ankle-bones from striking, a difficulty
that many experience.
The reason that mounting is so difficult for some is because the foot is
placed incorrectly on the pedal, with the toe pointing out. The foot
should be parallel with the frame of the bicycle, and the knee turned
in; or else, when the weight is raised, the ankle will strike, and the
discomfort of the blow will render the attempt to mount unsuccessful.
The position seems awkward until correctly acquired; but the awkwardness
is due usually to lack of confidence to come close to the machine and to
taking a position too far back of the mounting pedal.
The change of direction on mounting often proves confusing, and the
bicycle must be steadied, and made to keep its direction at the same
time.
Choose your direction, and assure yourself of plenty of room to work in,
away from trees or stones or other objects that might prove a source of
danger in case of collision. Then mount and go. Keep these two ideas
well in mind. If you are uncomfortable, stop and get off; don’t try to
adjust anything while in motion. When you get on, go. You cannot get on
and keep still. Do not get on unless you are ready to go; keep going
when you are on; and the mounting difficulty vanishes.
Steer steadily, and be quick without haste. A hurried change of
direction can only be made without danger of a spill by an expert, and
then only in an emergency or for track-work. Bicycling requires
precision, and haste or hurry is out of place, while quick and alert
movement is required.
Take the bicycle out and do as much as you can with it. Part of the fun
is conquering difficulties, and each difficulty overcome is an
achievement.
Another difficulty experienced is striking the saddle in mounting. This
is usually due to springing from the ground to the saddle, or attempting
to do so, instead of stepping on the mounting pedal, and supporting and
holding the weight on the handle-bars. Of course, if the weight is not
supported on the machine, and the machine is started, it cannot carry
the weight forward. The saddle will strike, and push you over. Mount by
means of the handle-bars; let them take you; shift the weight up by them
on to the pedal. Then lower the weight to the saddle, step clear of the
ground, and lean a little over the bars if necessary to clear the
saddle.
In mounting a bicycle, you mount up on the pedal, and settle from that
down to the saddle. If the pedal strikes the other foot, it is because
the foot is not held up. Do not be in dread of that other foot; hold it
well up out of the way, using the mounting foot to make the machine
go.
[Illustration: MOUNTING--PREPARATORY POSITION.]
Too great inclination of the machine will spoil the mount, and
insufficient inclination will have the same effect. The front wheel must
be held in line with the frame, and any wrong tendency corrected by the
handle-bars after the weight is raised on the pedal, and the machine is
upright.
Many good tires are ruined by ineffectual efforts to mount. The machine
is pulled against the tire, and it is hard to understand why the tires
are not torn off or ripped to pieces. The light wheels are not made to
stand such usage; and it is a mistake to subject a new wheel to it. The
rubber is pulled sideways (a proper way to pull a tire off), and the
novice is fortunate if the bicycle is not all pulled out of true by
being strained in directions not calculated to resist wear and strain. A
twenty-pound wheel may be pulled out of true and so bent and untwisted
by ineffectual mounting efforts that it cannot be restored without labor
that amounts to practically rebuilding the bicycle.
In turning a bicycle, always lean in the direction the machine is
inclined. Lean in the direction you want to go, and very little
correction will be needed from the handle-bars. In turning, lean with
the wheel, and meet it with the handle-bars. Meeting the machine is done
continually, and is done by swinging the front wheel to meet the
inclination of the bicycle on whichever side it has a tendency to fall.
Bringing up is done by pulling the wheel around a little further
quickly, and very quickly back again. The frame is lifted by the front
wheel. This is explained in the principles of bicycle construction.
When an obstacle, as a car track or rut in the road, is met, the
obstacle must be crossed squarely; or if obliged to make a different
angle, the angle should be met with the front wheel at the instant of
contact, and a proper balance maintained with the pedals.
To stop and stand still, pedal slowly until the machine is almost ready
to stop; then “catch the pedals half way,” that is, stand on them,
rising from the saddle, having the pedals at equal heights, and
alternate the pressure. Hold the saddle firmly, pressing against both
sides to feel the balance and to hold the balance by means of the saddle
between the pedals with the weight on the feet.
As you catch the pedals, give the front wheel a sudden twist towards the
back pedal, which will prevent the bicycle from falling on that side;
then control the balance by the weight on the other pedal, and if
necessary restore balance by a quick twist of the front wheel. The best
way to practise this is to stop near a smooth wall, and use that to
assist to steady the balance.
Two people can stop and stand still in this way, crossing hands as in
skating, gripping the inner handles of the bicycles, and stopping by
holding the pedals and controlling the front wheels by the handles,
using the outer hand. This makes a very pretty and effective pause.
[Illustration: CORRECT MOUNTING POSITION.]
Numbness undoubtedly comes from interrupted circulation, caused either
by the clothing or the method of working. Numbness of the hands and
fingers may be traced generally to tight clothing, and after all
surface pressure is removed may safely be attributed to a too tight
gripping of the handles. A large soft glove often aids to prevent
numbness of the fingers; if gloves are not worn, the hand is apt to
grasp too closely. Change of position, too, will tend to counteract
numbness. It is not well to work too long at a time without a rest, if
there is any tendency of this kind. Walk up hill or on the level to
restore the circulation.
Numbness of the foot can be caused by surface pressure, the shoes, or
the saddle. Sitting too close to the saddle while working, instead of
carrying the weight on the pedals, is apt to produce numbness of the
feet. Garters or belts will have the same effect, and must be watched
and regulated. A shoe adapted for walking is not at all suitable for
serious bicycle exercise; the strains and pressure all come in the wrong
places, and confine and numb the feet. Free ankle movement is
imperative, and freedom for the lower muscles of the calf of the leg;
room for the feet, and especially for the toes to spread and to assist
in pressing the pedal. The sole of the shoe should be stiff, to prevent
bruises from the pedals or from irregularities on the ground.
Concussion and a consequent vibratory movement of the bicycle are
impossible to avoid, but they need not affect the wheeler injuriously.
Numbness is sometimes due to a condition of the nerves of the parts
affected by the vibratory movement. To prevent this condition of
affairs, never wheel with the weight on the hands, nor grip the handles
of the handle-bars too tight. Rest the hands lightly on the handles,
and be prepared to squeeze hard when necessary. Study the best position
and most convenient height for the hands when the machine is best under
control, and the jar and vibration are not perceived. All joints of
wrist, elbow, and shoulder should transmit any motion, not locate it, by
being fixed or rigid at any point.
The tire of the wheel should not be hard, nor should the saddle be
fitted with springs; and it should be so placed as to allow the rider to
rise easily on the pedals for rough wheeling. These rules being
observed, serious danger from this cause need not be apprehended.
Wheeling over cobble-stone pavement or over good Belgian blocks produces
a marked vibration in the bicycle. It would be a satisfactory test for
adjustment of position to be able to wheel over such a surface with
comfort, feeling the vibration of the bicycle hardly at all.
The difficulty experienced in wheeling over rough surface is caused by
lack of confidence and by general stiffness of all the muscles, which
causes the full force of the vibration to be felt. In carrying the
weight on the pedals, the vibration is less intensely felt. To grip the
handles for rough surface riding is almost involuntary, but it is
accompanied by acute discomfort from vibration. Pedal work only will
meet this difficulty.
There are different methods of mounting. The pedal mount is usually the
one first attempted on a drop-frame bicycle; the mount over the wheel on
a diamond-frame.
[Illustration: MOUNTING--SECOND POSITION.]
The diamond-frame mount from the peg is made in this way: Standing
directly behind the machine, the handles of the handle-bars are grasped
firmly. One foot is placed on the peg, and the wheel inclined away from
that foot; the foot on the ground gives a shove, and the bicycle moves
off, carrying the weight on the peg; and the other foot swings forward
to catch the pedal, which was a little behind the top of the circle on
starting.
The drop-frame has several rather pretty pedal mounts and vaults. In
one, the bars are held, and the machine is started. Watch the rhythm of
the pedal, and as it passes the top of the stroke, incline the machine
away from you, place the other foot on the pedal, swing the foot next
the machine over in front, and catch the other pedal as it rises; then
sit easily on the saddle. The vault is made after starting the machine,
running or hurrying along, and springing from the ground to the saddle,
using the handles to help. The pedals are found after being seated on
the saddle; and the machine moves with the momentum given it in running
before rising in the vault.
There is a mount from the pedal on the same side on which you are
standing. Start the bicycle, and keep along with it, watching the
pedals. As the pedal near you comes up and over the top of the curve,
step on it with the outside foot, inclining the machine well away from
you; at the same time the weight will carry the pedal around with you,
and as it rises, the other pedal and the saddle can be found. The same
mount may be made without starting the machine. Hold the machine
inclined from you; place the outside foot against the pedal until it is
at its furthest point away from you; hold the bicycle firmly, and step
on, swinging the foot off the ground around to the other pedal, in front
of the saddle, not behind it. On the diamond-frame, the same mount is
made, only the foot is swung behind the saddle, not in front of it, as
is possible on the drop-frame machine.
To stop the bicycle with another person on it, grasp the handle-bars,
and take hold of the shoulder of the person propelling the bicycle, if
necessary.
[Illustration: DISMOUNTING OVER THE WHEEL.]
_CHAPTER XI._
_Dress._
The matter of dress for bicycling is quite important from the hygienic
standpoint.
Clothing should be most carefully selected, with the view to an equal
distribution of weight and an even thickness of material; it should have
no constricting, no tight bands anywhere, but should permit of absolute
freedom of movement, and be warm enough to prevent chilling through too
great radiation of heat, yet porous enough to allow of free evaporation.
All seasons of the year permit of cycling; the bicyclist therefore has
opportunity for much variety in dress. The essentials are
knickerbockers, shirt-waist, stockings, shoes, gaiters, sweater, coat,
no skirt, or skirt with length decided by individual preference, hat and
gloves.
The knickerbockers should be very carefully cut; smooth and tight just
over the top of the hips, and fitting easily below; not fulled or
gathered; full at the knees, and boxed or finished with a band and
button and button-hole; nothing elastic on any account. The stockings
should be worn folded on the boxed part of the knickerbockers, below the
knees, and rolled down and held by the band of the knickerbockers, being
fastened below. This arrangement does away with garters, which compress
surface circulation, or pull if attached at the waist, causing pressure
where they pull, and are most objectionable for many reasons. The
knickerbockers should be made of cloth or woollen material.
The shirt-waist should have wristbands or sleeves finished to open a
little way, and button; the neck finished with a band, with a detachable
collar of the same material. The body of the waist should be shaped to
the figure at the sides and back, gathered slightly in the front, and
finished at the waist-line without a band, and may be of the same
material as the rest of the suit. The knickerbockers should button to
this waist, the places for the buttons being reinforced. The stockings
should preferably be of wool, and of a seasonable weight.
The combination of knickerbockers, shirt-waist, and stockings forms the
essential part of a cycling costume. A union under-garment may be worn
and the knickerbocker suit; over this a coat and a skirt if desired,
with a sweater for an extra wrap.
Bicycling is warm work, and the clothing should always be rather light
in weight. For touring it must all be carried on the wheel, and yet be
heavy enough for comfort when not exercising, and not too heavy for
work, and should, moreover, allow of adjustment for changes in
temperature or for any required change in distribution. To this end, all
the clothing should be of one color or of colors that look well
together. The knickerbockers, waist, and skirt should match; then if the
coat is removed, the costume looks complete. An outfit might consist
of two suits complete, of different weights; sweaters of different
weights; wool stockings, heavy and light, that will roll below the knee
without being either bulky or tight.
[Illustration: MOUNTING OVER THE WHEEL FROM PEG.]
The knickerbockers are better fastened with a button, the button being
in just the right place, than with a strap and buckle, which is liable
to be pulled too tight at times.
The shoes should be low, made of thin leather, laced well down toward
the toe, with light uppers, and soles stiff yet flexible, and made with
grooves to take the pedals and prevent slipping. Blocks or cleats on the
soles to fit the pedals are sometimes preferred, but are hardly so good
for general work.
The gaiters may be made of almost any suitable material, leather,
canvas, or woollen, to match or contrast with the rest of the costume.
They should fit easily around the ankle and over the instep, and should
never, on any account, extend more than half way to the knee. The
muscles of the calf of the leg must have room to work; and gaiters badly
cut, or too tight or too long, would impede circulation and restrict
muscular action.
The sweater should come well up around the neck, and pull down easily
below the saddle; it is better too long than not long enough to cover
the large muscular masses that have been at work, and may be turned up
if in the way. It should slip on easily, and be soft and woolly, and not
so cumbersome that the coat cannot slip on over it and be buttoned up to
the throat.
The coat should be cut long-waisted, and easy across the shoulders,
single-breasted, and made to button close to the throat; the collar to
roll and remain open, but so cut that it may be easily turned up to the
ears. The sleeves should be finished with two buttons and button-holes,
so that they may be turned up a little if desired.
There are occasions when a covert coat made of close cloth may be
useful, when out in very cold weather or standing in the wind without
shelter; but it cannot be generally recommended.
Pockets in any part of the dress should be made of woollen material.
Cotton retains moisture, and a cotton pocket or a pocket lined with
cotton may become damp and clammy and cold, acting almost like a damp
compress. The fewer pockets, the better; but a number are often found
convenient. Everything if possible should be carried on the wheel, not
in the pockets. Metal condenses moisture and interrupts evaporation.
As the skirt should always open at the side, and fasten with several
buttons, a convenient pocket may be placed in the placket-hole; a
watch-pocket in the skirt is a good thing, but the watch is better
carried on the wheel; and a pocket should be set aside for matches,
where they may always be found quickly.
Collars and cuffs of linen or of celluloid, of silk or of the same
material as the suit, may be used for touring; but soft neckwear should
be worn if possible.
If a neck-muffler is worn, it should be of cashmere, not of silk.
Neatness is most important. Each article of dress should be carefully
adjusted and fastened. Never use pins or put things carelessly
together, hoping they will stay, but be sure that every article of dress
fits and is securely fastened, and it will never need a thought after it
is in place.
In warm weather gloves with one button are most comfortable; for cooler
weather, four buttons, fastened about the wrists, keep the hands warm.
The adjustment of the covering of wrists and ankles makes the greatest
difference in comfort in wheeling. In cold weather, hands and feet
should be kept warm; in hot weather, it is comfortable to work with the
cuffs turned back and wearing low shoes without gaiters. Indeed, in hot
weather it is important not to encase the ankles in heavy boots or
leggings, as these would ensure overheating.
The outfit may be completed with a number of hats--a light straw for
summer, a soft felt for touring, and a small and becoming hat for the
park. The hat should be chosen to stay on easily, and not pinned, but
fastened under the hair with elastic, and the hair dressed to stand any
amount of blowing about.
The skirt should not reach more than half way below the knee, and the
hem and all seams should be finished on the outside; then there will be
nothing to catch or pull. The width around the bottom may be a matter of
choice, but the skirt need not fall behind the pedal when furthest back,
and should be cut full enough in the front to permit the knees to work
easily. The top of the skirt should take the place of a waistband,
following the curves of the figure, made to flare at the top of the
waist, and fitted snugly over the hips and hanging from them. It may be
worn with or without a belt.
The coat should be long enough to touch the saddle or hang an inch or
two below it, to protect all the vital organs and as much of the working
masses of muscle as possible.
The sweater may be worn for coolness or warmth. As an outside garment,
it allows the air to pass through its mesh easily; worn under another
garment, it is very warm, retaining the heat.