You thought your roll-out was tricky?

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

Here's an ad for one of the cyclometers in question, showing it
strapped to a highwheeler:
http://i39.tinypic.com/28iyr.jpg

Note below that our great-grandfathers wrote their mileage notes on
their shirt cuffs.

***

To the Editor of the London Bicycle Club Gazette.

Sir,—In reply to "Mucker," if he desires one of the expensive distance
gauges, he will find Stenton's patent bicycle log much the best. It
records quarter miles up to 65 miles, and can always be re-set at zero
at the commencement of a journey. It also fits any sized hub.

***

Then, as to registering revolutions or miles, opinions differ. At
first sight the balance of convenience appears to be in favour of
miles, but my experience points the other way. The actual size of
wheels generally varies somewhat from the nominal size. I ride two
machines, both 52's. Theoretically, each of them should travel a mile
in 387 revolutions; practically, one of them makes 392 or 393
revolutions in a mile. The second machine makes fewer. As it is a new
one, I have not had full opportunity of testing this, but the number
appears to be about 385. A thicker (or even a stiffer) rubber would
make a difference, and of course the rolling of the wheel must be
taken into account.

***

We take on ourselves to reply to the inquiry of "Mucker," in last
week's issue, on the subject of cyclometers. Every man probably holds
his own particular kind of cyclometer to be the best, so we will
content ourselves with giving our reasons for the belief that
Johnson's revolution indicator is superior to any other.

As compared with Thompson's it has this great advantage: with
Johnson's on the wheel you may spin the wheel the reverse way,
whenever it is desired to test its running, without causing any change
in the index.

Thompson's, on the other hand, runs backwards under such
circumstances, and as it is often necessary so to test the running of
the machine, the superiority of Johnson's Indicator, whether "mileage"
or "revolution," is evident.

With regard to the respective merits of "revolution" and "mileage"
indicators, we would remark that the latter are only suitable to
machines of certain size. They are worked out for 52, 54, 56-in.
machines, etc., but if the wheel varies even a quarter of an inch (and
how few machines vary as little ?) the difference is about one mile in
100. Again, men constantly change their machines (we have had four in
two years), and often keep two or more of various sizes, for fine and
wet weather, and so on, and of course a "mileage" indicator suitable
to one is utterly useless for another.

It is only necessary, with the "revolution" indicator, to test the
revolutions of your machine carefully once or twice over as straight
and level a mile of road as is handy, and then work out a common sum,
and note the miles up to, say, 100 miles, on a card.

We have met with chaff because of our calculations (which, N.B., we
always make on our shirt cuff), but we have the satisfaction of
perfect accuracy in the result.

What is really wanted is an indicator which can be set to zero at
pleasure, and which records revolutions only. All deductions of
previous figures from the index at the journey's end would then be
dispensed with.

--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 98, v1, n5, April. 25, 1878

http://books.google.com/books?id=KXF...page&q&f=false

***

In 1878, a highwheel rider wanted a cyclometer that showed miles in
tenths, instead of furlongs, and to have two face-cards to let him
swap his expensive cyclometer between his 50 and 52 inch wheels:

To the Editors of the London Bicycle Club Gazette.

Sirs,—I am thinking of investing in one of the cyclometers (say the M.
D. R.), and should like to ask some of your experienced readers if it
would be possible, on that make or any other, to carry out the
following idea, derived from the chartometers, where several moveable
dials are supplied for the different scales of maps.

I propose, then, to take out (by the help of a watchmaker, bien
entendu) the dial showing furlongs, and insert one of cardboard, which
I shall have previously divided into tenths (decimals of a mile). This
is not so much for greater accuracy, as for ease of calculation when
adding several short distances together, etc. At the same time, when
more or less accuracy is desired, it will be very simply attained
thus: 5'55 miles will represent what would be ordinarily expressed by
5 miles 41 furlongs.

It will be quite evident that a similar plan, if practicable, applied
to the large disc (or both), would by calculation convert a revolution
indicator into a " miler," as also a "miler" for a 50-inch wheel into
one for a 52-inch, etc.;" and by having two discs, ready figured out,
it would be possible to use the same recorder with a simple change of
dial for two machines.

--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878
http://books.google.com/books?id=KXF...page&q&f=false

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:
The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

Here's an ad for one of the cyclometers in question, showing it
strapped to a highwheeler:
http://i39.tinypic.com/28iyr.jpg

Note below that our great-grandfathers wrote their mileage notes on
their shirt cuffs.

***

To the Editor of the London Bicycle Club Gazette.

Sir,—In reply to "Mucker," if he desires one of the expensive distance
gauges, he will find Stenton's patent bicycle log much the best. It
records quarter miles up to 65 miles, and can always be re-set at zero
at the commencement of a journey. It also fits any sized hub.

***

Then, as to registering revolutions or miles, opinions differ. At
first sight the balance of convenience appears to be in favour of
miles, but my experience points the other way. The actual size of
wheels generally varies somewhat from the nominal size. I ride two
machines, both 52's. Theoretically, each of them should travel a mile
in 387 revolutions; practically, one of them makes 392 or 393
revolutions in a mile. The second machine makes fewer. As it is a new
one, I have not had full opportunity of testing this, but the number
appears to be about 385. A thicker (or even a stiffer) rubber would
make a difference, and of course the rolling of the wheel must be
taken into account.

***

We take on ourselves to reply to the inquiry of "Mucker," in last
week's issue, on the subject of cyclometers. Every man probably holds
his own particular kind of cyclometer to be the best, so we will
content ourselves with giving our reasons for the belief that
Johnson's revolution indicator is superior to any other.

As compared with Thompson's it has this great advantage: with
Johnson's on the wheel you may spin the wheel the reverse way,
whenever it is desired to test its running, without causing any change
in the index.

Thompson's, on the other hand, runs backwards under such
circumstances, and as it is often necessary so to test the running of
the machine, the superiority of Johnson's Indicator, whether "mileage"
or "revolution," is evident.

With regard to the respective merits of "revolution" and "mileage"
indicators, we would remark that the latter are only suitable to
machines of certain size. They are worked out for 52, 54, 56-in.
machines, etc., but if the wheel varies even a quarter of an inch (and
how few machines vary as little ?) the difference is about one mile in
100. Again, men constantly change their machines (we have had four in
two years), and often keep two or more of various sizes, for fine and
wet weather, and so on, and of course a "mileage" indicator suitable
to one is utterly useless for another.

It is only necessary, with the "revolution" indicator, to test the
revolutions of your machine carefully once or twice over as straight
and level a mile of road as is handy, and then work out a common sum,
and note the miles up to, say, 100 miles, on a card.

We have met with chaff because of our calculations (which, N.B., we
always make on our shirt cuff), but we have the satisfaction of
perfect accuracy in the result.

What is really wanted is an indicator which can be set to zero at
pleasure, and which records revolutions only. All deductions of
previous figures from the index at the journey's end would then be
dispensed with.

--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 98, v1, n5, April. 25, 1878

http://books.google.com/books?id=KXF...=onepage&q&f=f...

***

In 1878, a highwheel rider wanted a cyclometer that showed miles in
tenths, instead of furlongs, and to have two face-cards to let him
swap his expensive cyclometer between his 50 and 52 inch wheels:

To the Editors of the London Bicycle Club Gazette.

Sirs,—I am thinking of investing in one of the cyclometers (say the M.
D. R.), and should like to ask some of your experienced readers if it
would be possible, on that make or any other, to carry out the
following idea, derived from the chartometers, where several moveable
dials are supplied for the different scales of maps.

I propose, then, to take out (by the help of a watchmaker, bien
entendu) the dial showing furlongs, and insert one of cardboard, which
I shall have previously divided into tenths (decimals of a mile). This
is not so much for greater accuracy, as for ease of calculation when
adding several short distances together, etc. At the same time, when
more or less accuracy is desired, it will be very simply attained
thus: 5'55 miles will represent what would be ordinarily expressed by
5 miles 41 furlongs.

It will be quite evident that a similar plan, if practicable, applied
to the large disc (or both), would by calculation convert a revolution
indicator into a " miler," as also a "miler" for a 50-inch wheel into
one for a 52-inch, etc.;" and by having two discs, ready figured out,
it would be possible to use the same recorder with a simple change of
dial for two machines.

--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books..google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.

On Apr 8, 11:19*am, RobertH wrote:
On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

SNIP
--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books.google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

Cam

On Apr 8, 8:41*am, Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19*am, RobertH wrote:



On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

SNIP
--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books.google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

Cam

Do what most people do? Brag about mileage or speed averages :-).
They are useful if you like competing against yourself or other folks
or for street cred.

On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:11:53 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Apr 8, 8:41*am, Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19*am, RobertH wrote:



On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

SNIP
--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books.google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

Cam

Do what most people do? Brag about mileage or speed averages :-).
They are useful if you like competing against yourself or other folks
or for street cred.

Dear D,

Our great-grandfathers also found cyclometers darned useful for
navigating the poorly mapped and marked roads in 1878.

Even now, every year, I meet bicycle tourists coming east from the
Rockies who ask how far it is to town and if I know the mileage to
various obscure roads.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article
,
Cam wrote:

On Apr 8, 11:19Â*am, RobertH wrote:
On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

[...]

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

I lie to myself about how far or fast I go,
so the cyclometer is of use to me.

--
Michael Press

On Apr 8, 5:42*pm, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,

*Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19*am, RobertH wrote:
On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

[...]

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

I lie to myself about how far or fast I go,
so the cyclometer is of use to me.

--
Michael Press

You need to learn how to lie without any of your old fangled
technology.

Cam

On Apr 8, 1:41*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:11:53 -0700 (PDT), "



wrote:
On Apr 8, 8:41 am, Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19 am, RobertH wrote:

On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

SNIP
--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books.google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

Cam

Do what most people do? *Brag about mileage or speed averages :-).
They are useful if you like competing against yourself or other folks
or for street cred.

Dear D,

Our great-grandfathers also found cyclometers darned useful for
navigating the poorly mapped and marked roads in 1878.

Even now, every year, I meet bicycle tourists coming east from the
Rockies who ask how far it is to town and if I know the mileage to
various obscure roads.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel
I have a map of the rockies, despite being recent it's often useless.

On 8 Apr, 18:13, Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 5:42*pm, Michael Press wrote:



In article
,

*Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19*am, RobertH wrote:
On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

[...]

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

I lie to myself about how far or fast I go,
so the cyclometer is of use to me.

--
Michael Press

You need to learn how to lie without any of your old fangled
technology.

Cam

I think he meant he exaggerate his speed/distance when he analyzes
himself. IE, instead of man I really flew up that hill, he knows he
really only tied his PR.

-Tony

On Apr 8, 12:41*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:11:53 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Apr 8, 8:41 am, Cam wrote:
On Apr 8, 11:19 am, RobertH wrote:

On Apr 7, 10:19 pm, wrote:

The 1878 London Bicycle Club Gazette carried correspondence about
roll-out calculations, cyclometers that could be swapped to a rider's
wet-weather highwheele, schemes to use tenths of miles instead of
furlongs, zeroing, and other mileage fuss that should sound familiar
to modern riders.

SNIP
--London Bicycle Club Gazette, p. 154, v1, n22, Aug. 22, 1878http://books.google.com/books?id=KXFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA154#v=onepage&q&f=...

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ugh. We wheelmen were/are so tiresome.-

I commute by bike and sometimes when that comes up in conversation
with friends someone will offer me their cyclometer. "You can have it,
I don't need it. I hardly ever ride". I politely decline. I don't know
what I would do with the information one would provide.

Cam

Do what most people do? *Brag about mileage or speed averages :-).
They are useful if you like competing against yourself or other folks
or for street cred.

Dear D,

Our great-grandfathers also found cyclometers darned useful for
navigating the poorly mapped and marked roads in 1878.

Even now, every year, I meet bicycle tourists coming east from the
Rockies who ask how far it is to town and if I know the mileage to
various obscure roads.

They are probably working with state maps that have little near-town
detail. I don't even know if there is an inset map for Pueblo on the
Colorado map. Pueblo is like the big city on the TransAm trail. Most
of the time you are riding through tiny little towns -- one way in and
one way out. -- Jay Beattie.