Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1868 — The Velocipede--What is it, and How it Is Driven. [ARTICLE]

The Veloc ipede--What is it, and How it Is Driven.

The velocipede seqms destined to come into dap city, thoiigii it will upt soon attain here the vogue it h4s reached ip France, Our streets are‘too narrow and tbri croWdoil, and tve hnver'iew broad, smooth avarmes affording the opportunity of otnploying it extensively as a means of «X‘ erctia and health. Still, it is so attractive and fascinating, developing so iriucE'strengtli and skill, and affording so great smusoment to the rider, that its Votaries ind students must become jiumerous. The only artistic velocipedes consistsof two whee Ts. the one direptly behind tho other,* and connected together by ft lignt iron frftiilo work. Tiie fore w.hoei is usually a little the higher of the two. Where great speed is aimed at, its diameter may be made.as great as four febt, while that of the hind wheel should rarely exceed two feet nud eight or ten inches. .In mo.st.pLthose that have been in this city the two wheela have been pretty nearly equal, with a diameter of about two feet and 'four inches. The propelling force is applied through treadles, which are fixed to the f'qre wheel. The rider drives himself by the alternate action of his feet upon tlnfse treadles. Tho motion of the feet is not unlike that in rapid walking. Tlie rider sit* upon a little saddle just over tlie fore part of the hind wheel. He guides his velocipede by turning the fore whepl to either eule. Thi* is done by means of a stiff iron rod which rises -from trie axle, and has a cross bar at the jop that is held by both hands of the rider. The first not of the velocipede is to keep your balance. This i» not, unlike the same operation in skating. U can only bo acquired by practice. The more rapid the motion, the easier it is to keep the machine upright. In velocipede contests in Paris prizes ix*ve Witn-given to the slowest ridqr. With wheels of small din meter, the rijer stops-himself by putting his feet ter the. ground. With high wheels he cheeks his speed witli a brake, and descends to tlie earth by inclining ho one sitlg till the foot touoh.es. In mounting with high wheels, a skillful practitioner starts h;.3 velocipede with a push, and then sju-ings into the saddle, as we have watched'Kiehard O’Gorman mount ra horse at speed.— The most beautiful velocipede's that, we have seen have been French, but several c arringe malters; i n til is city are engaged in building them. They promise maouinea much superior ho-any from Paris. The Hanlon's, who have given velocipede exhibitions in New England, profess to have made some ’improvemcn-ts-upon the French structure. T " cFa&ger Isl using tills curious apparatus? Experience alone can tell how much danger there is, A skillful rider can guide himself in -a crowd ofpeiaQr.s with on t running against them ; but all ridel’s cannot be skillful. On a smooth course a of twelve- miles au hour can easily be made, and with fopr-i’oot driving wheel twenty miles,will' not be difficult. But that can only be done upon a hard and even surface. Thorough pavements of New YoiJi are uiifayopabie to much speed. Wo know a gen lien: ?gi who takes exercise with orio 6f these machines every evening, and goes ftoth Thii y-fifth street to the Battery in ten minutes; but he has,to whid about a good deal in search of a suitable road wpy.