All through the preceding articles of this series the words “gear case” appear here and there, and with good reason, too, for the year 1898 marks the beginning of the era in this country of enclosed chains by the use of what are called gear cases. They cannot, however, be strictly classed as a novelty, because they have been known and largely used abroad, particularly in England, for some years past. At the New York Cycle Show of 1896 the only bicycle having a gear case on it was one shown by the makers of the “Singer,” a bicycle-making company of Coventry, England, who showed a gear case made of metal, leather and transparent celluloid. Since that time a few returning tourists have brought with them foreign models with gear cases attached, which, unfortunately for the rider’s comfort and pleasure, were received with a great deal of ridicule and derision, so that even the riders of these cycles bearing the imported gear cases, not being made of that “stern stuff” that pioneers should be, surrendered to public criticism, and, while they knew a gear case is a good thing, took it off in order to avoid being used as the butts of the wit of their facetious friends.

The introduction of the bevel-geared cycle, with its neat gear case, has done much and will do more toward enforcing the necessity for a gear case on all of our chain-driven cycles. In England no bicycle is considered complete without a gear case, but, notwithstanding the fact that all the authorities on the sport and mechanics of the trade of this country have approved of it, not until this season has it gained a foothold here. It certainly cannot be because “it is English, you know,” for everything on the American cycle today, excepting the wood rim, originated in England. The imported gear cases are clumsy and heavy, and, being made mostly of metal, are apt to be noisy. The 1898 gear cases of American make are made of a combination of rubber, leather and metal, and are light, noiseless and graceful, and most of the leading makes of the chain cycles for the coming season are built with sufficient clearance to take a gear case. The cases are catalogued and offered as an option at an average cost of $5 extra, and this last item suggests that the case might have been more popular before but that the makers did not care to add the cost of it to their product in the face of a falling market price. Many of the great retailers will, however, place them on their $75 models without any extra charge to the purchaser.

CLEANLINESS INSURED.

The enclosed chain, obtained by adding a gear case to the chain wheel, provides every advantage in one respect claimed for the chainless. It has been shown by extensive tests of Prof. Carpenter of Cornell University and Prof. Goodman of the Yorkshire College in England that when a chain is clean and not worn it loses less than 1 per cent. in friction, thus realizing over 99 per cent. of the applied power. How is it possible to obtain any better mechanical movement? These same authorities agree that beveled gears under the best conditions must develop from five to ten times the friction of the chain. This low percentage of friction, however, is obtained only with clean chains. They find that as the chain becomes filled with grit or mud it rapidly increases the friction, running up as high as 10 per cent. Your bicycle comes to you from the dealer with the case attached, chain lubricated and adjusted ready for immediate use, and from that time on you learn to forget that there is a chain on your bicycle. It runs easily, smoothly, through rain and mud, over roads thick with dust, in the penetrating moisture-laden air of the seashore, under all conditions of road and weather the same easy running wheel, always ready, doing away absolutely with all care of the chain; the chain and sprockets always in perfect condition, realizing 99 per cent. of the power applied, never “stretching” or wearing appreciably.

If in business costume the wheel may be used, as there is no dirty chain to soil the clothing. One finds that he can ride longer distances with less fatigue than formerly. Hills are more easily surmounted. The disagreeable sensation of a slack chain is done away with, the chain remaining exactly as it is adjusted, and there is a new sensation of absolute control over the wheel. Long distance trips become a new source of pleasure, for you come home with the same easy running wheel with which you started. Men who ride for speed find that they can push a much higher gear with the same expenditure of power. The lubricant rests unused in the tool bag, the chain brushes and cleaning paraphernalia gather cobwebs. In addition to all these comforts the lady rider finds herself independent of the small brother’s high-priced services. She mounts and rides with perfect confidence, knowing that by no possible means can her skirt catch in the sprocket or her heel be hung in the chain guard lacings, while her skirts remain clean and free from greasy streaks of an exposed chain. She may be a business woman with but limited time for riding. Every moment is available with the enclosed chain. The silent steed standing groomed and ready. So far as its care is concerned the chain ceases to exist. A neat, stylish cycle, with all running parts covered and protected, and with a decidedly smart appearance, takes the place of the half-finished cycle of the past, with its greasy, dirty, bare-looking chain.

Century riders, tourists, military cyclists, pleasure riders, and, in fact, wheelmen and wheelwomen of every description, have found pleasure and comfort hitherto unattained.

ITS OTHER ADVANTAGES.

To sum up the advantages of the enclosed chain model as demonstrated by the experience of riders during 1897 with a gear case attached to their cycles (the latter comprising almost every make of bicycle in this country), riders have found that a gear case:

At the ’97 Cycle Show, held in Chicago, an American gear case was exhibited for the first time, and this exhibit was noted with a great deal of satisfaction by all the mechanical writers of the cycle trade press, who had long labored, written and talked a great deal for this desirable accessory. Among the gear cases exhibited at Chicago at that time was one invented by W. H. Frost of New York City; another by S. D. Childs & Co., and another by H. Lauter of Indianapolis. The makers of the Ben Hur showed a model fitted with what they called the Wainwright gear case. The Stearns Company also had a gear case attached to one of their models, and a Falcon exhibited was also provided with one. The makers of the Cleveland showed a gear case of their own production, and a Wolff-American was shown fitted with a Blumel celluloid gear case, but this last was of English manufacture. Since that time a careful census of all the catalogues that the makers have sent out this year shows that nearly every cycle maker of prominence has arranged sufficient clearance at the crank shaft and rear wheel so that a gear case of some kind can be fitted to it, and a few of the makers are turning out gear cases of their own, the notable ones being the makers of the Racycle, Rambler, Cleveland, Humber and Aluminum, and there are three makers of gear cases who supply them to the trade, these being known as the Frost, Centliver and Safety gear cases.

LEADING ’98 GEAR CASES.

The Rambler case offers practically all that is claimed for a chainless wheel with enclosed gear, with none of its objections and uncertainties. It is absolutely mud and dust proof, and is one of the neatest, least obtrusive and most practical of all gear cases we have seen, being easily attached and detached. It is made of cold rolled drawing steel, and is light and noiseless. All seams are locked and no rivets are used. The entire chain is enclosed, as are also the front sprocket teeth. The centre and arms of the front sprocket are not covered, but the dust is excluded from the front sprocket teeth, and chain passing over them, by two large felt washers (much like those used in bearings, only larger) placed one on either side of the sprocket. The rear axle nut may be loosened, and the chain adjusted without disturbing the case.

The Cleveland case is made of aluminum, patent leather and transparent celluloid, and while it is a very light and attractive gear case, it is a desireable one, and wholly dust and storm proof.

The St. Louis Aluminum Casting Company is now showing its models of the 1898 Lu-Mi-Num. The special feature, which is rendered practical by the company’s special process of frame manufacture is the fixed gear case. This is an integral part of the frame, being cast in one piece with it. The back wall of the gear case takes the place of the right hand rear fork, thereby adding very materially to the strength of the frame. The front of the case is composed of a celluloid plate, which is sprung into it and fastened securely by two screws. It can be removed from its place readily, and consists of only three pieces. The celluloid being transparent, the working of the chain and sprocket may be seen, and the chain may be oiled from the top of the case, immediately over the front sprocket.

On the Special Racycle the gear case weighs only a few ounces more than the same model without it. The case consists of a section of D tubing, three-quarters inch wide, brazed on, and made part of the frame in place of the right side rear fork, which is dispensed with. The right hand rear stay, however, is carried down at an angle below the line of the rear wheel axle to the bottom part of the gear case, thus forming a brace for the upper and lower part of the gear case, and the gear case as thus constructed adds greatly to the strength of the entire frame. The sides of the gear case are made of transparent sheets of tough, pliable celluloid. They are strong enough to withstand any ordinary accident, and being detachable can be renewed at any time at a small cost. The construction of this frame and gear case is certainly unique and original, and may be said to be one of the few novel features shown in 1898.

The Centliver gear case, which is detachable and can be fitted to any make of bicycle, is made by the L. A. Centliver Manufacturing Company of Fort Wayne, Ind. This case is made entirely of metal. No rubber or leather is used in its construction. Sheet aluminum is used, shaped under heavy drawing presses, by which operation the metal gains great strength and rigidity, besides being lighter than any other metal or material that could be used. Cases are furnished either nickel-plated or enamelled, as preferred. The simplicity of attachment is remarkable, as it does not require any mechanic to attach it. Any one familiar with handling a bicycle can do it in a few minutes in the following manner: Remove the chain, then place the two parts together over the sprockets, forming an interlocking union. Set the case in position and adjust clamps. Replace the chain, inserting the chain bolt at front end by springing the case slightly. Keep the band in original shape. Be sure to have it in its proper place before tightening. The bolt can then be set with a small wrench.

The 1897 Humber had a metal case which very much resembled the metal cases used in England. This same case is furnished in 1898 by the Humber Company, and is a very practical one. It was quite largely used last year in New York and Brooklyn.

The Safety Gear Case is the patent of James Parkes of Toledo, O., and the essential features are as follows: The best quality of harness leather is used in its manufacture, and is first treated with a solution of their own, which renders the leather very hard and impervious to water. The leather is then pressed in an iron form, in two similar sections, one of which fits over the upper half, and one over the lower half of the sprockets and chain. These two sections are held together by means of two patent hook fasteners at the ends and a system of lacers down the side of the case. On the inner side of the case an aluminum plate, through which the rear hub passes, is arranged to slide freely with the rear wheel, thus permitting the chain to be lengthened or shortened without removing the gear case. The case is light, noiseless and dust-proof. A large variety of patterns are made, and the case is made in sizes to fit any style of bicycle. The leather is finally enamelled in any desired color, thus making a beautiful and attractive addition to any bicycle.

ORIGIN OF THE GEAR CASE.

With the Englishman’s idea of utility, the first thought was to completely cover sprockets and chain with a large sheet metal case, upon the same plan as gear cases had been previously used in mills and factories for enclosing running chains. Various devices for gear cases were in use when, in 1886, J. H. Carter patented in England an oil-containing gear case for bicycles. This was a standard in gear case construction for some years, riders thinking it necessary to keep their chains running through a bath of oil in order to insure easy movement of the joints; however, it was discovered a few years later that a chain would run equally well without the oil bath, and, in fact, there were many disadvantages about keeping a chain constantly soaked in oil, especially because the oil would gum and thus retard rather than assist. In the early nineties gear cases were brought out, of many constructions, but the standard set up by Carter remains to this day the English idea of a case, and, with all of their improvements in case construction, they have not gotten very far beyond it.

To the English mind a gear case must be made entirely distinct from the bicycle itself, not a part of it, but an accessory that shall be quickly removable or attachable after it is once fitted. This, of course, necessitates a great many joints, and as joints of thin material, whether sheet metal or celluloid, cannot be perfectly made to exclude dust and driving rains, and as such joints are always more or less noisy when a bicycle is in use, they are not even yet satisfied with the gear case, but realize its great usefulness, even when only partially efficient, so that it has become a fixture on nearly every English wheel. Several attempts were made to introduce English cases into this country, but with lamentable failure, for several causes. In the first place American bicycles are not built to take English cases.

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES.

Every American bicycle has individualities of its own, and especially in the running gear. No clearances have been allowed, and it is simply out of the question to attach the foreign type of case unless the bicycle is built for it. However, in some instances, bicycles were made with that end in view and the cases were attached, but American riders found that their unsightliness, excessive weight and inefficiency made them more of a nuisance than a help, and the gear case came into public disfavor. However, in spite of these discouragements, the necessity of a clean chain appealed so strongly to an American mechanic that, without any knowledge of the gear case constructions of Europe, he set to work to devise a method of thoroughly protecting the chain, and during the season of ’96 made many experiments to ascertain the construction that could be successfully applied to American bicycles and appeal to American riders. The study of road conditions showed that a gear case must be not simply a protection for mud, but every joint must be dust-tight and rain-proof. In a country like England, where mud is the prevailing condition, these absolutely tight joints are not so essential, but in this country they took first place. Again, the case must have good appearance and be comparatively light in weight, and, as the worst problem of all, it must be adaptable to some few hundred distinct makes of bicycles, no two of them alike in the running gear.

The inventor started with the idea of covering the chain with an endless rubber tube, which should be split in its inner length and run with the chain. As it reached the sprockets it would be separated by a separator and follow around the sprocket over the chain, clinging to either side of the sprocket. This was theoretically a very good idea, but in practice developed many serious objections. In the first place, the tube was liable to catch between chain and sprocket teeth. It increased the friction of the machine and could not be made to be of very long life. It was also neither dust nor rain tight, and proved a nuisance instead of a blessing. Still following up the idea of utilizing rubber, a case was devised having rubber chain runs with rubber box over front and rear sprocket, this rubber box suitably supported by metallic parts. The only objection to this was the quick wearing out of the chain runs by the constant friction of the chain. Still retaining the rubber boxes, light metallic chain runs were substituted for the rubber, and it was then found that an ideal construction as regards strength and tightness of joints was obtained. These cases were put in public use after being exhibited at the Chicago and New York cycle shows of 1897, and have been sold and used quite extensively during the past season. They have been very much improved, so that all objections to the early models have been completely done away with, and today an American gear case, known as the Frost, is to be had upon any first class ’98 bicycle, being offered by nearly every bicycle maker. As it can be attached to old bicycles, there is no reason why every rider cannot have an up-to-date feature, with the comfort and pleasure assured by a clean chain. It has been actually proven that they will stand driving rains, snow storms, blizzards, dust storms, constant use on the dustiest of roads, and, in fact, have proven absolutely impervious to all foreign substances, keeping the chain and running gear perfectly clean and in condition for an entire season without any attention being given.

These desirable features are obtained by the use of an elastic rubber joint, the case itself being built of steel, but all the joints closed with this soft elastic rubber, on the same principle as a rubber gas tube is connected with a fixture. This case, to look at, is very compact and solid, but it can be almost instantly separated, either for changing sprockets, getting at the chain, or removing rear wheel. The operation is very brief, and even that has to be gone through with seldom a change of tires or renewal of broken spokes being almost the only occasion for separating the case. The chain can be taken out if desired, but as a matter of fact one always forgets that there is a chain when riding the “Enclosed Chain Model,” as this construction is now called.