C
Back around 1899, the typical men's bike used a 28" rim, and the
following articles from the free New York Times archive predicted that
riders would be sensible enough to use wider 2-inch tires instead of
the absurdly narrow 1.5 inch tires.
Here are some tire widths mentioned:
a full 2" tire = 51 mm, wave of the comfortable, efficient future
1 & 3/4" tire = 44 mm, predicted improvement
1 & 5/8" tire = 41 mm, foolish current weight-weenie fad
1 & 1/2" tire = 38 mm, no better than a board
1896:
"The general tendency to lightness in all things pertaining to the
construction of bicycles has caused the cycling public partially to
lose sight of the highest advantage to be derived from the use of the
pneumatic tire. When pneumatics were first used, a full two-inch tire
was considered none too large. It was not necessary to pump it to
extreme hardness in order to preserve either the tire or rim of the
wheel, and its wide track and great resiliency imparted to the rider a
sensation of floating along in the air with a delightful ease never
dreamed of in the earlier days of solid tires."
"For road riding a full two-inch tire is none too large. The larger
size adds somewhat to the weight of the machine, but it requires
relatively less propelling force to drive it over the road,
notwithstanding. The average tire of to-day is one and five-eighths
inches in diameter. This does very well, but it has not the elegant
riding quality of the two-inch tire. Many riders who prefer to have
their wheels as light as possible ride with inch-and-a-half tires,
which, when pumped to absolute hardness, are really little better than
would be wooden tires covered with sheet rubber."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C02E4DF153BEE33A25753C1A9639C94679ED7CF
***
1897 Interbike:
"It is noticeable that the tires on the handsome new models are larger
than those in use last year. This is only another indication that
comfort is being sought more and more by the devotees of wheeling. The
size this year in general use will probably average 1 3/4 inches, and
many riders will no doubt go as high as 2 inches."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9502E5D61F3AE433A2575AC0A9649C94669ED7CF
***
In 1899, a Cornell professor tested bicycle tires:
"Test of Bicycle Tires"
"Conclusions Drawn from Experiments at Cornell University"
"Ithaca, N.Y., Jan 10.--Prof. Carpenter, in charge of the mechancial
experiment station at Cornell has completed a series of tests on the
comparative value of large and small bicycle tires. Several points
have been brought to light which would be scoffed at by the novice. In
spite of the decided tendency in the past few seasons for
manufacturers to diminish the size of their tires, Prof. Carpenter now
shows conclusively that, other things being equal, the larger the tire
the easier runs the wheel. This is particularly so in case the rider
is of more than average weight."
"It is not a matter of friction by contact with the ground, for that
being of the rolling type, amounts to practically nothing, but it
depends on the loss of power in compressing the tire. On a two-inch
tire the rider of average weight causes very little compression of the
tire tread. The tire has a great bearing surface. Take half an inch
from the diameter of the tube, however, and it rolls along a constant
indentation and release result. Here the power is lost and hence the
conclusion."
"Prof. Carpenter says that a poor two-inch tire will run easier than
the best one-and-a-half-inch tire that was ever made. A difference of
over 15 per cent. in the running qualities of a wheel is attributed to
the kind of tire used. A single tube always proves faster than the
double tube, but this may be due partly to the better material
employed in making the former."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04EED8163DE433A25752C1A9679C94689ED7CF
***
The single and double tube tires mentikoned above are roughly tubulars
versus clinchers. Here's how to fix flats on each kind, circa 1900:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DEEDF1039E733A25752C0A9619C946197D6CF
***
Columns 3 & 4 describe early tire history, starting with exactly how
Dunlop made his first pneumatic bicycle tire:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D01E3D81F31E132A25754C0A9649C94669ED7CF
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
following articles from the free New York Times archive predicted that
riders would be sensible enough to use wider 2-inch tires instead of
the absurdly narrow 1.5 inch tires.
Here are some tire widths mentioned:
a full 2" tire = 51 mm, wave of the comfortable, efficient future
1 & 3/4" tire = 44 mm, predicted improvement
1 & 5/8" tire = 41 mm, foolish current weight-weenie fad
1 & 1/2" tire = 38 mm, no better than a board
1896:
"The general tendency to lightness in all things pertaining to the
construction of bicycles has caused the cycling public partially to
lose sight of the highest advantage to be derived from the use of the
pneumatic tire. When pneumatics were first used, a full two-inch tire
was considered none too large. It was not necessary to pump it to
extreme hardness in order to preserve either the tire or rim of the
wheel, and its wide track and great resiliency imparted to the rider a
sensation of floating along in the air with a delightful ease never
dreamed of in the earlier days of solid tires."
"For road riding a full two-inch tire is none too large. The larger
size adds somewhat to the weight of the machine, but it requires
relatively less propelling force to drive it over the road,
notwithstanding. The average tire of to-day is one and five-eighths
inches in diameter. This does very well, but it has not the elegant
riding quality of the two-inch tire. Many riders who prefer to have
their wheels as light as possible ride with inch-and-a-half tires,
which, when pumped to absolute hardness, are really little better than
would be wooden tires covered with sheet rubber."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C02E4DF153BEE33A25753C1A9639C94679ED7CF
***
1897 Interbike:
"It is noticeable that the tires on the handsome new models are larger
than those in use last year. This is only another indication that
comfort is being sought more and more by the devotees of wheeling. The
size this year in general use will probably average 1 3/4 inches, and
many riders will no doubt go as high as 2 inches."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9502E5D61F3AE433A2575AC0A9649C94669ED7CF
***
In 1899, a Cornell professor tested bicycle tires:
"Test of Bicycle Tires"
"Conclusions Drawn from Experiments at Cornell University"
"Ithaca, N.Y., Jan 10.--Prof. Carpenter, in charge of the mechancial
experiment station at Cornell has completed a series of tests on the
comparative value of large and small bicycle tires. Several points
have been brought to light which would be scoffed at by the novice. In
spite of the decided tendency in the past few seasons for
manufacturers to diminish the size of their tires, Prof. Carpenter now
shows conclusively that, other things being equal, the larger the tire
the easier runs the wheel. This is particularly so in case the rider
is of more than average weight."
"It is not a matter of friction by contact with the ground, for that
being of the rolling type, amounts to practically nothing, but it
depends on the loss of power in compressing the tire. On a two-inch
tire the rider of average weight causes very little compression of the
tire tread. The tire has a great bearing surface. Take half an inch
from the diameter of the tube, however, and it rolls along a constant
indentation and release result. Here the power is lost and hence the
conclusion."
"Prof. Carpenter says that a poor two-inch tire will run easier than
the best one-and-a-half-inch tire that was ever made. A difference of
over 15 per cent. in the running qualities of a wheel is attributed to
the kind of tire used. A single tube always proves faster than the
double tube, but this may be due partly to the better material
employed in making the former."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04EED8163DE433A25752C1A9679C94689ED7CF
***
The single and double tube tires mentikoned above are roughly tubulars
versus clinchers. Here's how to fix flats on each kind, circa 1900:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DEEDF1039E733A25752C0A9619C946197D6CF
***
Columns 3 & 4 describe early tire history, starting with exactly how
Dunlop made his first pneumatic bicycle tire:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D01E3D81F31E132A25754C0A9649C94669ED7CF
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
