“Careful experiments have shown that the use of a lever is misleading, in that, while power can be converted into speed and speed into power, the development of either is at the expense of the other. It is at once evident that with levers we have more friction, more weight, and more complication than with cranks, and that absolutely more power is required, as the springs which are used to return the levers must be forced down at the expenditure of power which should be applied to the propulsion of the machine. Several years ago lever-power was tried in England on bicycles and tricycles and extensively introduced, but has been so generally abandoned that there is to-day no machine of importance so driven. The worst feature of the lever action, however, is that the movement of the foot does not become automatic, as is the case in the use of the crank. There is absence of regularity, and a consequent loss of momentum. A rotary motion is more natural to the feet, being more like walking, while a lever motion is like treading water while swimming, or like constantly climbing up stairs. Not only does the mechanical use of the legs require a regular movement, but it is better to use always the same length of crank, never varying the throw. “A special set of muscles can be trained to such work as the use of the lever action; but such development is abnormal and at the expense of other parts of the body.” There is little doubt in the minds of reasonable people that a good machine can be made either with cranks or levers; and this possibility makes it an interesting point in cycle discussion. It is hardly fair, however, to hold a maker responsible for matter written for the purpose of advertising his wares, nor do I wish to do so. The article above quoted puts, in unique form, the opinions of a large class of observers, and for that reason it is given here. I take up the lever side of the question simply because there is more to talk about on that side, and also perhaps for the reason that I have had large experience at considerable cost in experimenting on different forms of levers. Some of the remarks about “creating power” are true, but might be applied equally well to some of our crank theorists. To say that the machinery of the world is driven by cranks, is hardly tenable; even though the engine generally has a crank. But now, since we must reduce our comparisons down to the human motor, in combination with the crank of a bicycle, let us say the pitman rod represents the man’s leg. This rod has to push and pull, which a man cannot do with one leg; but for this you say he has two legs; admitting, then, that two legs represent the pitman, we are still out a fly-wheel and an evenly-running resistance. (See chapter on “Connecting Link.”)