Patent ID: 6120049
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: B62K,F16F

Abstract:
A shock absorber for use in the front fork of a mountain bike, comprising:(a) a housing (100) including a pair of generally vertical inner (102) and outer (104) telescopically arranged tubular cylinders, said inner cylinder having a closed upper end adapted for connection with the steering column of the bicycle, said outer cylinder having a closed lower end adapted for connection with the axle of the front wheel of the bicycle;(b) compression piston means (106) and rebound piston means (108) arranged in said inner cylinder for defining therebetween an intermediate chamber (110) for receiving damping fluid,(1) said compression piston means and said rebound piston means being connected with the upper end of said inner cylinder and with the lower end of said outer cylinder, respectively, thereby to define compression (112) and rebound (114) chambers above said compression piston and below said rebound piston, respectively;(2) said compression piston means including compression damping means (230) affording communication between said intermediate chamber and said compression chamber when the pressure differential between said intermediate chamber and said compression chamber exceeds a first given value upon the application of a longitudinal compressive shock force to said tubular housing cylinders;(c) lockout piston means (116) arranged in said inner chamber between said compression piston means and said inner chamber upper end for defining in said inner cylinder a lockout chamber (118) on the opposite side of said lockout piston means from said compression chamber, said lockout piston means including lockout damping means (186) affording communication between said compression chamber and said lockout chamber when the pressure differential between said compression chamber and said lockout chamber exceeds a second given value; and(d) manually-operable lockout shut-off valve means (134) operable to de-activate and to activate said lockout means, respectively, independently of said compression piston means.