ROLLER SKI FOR TRAINING LONG DISTANCE SKIING

Abstract: A roller ski comprising a foot plate (6) supported by a forward and a rear pneumatic rubber wheel (7, 8) and provided with rigid supporting members (9) arranged to support the user's leg laterally at a level between the foot and the knee and at the same time to allow the leg to move freely in the longitudinal direction of the roller ski.

Description: ROLLER SKI FOR TRAINING LONG DISTANCE SKIING Background of the invention The present invention refers to a roller ski for training long distance skiing and of the type incorporating a foot plate with binding means adapted to retain the users' ski shoe in such a manner that its heel portion is freely pivotable about the firmly fixed toe portion, and which foot plate is supported by a front and a rear wheel, whereby supporting members are arranged to extend upwards from the foot plate in order to form side supports for the users' lower leg. Roller skis of the type mentioned hereabqve are well- known aids for making possible training adapted to long distance skiing also when snow is missing. These older roller skis are designed in such a manner that they can only be used on a very smooth and even surface, preferably asphalted roads. It is of course less convenient that training and excersing skiing must take place in close vicinity to the road traffic, and furthermore often at dusk or even in darkness, which means great risks for traffic accidents and furthermore a not very healty environment for the roller skier, who will have to inhale exhaust-mingled air. One of the reasons that the use of the conventional roller skis is delimited to asphalted roads and the like is that they for reaching a sufficient side- stability is equipped with small, broad wheels, which is necessary in order not to expose the skiers' ankles to very large lateral bending stresses. This design means that the roller ski will behave essentially as an ordinary ski which has rather small tendencies of wobbling laterally. In order to imitate down-hill skiing there has also been produced especial roller skis having larger wheels, but these roller skis have been provided " with binding means which have kept the ski boot in a fixed position, whereabove it has also been necessary to use stiff down-hill race boots in orde ' to obtain a sufficient stability in order to have strength enough to balance the tendencies of side tilting. It has indeed been possible to use this type of roller ski in the terrain due to its large wheels, but due to the firm arresting of the ski boot has its use been limited to slope running or for long distance skiing with use only of the sticks and without use of the legs. The purpose and main features of the invention The purpose of the present invention is to provide a roller ski for eross-country-skiing-like training or excercising, the use of which is not delimited to even and smooth surfaces and this is obtained thereby that the roller ski according to the invention is provided with supporting members which are formed by rigid side members which extend one of each side of the foot plate in arc-form upwards from the foot plate between its forward and rear portions for provi- ' ding, during the pivoting of the heel portion around the binding means lateral supports, at a level just above the ski shoe along the entire motion path of the lower leg, without thereby holding or hampering the leg in its motion in the longitudinal direction of the roller ski. OM . lP By means of this design with support for the ankles, which increases the user's possibility to manage to compensate the tendencies of canting of the roller ski is it possible, according to another feature of the invention, to provide the roller ski according to the invention with pneumatic rubber wheels, which can be used e.g. on forest pahaths, on prepared electric light-illuminated snow- ree tracks etc. Description of the drawings The invention will hereinafter be further described with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Figure 1 shows in a schematic side view a roller skier with roller skis according to the invention, Figure 2 is a side view in larger scale of a roller ski according to the invention, and Figure 3 shows in a view from above the roller ski according to figure 2. Description of the embodiments In figure 1 is shown a side view of a roller skier 1, with roller skis 2 in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen of the position of the rearmost foot of the skier it is only the toe portion 3 of the ski shoe, which is held by the binding means which are only intimated at 4 - whereas the heel portion 5 is pivotable about the firmly held toe portion. The binding means -4 are preferably yoke bindings but cable bindings can also be used. O OMMPPII WIPO In figure 2 is shown- in bigger scale and in a side view a roller ski 2 according to the invention, and as can .be seen here the roller ski comprises a foot plate 6, which is equipped with said binding means 4, and which is carried by a forward and a rear wheel 7, 8, which wheels are preferably pneumatic rubber wheels of much larger size than the rigid, broad wheels at conventional designs of roller skis for crosscountry skiing. ϊrom the foot plate β extends, as can also be seen in figure 3, a side supporting member Q upwards at each side of the foot plate and these supporting members are preferably firm side members bent in arc-form, and each one is extending between the forward and the rear portion of the foot plate and which is preferably designed to form at its ends together with the end portions of the foot plate 6 retainer means in which the hubs of the wheels 7, 8 are supported. The supporting members 9 make such a high arc that their upper parts independent of the position of the foot always will be situated above the ski shoe which is held by the binding 4 and on each side of the users' lower leg, whereby they give a safe lateral support for the leg. As the supporting members 9 r n at essentially the same mutual distance between the forward and the rear wheel hubs, the natural movement of the leg when the foot pivots about the toe binding will not be hampered or obstructed. The user of the roller ski according to the invention will hereby make the same movement pattern as at real skiing. As the legs all the time will be laterally supported by the side members 9 the use is not limited to plane surfaces and wheels which have very little ability OMPI of tipping over, but.it is instead possible to manage to counteract and fend off side inclinations of the roller skis. It is hereby possible to use pneuma¬ tic wheels 7 , 8 which in turn means that it is possible to run on the roller ski according to the invention also in terrain, on comparatively soft ground etc, which means that the roller skier will have a freedom of chosing the site for his practising track and is spared from running on asphalted roads and the like. As can be seen from figure 2 the roller ski according to the invention can preferably be provided with mud guards 10 over the wheels. The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing but modifications are possible within the scope of the following claims. OMPI

Claims: ' C L A I M S 1. Roller ski for training long, distance skiing and of the type comprising a foot plate with binding means adapted to retain the user's ski shoe in such a manner that the heel portion is freely pivotable about the firmly fixed toe portion, and which foot plate is carried by a forward and a rear wheel, whereby- supporting members are arranged to extend upwards from the foot plate in order to form side supports for the user's lower legs, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that the supporting members are rigid side members (9) which extend on each side of the foot plate (6) in arc-form upwards from the foot plate between its forward and rear-portions for pro¬ viding, during the pivoting of th-e-Λeel portion (5) around the binding means, (4) lateral supports at a level just above the ski shoe, along the entire motion path of the lower leg, without thereby holding or hampering the leg in its motion in the longitudinal direction of the roller ski. 2. Roller ski according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that the supporting members (9) are designed to extend between the hubs of the forward and rear wheels (7, 8) at each side of the foot plate. 3. Roller ski according 'to anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that it is equipped with pneumatic rubber wheels. - jR E Λ OMPI /., WIPO

Inventors: ERIKSSON A
Applicants: ERIKSSON A
Application year: 1980
Main classification: A63C17
IPC codes: A63C5