Clipless bicycle pedal with large shoe contacting area

Abstract: A bicycle pedal (100) includes a clamping unit (110) rotatable about an axle (114) for engaging a cleat of a bicycle shoe. A first sole engaging member (118) for engaging a sole of the bicycle shoe is disposed at a side of the clamping unit (110) and has an opening (120) for receiving the axle (114) therethrough, and a second sole engaging member (122) for engaging the sole of the bicycle shoe is disposed at an opposite side of the clamping unit (110).

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to bicycle pedals and, more specifically, to a bicycle pedal of the type having a clamping unit for clamping a cleat affixed to a sole of a bicycle shoe. Fig. 1 shows a prior art clipless bicycle pedal (10). Pedal (10) includes a body (14) with side portions (18,22). Body (14) is rotatably supported on an axle (26) which is fastened to a crank arm (30). A clamping unit (34) is disposed on body (14) for clamping a cleat affixed to a bicycle shoe (not shown) on the pedal (10). Pedal (10) is very useful to maximize pedaling efficiency by fixing the cyclist's foot in the proper location on the pedal and by allowing the cyclist to apply pedaling force in the upward as well as the downward direction. Pedal (10) typically has been used with many types of bicycles, and they operate quite well with bicycles intended for road use. Pedal (10) also may be used for mountain bicycles and other bicycle designed for off-road use. However, off-road bicycle riding has its own characteristics that differ from ordinary road riding. For example, the cyclist's foot must usually be detached from the clamping unit (34) much more frequently during off-road riding than with road riding. Furthermore, when riding in difficult or steep terrain, it is often desirable to use pedal (10) without clamping the shoe to the pedal. Unfortunately, when used in this manner the side portions (18,22) of pedal (10) do not provide enough contact surface for effective pedaling, especially since great pedaling forces often must be applied. Consequently, the cyclist must either pedal more gently, or else the cyclist must use a pedal without a clamping unit. Neither option is very desirable for high-performance riders. EP 753,454 which is post-published and EP 516,013 disclose pedals that include a cleat clamping member. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a bicycle pedal in accordance with claim 1. A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a kit for increasing the sole engaging area of a bicycle pedal in accordance with claim 11. In one embodiment of the present invention, a bicycle pedal includes a clamping unit rotatable about an axle for engaging a cleat of a bicycle shoe. A first sole engaging member for engaging a sole of the bicycle shoe is disposed at a side of the clamping unit and has an opening for receiving the axle therethrough, and a second sole engaging member for engaging the sole of the bicycle shoe is disposed at an opposite side of the clamping unit. A first bridge member is detachably connected between a portion of the first sole engaging member and a portion of the second sole engaging member. Such sole engaging members may be added to existing off-the-shelf clamping units, or they may be incorporated into the pedal design. In a more specific embodiment, the first and second sole engaging members may extend beyond the front and rear sides of the clamping unit to increase the shoe contacting area and to further facilitate use with off-the-shelf clamping units. The first and second sole engaging members also may include lateral outer sides which taper inwardly from central portions thereof to follow the contour of the cyclist's shoe, thus maximizing the shoe contacting area while minimizing the size of the overall pedal assembly. The first and second sole engaging members may include lateral inner sides which extend in a substantially straight line from the middle portion and generally perpendicular to the axle to further increase the shoe contacting area If desired, bridging members may be attached to the front and/or rear portions of the first and second sole engaging members to increase rigidity and provide additional traction surfaces. The entire assembly may be detachably connected so that the pieces may be disassembled and used with another clamping unit BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art bicycle pedal of the type having a clamping unit for clamping a cleat for a bicycle shoe; Fig. 2 is a top view of a particular embodiment of a bicycle pedal according to the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a view of the pedal taken along line III-III in Fig. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Fig. 2 is a top view of a particular embodiment of a bicycle pedal (100) according to the present invention. Pedal (100) includes a clamping unit (110) rotatable about an axle (114) for engaging a cleat of a bicycle shoe (not shown). A first sole engaging member (118) having a surface (119) for engaging a sole of the bicycle shoe is attached to a side of the clamping unit (110). First sole engaging member (118) has an opening (120) for receiving the axle (114) therethrough. A second sole engaging member (122) having a surface (132) for engaging the sole of the bicycle shoe is attached to an opposite external side of the clamping unit (110). In this embodiment, second sole engaging member (122) includes a blind opening (134) for receiving axle (114) therein. Of course, in some embodiments opening (134) may extend entirely through second sole engaging member (122). Alternatively, opening (134) may be omitted, and second sole engaging member (122) may be bonded to the side of clamping unit (110) or otherwise affixed to the side of clamping unit (110) directly. In this embodiment, first and second sole engaging members (118,122) each have lateral outer sides (140,144) which taper inwardly from a central portion (148) thereof. Furthermore, first and second sole engaging members (118,122) each include a lateral inner side (152) having a portion which extends in a substantially straight line from the central portion (148) and generally perpendicular to the axle (114). This construction increases the sole contacting area while minimizing the overall size of the pedal assembly by generally following the contour of the bicycle shoe. The surfaces (119,132) are shown as being generally parallelogram shaped, but other shapes may be employed depending upon the application. To further increase the shoe contacting area and to allow the first and second sole engaging members (118,122) to be used with existing clipless pedals, the front and rear portions of the first and second sole engaging members (118,122) extend beyond the front and rear sides of clamping unit (110). This structure also increases the amount of fore and aft contact with the bicycle shoe for added stability. To facilitate manufacture and interchangeability of the parts, first sole engaging member (118) is shaped symmetrically to second sole engaging member (122), and the top portion of each sole engaging member is shaped the same as the inverted bottom portion of that sole engaging member. In other words, if pedal (100) were rotated 180°, the sole engaging members (118,122) in this rotated position would look the same as shown in Fig. 2. A bridge member (160) is mounted to the front portions of sole engaging members (118,122), and a bridge member (164) is mounted to the rear portions of sole engaging members (118,122). In this embodiment, bridge members (118,122) are formed as generally flat plate-shaped members having traction projections (170), and they are mounted to the first and second sole engaging members (118,122) through screws (168). Of course, bridge members (160,164) may be mounted to first and second sole engaging members (118,122) in many ways, such as by an adhesive, etc.. Both bridge members (160,164) have the same shape to facilitate manufacturing and interchangeability, but again that is not necessary. While the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention, further modifications may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed. Instead, the true scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims.

Claims: A bicycle pedal (100) comprising: a clamping unit (110) rotatable about an axle (114) for engaging a cleat of a bicycle shoe; a first sole engaging member (118) having a surface (119) for engaging a sole of the bicycle shoe, the first sole engaging member (118) being disposed at an external side of the clamping unit (110) and having an opening (120) for receiving the axle (114) therethrough; and a second sole engaging member (122) having a surface (132) for engaging the sole of the bicycle shoe, the second sole engaging member (122) being disposed at an opposite external side of the clamping unit (110); characterised in that the pedal further comprises a first bridge member (160) detachably connected between one of a front portion or a rear portion of the first sole engaging member (118) and a corresponding front portion or rear portion of the second sole engaging member (122). The pedal according to Claim 1, wherein the first sole engaging member (118) is shaped symmetrically to the second sole engaging member (122). The pedal according to any preceding claim, wherein the first bridge member (160) is formed as a substantially flat plate. The pedal according to any preceding claim, further comprising a second bridge member (164) detachably connected between the other one of the front portion or the rear portion of the first sole engaging member (118) and the corresponding front portion or rear portion of the second sole engaging member (122). The pedal according to Claim 4, wherein the second bridge member (164) is formed as a substantially flat plate. The pedal according to either of Claims 4 or 5, wherein the first bridge member (160) and the second bridge member (164) have the same shape. The pedal according to any preceding claim wherein at least one of the first sole engaging member (118) and the second sole engaging member (122) has a lateral outer side (140) which tapers inwardly from a central portion (148) thereof. The pedal according to any preceding claim wherein the first sole engaging member (118) and the second sole engaging member (122) each include a lateral inner side (152) having a portion which extends in a substantially straight line from the central portion (148) and generally perpendicular to the axle (114). The pedal according to any preceding claim wherein the surface (119) of the first sole engaging member (118) and the surface (132) of the second sole engaging member (122) each have the general shape of a parallelogram or a trapezium. A bicycle pedal according to any preceding claim wherein: the first sole engaging member (118) is disposed at a lateral side of the clamping unit (110) and extends beyond front and rear sides of the clamping unit (110); and the second sole engaging member (122) is disposed at an opposite lateral side of the clamping unit (110) and extends beyond the front and rear sides of the clamping unit. A kit for increasing the sole engaging area of a bicycle pedal (100) of the type having a clamping unit (110) for clamping a cleat of a bicycle shoe and which is rotatably supported by an axle (114) comprising: a first sole engaging member (118) for engaging a sole of a bicycle shoe, the first sole engaging member (118) being formed for being affixed at a lateral side of the clamping unit (110) independently thereof and having an opening (120) for receiving the axle (114) therethrough; and a second sole engaging member (122) for engaging the sole of the bicycle shoe, the second sole engaging member (122) being shaped for being affixed at an opposite lateral side of the clamping unit (110) independently thereof; characterized in that the kit further comprises a bridge member (160) for detachable connection between one of a front portion or a rear portion of the first sole engaging member (118) and a corresponding front portion or rear portion of the second sole engaging member (122). A bicycle pedal (100) of the type having a clamping unit (110) for clamping a cleat of a bicycle shoe, characterised in that said bicycle pedal comprises a kit according to claim 11.

Inventors: HANAMURA JUNICHI, HANAMURA, JUNICHI
Applicants: SHIMANO KK, SHIMANO INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B62M3
IPC codes: B62M3