Patent Publication Number: US-8528442-B2

Title: Bicycle component positioning device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention generally relates to a bicycle component positioning device for a bicycle operating device such as a bicycle shifter. 
     2. Background Information 
     Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle. One part of the bicycle that has been extensively redesigned is the bicycle transmission. 
     Typically, a bicycle transmission includes a chain driven drive train with a chain extending between a plurality of front sprockets and a plurality of rear sprockets. The bicycle transmission also often includes a front derailleur and a rear derailleur for shifting the chain between the front and rear sprockets, respectively. Front and rear shift operating devices or shifters are provided for operating the front and rear derailleurs to move the chain laterally between adjacent sprockets of the drive train. The front sprockets are usually coupled to the front crank assembly having a pair of pedals, while the rear sprockets are usually coupled to the rear wheel such that a pedaling force from the rider is transferred to the rear wheel via the chain. 
     Currently, there are many types of cable operated shifters currently being installed on bicycles. For example, some cable operated shifters have one or more levers and a cable winding (takeup) member that rotates via a ratchet mechanism to wind and release an inner wire of an operating cable. The inner wires of the operating cables are coupled between one of the front and rear derailleurs and one of the front and rear shifters to shift the chain over the various sprockets. With conventional cable operated shifters of this type, operation of one of the shift lever causes the cable winding member to rotate via the ratchet mechanism in one direction. As a result, the cable is wound around the cable winding member, and a shift is made by the shift mechanism from one gear to the next gear. Operation of the other shift lever causes the ratchet mechanism to be released and the cable winding member to rotate in the other direction. As a result, the inner wire that was wound on the cable winding member is played out, and a shift is made in the opposite direction by the shift mechanism. While these prior shifters work well, some of the prior shifters are often complicated and expensive to manufacture and assemble. Furthermore, these prior shifting devices are sometimes heavy and/or cumbersome. 
     In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved position control mechanism for a bicycle operating device such as a bicycle shifter. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle component positioning device with a winding element control member in which movement of a release lever causes the winding element control member to move a winding element to a disengaged position and to return the release member to a neutral position after movement of the release member from the neutral position to a position releasing position. 
     The foregoing objects can basically be attained by providing a bicycle component positioning device that basically comprises a stationary support member, a positioning element, a position maintaining member, a winding element, a release member and a winding element control member. The positioning element is rotatably coupled to the stationary support member to rotate about a main axis between a plurality of predetermined shift positions. The position maintaining member is movably arranged with respect to the stationary support member to move between a holding position that holds the positioning element in one of the predetermined shift positions and a position releasing position that releases the positioning element for rotational movement. The winding element is movably arranged with respect to the stationary support member to move between a winding position and a disengaging position. The release member is pivotally arranged with respect to the stationary support member to move the position maintaining member between the holding position and the position releasing position in response to pivotal movement of the release member between a neutral position and a position releasing position. The winding element control member is movably mounted to the release member to move between a rest position and a control position that holds the winding element in the disengaging position in response to pivotal movement of the release member between the neutral position and the position releasing position, the winding element control member being guided by the stationary support member during movement of the winding element control member between the rest position and the control position. 
     These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses one preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a bicycle equipped with a bicycle control or operating device in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the bicycle control or operating device in accordance with the illustrated embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the bicycle control or operating device illustrated in  FIG. 2  with the housing removed; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the bicycle control or operating device illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  with the housing removed; 
         FIG. 5  is an outside elevational view of the bicycle control or operating device illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 4  with the housing removed; 
         FIG. 6  is a simple exploded perspective view of selected part of the bicycle control or operating device in accordance with the illustrated embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIG. 3 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component that form the bicycle component positioning device in which the winding element control member is in a rest position so that the winding element is engaged with one tooth of the winding teeth of the positioning element; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged top plan view of selected parts of the gear shifter component that form the bicycle component positioning device, but with the winding element control member in a control position so that the winding element control member holds the winding element in the disengaging position from the winding teeth of the positioning element; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged top plan view of selected parts of the gear shifter component shown in a neutral or rest position in which the winding lever, the release lever and the winding element control member are all in their rest positions with the winding element engaged with one tooth of the winding teeth of the positioning element; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIG. 9 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component illustrating the winding lever in an intermediate position during a shifting operation in the first or winding direction; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component illustrating the winding lever being returned to the end from the shifting operation of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIGS. 9 to 11 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component illustrating the release lever in a releasing position during a shifting operation in the second or release direction, and with the winding element control member in the control position so that the winding element control member holds the winding element in the disengaging position from the winding teeth of the positioning element; 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged top plan view of selected parts of the gear shifter component shown in the neutral or rest position in which the winding lever, the release lever and the winding element control member are all in their rest positions with the winding element engaged with one tooth of the winding teeth of the positioning element; 
         FIG. 14  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIG. 13 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component illustrating the release lever in the position releasing position during a shifting operation in the second or release direction, and with the winding element control member in the control position so that the winding element control member holds the winding element in the disengaging position from the winding teeth of the positioning element; and 
         FIG. 15  is an enlarged top plan view, similar to  FIGS. 13 and 14 , of selected parts of the gear shifter component in which the winding lever, the release lever and the winding element control member are all in their rest positions, after the shifting operation of  FIG. 14 , with the winding element engaged with one tooth of the winding teeth of the positioning element. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a bicycle  10  is illustrated equipped with a pair of bicycle shift operating (control) devices  12  and  14  in accordance with one embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the bicycle  10  is equipped with a various conventional components, including a front derailleur  16  and a rear derailleur  18 , which are examples of parts of a bicycle drive train. The bicycle shift operating devices  12  and  14  are mounted on a handlebar  20 . The bicycle shift operating device  12  is a right hand side control device operated by the rider&#39;s right hand for controlling shifting of the rear derailleur  18 , while the bicycle shift operating device  14  is a left hand side control device operated by the rider&#39;s left hand for controlling shifting of the front derailleur  16 . Alternatively, the bicycle shift operating devices  12  and  14  can be switched so that the rider can operate the front and rear derailleurs  16  and  18  with opposite hands as needed and/or desired. 
     A shift operating cable  22  operatively connects the bicycle shift operating device  14  to the front derailleur  16 , while a shift operating cable  24  connects the shift operating device  12  to the rear derailleur  18 . The rear derailleur  18  can be moved between a plurality of different gear positions by the bicycle shift operating device  12  selectively pulling or releasing the shift operating cable  24 . Preferably, the front derailleur  16  has three shift positions. Likewise, the front derailleur  16  can be moved between a plurality (at least two) of different gear positions by the bicycle shift operating device  14  selectively pulling or releasing the shift operating cable  22 . 
     Preferably, the operating cables  22  and  24  are conventional bicycle control cables that have an outer casing the covers an inner wire. In other words, each of the operating cables  22  and  24  basically includes an inner wire slidably received within an outer casing. For example, as seen in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the operating cable  22  has an inner wire  22   a  with an outer casing  22   b  covering the inner wire  22   a.    
     In the illustrated embodiment, the right and left hand bicycle shift operating devices  12  and  14  are essentially identical in operation, except that they are mirror images of each other and the number of shift positions are different. In other words, the left hand side shift operating device  14  is substantially identical to the right hand side shift operating device  12 , except for the shifting unit of the left hand side shift operating device  14  has been modified to be a mirror image and to decrease the number of gears that can be shifted with respect to the right hand side bicycle shift operating device  12 . Thus, for the sake of brevity, only the left hand side bicycle shift operating device  14  will be discussed and illustrated herein. 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the bicycle shift operating device  14  is mounted on the handlebar  20  closely adjacent to a brake lever  26  on the inward side of the brake lever  26 . Preferably, the bicycle shift operating device  14  has a housing  30  for covering the internal parts and a handlebar clamp or bracket  32  for securing the bicycle shift operating device  14  to the handlebar  20 . The handlebar clamp  32  is preferably made of, for example, metal and configured to be fastened to the handlebar  20  by tightening a bolt. The housing  30  of the bicycle shift operating device  14  houses the internal parts of the bicycle shift operating device  14 , which are discussed below. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the bicycle shift operating device  14  basically includes an upper support plate  34 , a lower support plate  36 , a shift control unit  38  and a main support shaft  40 . The shift control unit  38  is configured to be operatively connected to the front derailleur  16  by the front shift operating cable  22 . The main support shaft  40  extends through the support plates  34  and  36  and the shift control unit  38 . Preferably, the main support shaft  40  extends perpendicular to the support plates  34  and  36  and defines a central or main pivot axis A of the shift control unit  38 . The main support shaft  40  is preferably a bolt with a nut  42  threaded on its lower end. Thus, the support plates  34  and  36  are coupled together by the main support shaft  40 . 
     The support plates  34  and  36  are preferably rigid metal plates that constitute stationary support members. The lower support plate  36  is preferably provided with a cable adjusting nut  36   a  for receiving the front shift operating cable  22 . The cable adjusting nut  36   a  guides the inner wire  22   a  of the front shift operating cable  22  to the shift control unit  38 . The cable adjusting nut  36   a  is a conventional structure, and thus, it will not be discussed and/or illustrated in detail. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 6 , the shift control unit  38  basically includes a wire takeup element  50 , a positioning structure  52 , a shift operating (winding) lever  54  and a shift operating (releasing) lever  56  (release member). The parts of the shift control unit  38  are basically supported on the support plates  34  and  36 . The shift winding lever  54  constitutes a first operating member of the bicycle shift operating device  14 , while the shift releasing lever  56  constitutes a second operating member of the bicycle shift operating device  14 . As discussed later in more detail, the shift winding member  54  includes a winding element or pawl  58 , while the shift releasing lever  56  includes a winding element control member  60 . The winding element or pawl  58  is movably arranged with respect to the support plates  34  and  36  (e.g., the stationary support member) to move between a winding position and a disengaging position. The winding element control member  60  is movably mounted to the shift releasing lever  56  (release member) by a pin  62  to move between a rest position and a control position that holds the winding element or pawl  58  in the disengaging position in response to pivotal movement of the shift releasing lever  56  (release member) between a neutral position and a position releasing position. As explained later, the winding element control member  60  is guided by the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) during movement of the winding element control member  60  between the rest position and the control position. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the wire takeup element  50  is rotatably mounted on the main support shaft  40  between the support plates  34  and  36  (e.g., the stationary support member). The shift operating levers  54  and  56  are also pivotally mounted on the main support shaft  40 , but below the lower support plate  36  on the main support shaft  40 . Thus, the nut  42  is threaded on the lower end of the main support shaft  40  to retain the shift winding lever  54  and the shift release lever  56  on the main support shaft  40  below the lower support plate  36 . 
     The wire takeup element  50  is rotatably mounted on the support shaft  40  to rotate with respect the housing  30  and the support plates  34  and  36  such that the wire takeup element  50  can move in both a cable pulling direction (i.e., a first rotational direction R 1 ) and a cable releasing direction (i.e., a second rotational direction R 2 ) for pulling and releasing the inner wire  22   a  of the front shift operating cable  22 . The wire takeup element  50  includes an inner cable holding section  50   a  configured to engage with a cable nipple fixed to a tip end of the inner wire  22   a  of the front shift operating cable  22  and a cable winding groove  50   b  for winding in the inner wire  22   a  are provided on an external circumferential surface of the wire takeup element  50 . Thus, the inner wire  22   a  of the front shift operating cable  22  is attached to the wire takeup element  50 , and is wound and unwound around the external circumferential surface of the wire takeup element  50 . 
     The wire takeup element  50  is spring loaded in the cable release direction (counterclockwise) by a spring member  64  (e.g., a torsional coil spring). One end of the spring member  64  engages with a hole in the wire takeup element  50  and the other end engages with a hole in the upper support plate  34 . The wire takeup element  50  also has an engaging protrusion  50   c  that is configured to cause a part of the positioning structure  52  to rotate together with the wire takeup element  50  as explained below. The engaging protrusion  50   c  is a non-circular protrusion that is formed on a lower surface of the wire takeup element  50 . The positioning structure  52  is configured to selectively position the wire takeup element  50  in any one of a plurality of (e.g., three) actuation or operating positions corresponding to a plurality of (e.g., three) shift positions of the front derailleur  16 . The positioning structure  52  will be discussed below in more detail. 
     The shift winding lever  54  is an elongated lever member having a cable retraction (wind-in) function for operating a typical gear changer device (e.g., the front derailleur  16 ). The shift winding lever  54  is rotatably mounted on the main support shaft  40  such that it can pivot freely from a rest or start position shown in  FIG. 9  to an operation position shown in  FIG. 10 , which is reached by pivoting the shift winding lever  54  in the first rotational direction R 1  (i.e., a clockwise in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ) from the rest or start position to the operation position. The shift winding lever  54  is preferably a trigger lever that returns to the rest position after being moved to the operation position to change the current position of the wire takeup element  50 . In particular, the shift winding lever  54  is spring loaded toward the rest position by a spring member  68  (e.g., a coiled tension spring), which has one end engaged with a tab  54   a  of the shift winding lever  54  and the other end engaged with the shift release lever  56 . 
     The shift winding lever  54  is operatively coupled to the positioning structure  52  to change a current position of the wire takeup element  50 . In particular, the winding element or pawl  58  is pivotally mounted to the shift winding lever  54  by a pivot pin  66  to move between the winding position and the disengaging position. A spring member  69  (e.g., a torsional coil spring) is provided on the pivot pin  66  to bias the winding pawl  58  to the winding position. The shift winding lever  54  is rotatable in the first rotational direction R 1  and engages the positioning structure  52  to rotate the wire takeup element  50  in the first rotational direction R 1 . 
     The shift release lever  56  (release member) is an elongated lever member having a release function for operating a typical gear changer device (e.g., the front derailleur  16 ). The shift release lever  56  is rotatably mounted on the main support shaft  40 . The shift release lever  56  is configured to engage the positioning structure  52  to rotate the wire takeup element  50  in the second rotational direction R 2  that is opposite the first rotational direction R 1 . Specifically, the shift release lever  56  has a movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  that has been formed by bending a distal end of the shift release lever  56 . The movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  engages the positioning structure  52  to release the wire takeup element  50  for rotation in the second rotational direction R 2  under the urging force of the spring member  64 . Preferably, the shift release lever  56  is a trigger lever that returns to the neutral position after being moved to the position releasing position to change the current position of the wire takeup element  50 . In particular, the shift release lever  56  is spring loaded toward the neutral position by the spring member  68  (e.g., a coiled tension spring), which has one end coupled to the tab  54   a  of the shift winding lever  54  and the other end coupled to a tab  56   b  of the shift release lever  56 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the winding element control member  60  is also configured and arranged with respect to the lower support plate  36  to move the winding element or pawl  58  from the winding position ( FIG. 7 ) to the disengaging position ( FIG. 8 ) in response to movement of the shift release lever  56  (release member) from the neutral position ( FIG. 7 ) to the position releasing position ( FIG. 8 ). Thus, when the shift release lever  56  returns to the neutral position ( FIG. 7 ) under the urging force of the spring member  68 , the winding element control member  60  releases the winding element or pawl  58  such that the winding element or pawl  58  moves from the disengaging position to the winding position by the spring member  69 . 
     The winding element control member  60  has a tip portion  60   a  and a pair of contact points  60   b  and  60   c . The tip portion  60   a  is arranged to contact the winding pawl  58  when the winding element control member  60  is pivoted about the pivot pin  62  of the shift release lever  56  to move from the rest position ( FIG. 7 ) to the control position ( FIG. 8 ). During this pivoting motion about the pivot pin  62  from the rest position ( FIG. 7 ) to the control position ( FIG. 8 ), the tip portion  60   a  of the winding element control member  60  moves radially outward with respect to the central or main pivot axis A. In particular, the winding element control member  60  contacts the support plate  36  in response to pivotal movement of the shift release lever  56  such that the winding element control member  60  pivots by contact with the support plate  36 , to thereby move the tip portion  60   a  of the winding element control member  60  radially outward with respect to the central or main pivot axis A as the winding element control member  60  moves from the rest position ( FIG. 7 ) to the control position ( FIG. 8 ). In the control position, the tip portion  60   a  of winding element control member  60  holds the winding pawl  58  in the disengaging position in response to pivotal movement of the shift release lever  56  from the neutral position to the position releasing position. The contact points  60   b  and  60   c  of the winding element control member  60  contact an edge  36   b  of the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) such that the winding element control member  60  is guided by the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) during movement of the winding element control member  60  between the rest position and the control position. The edge  36   b  of the support plate  36  is straight in this embodiment, but not limited to be straight. In particular, the contact points  60   b  and  60   c  of the winding element control member  60  slide along the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) to pivot the winding element control member  60  about the pivot pin  62  of the shift release lever  56  from the rest position ( FIG. 7 ) to the control position ( FIG. 8 ). In other words, the movement of the winding element control member  60  causes the contact points  60   b  and  60   c  to engage the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) to move the winding element control member  60  between the rest position and the control position. 
     As seen in  FIG. 6 , the positioning structure  52  basically includes a positioning plate or element  70  and a positioning pawl  72 . Generally speaking, the positioning structure  52  is operatively coupled between the wire takeup element  50  and the lever  54  and  56  to selectively maintain the wire takeup element  50  in one of at least two positions. More specifically, the shift winding lever  54  is operatively coupled to the positioning element  70  of the positioning structure  52  by the winding pawl  58  such that pivotal movement of the shift winding lever  54  in the first rotational direction R 1  causes the wire takeup element  50  to rotate in the first rotational direction R 1  from a current shift position to a subsequent shift position with the positioning element  70  of the positioning structure  52  holding the wire takeup element  50  in the subsequent shift position. The shift release lever  56  is operatively coupled to the positioning pawl  72  of the positioning structure  52  such that movement of the shift release lever  56  in the second rotational direction R 2  causes the wire takeup element  50  to rotate in the second rotational direction R 2  from a current shift position to a subsequent shift position with the positioning structure  52  holding the wire takeup element  50  in the subsequent shift position. 
     The positioning element  70  is rotatably coupled between the upper and lower support plates  34  and  36  (e.g., stationary support member) by the main support shaft  40  to rotate about the main axis A between a plurality of predetermined shift positions. The positioning element  70  has an engaging hole  70   a  that engages with the engaging protrusion  50   c  of the wire takeup element  50  such that the positioning element  70  moves integrally (as a unit) with the wire takeup element  50 . The positioning element  70  includes an outer peripheral edge with a plurality (three) of positioning teeth  70   b  selectively engagable with the positioning pawl  72  (i.e., position maintaining member) and a plurality (three) of winding teeth  70   c  selectively engagable with the winding element or pawl  58 . 
     The positioning pawl  72  is pivotally mounted between the upper and lower support plates  34  and  36  by a pivot shaft  74 . The positioning pawl  72  constitutes a position maintaining member that is movably arranged with respect to the upper and lower support plates  34  and  36  (e.g., stationary support member) to move between a holding position ( FIG. 9 ) that holds the positioning element  70  in one of the predetermined shift positions and a position releasing position ( FIG. 12 ) that releases the positioning element  70  for rotational movement to move one gear or shift position. The positioning pawl  72  has a stop tooth  72   a , an actuating projection  72   b  and an over rotation preventing tooth  72   c . The positioning pawl  72  is configured to move in a plane parallel to the positioning element  70  to selectively move the stop tooth  72   a  between a position in which it engages with one of the positioning teeth  70   b  and a position in which it does not engage one of the positioning teeth  70   b . The over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  is configured to move between a contact position where it engages one of the positioning teeth  70   b  at a different position than the stop tooth  72   a  and a disengaged position where it does not engage one of the positioning teeth  70   b.    
     As mentioned above, the shift winding lever  54  is provided with the winding pawl  58  that is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin  66 . Thus, the winding element or pawl  58  is movably arranged with respect to the lower support plate  36  as the shift winding lever  54  moves between the rest position and the operation position. The spring member  69  biases the winding pawl  58  towards the positioning element  70 , where the winding pawl  58  engages one of the winding teeth  70   c . As mentioned above, the tip portion  60   a  of winding element control member  60  moves the winding pawl  58  to the disengaging position, where the winding pawl  58  separates from one of the winding teeth  70   c , in response to pivotal movement of the release member  56   a  (shift release lever  56 ) from the neutral position to the position releasing position. The number of positioning teeth  70   b  and the number of the winding teeth  70   c  corresponds to the number of shift positions of the front derailleur  16  and the teeth  70   b  and  70   c  are configured to protrude radially outward from an external circumferential surface of the positioning element  70 . Together with the wire takeup element  50 , the positioning element  70  is spring loaded in the cable release direction (counterclockwise) by the spring member  64 . The size of the spaces between the positioning teeth  70   b  and the winding teeth  70   c  is determined based on the amount of cable movement required to achieve the shift positions of the front derailleur  16 . 
     As mentioned above, the positioning pawl  72  is attached in a freely pivotal manner to the pivot shaft  74 . The pivot shaft  74  is arranged to protrude from the bottom surface of the upper support plate  34 . The positioning pawl  72  is spring loaded by a spring member  80  (e.g., a torsional coil spring) in the clockwise direction of  FIGS. 9 to 12  such that the positioning pawl  72  is normally arranged in the holding position. The actuating projection  72   b  configured to protrude radially outward is provided on an external circumferential surface of the positioning pawl  72 . The movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  of the shift release lever  56  (release member) is arranged to engage a distal end portion of the actuating projection  72   b  to rotate the positioning pawl  72  when the shift release lever  56  (release member) is pivoted to the position releasing position. In other words, the shift release lever  56  (release member) is pivotally arranged with respect to the lower support plate  36  (e.g., stationary support member) to move the positioning pawl  72  (i.e., the position maintaining member) between the holding position and the position releasing position in response to pivotal movement of the shift release lever  56  (release member) between the neutral position and the position releasing position. Although the movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  (part of the release member) is integrally formed with the shift release lever  56  in the illustrated embodiment, the movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  can be a separate member from the shift release lever  56 , if desired. 
     As seen in  FIG. 11 , the stop tooth  72   a  of the positioning pawl  72  is configured to contact the positioning teeth  70   b  so as to stop rotation of the positioning element  70  (which is spring loaded in the counterclockwise direction of  FIGS. 9 to 12 ) in the cable release direction. As seen in  FIG. 12 , when the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  moves to the contact position by the movement transmitting protrusion  56   a , the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  contacts one of the positioning teeth  70   b  located one tooth downstream in the release direction from one of the positioning teeth  70   b  that the positioning pawl  72  was contacting, thereby preventing the positioning element  70  from continuing to rotate in the cable release direction after the positioning pawl  72  separates from one of the positioning teeth  70   b . When the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  is in the contact position, the stop tooth  72   a  of the positioning pawl  72  is arranged in a position located beyond one of the positioning teeth  70   b  that it was originally engaged with. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the winding pawl  58  is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin  66  to protrude upwardly from the shift winding lever  54 . The winding pawl  58  is spring loaded in the clockwise direction in  FIGS. 9 to 12  by the spring member  69  such that the winding pawl  58  is normally arranged in the winding position. When the shift winding lever  54  is in the start or rest position, the winding pawl  58  engages one of the winding teeth  70   c . Consequently, the winding pawl  58  is normally arranged in the winding position when the shift winding lever  54  is in the start or rest position unless the shift release lever  56  is operated. When the shift release lever  56  is operated from the neutral position toward the position releasing position, the distal end of the winding pawl  58  moves out of engagement with the winding teeth  70   c.    
     Basically, the lower support (member) plate  36  (i.e., the stationary support member), the positioning element  70 , the positioning pawl (element)  72  (i.e., the position maintaining member), the winding pawl  58 , and the movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  (i.e., the release member) and the winding element control member  60  form a bicycle component positioning device for controlling the movement of the wire takeup element  50 . 
     The operation of the shift control unit  38  of bicycle shift operating device  14  in order to shift gears will now be explained with reference to  FIGS. 9 to 12 . First, an operation of pulling the front shift operating cable  22  will be explained. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 11 , the neutral state is shown in which neither the shift winding lever  54  nor the shift release lever  56  has been operated. In  FIG. 9 , the front derailleur  16  is in a first (low) position, i.e., the position corresponding to the sprocket having the smallest tooth count, and the wire takeup element  50  is in the first actuation position. If, from the state shown in  FIG. 9 , a rider presses the shift winding lever  54  with a left thumb and moves it, from the start position toward the operation position, then the winding pawl  58  will contact one of the winding teeth  70   c  of the positioning element  70  and the positioning element  70  and the wire takeup element  50  will be pivoted in the cable retracting (wind-in) direction, i.e., the clockwise direction of  FIG. 9 . This pivot movement causes the inner wire  22   a  to be pulled such that the front derailleur  16  moves toward an intermediate position corresponding to the middle sprocket, i.e., the sprocket having an intermediate diameter. During this movement, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the positioning pawl  72  is pivoted by the middle one of the positioning teeth  70   b  in the counterclockwise direction of  FIG. 9 . When the shift winding lever  54  has been pivoted to the operation position and released, the shift winding lever  54  returns to the start position as shown in  FIG. 11  due to the spring load of the spring member  68 , and the positioning element  70  is positioned due to the engagement of the positioning pawl  72  with the positioning teeth  70   b . In the rest or neutral position, the winding pawl  58  is arranged in the winding position where it is engaged with one the winding teeth  70   c.    
     Now an operation of releasing the front shift operating cable  22  will be explained. If, from the state shown in  FIG. 11 , the shift release lever  56  is moved counterclockwise, i.e., in the second rotational direction R 2 , then the tip portion  60   a  of the winding element control member  60  is moved in a radial direction in response to movement of the shift release lever  56  from the neutral position to the position releasing position. This movement of the shift release lever  56  from the neutral position ( FIG. 13 ) to the position releasing position ( FIG. 14 ) results in the tip portion  60   a  of the winding element control member  60  contacting the winding pawl  58  such that the winding pawl  58  is moved from the winding position ( FIG. 13 ) to the disengaging position ( FIG. 14 ), where the winding pawl  58  separates from one of the winding teeth  70   c , in response to pivotal movement of the shift release lever  56  (release member) from the neutral position to the position releasing position. This movement of the shift release lever  56  also causes the movement transmitting protrusion  56   a  of the shift release lever  56  to contact the actuating projection  72   b  to rotate the positioning pawl  72  in a counterclockwise direction. As a result, the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  is moved in between two of the positioning teeth  70   b  to prevent the positioning element  70  from rotating to far under the force of the spring member  64 . Thus, when the positioning pawl  72  pivots counterclockwise, the positioning pawl  72  separates from one of the positioning teeth  70   b  and the positioning element  70  rotates counterclockwise together with the wire takeup element  50  in the cable release direction. When the positioning element  70  rotates in the cable release direction, the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  of the positioning pawl  72  contacts one of the positioning teeth  70   b  located one tooth away from one of the positioning teeth  70   b  and the positioning element  70  stops rotating. When the rider releases the shift release lever  56 , the shift release lever  56  returns to the neutral position as shown in  FIG. 9  due to the spring member  68 . The positioning pawl  72  then rotates clockwise due to the spring member  80  and the over rotation preventing tooth  72   c  separates from one of the positioning teeth  70   b , causing the positioning element  70  to rotate counterclockwise again. However, the positioning pawl  72  contacts the positioning teeth  70   b  and causes the positioning element  70  and the wire takeup element  50  to be positioned (i.e., held in a position corresponding to the low gear). Moreover, when the winding element control member  60  moves back to its original or rest position, the winding element or pawl  58  is released such that the winding pawl  58  moves from the disengaging position to the winding position by the spring member  69 . In particular, the contact points  60   b  and  60   c  of the winding element control member  60  contact the edge of the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) such that the winding element control member  60  is guided by the support plate  36  (e.g., part of the stationary support member) from the control position to the rest position. The spring member  69  biases the winding pawl  58  towards the positioning element  70 , where the winding pawl  58  engages one of the winding teeth  70   c.    
     As a result of this movement of the shift release lever  56 , the inner wire  22   a  of the shift operating cable  22  is released by such an amount that the front derailleur  16  moves to the low position. 
     General Interpretation of Terms 
     In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. As used herein to describe the above embodiment(s), the following directional terms “forward”, “rearward”, “above”, “downward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “below” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a bicycle equipped with the present invention. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a bicycle equipped with the present invention as used in the normal riding position. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.