IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Henry Lea and George
Singer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th November
1881.
RICHARD HENRY LEA, of Coventry, and GEORGE SINGER, of Coventry, both in
the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VELOCIPEDES."
The first part of our Invention relates to the driving gear of tricycles and other
velocipedes, and is designed more especially to meet the difficulty of varying roads
over which the vehicle may have to travel. For this purpose we provide simple
and effective differential gear as hereafter described, by which the power exerted
by the feet on the pedals may be 80 adapted as to cause the axle of the driving
wheels to revolve at various speeds with respect to the axle upon which the
foot power is applied. For example. A rider exercising a given amount of power
may on a level road cause the driving wheels to revolve once for each revolution
of the cranked axle carrying the pedals.
But it is obvious that to propel the vehicle up hill the rider must exercise
considerably more power to cause the same relative revolutions and consequently
experience excessive fatigue.
In order to avoid this great strain to which riders of velocipedes, as generally
constructed, are liable, we take advantage of the fact that the original given
amount of power, though not sufficient to cause the equal revolution of the two
axles when ascending inclines, is nevertheless sufficient for each revolution of the.
driving or pedal axle to cause a fraction of a revolution of the driven axle.
This object we attain by our improved gear, so that a rider encountering a steep
hill may instantly so adjust the mechanism that no more power will be required
for each revolution of the cranked pedal axle than on the level road.
A convenient arrangement of our improved mechanism is as follows:-
Riding loose upon the pedal axle is an internally geared wheel, the outside of
which is adapted for the chain or other connection with the axle of driving wheels.
Fixed upon the pedal axle and running inside the above mentioned wheel, of which
it is about half the size, is a spur wheel.

page_text: Also riding loose on the pedal axle is a disc carrying on its face two pinions in
gear with each other.
One of these pinions is also in gear with the small spur wheel, and the other
with the internally geared wheel.
The disc also serves as a cover for the whole of the internal gearing.
We then provide a clutch arrangement by which the rider can lock the disc with
the pedal axle, thus securing the equal revolution of pedal axle and wheel carrying
chain or other connection with axle of driving wheels.
Or the clutch may be so adjusted that the disc carrying pinions is prevented
from revolving, the internally geared wheel being then driven through the medium
of the pinions by the small spur wheel fixed on axle.
The respective speeds of pedal axle and internally geared wheel (and consequently
of driving wheels) are then proportionate to the difference in sizes of the internally
geared wheel and the small spur wheel. The clutch may also be so adjusted that
the pedal axle will remain stationary, thus forming a rest for the feet when
travelling down hill, or at other times when desired.
Any of the above alterations in driving gear may be effected while the velocipede
is in motion.
Another part of our Invention relates to an improved method and means as
hereafter described of attaching the framework of velocip-des to the bearings
thereof, or for connecting two parts of the framework in such manner as to allow
of movement in such directions as may be required to counteract the effect of
shocks that may be communicated to the machine on rough roads.
We form the bearing or other part of the machine with preferably two lugs or
projections, one on each side. The upper part of the framework is made of a
forked shape, one side of which is hinged upon the lower_part_or_bearing,-and-the
-other side of the forked piece is fitted with a stud which fits into a hole drilled in
the lower part of the frame or bearing and free to move vertically.
Between the collar formed upon this stud and the bearing or corresponding part
a piece of india rubber or other elastic material is placed. The stud is suitably
fastened below to prevent it from coming out of the bearing when in use, and thus
the two parts of the frame, while free from lateral movement, are free to move
vertically as required. The spring should be sufficiently strong to prevent
movement except when a heavy shock requires to be met.