Improvements in Hubs of Wheels and Spindle Bearings for Bicycles, and like Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1897
Complete Specification left, 23rd Sept.. 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hubs of Wheels and Spindle Bearings for Bicycles,
and like Vehicles.
I, ALBERT CRAWLEY, of 33, Poolstock, Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, Cycle
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
It relates to wheels, hubs and bearings for the rotary spindles of
bicycles and like vehicles and consists in constructing same and the parts in
connnection with them in such a manner that the possibility of one part
becoming loose or detached from another, unless by actual breakage, is entirely
prevented.
In carrying my invention into effect in connection with the form of hub and
spindle in which the surfaces forming the ball races are regulated and adjusted by
or through the actions of the said bearing-spindle, I make the screws on these said
spindles left and right hand, that is to say the thread on one end of each spindle is
right hand while that on the other end thereof is left hand, and the cones which are
mounted on these threads are made to extend through the franiework (at which parts
they are flattened) and sufficiently far beyond same to allow tightening or fixing nuts
to be mounted upon them, in this manner although the cones are screwed on to the
spindles they are fixed independently upon the framework, while a fixed head on
one end of the said spindle and a screwed nut upon the other end are employed for
locking the cones as will be understood.
By following this method of construction it is only necessary to loosen the nut on
the spindles and one nut on one of the cones to enable said spindle to be rotated by
means of its fixed (milled) head to cause the said cones to advance towards or recede
from each other as the case may be to effect the adjustment desired on which, their
tightening up secures the whole firmly in position.
The cups forming the hollow ball races are screwed into position in the hub and are
held there by check nuts also screwed therein but with oppositely leading threads, or
such check nuts may be screwed into the toothed driving wheel mounted on said hubs
when same are employed.
In connection with the class of hubs wherein the adjustment is effected by the
movements of the cup-ball race, I make these ball races to screw into the hub
in the well known manner however I also form a sleeve on each of them to extend out
of the hub to receive a locknut which is screwed upon it and which is arranged to
screw up against another nut screwed into the hub with a thread of contrary lead
to that by which the cup is mounted therein by which means one screw firmly secures
the other and the whole are rigidly fixed in position.
Respecting the spindle-bearings my invention more particularly relates to the
crank-spindles and botton brackets of bicycles but may be applied to similar parts in
other vehicles, and is carried into effect by arranging the cones on said spindles to be
mounted on screwed threads, of opposite lead made thereon, or one of the cones may
be fixed while the other is screwed on to its thread. These cones are made
sufficiently long to extend beyond the cup-ball-race and into a screwed thread made
for a certain distance into the cranks and the screwed threads in said cranks are of

page_text: the same pitch as are those on the spindle so that whenever the cones are rotated
upon their spindles they advance and recede thereon and within the cranks at the
same rate of speed. A lock nut is mounted on them which when screwed tightly
against the crank secures its cone in position.
The cup-ball-races are screwed into the bracket with one hand of a thread while
lock-nuts of contrary lead of thread secure same in position.
1007
A. CRAWLEY,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.
Improvements in Hubs of Wheels and Spindle Bearings for Bicycles
and like Vehicles.
I, ALBERT CRAWLEY, of 33, Poolstock, Wigan, Lancashire, Cycle Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
It relates to wheels, hubs and to bearings for the rotary spindles of bicycles and
like vehicles and consists in constructing same and parts in connection with them in
such a manner that the possibility of one part becoming loose or detached from
another, unless by actual breakage is entirely prevented.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a wheel's hub having its spindle and parts in
connection therewith arranged so that the adjustment of the bearing surfaces may be
effected by or through said spindle.
Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but shows the parts constructed so that the
adjustment of the bearing surfaces may be effected through or by other parts than
those mounted on the spindle.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation illustrating the bottom bracket or bearings for the
crank spindle of a bicycle.
Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but illustrates a modification hereinafter
described.
In carrying my invention into effect in connection with the form of hub and spindle
in which the surfaces forming the ball-races are regulated and adjusted by or through
the actions of the said bearing-spindle as is the case in the style of hub I shown by
Fig. 1 in which the spindle a has the ball-race-cones 6 6¹ mounted upon it, I make
the screws c c¹ on said spindle a left and right hand, that is to say the thread c on
one end is right hand while that at c¹ is left hand or vice versa and the cones b b¹ in
which are mounted on these threads are made to extend through the framework d d¹
(at which parts they are flattened to prevent rotation) and sufficiently far beyond
same to allow tightening or fixing nuts e e¹ to be mounted upon them, in this
manner although the cones b b₁ are screwed on to the spindle a they are fixed
independently upon the framework d d¹ while a head a fixed or secured upon one
end of the spindle a and a screwed nut a² upon the other end are employed for
locking the cones b b¹ as will be understood.
By following this method of construction it is only necessary to loosen the nut a²
to enable the spindle a to be rotated by means of its head a¹ (which has a serrated or
milled periphery) to cause the cones 6 61 to advance towards or recede from each
other as the case may be to effect the adjustment desired, on which the tightening
up of this nut a² secures the whole firmly in position.

page_text: The cups ffforming the hollow ball races are screwed into position in the bub g
and are held there by check nuts h h which have their screwed threads leading in an
opposite direction to those of the cups f f which they are to retain. The check
nut h is shown as being screwed into the hub g while the nut h¹ is screwed into the
toothed driving wheel k and in this case the order of the threads on these parts that
is, on the cup f¹ and nut h¹and wheel kare, on the first one left hand and on the last
two (the wheel k and the nut h¹) right hand, since this arrangement and the forming
of a flange f upon the cup f¹ to press against the wheel k the whole of the parts when
tightened up lock each other in position.
In connection with hubs & having their cups f fitting therein in reversed positions
to that shown by Fig. 1 and as shown by Fig. 4 which is a method of construction at
present extensively followed, I may still effect the adjustment of the cones b³ b* by
the method herein before described, by also forming them to act in the opposite way
and as also shown by Fig. 4.
In connection with the class of hubs wherein the adjustment is effected by the
movements of the cup-ball-races f³ as shown by Fig. 2, I make these cups to screw
into the hub g in the well known manner, however I also form a sleeve mi on one of
them (or if both sides of the hub g are alike as is the case in the hub of a wheel not
having a toothed driving wheel secured to it, then I form such a sleeve on each of
them to extend out of the hub g to receive a lock nut n which is screwed upon it
and which is arranged to screw up against another nut p screwed into the hub 9 with
a thread of contrary lead to that of the cup for that of the sleeve m by which ineans
the other and the whole are rigidly fixed in position.
When the hub g has to have a toothed wheel mounted upon it as shown by
Fig. 2 then its cup f and check nut h¹ are arranged in the manner described by
reference to Fig. 1.
The several Figures 1, 2 and 4 above referred to are illustrative of the hubs of
bicycle driving wheels, the parts shown at q q' and rare the seat stays and back
regulating or draw bolts respectively.
•
Respecting the spindle bearings, my invention more particularly relates to the
crank-spindless and bottom-bracketst of bicycles but may be applied to similar parts
in other vehicles, and is carried into effect, by arranging the cones u ul on said
spindle s (see Fig. 3) to be mounted on screwed threads of opposite lead made on said
spindle s or one or other of these cones may be fixed rigidly upon said spindle s while
the other is screwed on to its thread thereon. These cones u ul are made sufficiently
long to extend beyond the cup-ball-races v vl and into a screwed thread made for a
certain distance into the cranks w w³, and the screwed threads in said cranks are of
the same pitch as are those on the spindle s so that whenever the cones u u¹ are
rotated upon their said spindle s they advance and recede thereon towards and from
each other and within the cranks w w at the same rate of speed, such rotating of
the cones u u¹ being by means of a wrench over flats at 3 formed on them.
Lock nuts are mounted on the extending parts of the cones u u¹ so that
they may be screwed tightly up against the cranks w to secure the cones u u¹ in
their positions.
The cup-ball-races v v² are screwed into the bracket t with one hand or lead of
thread while lock-nuts y y¹ of contrary lead of thread secure same in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In hubs of wheels for bicycles and like vehicles, cone and cup ball-races and
parts in connection therewith constructed and arranged so that they may be adjusted
and secured in position substantially as herein specified. .
2. Hubs for the wheels of bicycles and like vehicles, and parts in connection
therewith the same being constructed and arranged substantially as herein described
by reference to Fig. 1 in the drawings.

page_text: 3. Hubs for the wheels of bicycles and like vehicles, and cups, cones and spindles
for use in connection with same constructed and arranged substantially as herein
described by reference to Figs. 2 and 4 in the drawings.
4. Bearings and spindles with cup and cone ball races mounted thereon substantially
as herein specified.
5. Bearings and spindles with cup and cone ball races, mounted thereon the same
being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described by
reference to Fig. 3 in the drawings.
1000
ALBERT CRAWLEY,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.