improvements in Cycle and like Saddles.
Year: 1898

page_text: improvements in Cycle and like Saddles.
I, SAMUEL LLEWELLEN, of Universal Leather Works, Wisemore, Walsall, in
the County of Stafford, Cycle Saddle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to cycle and like saddles having peaks, and which are
adapted to be sat upon astraddle. The said invention is an improved construction
of saddle peak which will render the said peak soft and flexible, and yet so as to
retain the necessary strength for the saddle's tension; the said construction being
such as to allow of the soft peak being cheaply manufactured or built up.
The peak of the saddle according to this invention is of the ordinary shape, but
the leather of the seating is thinned down or reduced in thickness for a short
distance of about four inches from the peak's extremity, and a dished metal under-
frame or rigid plate is applied to the underside so as to extend from the extremity
of the peak to where the saddle seating is of full strength. This frame or plate
bridges over the reduced or thinned-down part of the seating forming the peak,
and forms a rigid tie or bracing between the said peak's extremity and the inner
and full strength part of the peak of the saddle's seating. The under frame or
plate is rivetted or otherwise rigidly attached to the seating of the saddle, and
forms a pocket or compartment between the thinned down leather peak and itself,
wherein is placed a soft material such as horse-hair, felt, or flocks, the same coming
underneath the thinned down peak and cushioning it and preventing it sagging.
The saddle seating is reduced or thinned at the crown of its peak part only, the
lower extremities of the flaps abounding the same being left of full strength.
The said reducing is accomplished in either of the following ways: -If the seating
is one solid piece of leather the peak end is first divided or split, blocked, and then
a portion of the inner divided part is cut away; if the seating is made of two pieces
then a portion of the peak part is cut out from the leather under layer.
It is to be understood that the dished frame or plate preserves the reduced part
of the peak from being stretched by the tension of the body of the saddle's
seating.

page_text: 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: -
This invention relates to cycle and like saddles having peaks, and which are
adapted to be sat upon astraddle. The said invention is an improved construction
of saddle peak which will render the said peak soft and flexible, and yet so as to
retain the necessary strength for the saddle seat's tensioning or stretching; the
said construction being such as to allow of the soft peak being cheaply manu-
factured or built up.
The peak of the saddle according to this invention is of the ordinary shape,
but the leather of the seating is thinned down or reduced in thickness for a short
distance of about four inches from the peak's extremity, and a dished metal under
frame or rigid plate is applied to the underside so as to extend from the extremity
of the peak to where the saddle seating is of full strength. This frame or plate
bridges over the reduced or thinned-down part of the seating forming the peak,
and forms a rigid tie or bracing between the said peak's extremity and the inner
and full strength part of the peak of the saddle's seating. The under-frame or
plate is rivetted or otherwise rigidly attached to the seating of the saddle, and
forms a pocket or compartment between the thinned-down leather peak and itself,
wherein is placed a soft material such as horse-hair, felt, or flocks, the same coming
underneath the thinned-down peak and cushioning it and preventing it sagging.
The saddle seating is reduced or thinned at the crown of its peak part only, the
lower extremities of the flaps abounding the same being left of full strength.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings a cycle saddle constructed with the
improvements according to this invention is shown in longitudinal vertical section
in Fig. 1, in underside plan in Fig. 2, and in cross section in Fig. 3, the last named
through the peak only, on the chain line Fig. 1.
In these figs. the peak part 2 of the saddle a is in general shape well known,
but the leather of the seating is thinned down or reduced in thickness at that
part from about the middle of the said seating to within a short distance of the peak's
extremity a, and a dished under-frame or plate e of metal or other suitable rigid
material is applied to the underside to extend the whole of the extent of the thinned-
down or reduced leather part, the said under-frame bridging over the said reduced
or thinned-down part of the seating to form a rigid tie or bracing between the
peak's extremity and the inner and full strength part of the saddle's seating and
a support for the soft material hereinbefore referred to, which comes between the
seating and the under-frame and which is marked d. The said under-frame or
plate is shaped to the peak and is rivetted or otherwise rigidly attached to the
seating of the saddle at different points around the boundary of the thinned-down
leather part before described, so that it is connected with the leather of the
seating where it is of full strength.
The soft material d may be horse-hair, felt, or other yielding substance (not
pneumatic) capable of cushioning the peak and preventing its sagging.
The saddle seating is only reduced or thinned-down at the crown of its peak in
the manner shown by Fig. 3, the lower extremities or flaps thereof being left of
full strength leather.
The under-frame c carries the tension pin lug e, to which the front end of the
base framing g is attached in the ordinary manner, whilst the rear of the said base
framing is connected to the cantle end of the seating in a manner well known.
The leather seating of the saddle can be reduced in strength at the peak part
in either of the following ways:--If the seating is one solid leather piece the peak
end is first divided or slit, afterwards blocked, and then a portion of the inner
divided part is cut away: if the seating is made of two leather pieces a portion
of the peak part is cut out from the under layer.
It is to be understood that the rigid under-trame is important in preserving the
tension of the saddle's body, and for allowing the thinned-down leather part of the
peak to be out of tension with the body of the saddle's seat but to be cushioned, or

page_text: prevented from sagging, by the soft flexible material contained within the pocket
or compartment between the said frame and the leather peak part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1
First. A cycle or similar saddle whose leather seating is thinned-down or reduced
in thickness at the peak, and whose underside has attached to it a rigid under-
frame or plate so as to form a pocket or compartment underneath the said peak,
wherein soft yielding material such as horse-hair, felt, or flocks can be packed to
rest upon the said under-frame, so as to cushion the peak part of the seating and
prevent its sagging, substantially as described.
Second. A cycle or similar saddle constructed with the improvements described,
arranged substantially in the manner shown and described in connection with
Figs. 1 to 3.
Thal 1... 11. 1
1 1
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.