Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1887
Specification Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
WILLIAM GOLDING of Britannia Works, Yarburgh Street Moss Side, Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Bicycle and Tricycle Manufacturer 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:―
This invention relates firstly to pedal mechanism for operating the driving wheels
of velocipedes and is in the nature of further improvements and adaptations for
this purpose of the pedal mechanisms described in the Specifications of my Letters
Patent dated 17th June 1886, No. 8049 and 16th July 1886, No. 9234, and having
special reference to Specification dated 9th October 1885 No. 11,990 in which the
principle of these movements is explained.
Secondly. To an arrangement of sun and planet gear in combination with the pedal
rod for gearing-up velocipedes.
Thirdly. To an improved method of constructing tricycles having one central driving
wheel and two smaller supporting wheels so as to render them safe and stable when
turning corners.
And in order that my said invention may be well understood I now proceed to
describe the same more particularly and for that purpose refer to the accompanying
sheets of drawings.
Sheet 1 represents the driving mechanism for a bicycle or tricycle with the driving
wheel in the rear, and sheet 3 represents a similar movement for either a front or rear
driving wheel.
A represents the backbone, B the rear fork and D the frame supporting the seat.
The pedal rod c, c carries the pedal P at one end and is pivotted at the other to a
crank bo rigidly attached to the axle of the wheel, or when sun and planet gearing is
used it is pivotted to a crank or radius rod running loose on the axle or to a crank
fast on a spindle running loosely inside the hub. The pedal rod c c is supported and
controlled by the link which is pivotted at a point s, above the pedal rod, to the
framework. In order to allow room for the heels the pedal rod is preferably curved
downward as shewn and the lower end of the link is pivotted at a to the con-
necting bracket d which is rigidly fixed to the pedal rod. The line of travel of the
pedal centre for one complete movement is indicated by the dotted line. When the
wheel is turned once round for each double stroke the up and down strokes are equal
as to time. When the wheel is geared up by means of sun and planet gear wheels
the down stroke takes rather less time than the up stroke, the difference depending

page_text: upon the length of the pedal rod and the relative diameters of the planet wheel and
the sun wheel.
Observation shews that in operating the bicycle or tricycle at any except very slow
speeds a short interval of time elapses between the finish of the pressure exerted by
one foot and the commencement of the pressure of the other foot.
The movement just described in combination with sun and planet gear in the
proportions shewn in the figures utilizes this peculiarity by giving a mechanical
advantage to the operator during the downward stroke, more particularly at the com-
mencement of the stroke where it is most required. The upward movement of the
pedal is made correspondingly slower towards the termination of the return stroke.
The relative times of the downward and upward strokes in the proportion shewn are
as about 11 to 12. Thus the full length of the stroke may be made and the average
downward pressure for a gearing of 60 is about the same as for a gearing of 55. This
mechanism is a variety of the hanger claviger.
Sheet 2 illustrates a variety of roller claviger for operating the driving wheel of a
bicycle or tricycle.
The pedal rod cc is preferably made of steel tubing bent as shewn to accommodate
the foot when the movement is at the lowest point. The circle marked P shews the
pedal end. The pedal rod is rigidly fixed at the other end to a cross piece d d one
end of which carries the studs upon which the roller turns. The other end of the
cross piece d d is pivotted upon the crank pin o of the crank o b. A A represents
a continuation of the fork side and forms a bracket against which the roller
bears during the movement. The roller thus forms the imoveable fulcrum for the
leverage part of the force. The slight guide g is to keep the roller in position. It is
allowed a small amount of play between the two surfaces.
These mechanisms are duplicated upon the other side of the driving wheel.
Sheet 4 represents a modification of sun and planet gearing for gearing-up
velocipedes.
In my specification 8049-1886, I claim for this purpose the combination of sun
and planet gear with levers with moveable fulcra (which serve as pedal rods) when the
planet wheel is held against revolving by being attached to the pedal rod.
In the particular method described therein there is a set of sun and planet wheels
on each side of the machine. The object of this modification is to effect the same
purpose with a sun and planet wheel on one side only, thus preventing backlash.
The drawing represents the parts in section. The hub of the wheel h, his hollow,
its interior surface being cylindrical. A spindles, s passes through the hub and is
supported inside it preferably by balls b, running between solid and hollow cones
the former adjustable by means of screw threads and held in position by nuts and
lock nuts. The spindle and hub are concentric and are free to revolve on their axes
independently of each other.
Cranks e c and c¹ care keyed or otherwise rigidly fixed to the ends of the spindle,
such cranks being set 180° angular distance apart.
The crank c, c at the crank pin end is coned out to accommodate a coned pin t, t;
the coned surfaces are preferably adapted for adjustable ball bearings as described
for the hub spindle but with one fixed conc, or they may be plain parallel bearings.
In any case the crank pin is allowed to freely turn in the crank. The crank pin after
passing through the crank passes through the rod a which represents the end of the
pedal rod. The crank pin is here made of greater diameter with flats and fitted into
a slot of the same shape in the rod a. It is then held firmly in position by the
fixed collar and nut shewn. The same arrangement as far as described may be
duplicated at the other end of the spindle, or the crank pin may be fixed in the crank
and the rod a¹ u¹ may be pivotted upon it in the usual way.
To return to the end first described, the spur wheel r is keyed or otherwise rigidly
attached to the extended end of the hub. Another spur wheel p is keyed or other-
wise rigidly attached to the end of the crank pin t, so as to gear with the spur
wheel r. The spur wheel P is by this arrangement prevented from turning upon its
own axis but is free to be revolved round the axis of the hub carrying the spur wheel r

page_text: round with it and gearing up the driving wheel. The grooves d d represent the
channels for the balls for the bearings of the framework of the velocipede.
The third head of my invention relates to the method of construction whereby a
tricycle having a single central driving wheel in the rear and two supporting parallel
steering wheels in front may be safely and conveniently driven while turning a corner.
The means adopted is to incline the centres of the head or hinge forward, see h and o¹
sheet 3, such head or hinge, see h', being placed underneath, and being supported
at its upper end in the centre of an arched rigid cross axle k connecting the two front
wheels, which run loosely on bearings at the ends. To effect the steering an upright
bar u is rigidly attached to the centre of the cross axle immediately above the head
and it carries at its upper end a transverse handle bar of the usual kind. The effect
of this arrangement is to cause the single central rear driving wheel to incline over
towards the centre of the curve made while turning, the inclination varying inversely
according to the axis of the curve.
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 :-
Firstly. The pedal mechanism for operating velocipedes, consisting of a rod carrying
a pedal at one end and pivotted at the other to the crank (fast or loose) of the driving
wheel, and supported and controlled by a link pivotted to it and to the framework
above it, substantially as herein before described and illustrated in sheets 1 and 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The pedal mechanism for operating velocipedes consisting of a rod
carrying a pedal at one end and rigidly attached to a cross piece at the other one end
of which is provided with a roller bearing against a guide and the other, pivotted upon
the crank-pin, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by sheet 2 in the
accompanying drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of the method of gearing up velocipedes by sun and planet
gear (the gear wheels being placed on one side only of the hub of the driving
wheel) with the pedal rod the planet wheel being held against revolving on its own
axis by being attached to the end of the pedal rod substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by Sheet 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly. In a tricycle constructed with two steering wheels running loose placed
in front and one driving wheel mounted centrally in the rear and carried in a frame
connected to the rigid cross axle bar joining the two steering wheels by a joint or
head on the longitudinal centre line of the machine, the combination of a steering
joint or head with raked centres, rigidly connected to and carried underneath the
cross axle bar, and a steering rod springing from the centre of the cross bar and
terminating at the upper end in a transverse handle bar substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in sheet 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of January 1886.
WILLIAM GOLDING.