IMPROVED MEANS FOR FITTING SADDLES OR SEATS TO VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN KEMP STARLEY at the Office for Patents 17 and 18 Southampton
Buildings in the county of Middlesex, Velocipede Manufacturer do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVED MEANS FOR FITTING SADDLES OR SEATS
TO VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
Ordinary saddles for velocipedes are made with two bolt screws rivetted to the
plate or main support of the saddle by which they are rigidly bolted to the
carrying spring and it is seldom that this spring pitches the saddle to the proper
angle for the rider to exert power in the most beneficial manner or to obtain a
comfortable position that will not chafe or inconvenience the rider.
Hitherto the saddle has been tilted by inserting a wedge either at the back or
front to get the right tip This puts a twisting strain on the bolts which are fast
and sometimes causes them to break which makes the saddle useless.
My invention is designed to afford a means of attaching a seat or saddle to a
carrying spring in such a manner that in addition to the. longitudinal play of the
spring the seat or saddle shall also have a separate and independent fore-and-aft
rocking or tipping movement that will admit of the seat or saddle being placed in
the most convenient position before it is tightened or altered at will.
My invention as applied to ordinary seats or saddles consists of a cylinder or
roller having a flat tongue or extension.
The cylinder or roller has a hole bored through it to receive a pin having part
of its ends screwed to take nuts, or solid extensions of the cylinder may form the
studs to fit the carrying arms I arrange two bolts carrying eyes to fit the plain
parts of the ends of this pin.
The tongue or extension on the cylinder or roller is clamped between the ordinary
transverse plate or plates used for attaching a saddle or seat to the spring and the
cylindrical part rests on the flat part of the spring or on a block that fits the
cylinder and rests flat on the spring.
The before mentioned eye bolts have the eyes placed over the ends of the pin
passing through or being an extension of the cylinder or roller and the nuts
screwed up on the pin against the eyes. The vertically screwed ends of the
eyebolts are passed through slots in'a transverse bar under the spring or flat surface
and their nuts adjusted.

page_text: The seat or saddle can now tip backwards or forwards on the spring and be
tightened up and fastened to the required position.
If desired instead of the cylinder or roller being made with a tongue or extension
to be clamped to the seat or saddle, it may be furnished with lugs to bolt or attach
to a saddle or seat made for the purpose.
I JOHN KEMP STARLEY at the Office for Patents 17 and 18 Southampton
Buildings in the county of Middlesex Velocipede Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVED MEANS FOR FITTING SADDLES OR SEATS
TO VELOCIPEDES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Ordinary saddles for velocipedes are made with two bolt screws rivetted to the
plate or main support of the saddle by which they are rigidly bolted to the carrying
spring and it is seldom that this spring pitches the saddle to the proper angle for
the rider to exert power in the most beneficial manner or to obtain a comfortable
position that will not chafe or inconvenience the rider.
Hitherto the saddle has been tilted on the spring and then secured thereto after
inserting a wedge either at the back or front to get the right tip. This puts a
twisting strain on the bolts which are fast and sometimes causes them to break
which makes the saddle useless.
"
.
My invention is designed to afford a means of attaching a seat or saddle to a
carrying spring in such a manner that in addition to the longitudinal play of the
spring the seat or saddle shall also have a separate and independent fore-and-aft"
rocking or tipping movement that will admit of the seat or saddle being placed in
the most convenient position before it is tightened or altered at will.
My invention as applied to ordinary seats or saddles consists of a cylinder or
roller having a flat tongue or extension.
U
L
The cylinder or roller has a hole bored through it to receive a pin having parts
of its ends screwed to take nuts, or, solid extensions of the cylinder may form the
studs to fit the carrying arms. I arrange two bolts carrying eyes to fit the 'plain

page_text: parts of the ends of this pin. The tongue or extension on the cylinder or roller is
clamped between the ordinary transverse plate or plates used for attaching a saddle
or seat to the spring or the bolts carrying eyes may pass through holes in the
tongue and the cylindrical part rests on the flat part of the spring or, on a block
that fits the cylinder and rests flat on the spring.
The before mentioned 'eyebolts have the eyes placed over the ends of the pin
passing through or being an extension of the cylinder or roller and the nuts are
then screwed up on the pin against the eyes. The vertically screwed ends of the
eyebolts are passed through slots or holes in a transverse bar under the spring
or flat surface and their nuts adjusted.
The seat or saddle can now tip backwards or forwards on the spring, and be
tightened up and fastened to the required position.
If desired, instead of the cylinder or roller being made with a tongue or extension
to be clamped to the seat or saddle it may be furnished with lugs to bolt or attach
to a saddle or seat made for the purpose.
Referring to the drawings accompanying this specification and illustrative of the
method of carrying my invention into practical effect.
Fig 1 shews an elevation of one form of my invention as applied to a saddle.
Fig 2 a back view of same.
Fig 3 an elevation of my invention as applied to a saddle adjusted on a "cradle"
spring.
Fig 4 a back view of same.
Fig 5 a perspective view of this arrangement.
Although saddles are illustrated the invention is equally applicable to seats.
In figures 1 and 2 A is the saddle B the transverse plate for clamping the saddle
to the tongue C of the cylinder or roller D, or the tongue or lugs on the roller can
be otherwise secured to the saddle.
The cylinder or roller D rests on the flat spring E or on a plate attached to a
spring.
I
The cylinder or roller D can move on a pin F. On the plain ends of the pin F
arrange eyebolts G G which pass through holes in a transverse plate H below
the spring and which bolts carry nuts I l' at their ends.
The pin F has screwed ends to take nuts J J¹ to hold on the eyebolts G G¹.
To tilt the saddle or seat the nuts I l¹ are slackened and the saddle or seat
adjusted to the proper distance and angle of inclination on the spring or plate
attached thereon, the nuts are then clamped so as to hold the saddle or seat in
position.
If desired the surface of the cylinder or roller D could be serrated or roughened
to better bite the spring or plate on the same.
Figs 34 and 5 relate to the arrangement where the cylindrical part D rests on
a block that fits the cylinder and rests on the spring.
D is the cylindrical part as before which may be a cylinder or as shewn semi-
cylindrical.
It rests on a block K which lays on the spring E¹ (as shewn, of the "arab
cradle "variety). The tongue or extension C is clamped or secured to the saddle
and to dispense with the eyebolts G G and their nuts I I, I bend the pin Fl as
shewn and screw its ends which receive the nuts J2 J³ fitting the transverse
plate H by means of which the whole is clamped to the spring.
When this latter arrangement is used on a flat spring the block K might be
dispensed with or it can be used also in the arrangement shewn in Figs 1 and 2
and can be serrated or roughened if desired to better grip the spring and
cylindrical part.
I am well aware that seats or saddles of velocipedes have been mounted on a
free centre or pivot on the spring to allow of varying inclinations by the movement
while riding of the rider's body, and I am also well aware of springs being used
to partly support the saddle or seat in position, and I am aware that the pitch of
a saddle has been varied by sliding the same on the usual spring of a bicycle,

page_text: 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 arrangement (or any mere modification thereof) substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in Figs 1
and 2 for tilting, the seat or saddle of, a velocipede on its carrying spring, consisting
in the combination of the cylinder, or roller D (arranged to rest on the spring or
plate on the same) with the pivot F, and eye bolts G G¹ and their, clamp nuts
and the plate H, for adjusting the position and angle of inclination of the saddle
or seat on the spring.
:
on a
Secondly The alternative arrangement (or any mere modification thereof)
substantially as herein described and shewn in Figs 34 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings, having the cylindrical part D adjustable in and clamped with the.
block K on the spring, by the pin F¹, clamp nuts J J³ and bar H¹ for the
purposes described.