Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1889-Accepted. 28th Dec. 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes.
LOUIS VON LÜBBE Gentleman 30 Grove Road St. John's Wood N.W. do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;―
A saddle for Cycles the seat of which is divided throughout & the spring is so formed
as to suspend from the machine instead of resting upon it & an arrangement for
fixing the said saddle on Cycles so as to secure the advantages of altering the position
& inclination of the saddle.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes.
I, LOUIS VON LÜBBE of 30 Grove Road, St. John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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:-
The invention has for its object improvements in saddles for Bicycles, Tricycles
and other Velocipedes. The spring of the saddle may be made of one rod of steel or
of two rods, but in either case it is so formed that the seat is divided throughout.
In the case of a spring made from one rod of steel, the rod is bent in the middle until
the two parts are parallel with each other and about one inch apart. About three
inches from this bend they are bent upwards, still parallel with each other, until they
form an obtuse angle of about forty five degrees, and then they are bent down at a
similar angle, and then back underneath the first three inches. Each half of the
rod has thus assumed a triangular shape, and these parallel triangles form the front
part of the saddle. The rods are then continued, in a nearly parallel position, to the
back part of the saddle, whence they are bent outwards, so as to form the seat, and
then downwards and inwards towards the point of fixture. The rods are now about
24 inches apart, and from this point the bends vary so as to suit different riders. In
some cases they are carried thence in a parallel position and bent in a circular form
downwards, and then backwards in a serpentine form, and then they receive a circular.
bend upwards, and thence are carried forwards to the termination in a circular or
serpentine form. In other cases they are carried direct to the point of fixture in a
circular form. The circular or serpentine parts towards the ends of the rods, and
the serpentine parts in the lower stretches, are the parts of the spring which pass
through the eyebolts by which the saddle is fixed to the machine, and there the rods
are flattened so that when the eyebolts are tightened upon them they may be perfectly
firm. The socket through which the eyebolts pass for fixing the saddle has grooves
in it corresponding in shape to the flattened rods, and parts of these grooves are
concave and parts convex, so as to fit any part of those portions of the rods which
take the circular or serpentine form. The saddle may be fixed by the eyebolts being
screwed down on the parts of the rods near the ends, and then the saddle possesses
the greatest elasticity. Or it may be fixed by the eyebolts being moved to the
serpentine part forming the lower stretch of the spring, and then the elasticity is
lessened. But at whatever point, having regard to the elasticity of the spring, the
eyebolts are fastened, the circular form of these parts, whether resting on the concave
or convex parts of the socket, permit the inclination of the saddle being altered by
simply moving the rods forwards or backwards through the eyebolts. When the
spring is formed of two rods of steel a hook form is given to the end of the

page_text: rod nearest the front so as to permit of the two parts being fastened together by a
clip.
The seat of the saddle is formed by each half of the spring being covered with
leather or other suitable material. The leather for each half is folded, and the two
parts stitched round the back part of the spring, and the front part of the folded
leather is stretclied over the triangular shaped part of the spring in front and stitched
there, so that the seat runs in a straight horizontal line from the top bend of the
triangle to the back of the spring. As the object in view in dividing the saddle
throughout is to prevent pressure on the perineum, I secure this object still more
effectually by fixing a compressed spiral spring to the front part of the seat and
attaching thereto a strap with a buckle, fixing the other end of the strap to the pin,
or stem, or other convenient part of the machine. By means of this strap the front
part of the saddle is drawn down, and when the action of the rider, or jolting on the
road, depresses the back part of the saddle, the front part is prevented coming up
so rapidly as it otherwise would, and so the rider is spared a shock, while the elasticity
of the spiral spring permits the front part of the saddle to respond sufficiently 'to the
downward pressure behind to give the rider the benefit of the elasticity which the
general form of the spring secures. This arrangement is valuable in going down an
incline. In going up hill, when the tendency of the rider is to sit forward, the strap
may be tightened by the buckle, without leaving the seat, and the front of the saddle
depressed. I also attach to the front part of the saddle a compressed spiral spring
and to the other end of the spring a strap, which is there divided and carried back in
a forked form, and each half of which is connected by a buckle with a strap stitched
to the under part of the seat, and by this means I regulate the tension of the seat.
And in order to prevent a shock to the rider by the saddle used on ordinaries coming
down with a jolt on the back bone of the machine, I pass a flat ring of India rubber
over the lower bends of the spring and thus break the force of any such jolt.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed by the aid of the accompanying drawings more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. I is a side view; fig. II a back elevation, and fig. III a top view of a spring
made from one rod of steel. Figs. IV and V shew the socket adapted to an pin
by which it is fixed to the machine. Fig. VI is a side elevation of another form of
my saddle spring in which the serpentine peculiarity is more largely adopted.
Fig. VII is a back elevation of one half of the spring, shewing how much is made
from one rod of steel in those cases in which two rods are made use of to form the
spring. Fig. VIII is a top view of both halves of the spring, still further illustrating
what is made from each rod of steel, and shewing the hook form of the ends by which
they are fastened together so as to form one spring. In this double figure the two
halves are placed apart; when in a position to be fastened together the hooks are laid
one over the other. This spring is equally adapted to ordinaries, safeties and tricycles,
and when used for the ordinary is fixed to the machine by means of the socket shewn
in figs. XII and XIII. Figs. IX, X and XI shew another form of my saddle, and
illustrate this saddle in a way corresponding to that in which figs. VI, VII and VIII
illustrate the saddle previously described. Figs. XII and XIII shew the socket
adapted to the ordinary bicycle. It is fixed to the back bone of the machine, and the
bolts which fix it there are eyebolts, which at the same time fix the ends of the saddle
spring. Figs. XIV, XV and XVI shew my saddle spring specially adapted for
racing, and capable of being applied to ordinaries, safties or tricycles. Figure XVII
is a side elevation of the saddle showing the pin and its connection with the frame
of the machine and illustrates the manner in which the strap with buckle and compressed
spiral spring is fixed to the front of the saddle so that the front of the saddle may be
depressed at pleasure. The dotted line shows the direction the strap would take were
it carried to the stem instead of the frame of the machine. Figure XVIII is an under

page_text: view of the saddle showing the forked straps with buckles stitched under each half
of the seat and connected by compressed spiral springs with the front of the saddle so
as to regulate the tension of the seat.
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 The form of the spring which secures that the seat of the saddle is divided
throughout from front to back.
2-The giving of a serpentine form to the lower bends of the spring in order that
the inclination of the saddle and the elasticity of the spring may be altered at
pleasure.
3-The grooves of the sockets so shaped as to receive either a concave or convex
portion of the serpentine parts of the spring.
4-The application to the front part of the saddle of a compressed spiral spring
connected by a strap to the stem or other convenient part of the machine.
5 The application under the seat of the saddle of straps with buckles and com-
pressed spiral springs stretching from the front to the back part of the seat.
Dated the 23rd day of October 1889.
LOUIS VON LUBBE.