IMPROVE- MENTS IN BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1885

page_text: I ROBERT JAMES RUSSELL of 141 Blackstock Road, South Hornsey in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES, and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and drawings:-
The improvements consists of an improved method or means of steering bicycles
and other velocipedes, and also method or means of locking the steering head of
the same, to secure steadiness in working or propelling. The object of the said
locking of the head or steering apparatus, is to enable a person riding a bicycle or
tricycle keeping the said machine in a strait or curved course as desired according
to the position the steering wheel or wheels were taking at the time of locking.
By locking the steering device, to enable a machine to take a set or fixed course,
will greatly assist a rider in giving more attention to treading the pedals.
Many riders tread the pedals unevenly which cause the said machine to take a
crooked course if unlocked.
Another advantage gained by locking the steering, is saving the labour now
done by the hands and arms, in counteracting the unsteadiness of the machine
caused by unevenly treading the pedals.
Advantage can also be taken of a long stretch of strait road by locking the
head.
The said locking and unlocking is instantanious in its action, and can be locked
and unlocked, at the will of the rider, by a slight pressure on a small lever, and
will remain locked or unlocked as desired.,
The improvements also consists of an improved method or means of steering
bicycles and other velocipedes by enabling the rider of the said machine to always
face, or remain in the same line with the machine.
These improvements are intended to apply to bicycles in which one wheel follows
behind another, and not to bicycles in which the rider thereof has one wheel on
his left and the other on his right side.
The said improvements are also intended to apply to tricycles or three wheel
machines, now known as the Humber pattern, or machines in which the rider
thereof, sits on a seat or saddle astride the backbone and steers by the handles
after the manner of steering a bicycle, or two wheel one track machine,

page_text: When a rider is propelling a machine of either of the above patterns (as now
made) and steers out of a strait course, his body instantly ceases to be in a
direct line with the machine, as will be plainly seen, when the said machine is
turning a corner, or making any curve, at the same time the tyre of the wheel is
brought in contact with the riders legs or, other part of his body, hence the
necessity of a mud guard, which become troublesome and bent, and otherwise in
the way, besides accumalating dirt.
In my improved means of steering, I place the head, point, hinge, joint or other
dėvise or means, by which the said steering is accomplished, or which enables one
or more wheels to diverge or vary from the course the other wheel or wheels are
taking this I place by preference immediatly behind the seat or saddle, as shown
in figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, the head has two projecting arms as seen at K, K', in the
plan Fig. 6, the dots show outline of saddle, or instead of the projecting arms on
the said head, a toothed wheel may be secured, the said arms are connected by
rods, chain or other suitable means, to a similar head in front of saddle, to which
the bandle bar is secured, this head, like the one behind saddle may be of the
usual pattern of bicycle head, but without the shoulders to which the forks are
usually secured, on this head I fix a toothed wheel as at I Fig. 8, or shoulders as
at K, K¹ Fig. 6, connecting one head with the other by means of a chain and rods,
or other suitable means, the said rods may have nuts and thread for the purpose of
tightening chain and taking up slack.
By this means when a rider turns the front wheel or wheels to right or left, his
body will always be in the same line or curve, the front or steering wheel or
wheels may be taking or he will always face the course he is steering, Also in
steering to right or left the riders feet will always be in the same position for
treading the pedals, as they would be in riding in a straight line.
The foregoing_description will be better understood by refering to the accom-
pying diagrams, Fig. 1, is a ball bearing head with a lever A, which has a curved
portion in the front of head, with teeth or cogs on its underside, which fit into
corresponding teeth on the curved piece B Fig. 1, also seen in section in Fig. 3.
To lock the head, the lever A is pulled up, when the small lever C, prevents the
unlocking, to unlock, a slight pressure on the lever C will permit the lever A
taking the position shown by the dotted lines, D is an indiarubber ring which
releases the teeth or cogs when the lever A is released. Fig. 2, is a side elevation,
Fig. 5 is another method or means of locking the head here shown, known as the
Stanley head, this is a back view, E is a section of the neck, F a lever centred on
each side of handle bar holder, and having its lower part curved, and having teeth
as here shown, which fit on the neck in locking as here shown in Fig. 4. The locking
and unlocking is accomplished in a similar manner as in Fig. 1, Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9,
shows the improvements in steering. On refering to the plan Fig. 6, the dotted
lines show position of the saddle, G is a piece of tube similar to that used for
backbones, having the usual neck and pin brazed on at each end of the said tube
at H and H¹; I is the head with a toothed wheel on its lower end around which
passes a piece of chain each end of which is secured to a rod J, and J', these rods
are also connected to the arms on what I will term the second head or the one
behind the saddle this is brazed or otherwise secured to the backbone, instead of
the cog wheel and chain on the head I, two arms or projections may be used as
at K, K¹, and the rods connected thereto, or two cog wheels and a continaus chain
may be used, or in place of toothed wheels, wheels grooved to take a leather band,
or gut, rubber, wire, steel band or any other means or suitable material, may be
used to connect the two heads, the dotted line shows the position of handle bar.
The rods are here shown to cross under the tube or backbone G, as in Fig. 7 and 8,
or may be caused to pass above the tube, (which may be considered as part of the
back bone), and underneath the saddle as in Fig. 9. The backbone G may be
supported by a fork as used in bicycles, or in place of a fork, two or four small
tubes or rods may be used to support the piece of tube G to which the saddle is
secured as shown in Fig. 9.

page_text: Fig. 7 shows the improved steering applied to tricycles of the pattern herein
before mentioned, L is the axle, M the pedal, N the supporting tube which is
brazed or otherwise firmly secured at O.
A bicycle built as here described will always have a portion of the backbone or
that part which supports the saddle, immediately over the front or large wheel,
and will remain in the same position, in steering to right or left.
A line drawn down through the centre of the head, hinge, joint or other device
on the hind part. of tube G, may be at an angle with a line falling vertically
through centre of front wheel while in an upright position, and meeting at the
bottom, or part of wheel in contact with the ground.
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
1st A method or means of locking the steering head of bicycles and tricycles to
secure steadiness in working or propelling the same, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3,
4 & 5, substantially as herein described.
2nd A method or means by which a bicycle or tricycle, can be made to take a
set or fixed course, the said course or track, traversed by the said machine may be
strait or curved as desired according to the direction the front wheel or wheels
were taking at the time of locking, substantially as herein before described.
3rd A bicycle or tricycle having a device, by which the uneven action of the
riders feet on the pedals, will not influence the front or steering wheel or wheels or
cause the said wheel or wheels to diverge or vary from the course the said machine
is intended to take, substantially as herein described.
4th A device, means, or method by which the uneven treading on the pedals or
cranks, or the tendency of the steering wheel or wheels to be continually changing
the direction the said wheel or wheels are intended to go, sometimes through bad
roads, is not felt by the hands and arms, substantially as herein described.
5th An improved means or method of steering bicycles and other velocipedes by
enabling the rider of a machine of either of the aforesaid patterns, always facing
or remaining in the same line or curve the front wheel or wheels are taking,
substantially as herein described.
6th A bicycle in which a portion of the backbone is always over the front wheel
in whatever direction the said machine is being steered, substantially as herein
described.
7th A bicycle, of which one wheel follows behind another, or a tricycle as herein
before described, known as the Humber pattern, having a point, hinge, joint, or
other device in any part of the backbone, between the head in front of rider,
to which the handle bar is secured, and the extreme end of backbone over hind
wheel, by which one or more wheels are caused to diverge or vary from the course
the other wheel or wheels are taking, thereby accomplishing the steering, as shown
in diagrams 6, 7, 8, & 9, substantially as herein described.
8th A bicycle or tricycle having a cog wheel and chain, or arms attached to
the head thereof, and connected to the other head, hinge, joint, or other device,
immediatly behind saddle, by rods, chain, or other suitable means, substantially as
herein described.
9th A bicycle or tricycle of the aforesaid patterns, which will permit a rider in
steering to right or left, having his feet in the same position in working the pedals,
as they would be if he was riding in a strait line, substantially as herein described.
10th A bicycle or other velocipede having a lever or clip, which can be raised or
lowered on to the neck of the said machine for the purpose of locking the head as
in Figs. 4, and 5, or a device as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, for locking a ball
bearing head, substantially as herein described.
11th A bicycle in which the head or heads are not connected direct to the forks,
or rods, (usually used to support the same) as shown in Figs. 6, 8, and 9, substan-.
tially as herein described.

page_text: 12th A bicycle having a portion of the length of its backbone held rigid over
the front or steering wheel, by two or more rods or tubes as shown in Figs. 8 and 9,
substantially as herein described.
13th A tricycle having a portion of its backbone brazed or otherwise firmly
secured to the supporting tube N, as at O, and steered by the device herein shown
in Fig. 7, substantially as herein described.
C
14th A bicycle steered by the front wheel, the said front wheel having a portion
of the backbone held rigid over the said front wheel, the said wheel being caused
to turn to right or left, by the device shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, substantially
as herein described.