Improvements in or relating to Brakes for Cycles and the like."
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in or relating to Brakes for Cycles and the like."
I, GRANVILLE, HAWLEY, EGERTON, COOKE. of 40 Brunswick Square, London,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to.be
as follows:-
This invention relates to brakes for cycles and the like, and has for its object
to overcome some of the disadvantages noticeable in the hand and foot-operated
brakes of the rim type, as at present constructed.
According to one part of this invention, I construct a rim brake adapted to
be applied to the back wheel of say a bicycle, so that it may be operated either
by hand or by the foot, as by back-pedalling, or by both ameans simultaneously,
The form of brake which I prefer to employ comprises two brake blocks sus-
pended or otherwise movably carried upon the chain stays of the machine, the
blocks being connected to the ends of a forked rod, the other end of which is
pivotted to the end of a lever carried in bearings attached to the bottom bracket,
or chain stays, the lever being adapted to be moved by means of a pawl and one
or more projecting studs on the inner face of the chain wheel, or the opposite
side crank. According to my improvement I attach to the brake-operating-
lever, which is pivotted on to the bottom bracket, or bolted on the chain stays:
or to an extension of this lever, a wire, rod, or the like which, is carried up
through an inflexible tube to the handle bars and connected to one or preferably
two hand levers, With this arrangement it will be seen that the brake may be
applied by hand or by the foot by back-pedalling, or by both, as desired, By
employing double hand brake levers I obtain increased power, when operating
the brake by hand, and I wish it to be understood that I may employ these
double levers with various kinds of brake other than those described in the pre-
sent specification.
I may adapt various kinds of brake other than that described above to be
operated by hand, as well as by the foot, as for example brakes of the type
where a band brake is applied on the back hub, or where a brake is applied on
the tyre. I may also employ any convenient arrangement of levers, rods, wires
or the like, or pneumatic or hydraulic power, but preferably an inextensible
wire capable of being drawn through a weldless steel tube or a tube made of
spiral wire with its convolutions soldered together to render it incompressible for
communicating the hand power brake to the brake.
According to another part of my invention in rim brakes of that type where
the brake blocks are carried on the ends of a forked Y shaped rod, I construct
this rod so that there is a sliding connection between the forked portion and the

page_text: straight portion, and I employ one or more springs in conjunction with this
sliding connection in such a way that when the brake is applied lightly, owing
to this sliding connection, the brake blocks will yield to the irregularities of
the rim, the spring and connection being such however that when the brake is
full on, the spring will be fully compressed and the rod will operate as if made
rigidly throughout.
In an alternative construction for the same purpose I form the forked rod
rigid, but arrange the arms of the fork in guides, within which they can slide
freely. The brake blocks are carried on the ends of the forked arms, but have
some convenient form of spring, interposed between the blocks, and the ends
of the arms, the blocks being preferably carried in metal cases or shoes. Thses
springs operate in a similar way to that in the previously described arrangement,
namely, when the brake is applied lightly the springs will yield and allow the
brake blocks to adjust themselves to the irregularities of the rim, but when the
brake is applied hard, these springs will be fully compressed and the brake
blocks will behave as if rigidly connected to the arms of the fork, if desired the
guides in which the fork arms slide may be dispensed with both the brake
blocks and the ends of the forked rod or the blocks or ends of the rod only being
suspended in some convenient manner. The form of the springs employed may
be varied to suit requirements.
According to another part of my invention the pawl which I have previously
referred to, is so adjustably arranged as to be adaptable to the diffrent widths
of the various bottom brackets now upon the market. One way of obtaining
this adjustment, is to fit the pawl loosely upon the axle from which it is sus-
pended, so that it may be moved laterally in either, direction until fixed with a
set screw or other suitable device. As there are various means of obtaining this
adjustment, namely by placing the bearings which sustain the pawl at a greater
or lesser distance from the bearings which support the brake-operating-lever; or
by making the brake-operating-lever laterally adjustable on its axle, instead of
the pawl, I by no means limit myself to the methods described.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1899.
Signed. GRANVILLE, HAWLEY, EGERTON COOKE.
E
Improvements in or relating to Brakes for Cycles and the like.
I, GRANVILLE HAWLEY EGERTON COOKE, of 40 Brunswick Square, in the County
of London, 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 for improvements in or relating to brakes for cycles and the
like has for its object to provide an improved means for operating the brake from
the usual handlever, to provide a combined "back pedalling" and hand lever
brake, and to provide an improved carrier for the brake blocks; and consists
in connecting the hand lever to the brake block carrier by a flexible cord guided
in an inflexible tube that is a tube that keeps its curves and maintains its
rigidity independently of its fastening to the machine when a strain is trans-
mitted through it in operating the brake, this tube is shaped or bent to follow
the course along which it is desired to transmit the force, in connecting the brake
block carrier of a back pedalling brake to a hand lever so that it can also be
operated by a hand lever, and in connecting the brake block carrier to the

page_text: operating devices by a flexible or spring connection so that the first action is to
put the two brake blocks evenly on-t the rim, and to allow them to yield to the
irregularities of the rim.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings: Fig. 1 is a general view.
of part of a bicycle fitted with brake apparatus constructed according to this
invention and Fig. 2 is an elevation shewing the brake proper mounted on the
back seat stays and the method of applying a yielding connection between the
brake and operating device and also a means of adjustment for the length of
the operating device.
The brake as shown is adapted to be applied to the rim of the back wheel of
a bicycle and comprises brake blocks a suitably suspended from the chain stays b
and pivotally connected near their lower ends to one end of a forked rod c
jointed at its opposite end to the depending arm d of a lever e supported in a
bearing secured near the bottom bracket by bolting to the chain stays or
other suitable means. A strip pivoted in the outer end of lever e projects
into the path of the crank i and whilst, allowing the crank to rotate freely in
the forwards direction is engaged thereby when the direction' of rotation is re-
versed by: backpedalling, and operated to actuate the brake. Instead of operat-
ing the lever by the crank it may be operated in like manner by a stop fixed
to the sproket wheel. A helical spring m secured to the lower end of the lever e
and to a fixed part of the bearing tends to hold the brake blocks out of con-
tact with the rim. The lever c is also connected to a hand lever or levers j
pivoted to the handle bars, through a flexible wire which is conducted through
an inflexible tube or sleeve / formed of weldless steel or other similar material
secured to the frame by any suitable fastening or fastenings which may be placed
at any point or points along its length. By employing an inflexible tube I
depend upon the rigidity of the tube itself to maintain its curves, and not on
the fastenings.
→
In rim brakes of that type where the brake blocks are carried on the ends of
a horse shoe or Y-shaped carrier as shown in Fig. 2 the wire is connected to
the horse shoe by a sliding or yielding connection consisting of an inverted
U-shaped guide fixed to the upper end of the carrier o, a sliding rod n work-
ing in the guide and passing through an opening at the upper end thereof, and
a helical spring coiled round the rod and bearing with its upper end against
the guide and with its lower end against a guiding collar fixed on the lower
end of the rod n. The wire is connected to rod n, and said rod is provided
near its upper end with a fixed collar which normally rests on the guider.
When the brake is applied lightly, the brake blocks will be able to yield to the
irregularities of the rim by compressing the spring q, the spring and connection
being such however that when the brake is full on, the spring will be fully
compressed and operate in the ordinary manner.
It will also be seen that a yielding connection such as may also be applied
to the forked rod c, Fig. 1.
After being secured in position the brake is permanently adjusted with the
brake blocks at a determined distance from the wheel by the adjusting device
shown in Fig. 2 which consists of a hollow screws screwing into a boss in
the centre of the clip . The flexible wire k passes freely through the screw s
but the sleeve or tube / abuts against the head thereof, and is adapted to be
forced upwards by the screw, thereby pulling up the wire and the brake blocks
to the required position.
The type of brake described with reference to Fig. 2 is adapted to be operated
either by the hand lever or by back pedalling, the wire k and tube / being carried
either along the top of the frame to the hand lever or passed round by the seat
lug and down the back of the diagonal tube to the lever e
I am aware that it has been proposed to transmit power round corners or
through angles from one fixed point to another by operating a flexible wire in
a flexible tube with fixed ends and that this device consisting of two flexiblo

page_text: members has been used to operate a bicycle brake and I do not claim this. I
am aware also that combined hand and back pedalling brakes have been used
and I do not claim broadly the idea of doing this.
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 improved means for operating the brake for bicycles, consisting of a
flexible wire connected to the brake and the operating part, and in inflexible
guide tube or sleeve.
2. The combined back pedalling and hand lever brake for a cycle substan-
tially as described.
3. The improved yielding connection for connecting bicycle brakes to their
operative devices substantially as described with reference to Fig. 2 of the
drawings.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C. Agents.