IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR BICYCLES "8 TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: We WILLIAM GEORGE ASHFORD and WALTER JOHN WINDER trading as W. and
G. Ashford and Winder of N° 12 Lower Essex Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Wholesale Saddlers and CHARLES HENRY FREEMAN of No 75 Kyott's
Lake Road Birmingham aforesaid Foreman to the said Firm do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR BICYCLES
"8
TRICYCLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES " to be as follows:-
This invention consists in constructing saddles for bicycles tricycles and other
velocipedes in the manner herein after described whereby an elastic seat produced
having the special quality herein after pointed out.
The seat of the saddle is made of a strong piece or foundation of leather having
a cupped or turned in edge as usual the said leather foundation being supported by
an elastic or spring frame work constructed as follows.
The
At the underside of the seat of the saddle is the ordinary longitudinal plate by
which the saddle is clamped to the backbone of the bicycle or velocipede.
said plate extends along about two thirds of the middle of the underside of the
saddle. The fore end of the plate is fixed in a socket piece at the front of the
leather foundation and its rear end is connected to the rear part of the saddle by
a strong steel wire spring of the following construction. The steel wire is doubled
for a length equal to the length of the longitudinal plate and is fixed to the upper-
side of the said plate. At the end of the longitudinal plate each branch of the
wire is coiled two or three times the coils being parallel and their common axis
horizontal. The wire from each of these double or compound coils is bent upwards
and a single coil formed at the junction of the spring with the seat of the saddle
the said single coils being situated nearly at right angles to the coils first described.
The wire from each of the single coils is then bent into a curved figure and is fixed
to the side of the rear part of the leather foundation the curvature of the last
named parts of the wire corresponding to the part of the saddle to which it is to
be attached. There is thus formed a spring frame work or support for the seat of
D
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page_text: the saddle the thigh parts of the saddle being unsupported the single coil of the
said frame work at each side of the saddle permitting the rider to move his legs
alternately for pedalling without rocking the saddle bodily that is either side of the
saddle is permitted to yield independently of the other side.
Instead of connecting the fore end of the plate directly to the socket as described
the said fore end of the plate may terminate in a coiled spring by means of which
the said fore end of the plate may be connected to the socket.
Dated this sixteenth day of December 1884.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saddles for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
We WILLIAM GEORGE ASHFORD and WALTER JOHN WINDER trading as W. and
G. Ashford and Winder of Nº 12 Lower Essex Street, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Wholesale Saddlers and CHARLES HENRY FREEMAN of N° 75 Kyott's
Lake Road, Birmingham aforesaid, Foreman to the said firm do hereby declare the.
nature of this invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES FOR BICYCLES TRICYCLES
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:-
•
"3
This invention consists in constructing saddles for bicycles tricycles and other
velocipedes in the manner hereinafter described, whereby an elastic seat is produced
having the special quality herein after pointed out.
The seat of the saddle is made of a strong piece or foundation of leather having
a cupped or turned in edge as usual, the said leather foundation being supported
by an elastic or spring frame work constructed as follows. At the underside of
the seat of the saddle is the ordinary longitudinal plate by which the saddle is
clamped to the backbone of the bicycle or velocipede. The said plate extents along
about two thirds of the middle of the underside of the saddle. The fore end of
the plate is fixed in a socket piece at the front of the leather foundation. and its
rear end is connected to the rear part of the saddle by a strong steel wire spring.
of the following construction. The steel wire is doubled for a short length and is
fixed to the upper side of the longitudinal plate. At the end of the longitudinal
plate each branch of the wire is coiled two or three times, the coils being parallel
and their common axis horizontal. The wire from each of these double or com-
pound coils is bent upwards and a single coil formed at the junction of the spring
with the seat of the saddle, the said single coils being situated nearly at right
angles. to the coils first described. The wire from each of the single coils is
then bent into a curved figure and is fixed to the side of the rear part of the
"

page_text: leather foundation the curvature of the last named parts of the wire corresponding
to the part of the saddle to which it is to be attached.
There is thus formed a spring frame work or support for the seat of the saddle,
the thigh parts of the saddle being unsupported, the single coil of the said frame
work at each side of the saddle permitting the rider to move his legs alternately
for pedalling without rocking the saddle bodily, that is, either side of the saddle is
permitted to yield independently of the other side.
Instead of connecting the fore end of the plate directly to the socket as described,
the said fore end of the plate may terminate in a coiled spring by means of which
the said fore end of the plate may be connected to the socket.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in plan of underside;
Figure 2 in longitudinal vertical section and Figure 3 in elevation, taken at the
rear end, a saddle for a bicycle or other velocipede constructed according to this
invention; Figure 4 represents in side elevation and Figure 5 in plan, the rear
supporting spring or elastic support detached and Figure 6 represents in side
elevation and Figure 7 in plan the longitudinal plate detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawings.
a is the strong leather foundation of the seat of the saddle having the usual
cupped or turned in edge; b is the longitudinal plate on the underside of the seat
to which plate the clamp c is affixed by which the saddle is clamped to the backbone
of the bicycle or velocipede. The fore end of the plate bis-secured to the fore end
of the leather foundation or seat a by an elastic connection constructed as follows
for the purpose of keeping the leather foundation in a state of tension longitu-
dinally. On the fore end of the plate b is a tubular socket into which the
cylindrical slightly curved rod d is inserted and slides, the outer end of the said
rod being rivetted to the fore end of the leather foundation in the manner repre-
sented in Figure 2. Between collars or washers at the end of the socket b² and on
the rod & the coiled spring c takes a bearing and by the action of the said spring
the seat a is maintained in a state of tension longitudinally.
The rear end of the supporting plate b is connected to the rear end of the saddle
by a wire spring or spring support constructed as follows:-The length of steel
wire from which the spring is to be made is doubled at its middle into a loop at f
and this loop is fixed in the sockets or turned in parts g, g at the upper side of the
longitudinal plate b. At the end of each of the branches of the loop f the wire is
coiled into a compound coil at h, the said coils being parallel and their common
axis horizontal. The wire from each of these compound coils h is bent upwards
and a single coil i is formned, the said single coils i, i being situated at right angles
to the compound coils h, and near the seat of the saddle. The wire from each of
the single coils i, i is bent into a curved figure marked which parts l, nearly
follow the curvature of the rear end of the saddle. The said curved parts, arc
connected to the rear part of the leather foundation a by the screw bolts 1, Z passed
through the eyes m, m at the ends of the said curved parts and fastened by screw
nuts. The vertical parts of the wire spring between the compound and single
coils h, i are connected to the rear of the saddle by the eye plates n and screw
pins and nuts at p.
By means of the rear spring or elastic support described and represented, the
seat of the saddle is made very elastic and by means of the single coils i, i at
right angles to the compound coils h, h either side of the saddle can yield indepen-
dently of the other side as herein before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim
is of "Improvements in saddles for bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes
"
First Connecting the rear end of the longitudinal supporting plate b to the rear
end of the leather seat or foundation of the saddle by means of the wire spring or

page_text: spring support marked f, h, i, k, m, the said spring or spring support being con-
structed, applied and acting substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly Connecting the fore end of the longitudinal supporting plate to the
rear end of the leather seat of the saddle by the elastic connection described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings whereby the leather seat is preserved in
the required state of tension longitudinally.
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