Improvements in and relating to the Driving Gear of Bicycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Driving Gear of Bicycles.
We, THE ELLIPTIC OYCLE COMPANY LIMITED, Manufacturers, and JOHN
HARRISON, Engineer, all of 13, Brook Street, Peterborough, in the County of
Northampton, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to bicycles of the kind described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent No. 18152 of 1894.
In machines of the kind described in the former specification the pedal bars
were connected to cranks on a shaft which passes through the hub of the
driving wheel. This arrangement renders it necessary that the rider should sit
well back over the said driving wheel, which position when the machine is
being driven at a high speed is disadvantageous in that insufficient weight is
placed upon the steering wheel to keep it well on the ground.
The object of this invention is to overcome this objection and to this end it
consists in connecting the pedal bars to cranks on a shaft carried in front of the
driving wheel and in transmitting the motion of this shaft to the driving wheel
through the medium of a train of wheels two of which are elliptical in order that
the cranks shall be moved quickly over the dead centres.
With the present construction the pendulous rods or links to which the rear
ends of the pedal bars are pivoted are suspended from the seat stays instead of
from a rearward extension of the framing.
Dated the 27th day of Yo.. 180°
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and relating to the Driving Gear of Bicycles.
We, THE ELLIPTIC CYCLE COMPANY LIMITED, Manufacturers, and JOHN
HARRISON, Engineer, all of 13, Brook Street, Peterborough, in the County of
Northampton, 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 relates to bicycles of the kind described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent No. 18152 of 1894.
In machines of the kind described in the former specification the pedal bars

page_text: were connected to cranks on a shaft which passed through the hub of the
driving wheel. This arrangement renders it necessary that the rider should sit
well back over the said driving wheel. The object of this invention is to place
more weight upon the steering wheel than heretofore, which is advantageous
especially for track riding and to this end it consists in connecting the pedal
bars to cranks on a shaft carried in front of the driving wheel and in transmitting
the motion of this shaft to the driving wheel through the medium of a train of
wheels.
With the present construction the pendulous rods or links to which the rear
ends of the pedal bars are pivoted are suspended from the seat stays instead of
from a rearward extension of the framing.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle having our improved driving gear
applied to it:
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the same; and
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the driving gear drawn to a larger scale than
Figure 1.
u is the frame of the machine and is the crank axle which is pivoted in the
said frame in front of the rear or driving wheel c of the machine and has affixed
to it an elliptical gear wheel d.
e is the pinion upon the axle of the wheel c and f is an intermediate gear
wheel having two sets of teeth, riz., the teeth g which engage with the pinion e
and the teeth with which the wheel d engages, the said teeth h being arranged
in an ellipse so as to remain in gear with the elliptical wheel d. As shewn
the pinion e is represented as provided with roller teeth and the teeth are also
formed as roller teeth; it is to be understood that ordinary teeth may be used,
if desired.
i, i are the pedal bars each of which at its front end carries a treadle j and
at its rear end is connected to the lower end of a pendulous link which at its
upper end is pivoted upon a pin carried by the back or seat stays m of the
machine, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The said pedal bars are also connected
to the crank pins n carried by the cranks o on the crank axle b.
With this arrangement it will be understood that the weight of the rider is
brought much nearer to the front of the machine than is the case when the
crank axle dis passed through the centre of the driving wheel as described in
the specification before referred to. An advantage of this invention is that if
desired the pedal bars may be dispensed with and ordinary treadles placed
upon the crank pins so that the cranks are directly driven.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In a bicycle the combination with the frame of a crank axle mounted in
the said frame in front of the driving wheel, pedal bars connected to the crank
pins of the said crank axle, pendulous links pivoted to the seat stays of the
frame and at their lower ends jointed to the rear ends of the pedal bars and
gearing consisting of an elliptical gear wheel mounted on the crank axle, a
circular pinion upon the axle of the driving wheel and an intermediate wheel
having a circular set of teeth and an elliptical set of teeth engaging with the
pinion on the driving axle and the elliptical wheel on the crank axle respec-
tively, all substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
2. In a bicycle the combination with the crank axle and the axle of the
driving wheel of two elliptical wheels and two circular wheels one of the ellip-
tical wheels being screwed upon the crank axle and one of the circular wheels
upon the driving axle whilst the second elliptical wheel and the second circular
wheel are fixed together and engage with the elliptical wheel upon the crank

page_text: axle and the circular wheel upon the driving axle respectively, substantially
as described.
3. The manufacture and use of bicycles provided with driving gear, substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 27th day of February 1899.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants: