Improvements in or in connection with Brakes and Mudguards for Cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Brakes and Mudguards
for Cycles.
I, RICHARD PURDY, of Boar Green House, Moston, Newton Heath, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Colliery Manager, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
:-
This invention relates to improvements in or in connection with cycle brakes,
the object being to provide means whereby the brake can be readily applied by
the feet of the rider or whereby the feet may be utilised as a brake on the front
wheel of those cycles which are fitted with the usual metal or other mud-guards.
My invention may be carried out in several ways though in general I may say
that in most cases the brake is attached to the lower portion of the ball head of
the machine. In the case of a machine in which metal or similar mud-guards
are employed on or for the front wheel I disconnect the guard at the upper end
from the usual bracket to which it is usually attached and push it downwards
a little so as to leave a space of some four or five inches between it and the ball
head and I then connect the guard to the head by means of a narrow metal
extension piece, preferably so curved that ample room is left between it and the
tyre to enable the foot of the rider to be placed under it and so bring pressure.
to bear upon the tyre to retard the progress of the machine. Instead of the
extension piece the guard itself may be so shaped that no necessity would arise
to disconnect it and in some cases I cut out the guard at one or both sides and
hinge thereto loose pieces which may be readily tipped over by the feet to enable
the latter to be inserted beneath the guard as already described.
By forming the guard as described it enables a rider to utilise the foot as a
brake and yet at the same time the benefits of the guard are retained. In
addition to this it allows of a spring foot brake to be placed behind the ball head.
This portion of my invention consists in attaching to the latter, or to the upper
end of the front forks of the machine, a wire, laminated or other spring the free
end or ends of which may or may not be provided with a rubber brake shoe.
The spring is so arranged that its free end is out of contact with the tyre normally
but when required to brake the machine the foot may be placed upon it to depress
it. To enable the foot to be used to greater advantage the wire or flat spring may
be formed with an extension at the side or sides and this may or may not he
detachable. In the case of ladies machines this extension may be carried towards
the bottom bracket of the machine so that there is not the same necessity to
reach so far forward as would otherwise be the case.
I sometimes make the spring brake as already described into an auxiliary one
by combining it with an ordinary spoon brake, in which case the wire or flat spring
is extended forward and attached to the spoon of the ordinary brake. The latter
may be depressed as usual and the foot placed on the former as already described.

page_text: It will, of course, be understood that the spring brake arrangements may be
used with or without the mud-guards.
Dated this Ninth day of August 1898.
WILLIAM H. TAYLOR,
Swan Chambers, 69, Market Street, Manchester, and
48, Sunbridge Road, Bradford, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in or in connection with Brakes and Mudguards
for Cycles.
I, RICHARD PURDY, of Boar Green House, Moston, Newton Heath, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Colliery Manager, 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 improvements in or in connection with cycle brakes,
the object being to provide means whereby the brake can be readily applied by
the feet of the rider or whereby the feet may be utilised as a brake on the front
wheel of those cycles which are fitted with the usual metal or other mud-guards.
My invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying draw-
ings in which,
Fig. 1 shows the means adopted to enable the feet of the rider to be used as a
brake in machines fitted with mudguards,
"
Fig. 2 the application of a brake to the back of a fork crown,
Figs. 3 and 4 enlarged views of the brake and
Fig. 5 the application of a brake to the ordinary spoon brake.
My invention may be carried out in several ways though in general I may
say that in most cases the brake is attached to the lower portion of the ball
head of the machine or to the fork crown. In the case of a machine in which
metal or similar mud-guards are employed on or for the front wheel a as in
Fig. 1, I disconnect the guard at the upper end from the bracket c or fork
crown to which it is usually attached and push it downwards a little so as to
leave a space of some four or five inches between it and the ball head, the nuts
on the front wheel axle being slacked back a little for that purpose. I then
connect the guard b to the fork crown by means of a narrow metal extension piece d
preferably so curved that ample room is left between it and the tyre to enable
the foot of the rider to be placed under it and so bring pressure to bear upon
the tyre to retard the progress of the machine. The piece d may be connected
by screws e or by similar means to both the crown c and the guard so that it
may be readily disconnected. Instead of the extension piece the guard itself
may be so shaped that no necessity would arise to disconnect it and in some cases
I cut out the guard at one or both sides and hinge thereto loose pieces which
may be readily tipped over by the feet to enable the latter to be inserted beneath
the guard as already described. I prefer, however, to employ the detachable
extension piece d shown in Fig. 1.
In
By forming the guard as described it enables a rider to utilise the foot as a
brake and yet at the same time the benefits of the guard are retained.
addition to this it allows of a spring foot brake to be placed behind the ball head
as shown in Fig. 2 wherein the mudguard is not shown. This portion of my
invention consists in attaching to the latter, or to the fork crown c of the

page_text: machine, a wire, laminated or other spring e the free end or ends f of which may
or may not be provided with a rubber brake shoe though I prefer to fit it with
a rubber shoeg in the case of a spring such as shown. The spring is so arranged
that the shoe g is out of contact with the tyre normally; but when required to
brake the machine the foot may be placed upon it to depress it. To enable the
foot to be used to greater advantage the wire or flat spring is formed with one
or more extensions h at the side or sides and this may or may not be detachable,
and projecting rests for the feet such as i are also clamped to the frame of the
machine. As will be seen the springs and extension pieces are all in one piece
and the former are attached to the fork crown by having their ends screwed and
passed through the holes in the crown, washer plates ; being used for the
collars and securing nuts / respectively to bear against. The spring wire e may
be attached to the metal portion c¹ of the brake shoe in any suitable manner.
In the drawings the metal portion c¹ is stamped out at ell and bent over the wire.
The form in which the springs e are made may be varied as desired and instead
of their being attached to the crown e as described they may be secured to the
forks by clamps.
In the case of ladies machines the extension pieces may be carried towards
the bottom bracket of the machine so that there is not the same necessity to
reach so far forward as would otherwise be the case.
I sometimes make the spring brake such as that already described into an
auxiliary one by combining it with an ordinary spoon brake as in Fig. 5. In
this case the wire or flat spring e, preferably the latter, is extended forward
and attached to the spoon m of the ordinary brake either by being slid in between
the rubber and spoon or by being riveted or otherwise secured thereto. The
latter may be depressed as usual and the foot placed on the former as already
described.
It will of course be understood that the spring brake arrangements may be
used with or without the mud-guard.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination with the front wheel mudguard of cycles of an extension
piece such as d as and for the purposes described.
2. In cycles the use of a spring foot-operated brake constructed as shown in
Figs. 3 and attached to the rear side of the ball head or fork crown substantially
as described.
3. In a cycle the combination with an ordinary spoon brake of an auxiliary
brake attached thereto and projecting to the rear of the fork crown substantially
as and for the purposes described.
4. The improved mudguard and brake arrangements for cycles constructed and
arranged substantially as shown and described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Total 1
101
1
WILLIAM H. TAYLOR,
Swan Chambers, 69, Market Street, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.