Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
We WALTER JOHN LLOYD and WILLIAM PRIEST, trading as The Quadrant
Tricycle Company of Sheepcote Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Velocipede Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention has for its object to prevent or diminish the tremulous motion of
the steering and driving wheels of velocipedes produced by the inequalities or
asperities of the road over which they travel; and consists of the improvements
hereinafter described in making the forks of the steering and driving wheels of
velocipedes.
We will describe our invention in connection with the steering fork of a bicycle
of the kind known as a safety bicycle.
Instead of making the branches of the fork rigid and in one piece with or rigidly
connected to the steering post by welding them or otherwise fixing them thereto,
we make and attach the fork to the steering post in the following manner.
Each branch of the fork is made of a strong steel rod or wire preferably
cylindrical and nearly straight through the greater part of its length. Near its
upper end that is, the end connected to the steering post, a flat coil consisting
of one or more convolutions is made, the axis of the coil being parallel or nearly
parallel with the axis of the steering wheel carried by the fork. Each branch
of the fork made as described may be connected to the steering post by its
upper end taking into a socket fixed to the steering post, and secured in the said
socket by a screw and screw nut. Other methods however may be adapted of
connecting the forks to the steering posts.
Instead of making the branches of the fork of separate pieces of steel rods or.
wire, the two branches may be made of one long steel rod or wire doubled at its
middle and having the flat parallel coils formed immediately below the doubled
or bent part. The fork in this case is connected to the steering post at the
doubled part or bend by brazing, screwing or otherwise.
The steel rods are properly hardened and tempered after they have been fashioned
into the forks described.
Forks made according to our invention prevent or diminish the tremulous motion
of the velocipede when travelling and are economical in manufacture.
Although our invention is applicable principally to the forks of the steering
wheels of velocipedes yet it may be advantageously applied to the forks of the
driving wheels of velocipedes.
Dated this 18th day of October 1890.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
We WALTER JOHN LLOYD and WILLIAM PRIEST trading as The Quadrant
Tricycle Company of Sheepcote Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick
Velocipede Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has for its object to prevent or diminish the tremulous motion of

page_text: the steering and driving wheels of velocipedes produced by the inequalities or
asperities of the road over which they travel; and consists of the improvements
hereinafter described in making the forks of the steering and driving wheels of
velocipedes.
We will describe our invention in connection with the steering fork of a bicycle
of the kind known as a safety bicycle.
Instead of making the branches of the steering fork rigid and in one piece with
or rigidly connected to the steering post by welding them or otherwise fixing them
thereto we make and attach the fork to the steering post in the following manner.
Each branch of the fork is made of a strong steel rod or wire preferably cylindrical
and nearly straight through the greater part of its length. Near its upper end,
that is, the end connected to the steering post a flat coil consisting of one or more
convolutions is made the axis of the coil being parallel or nearly parallel with the
axis of the steering wheel carried by the fork. Each branch of the fork made as
described may be connected to the steering post by its upper end taking into a
socket fixed to the steering post and secured in the said socket by a screw and
screw nut. Other methods however may be adopted of connecting the forks to the
steering posts.
Instead of making the branches of the fork of separate pieces of steel rods or
wire the two branches may be made of one long steel rod or wire doubled at its
middle and having the flat parallel coils formed immediately below the doubled or
bent part. The fork in this case is connected to the steering post at the doubled
part or bend.
The steel rods are properly hardened and tempered after they have been fashioned
into the forks described.
Forks made according to our invention prevent or diminish the tremulous motion
of the velocipede when travelling and are economical in manufacture.
Although our invention is applicable principally to the forks of the steering
wheels of velocipedes yet it may be advantageously applied to the forks of the
driving wheels of velocipedes.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a safety bicycle to which a spring or clastic
fork constructed according to our invention for the front or steering wheel of the
said bicycle is applied; Figure 2 represents in side elevation; Figure 3 in front
elevation and Figure 4 in plan a portion of the steering wheel and its fork together
with a portion of the steering post drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1. The
other figures represent a modified spring or elastic fork as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
a is the front or steering wheel and the rear or driving wheel of the safety
bicycle is the steering post and d the seat post. The fork supporting the
steering wheel a consists of the two branches e, e made from a hardened and
tempered cylindrical steel rod or strong wire doubled at its middle the two branches
being joined by the nearly horizontal bend or loop e² (see Figure 4). Immediately
below the bend or loop e² of the fork are flat parallel coils e³, e consisting of one or
more convolutions and the lower extreme end of each branch is flattened and
expanded at e to form an eye or bush for fitting and fixing it upon the axle a² of
the steering wheel a.
The fork is connected to the steering post of the safety bicycle by fixing the
loop or bende between the cupped collar fon the bottom of the steering post and
the underwasher 9 by the screw bolt screwed into the tubular part of the said
steering post.
g
When each of the branches of the spring or elastic fork is made of a separate
steel wire or rod the upper ends of the said wires or rods are connected to a socket
on the steering post. This modified spring fork is represented in end elevation
in Figure 5; side elevation in Figure 6 and plan in Figure 7 where the separate

page_text: branches of the elastic fork are marked e, e and the flat coils e³, e³. The socket
fixed to the bottom of the steering post c is marked i. Into this socket i the upper
ends of the branches e, e above the flat coils e³ are passed and fixed in the manner
represented. That is, the extreme upper ends of the branches e e are screwed and
the screwed ends projecting above the socket i are secured in their places by the
screw nuts k, k. The upper ends of the branches e, e are further secured in the
socket by the side set screw pins, 11. Instead of connecting the upper ends of
the said branches to the socket by the screw nuts kk the extreme upper ends of
the branches may be rivetted to the socket. To the branches of the spring fork the
foot rests m, m may be connected as represented in Figures 5, 6 and 7.
Although we have represented the best methods with which we are acquainted
of connecting the elastic or spring forks to the steering post yet we do not limit
ourselves to any particular method of connecting the elastic or spring forks,
whether made of a single rod or of two separate rods, to the steering post.
As the steering wheel travels over the inequalities or asperities of the road the
tremulous or jerking motion of the said wheel is absorbed or taken up by the
springs e³, e of the fork and little or no tremulous motion is imparted to the steering
post and to the frame connected to the seat post.
The spring or elastic forks described and illustrated may be applied to the
steering wheels of velocipedes other than safety bicycles and also to the driving
wheels of safety bicycles and other velocipedes. In the latter case the socket or
appliance used for connecting the spring fork to the frame of the velocipede is
connected to the seat post d, a modified arrangement of the socket represented
in Figures 5, 6 and 7 being preferably used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained. the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our
invention of "Improvements in bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes" :-
Making the forks of the steering wheels and driving wheels of safety bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes from hardened and tempered steel rods or strong
wire bent and fashioned as described and illustrated, each branch of the fork being
provided with a flat coil or spring preferably near its junction with the steering
post or frame of the velocipede, the elastic fork so made preventing or diminishing
the tremulous motion of the velocipede substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Fifth day of June 1891.
WALTER JOHN LLOYD.
WILLIAM PRIEST.