AN IMPROVEMENT IN BICYCLES, TRICYCLES AND CENTRE CYCLES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We FRANK HART LICENCE, a Reporter, of Marine House, Dover, in the County
of Kent and CHARLES STEPHEN DOWNS, of N° 18 Wood Street, Dover, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN BICYCLES, TRICYCLES AND CENTRE CYCLES
" to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to an improvement in Bicycles Tricycles and Centre cycles
whereby we enable the rider to ride up and down hills with greater ease than
hitherto, and it consists essentially in dividing the backbone of the bicycle, Tricycle
or Centre Cycle, so that it may be lengthened and shortened by the rider with
or without alighting.
An ordinary rider on level ground is above his work and sitting at an angle of
90 degrees, but when going up hill he is thrown back to about 60 degrees, more or
less, which not only prevents his using his weight over the treadles, but also throws
it upon the small wheel or drag thereby considerably increasing his labor..
To obviate this we propose to sever the backbone, say just below the spring of
the saddle and to insert therein a tube forming a union joint, fixed to the top
portion of the backbone but free to slide in its lower part, or vice-versa. To the
lower part of the backbone we attach a bar, rod or lever having a thread or toothed
rack with which gears a small toothed wheel actuated by a larger wheel provided
with a handle.
When the rider is mounting a hill he will by means of its handle turn the
aforesaid large wheel, and the smaller wheel actuating the rod or lever will cause
it to force back the lower part of the backbone lengthening it to an extent which
will keep him well over his treadles and his weight off the drag wheel; when level
ground is reached the backbone may be shortened to its normal length by
reversing the motion of the toothed gearing.
We now give preference to the use of a tube as connection where we divide the
backbone, and to operating the lengthening and shortening of this joint by a lever
and toothed gearing, but we may use other mechanical devices, for elongating or
shortening our divided backbone and bringing it back to its normal length.

page_text: It will be understood that the lengthening or shortening of the Backbone by the
mechanisin above described may be operated by the Rider of the Bicycle while on
the saddle, or before mounting, as may be desirable.
We now give preference to the use of a tube as connection where we divide the
Backbone, and to operating the lengthening and shortening of this joint by levers
and toothed gearing substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing, but we do not propose to limit ourselves thereto and may use any
other equivalent mechanical devices for carrying out our Invention of a divided
Backbone to be lengthened or shortened at pleasure, further we do not limit the
application of our Invention to Bicycles but may apply it also to Tricycles and
Centre Cycles with such mechanical arrangements as their construction may
necessitate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed We declare that what
We Claim is :-
.
1° In a Bicycle, Tricycle or Centre Cycle, a Backbone divided, or made in two
parts combined so that the backbone may be lengthened or shortened at pleasure,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2° A Bicycle having a backbone divided into two parts A A', united by the
tube B and made to approach or recede from each other by the levers F F operated
by the gearing H. I, substantially as described and shown on the drawing.
3° In a Bicycle having a backbone in two parts A A³ and provided with tube B,
gearing H I, and levers F F, the pawl K actuated by the lever L to fix the
part A¹ in the desired position, substantially as described and shown on the
Drawing.
Dated this fifth day of Naomba 1001