Improvement in Bicycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
Improvement in Bicycles.
We, FRANK MONROE GOODHUE and JAMES ELLSWORTH GOODHUE, of
Suite 1410 Marquette Building, City of Chicago, County of Cook, State of
Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for Improvements in Bicycles, and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our invention relates to bicycles and has for its object to produce a new and
improved device by which the speed of the bicycle may be varied with relation to
the speed of the pedal shaft. We have illustrated our invention in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle embodying our invention;
Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a detail.
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.
Our device is preferably used on a bicycle frame in which the fork of the rear
wheel and the seat post are connected in the usual manner to the sleeve that acts
as a bearing for the pedal shaft. This construction is set forth, in the accom-
panying drawings, wherein is shown the sleeve A provided with the projecting
arms B, B, for the members B¹, B', of the fork of the rear wheel, and the similar
arms CD for the seat post C¹ and the brace D'. The sleeve A with its projecting arms
is preferably forged from one piece and drilled out so as to leave a hollow
shell, and thus make the parts as light as possible. In applying our device to a
bicycle we provide a bearing in each of the arms B, B, for an auxiliary shaft E.
This shaft is provided with the gear wheels E1, E2, and works in ball bearings in
the usual manner. The gear wheel E2 meshes with the gear wheel F, loosely
mounted on the pedal shaft F¹. Another gear wheel F2 is loosely mounted on the
other end of the pedal shaft and meshes with the gear E' on the auxiliary shaft E.
The sprocket wheel G is rigidly connected to the gear wheel F2. The gear
wheels F and F are provided with the external grooves, H, H, for the balls H¹
which form a ball bearing between said gear wheels and the sleeve, and also with
the grooves H2 H2 for the balls H³ which form a ball bearing between the said
gear wheels and the pedal shaft F¹.
Feathered upon the pedal shaft F¹ is the sliding clutch block I. This clutch
block is moved by means of the bifurcated shifting arm 1. Said shifting arm is
connected to the rod I running along the brace D. The upper end of the rod I'
is provided with the projecting arm 13 (see Figure 3) to which is pivotally
connected the rod 1. Said rod I is connected to the lever I which is pivotally
connected to the handle of the bicycle. By this construction the clutch block, I,
may be moved by moving the lever I³. We have shown a construction by which
the clutch block can be moved by a lever near the hand of the rider, but it will be
understood that any other construction that will accomplish the object may be
used if desired. It will be seen that by this construction the ordinary form of
sleeve for the pedal shafts may be used, and a light and compact two-speed bicycle
produced.
We do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown, as it is evident
that the several parts may be modified to a considerable extent without departing
from the spirit of our invention.

page_text: The use and operation of our invention are as follows:
When the clutch I is moved so as to engage the gear wheel F said gear wheel
and hence the sprocket wheel G attached thereto will rotate with the pedal
shaft F. If now the rider desires to speed up he moves the lever I' which
through the agency of rod 1 and arm I rotates the rod 12 and moves the shifting
arm I' and clutch I until such clutch engages the gear wheel F. The motion of
the pedal shaft is then conveyed by clutch 1, gear wheel F, gear wheel E³, shaft E,
gear wheel E, and gear wheel F2 to the sprocket wheel G and when the gear
wheels are made as shown in the drawing the sprocket wheels will be driven at a
greater speed than the pedal shaft.
It will be seen that we have here a speed-changing device in which there are no
gears to be moved out of mesh with each other, and which may be easily applied
to the ordinary bicycle without adding very materially to its weight.
This construction also allows the bearings to be made ball bearings.
The gear wheels F and F are provided with external and internal ball bearings,
the internal ball bearing being used to decrease the friction between the pedal
shaft and the gear wheels when said gear wheels move at a speed different from
that of the pedal shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a bicycle frame with the usual wheels and a connecting
piece at about a point where the pedal-shaft is located, said connecting piece
comprising two sleeves rigidly connected by parts of such connection, and sockets
or the like for the various forks and rods of the frame, a pedal shaft in the first
mentioned sleeve, two gear wheels of different sizes towards the ends of the pedal
shaft and loose thereon, bearings therefor in the ends of the sleeve, a sprocket
wheel rigid with one gear, a clutch within the sleeve between the gears and
adapted to slide on but rotate with the shaft, and thus to operatively connect it
with either gear, a moving device for the clutch, under the control of the operator,
an auxiliary shaft in the other sleeve and thus in rigid relation to the pedal shaft,
bearings therefor within the sleeve and gears of different sizes thereon
simultaneously meshing with the gears of the pedal shaft, substantially as shown
and described.
2. A bicycle having the devices and construction substantially as described and
for the purpose specified.
Dated this 5th
100-