IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I HUBERT WALLIS of No 11 Langley Road Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Gun Maker do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES to be as follows:-
"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in bicycles of
the kind in which the steering wheel is in front of the travelling or principal
wheel and the crank axle is situated between the steering and travelling wheels
and my said invention has for its object to give greater rigidity to the framing of
the bicycle so that the seat and steering mechanism may be free from the unsteadi-
ness of those parts in bicycles of the ordinary kind.
Bicycles made according to my invention are also more compact than bicycles of
the ordinary kind.
The principal part of the framing or backbone of the bicycle is for the most
part horizontal and is situated at the same level as the axle of the travelling wheel
The front end of the said backbone is nearly of a quadrant shape following the
curvature of the steering wheel and carries the bracket in which the fork of the
steering wheel turns as usual. To the said horizontal part of the backbone
a vertical rod constituting the seat post is fixed the said seat post being close or
near to the travelling wheel. The vertical arm of the seat or saddle bar slides in
the said vertical seat post and after adjustment is fixed by a set screw. The seat
post carries near its upper end two brackets through which the axis of the steering
handle passes the said axis being near and parallel to the seat post. Near the
lower end of the axis of the steering handle is a cross arm and a similar cross arm
is fixed on the top of the axis of the fork of the steering wheel the said cross arms
being connected together. by steering or connecting rods. The rear part of the
backbone is divided into two branches which branches constitute the horizontal
fork within which the travelling wheel works as usual,
Dated him to Cont
AT
1

page_text: I HUBERT WALLIS of N° 11 Langley Road, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Gun Maker do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BICYCLES" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in bicycles of
the kind in which the steering wheel is in front of the travelling or principal
wheel and the crank axle is situated between the steering and travelling wheels
and my said invention has for its object to give greater rigidity to the framing of
the bicycle so that the seat and steering mechanism are free from the defects
existing in similar bicycles. Bicycles made according to my invention are also
more compact than bicycles of the ordinary kind.
The principal part of the framing or backbone of the bicycle is for the most
part horizontal and is situated at the same level as or at a somewhat higher level
than, the axle of the travelling wheel.
The front end of the said backbone carries the bracket or steering neck on
which the fork of the steering wheel turns as usual. To the said horizontal part
of the backbone a vertical rod constituting the seat post is fixed the said seat post
being close or near to the travelling wheel. The vertical arm of the seat or saddle
bar slides in a bracket fixed to the said vertical seat post and after adjustment is
fixed by a set screw. The seat post also carries two other brackets through which
the axis of the steering handle passes, the said axis being near and parallel to the
seat post. Near the lower end of the axis of the steering handle is a cross arm
and a similar cross arm is fixed on the top of the axis of the fork of the steering
wheel, the said cross arms being connected together by steering or connecting rods.
The rear part of the backbone is divided into two branches which branches con-
stitute the horizontal fork within which the travelling wheel works.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation a bicycle of
the kind. described with which my improvements are combined and Figure 2 is a
plan of a portion of the same drawn to double the scale of Figure 1.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the principal or travelling wheel; b is the steering wheel at the front of the
bicycle and c is the crank axle situated between the said travelling and steering
wheels a and b; d, d² is the framing or backbone of the bicycle, d being the front
nearly horizontal part of the said backbone carrying the bracket or steering neck
on which the fork e of the steering wheel b turns as usual, and d² is the inclined
branched rear part of the backbone within which the travelling wheel a works as
usual. To the said horizontal part d of the backbone and near where it joins the
branched part d² is a vertical rod or seat post f having the position with respect
to the travelling wheel a represented in the Drawing; g is the saddle bar to which
the saddle h (see Figure 2) is attached in the usual manner. The vertical arm of
the seat or saddle bar g slides in a bracket k on the vertical seat post f and after
adjustment is fixed by the set screw i. The bottom portion of the seat post
supports the bearing in which the crank axle c works. The said crank axle c

page_text: carries the chain wheel through which and the endless chain m, working over
the chain wheel n on the travelling wheel b, the motion of the crank axle is
transmitted to the travelling wheel; p is the axis of the steering and gripping
handle q the said axis p working in the brackets r and s on the upper half of the
seat post f; t is a cross arm near the lower end of the axis p of the steering handle
and u is a similar cross arm on the top of the axis of the fork c of the steering
wheel, the said cross arms t, u being connected together by the steering or
connecting rods x, x.
By arranging or combining the parts of the framing or backbone and seat post
and parts carried thereby in the manner described and illustrated, great rigidity is
imparted to the framing and the seat and the steering mechanism of the bicycle
are made very steady.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
•
In a bicycle in which a front steering wheel is used and the crank axle is
situated between the steering and travelling wheels, the combination with the front
and rear parts d and d² of the backbone of the bicycle of the vertical seat post 8,
which also supports the axis of the steering handle and the crank axle, the several
parts being arranged substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.