An Improvement in Brakes for Bicycles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Left. 17th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 29th Sept.,
1900
SAMUEL WOOD and ANDREW CURRIE, trading as The New Grafton Cycle Co.,.
Weedon Road, Northampton, Cycle Manufacturers, and JOSEPH BAZELEY,"
Emplovee, No. 6, Glasgow Street, St. James End, Northampton, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
From a lever on the handle bar and a pull rod passing down inside the head
column and under the bottom tubes of the frame the power is applied to both
wheels simultaneously.
From the pull rod in the head column a rod is attached to two arms which
pull a brake block on to each side of the rim of the front wheel.
From the same pull rod in the head column, attached by a lever is a pull
rod passing under the bottom tube of the frame which by means of two arms
pull a brake block on to each side of the rim of the back wheel.
Dated this 16th love of New 1800
ANDREW CURRIE.
SAMUEL WOOD.
JOSEPH BAZELEY.
An Improvement in Brakes for Bicycles.
We, SAMUEL WOOD and ANDREW CURRIE, trading as The New Grafton Cycle
Co., Weedon Road, Northampton, Cycle Manufacturers, and JOSEPHI BAZELEY,
Employee, of 6, Glasgow Street, St. James End, Northampton, 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 combined front and back wheel rim brakes for
bicycles, both brakes being operated simultaneously by the same brake lever
on the handle bar. Or the connections may be so adjusted that the one or
other brake is rendered inoperative if desired.
The construction of the brakes and of the gear by which they are applied
will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1
is a general view of a cycle frame partly in section to show the brake gear.
Figure 2 shows the brake lever on the handle bar. Figure 3 is an external side
view of one of the rear wheel brakes and Figure 4 is a front edge view thereof
partly in section. Figures 5 and 6 show detail views of the chain guide
beneath the front fork crown.

page_text: There is a pair of rim brakes for each wheel all similar to that represented
in Figures 3 and and consisting of a brake block a of leather held in a metal
holder rivetted at c to plate lever d which is pivoted by a bolt e to a box f
which is secured by a clip g to the front fork' or to the bottom stay as the case
may be.
The brake block is set so as to bear against the wheel rim in a
direction normal to the surface of the rim and the rivet c which is at about the
middle of the holder 6 so as to ensure equal pressure above and below, acts as a
pivot to allow the brake block to adjust itself to the wheel rim. Within the
box is contained a spring which is coiled about the pivot bolt e and bears
by one limb against the side of the box and by the other against a nib i punched
up from the plate lever d, or the spring may be otherwise engaged therewith
so as to retract the brake block from the wheel rim. The free end of the lever d
is slotted as at ; or has an ear as at k for the attachment of the connections
by which the brake is operated and which are as follows:-
The brake lever engages the head of a screw-threaded pull rod m screwed
through the crosshead of a link n attached to a block o, the parts m n and o
being contained within the steering tube as shown. To the block is con-
nected by its cross member a yoke whose limbs are connected to the ears k
of the front wheel brakes, the limbs of the yoke being close enough together
at the upper part to enter the steering tube and bent backwardly and out-
wardly. towards the lower ends so as to clear the front wheel fork and the rim
and tyre of the wheel.
To the block is also connected a length of chain that passes under a
channelled chain guide over a guide pulley s mounted in a clip attached to
the bottom tube of the frame, the chain being connected by a rod t to a
similar length of chain that passes under the bottom bracket and is connected
to a yoke whose limbs are hooked into or otherwise connected to the slots j
of the levers d of the back wheel brakes.
The chain guider rides upon the lower edges of the steering tube beneath
the fork crown so that as the latter is swivelled in steering the chain is not
moved laterally but always remains in line with the pulley s.
The connection of the rod t with the chain u is by a screw coupling w admit-
ting of such adjustment as may be required to ensure equal application of both
the front and rear wheel brakes or of the front wheel brakes only if desired.
The chains and are made with short plate links of oval form as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The combination of front and rear wheel rim brakes constructed and
operating as herein described with the same brake lever and intermediate con-
nections, substantially as shown and described, whereby to enable the brakes
to be applied to both wheels simultaneously as described.
2. A rim brake constructed of a pair of members each comprising a brake
block and holder b attached to a lever & pivoted to a fixed casing f and
retracted by a spring o, the levers d of a pair being coupled by a yoke to a
pull connection operated by the brake lever on the handle bar.
Dated this 17th day of August 1900.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.