Improved. Two Speed Gearing for Bicycle and Tricycle.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved. Two Speed Gearing for Bicycle and Tricycle.
FRED FOX N. 28 Ross Street Salford Lancashire Mechanic do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A combination of two driving gears one for hill climbing and one for speed the
said gears will be driven with a tooth clutch working on crank spindle centre of
said gears connected to said spindle with a key sunk into said spindle and clutch
alowing said clutch to be reversed from one gear to the other as required the said
clutch will be reversed from cycle handle with a lever similar to break lever opposite
side to said lever the reversing lever will be kept in working position with a three
notched rack connected to cycle handle the top and bottom notches being the two
seperate gears when said lever is in centre notch the machine is out of gear allowing
cranks to stop rotating when cycle is running without pedalling.
Dated this 29th day of March 1895.
Improved Two Speed Gearing for Bicycle and Tricycle.
I FRED FOX 28 Ross Street Salford Manchester, Mechanic, 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 :-
My invention has for its object improvements in the gearing of bicycles and
tricycles whereby I obtain a combination of two driving gears one for hill climbing
and one for speed, and I attain this object in a simple manner.
In order to clearly understand my invention I have appended hereunto a sheet
of drawings upon which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle fitted with my invention.
Figure 2 is a broken off view of the handle bar and front pillar showing the lever
for actuating my improved gear.
Figure 3 is a front view of same.
Figure 4 is a section through Figure 1 on line 1-2 but drawn to a larger scale.
I form upon the pedal shaft A a toothed clutch B which works upon the shaft
and connected to the shaft by means of a key sunk in it so that by means of a lever
rod and handle C it can be moved into gear with either the left hand cog chain
wheel D or right hand chain wheel E. The handle C is locked in either position
by means of a projection formed upon the handle C of the lever which lodges in
the notches c', ², & c³ in the rack. The handle C being operated at will by the
rider without his dismounting and this lever will not interfere with the brake; as
this could still be placed upon the other side. As will be seen in the drawings,.
upon one side of the driving wheel F 1 place a large cog wheel f¹ corresponding
to and gearing with the small chain wheel D upon the pedal shaft A and upon the
other side I place a small cog wheel f' which corresponds to and gears with the
large chain wheel E upon the pedal shaft.
The rider when riding along the straight would have the right hand side geared
looking at the front of the machine i.e. the large chain wheel E would be geared

page_text: with the small cog f2 on the driving wheel, and when in this position the lever
handle has its projection c engaged in the top notch c² of rack c*. Upon
coming to an incline the rider would release the lever handle C and when the
lever is pressed down until the tooth or projection cupon the handle falls into
the bottom notch it so actuates the sliding clutch B that it disengages itself
from the chain wheel E and gears with the small chain wheel D and so alters
the gear.
If so desired both chain gears can be put out of gear causing the
pedals to be still in one position and so form a rest for the riders feet when
going down hill; the handle lever projection in this case being in the centre
notch ceither sides being instantly put in gear at the riders will.
I do not confine myself to the exact manner in which the lever rod c¹ is
mounted for actuating the sliding clutch B or the exact manner of constructing
the various parts in the mounting of the driving chain wheels, as these would be
varied according to the various designs of machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is
An improved two speed gearing for bicycles and tricycles consisting of a sliding
clutch B actuated by means of a lever handle C and rod c¹ to gear either with the
chain wheel E or D substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth & shown
upon the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 97th Dh
1002