IMPROVEMENT OF BICYCLES WITII RESPECT TO THE COMFORT OF THE RIDER
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HAROLD DENNIS TAYLOR of Westfield House Heworth, in the County of the
City of York do hereby declare the nature of my invention for THE IMPROVEMENT
OF BICYCLES WITII RESPECT TO THE COMFORT OF THE RIDER and in what mannor
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
In the diagram, Fig. 1 is a side view of one bearing box of the front wheel of
a bicycle shewn at B, & part of the fork at F. Fig. I is a perpendicular section
through the centre of the bearing. The Hub or axis of the wheel projects outside
the box B & is turned cylindrical as at A, centrally bored & tapped for the insertion
of the screw S. Keyed or otherwise fixed on A is a thimble T (Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
which for part of its inner circumference bears a flange T, in the middle of which
is cut a slot (Fig. 5, 6.). The thimble T is threaded (Fig. 6) with a finer thread
than that of the screw S. On this screws the adjustible cone D (Figs. 1, 3, 4)
which is locked by the screw S. Between the cone D & the cone which is part
of T, revolves the crank Cr. when disconnected. This bearing may be parallel if
required. The crank is produced on the side opposite the pedal to form two
checks Ch. (Figs. 3, 4) between which the catch C fits (Figs. 1, 2, 3). The catch C
is pivoted at its upper end & has a spring h (Fig. 1 & 2) which keeps the catch C
pressed into the slot in T which it fits. This catch forms the driving connection
between the crank & the bicyclo wheel. On the Fork F of the bicycle is arranged
a plate P (Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7) which is turned up at the bottom & formed into a
cylindrical surface bevelled away at one edge (Fig. 7), & curved concentrically to
the bearing so as to allow the slot in the catch C to pass round without toutching
the cam P (sco Fig. 1.) The plate P, P¹ which may be modified according to the
form of the fork of the bicycle, works up & down for a short space & is kept in a
vertical position by the screws & slots G, G, & is always pressed downwards as far
as the screws G, G, will allow, by a spring V (Fig. 3) A wire or cord W (Fig. 1.)
leads from the plate P up to the head of the bicycle. This may be conducted up
either in the interior of the fork (if hollow as Fig. 1) or up the inner side, if solid;
the fork being slotted to enable a screw H to project through, to which the wire or
cord W may be fastened. Figs. 8 & 9 shew one inethod of connecting the wires W
at the head of the bicycle conveniently within the rider's reach. A flat metal

page_text: plate with an enlargement O' at each end, is bent round & screwed onto the head
(Fig. 9 in plan & Fig. 8 elevation) Through the enlargements 01, 0¹, headed
bolts U-U work up & down. These may have an arrangement X, X at the lower
end for adjusting the tension of the wires or cords W which are shewn conducted
down the interior of the forks, (Fig. 8) entering by two small holes.
If the rider wishes to disconnect one or both of the cranks from the bicycle
wheel, he pulls up one or both of the bolt heads U, U, which action by means of
the wires W, W, raises the cam-plates P, P¹. Then as the catch C in its rotation
approaches its topmost position, the surface at C¹ travels up the bevelled edge y-y
of the cam plate P¹ (see Fig. 7) until the straight or hollow part of the edge is
reached, at which the catch C is driven back out of the slot in T¹ & the connection
between crank & wheel is broken, (Fig. 2.) so that the crank hangs downwards,
the pedal forming a foot-rest for the rider, while the bicycle travels on. At the
bottom edge of the surface C of the catch Ca small ledge is left for the purpose
of preventing the cam-plate P, P' from slipping down again after once being pulled
up, until the rider wishes to form the connection again, which he does by a
backward motion of the pedal (for about 2 inches). The catch C is then moved
past the edge of the cam-plate P, P', it then slips back into the position shewn
in Fig. 1. & the plate P, P, slips down again. Then the first time the bevelled
flange TT comes round again it passes under that part of the catch C which
goes into the slot in T', pushing it back until the slot in T' comes opposite the
catch C, which then springs back into it & thus locks the crank.
The diagrams shew that method of carrying out this invention which may be
applied in all cases where the spindle A is in the first place made for it, but
modifications may be made, which in some cases may be applicable, such as having
the catch C modified in form & placed & pivoted in a slot cut in the body of the
crank, thus doing away with the check Ch. In this case a lever of convenient
form would be attached to the catch at one end, produced. upwards & ended just
above the cam P¹, which, when raised, would throw back this lever & with it the
catch. Or in some cases, where there is room on the underside of the bearing
box B, a spring plate can be fixed, which has a bevelled edge like P'; this, when
bent upwards, would push back a catch (fitted in a slot in the body of the crank)
owing to this catch having a slot or corner in it (as in C) which allows the catch
to travel freely round when the spring plate is in its natural position, but if pulled
up, a projecting portion of the catch would come in contact with the spring-plate
& be forced back. The wires or cords W would in this case be lead down cach
side of the bearing box to be connected with the aforesaid spring-plate; this
method would render unnecessary the cam-plates P, P, which would be replaced
by the spring plates at the under side of the bearing box.
All these methods however, of carrying this out include the features of novelty
constituting this invention, which are stated below.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st. A means whereby a rider of a bicycle, by pulling up or pressing down a
stud, raising or pressing a lever or by any other convenient action whereby
a wire or cord leading down each fork of the bicycle may be pulled upwards,
or a rod pressed downwards, may disconnect one or both cranks from the
bicycle wheel, so that they may hang downwards to form foot-rests.
2nd. This disconnection of the cranks may be affected by means of a camplate
on the fork of the bicycle, which may be pulled up by a cord or wire or
pushed down by a rod from the head of the bicycle, either of which motions
shall bring the edge of the cam-plate in a line with a more projecting
portion of a catch (which fits nicely in & slides in a slot which may be cut
between two checks as in diagram or in the body of the crank between the
pedal & the bearing) or lever attached to such a catch, which catch is
forced by the camplate to retreat out of a corresponding slot which is cut

page_text: in a flange fixed to the spindle of the bicycle wheel. This flange then travels
round with the bicycle wheel, leaving the crank hanging downwards on
its own independent bearing, which bearing may be coned & adjustible as
in drawing, or parallel. If the catch be fitted in a slot in the body or
shank of the crank, then, instedd of reaching round the top of the crank
(by means of an arm or lever fixed to it) to the cam-plate P, P¹ on the
fork, this cam-plate may be replaced by a steel plate being screwed or
otherwise fixed by one extremity to the bottom of the bearing box, the
edge facing outwards to be bevelled off or shaped (like P¹) as a cam. This
plate would yield by its own springiness to the upward pull of the wire or
cord which would come down on one or both sides of the bearing box, &
in so rising come in a line with a more projecting portion of the catch as
before explained.
1. The reconnection of the crank may be affected by a backward motion of
the pedal as shown by the diagram, or, if required, the small ledge left on
the catch C may be dispensed with so that the cam plate must be kept
raised by the cord or wire being pulled up (or kept depressed by the rod, if
used) during the whole time that the cranks are disconnected, their
reconnection being in this case affected by simply letting the cord, wire or
rod go free again, when the cam-plates would slip into their natural position
again, thus releasing the catch C.
Dated this Fourteenth day of January 1884.