Improvements in Foot Rests and Brakes for Bicycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Foot Rests and Brakes for Bicycles.
1 JOHN HIGSON of 69 Eastferry Road Cubitt Town, London, E. Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is preferably made in the form of an attachment to be fitted
upon the forks of the front wheel of a safety bicycle and more particularly of the
usual safety bicycle in which the front forks are sufficiently distant from the
riders seat for the convenient use of foot rests on said forks. From the foot rests
there project rearward two arms usually of flat steel one from each foot rest at
or near where the latter spring from the socket pieces by which they are attached
to the forks. These two arms are loosely pivoted and carry between them at a
suitable distance rear of the forks a block or a cross bar carrying a block. The
block may be of rubber or other suitable material to serve as a brake and it is
located so that when the arms are pressed down it is brought in contact with the
tire and serves as a brake thereto. The arms may be bent outward from near the
brake block into such a position that the rider may rest his feet upon them when
desirous of pressing the brake onto the tire. A spring or other equivalent means
may be used to lift the brake from the tire when the pressure on the aforesaid arms
or the lateral extensions thereof ceases. In addition to this construction ordinary
foot rests of any kind may, as aforesaid, spring from the sockets to which this
device is attached so that rest is provided with or without brake action. It may
be possible by suitable shaping of the parts to apply the foot to both rests at the
same time on each side in order that by a rocking or similar movement given to
the feet the brake may be brought into action or not as desired, and with greater
or less pressure.
Dated this 14th day of August 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Foot Rests and Brakes for Bicycles.
I, JOHN HIGSON of 69 Eastferry Road, Cubitt Town, London, E., Manufacturer
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 is preferably made in the form of an attachment to be fitted upon
the forks of the front wheel of a safety bicycle and more particularly of the usual
safety bicycle in which the front forks are sufficiently distant from the riders seat for
convenient use of foot rests on said forks. From the foot rests there project
rearward two arms usually of flat steel one from each foot rest at or near where
the latter spring from the socket picces by which they are attached to the forks.
These two arms are loosely pivoted and carry between them at a suitable
distance rear of the fork a block or a cross bar carrying a block. The block may

page_text: be of rubber or other suitable material to serve as a brake and it is located so that
when the arms are pressed down it is brought in contact with the tire and serves
as a brake thereto. The arms may be bent outward from near the brake block
into such a position that the rider may rest his feet upon them when desirous of
pressing the brake onto the tire. Springs or other equivalent means may be used
to lift the brake from the tire when the pressure on the aforesaid arms or the
lateral extensions thereof ceases. In addition to this construction ordinary foot
rests of any kind may, as aforesaid spring from the sockets to which this device is
attached so that rest is provided with or without brake action. It may be possible
by suitable shaping of the parts to apply the foot to both rests at the same time
on each side in order that by a rocking or similar movement given to the feet the
brake may be brought into action or not as desired and with greater or less
pressure. The accompanying drawing shows a brake of this description
Fig. 1 being a plan of the whole and Fig. 2 a sectional elevation on line 2 2
Fig. 1, Figs. 3 to 15 show the various parts.
A A are two steel stampings which form the side arms of the brake. Their
extensions B B being bent round to form the steps on which pressure is applied
with the feet when the brake is required. C is a cross piece of steel which connects
arms A and A together. D is a block of india rubber or the like with a hole
through the centre into which a piece of square or round steel D' is pressed or
cemented, the latter having its interior screw threaded at each end to receive the
screws E E; the bridge picce C and the two bolts E E connect the arms A A and
the brake block D in one rigid whole.
At the ends of arms A. A are holes F F to receive foot rests G G which can be.
of any pattern provided they are fitted with small bushes to fit into the holes FF,
the bushes having holes to fit the foot rests that the rider prefers, but the following
foot rests may preferably be used :-
His a piece of steel tube or steel plate brazed to or made with a clip made in
the form of a hook J to fit to one side of the forks of the bicycle; the base of
the hook has a projecting bolt K on to which a hook shaped washer L is fitted
and behind the latter a nut M which when screwed up completes the fixing of the
foot rest in a very efficient and simple manner.
The foot rests are rounded at O to receive the arms A and they may be provided
with holes P into which the ends of the spring Q may engage, the other ends of
said springs encircling the screws E E respectively so as to tend to lift the brake
block from the tire. The rubber brake D can be any shape whether round,
prismatic or flat. Such brake may be made so that the brake alone with its arms
and parts weighs three ounces or with foot-rests combined four and three-quarter
ounces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with the foot-rests attachable to the front forks of a
safety bicycle, of a brake having also foot-rests and adapted to be operated in the
manner described.
2. The construction of such brake and foot-rests as herein described and
illustrated.
Dated 1
T
T
1002
strated.!
Dated this 6th day of December 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to the Applicant.