IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: We, ALFRED CHESTER HICKLING of Maidenhead, in the County of Berks, and
HERBERT MARTIN and WALTER BOURDON both of Queen Victoria Street in the
City of London, Bicycle and Tricycle Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
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The object of this invention is to dispense with the fork of the steering wheel of
tricycles which is an element of weakness and the invention consists in a novel
arrangement of parts to effect this object whereby the stability of the vehicle is
increased, the construction is simplified and the cost of production reduced.
In front steering tricycles as at present constructed it is well known that the
strain on the steering fork is very great and that there is also a considerable
amount of spring in the frame necessarily consequent upon the particular
construction of the frame.
In carrying out our invention instead of using the upwardly projecting curved
arm or piece connecting the frame with the head of the fork, where much of the
spring before referred to takes place, wo secure to the front of the frame at or on
one side of a central line a short horizontally projecting arm or piece the outer
end of which is curved or bent to one side and to which one end of the, axle or
pin of the steering wheel is pivotted or hinged in any convenient manner.
object of curving or bending this arm to one side is to obtain a sufficient amount
of clearance for turning the steering wheel. The outer end of the axle or pin is
suitably connected to an ordinary steering rod which is worked in the usual
manner.
The
In what are known as T frame, machines the backbone is formed with a curved
end and the steering wheel axle is hinged or pivotted thereto as before explained.
It will be seen that the construction of the backbone is according to our invention
greatly simplified.
It will be evident that our invention is also applicable to hind steerers or to the
pattern of tricycles known as the Coventry National and in part is applicable to
the trailing wheel of bicycles.

page_text: We, ALFRED CHESTER HICKLING of Maidenhead in the County of Berks and
HERBERT MARTIN and WALTER BOURDON both of Queen Victoria Street in the
City of London, Bicycle and Tricycle Manufactures do hereby declare the nature
of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of this invention is to dispense with the fork of the steering wheel of
tricycles which is an element of weakness and the invention consists in a novel
arrangement of parts to effect this object, whereby the stability of the vehicle is
increased, the construction is simplified and the cost of production reduced.
In front steering tricycles as at present constructed it is well known that the
strain on the steering fork is very great and that there is also a considerable
amount of spring in the frame necessarily consequent upon the particular
construction of the frame.
In carrying out our invention as applied to a frame of the loop form, instead of
using the upwardly projecting curved arm or piece connecting the frame with the
head of the fork where much of the spring before referred to takes place, we secure
to the front of the frame in any convenient position, a short arm which projects
from the front of the frame and has its outer end curved or bent to one side, and
to which one end of the axle or pin of the steering wheel is pivotted or hinged in
any convenient manner the object of curving or bending this arm to one side being
to obtain a sufficient amount of clearance for turning the steering wheel.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown our invention as applied to what
are known as two track and three track tricycles.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a three track tricycle of the ordinary loop frame
construction with our invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of a two track tricycle of similar construction and
Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of a similar machine showing a modification in the
mode of steering.
A is the main frame. B is the steering wheel arm which projects from the
front or side of the frame. The outer end of this arm may be bent or curved
outwards as shown at Figs 1 and 2 or it may be provided at its outer end with a
socket piece baving laterally projecting lugs as shown at Fig. 3.
To the curved end of this arm or to the lugs with which it is provided is
pivotted or hinged in any convenient manner one end of the axle or pin of the
steering wheel C.
In the three track machine the steering rod, which is actuated in the usual
manner, is connected to the opposite end of the axle of the steering wheel C; but
in the two track machine the mode of steering must necessarily be slightly
modified, thus the steering wheel axle may be extended beyond the pivot the
steering rod being conveniently secured to the outer end of this extension piece as
shown at Fig. 2 or the axle may be provided with a toothed sector into which
gears a worm on the steering rod, the said rod being actuated through bevelled
gearing in connection with the steering handle as shown at Fig. 3.
In what are known as T frame machines or central drivers the backbone will
be formed with a curved end and the steering wheel axle will be hinged or
pivotted thereto as before explained.
It will be evident that our invention is also applicable to hind or rear steerers
and that the arrangements for steering may be varied according to circumstances.

page_text: By the use of our invention a large steering wheel may be employed whereby
greater stability will be obtained than heretofore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
The mode of mounting the steering wheel of tricycles herein shown and
described whereby the steering wheel fork is dispensed with.