Improvements in Cycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1895
Improvements in Cycles.
1, WILLIAM EDWARD PARTRIDGE, of New Oscott, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to bo as
follows:-
"
My invention has for its object improvements in cycles which relate in particular
to the manner of mounting the handle bar and its parts as also to the mounting
of the saddle and its immediate parts in its relation to the handle the object being
to allow a considerable difference in the position of the rider when mounting hills
and descending hills and also on level roads the whole of the parts being under
the control of the rider without dismounting and generally without any stop
whatever.
In regard to the handle, I make a knuckle or hinged joint in or immediately
below the crown of the stay which carries the handle bar and upon this stay or
pillar I hinge an arm provided with a pin or catch for the purpose of holding the
handle bar in any desired position. To secure it in position I make one or more
holes or notches in the knuckle of the joint into which the pin or catch takes, or
I may form the joint with one portion cut to form a ratchet with a pawl or its
equivalent attached to the stay or pillar so that as the handles are raised or
lowered the pawl may engage in the ratchet and so hold the handles in position
to suit the rider.
'Various modifications of these means may be adopted to obtain this result.
A simple method is to leave the handle bar loose in the crown or to make the
crown in two parts so that the handle bar can be taken off. Another method is
to form a spring catch.or plunger to go through the head and hundle bar to hold
it in any position. It is easier to travel up hill when the handles are near the
ground. I also form an outward projection at the head of the handle bar the.
said projection being made to move up or down as the handle bar moves and so
act upon the wheel as a brake at the will of the rider. These means of altering the
handles to suit the rider will be of great advantage as when the rider has reached
the summit of the hill he can raise the handles and sit erect instead of maintaining
a cramped position.
The second portion of my invention is to hinge the saddle pillar and attach a
pin to carry a strong spiral or other spring in connection with the pillar.
The pillar or pillars may be tubular if desired and the spring may be put inside
so that the saddle pin may fit in and rest upon the spring thus reducing the
amount of jar. By mounting the hinge on the socket the saddle can be taken. off.
without interfering with any portion of the present arrangement. In some cases
I make the saddle frame in two parts, these parts being held in position by slots
in one part and a pin in the other so that the top part of the saddle can be moved
backwards or forwards at the will of the rider and by means of the hinge the
position either backwards or forwards can be altered which is of great advantage
to the rider: It will thus be seen that when the 'handles are lowered the saddle
will bend upon its joint so as to retain the same or nearly the same relation the one
to the other.
Dated this 31st day of December 1894.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in cycles.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD PARTRIDGE, of New Oscott, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 oycles which relate in particular
to the manner of mounting the bar and its parts as also to the mounting of the
saddle and its immediate parts in its relation to the handle the object being to
allow a considerable difference in the position of the rider when mounting
hills and descending hills and also on level roads the whole of the parts being
under the control of the rider without dismounting and generally without any stop
whatever.
In regard to the handle I make a knuckle or hinged joint in or immediately
below the crown of the stay which carries the handle bar and upon this stay.or
pillar I linge an arm provided with a pin or catch for the purpose of holding the
handle bar in any desired position. To secure it in position I make one or more
holes or notches in the knuckle of the joint into which the pin or catch takes or
I may form the joint with one portion cut to form a ratchet with a pawl or its
equivalent attached to the stay or pillar so that as the handles are raised or
lowered the pawl may engage in the ratchet and so hold the handles in position
to suit the rider. Various modifications of these means may be adapted to obtain
the result. A simple method is to leave the handle bar loose in the crown or to
make the crown in two parts so that the handle bar can be taken off. Another
method is to form a spring. catch or plunger to go through the head and
handle bar to hold it in any position. It is easier to travel up hill when the
handles are near the ground. I also form an outward projection at the head of
the handle bar the said projections being made to move up or down as the handle
bar moves and so act upon the wheel as a brake at the will of the rider. These
means of altering the handles to suit the rider will be of great advantage as when
the rider has reached the summit of the hill he can raise the handles and sit erect
instead of maintaining a cramped position. The second portion of my invention is
to hinge the saddle pillar and to attach a pin to carry a strong spiral or other
spring in connection with the pillar. The pillar or pillars may be tubular if
desired and the spring may be put inside so that the saddle pin may fit in & rest
upon the spring thus reducing the amount of the jar. By mounting the hinge on
the socket the saddle can be taken off without interfering with any portion of the
present arrangement. In some cases I make the saddle frame in two parts these
parts being held in position by slots in one part and a pin in the other so that the
top part of the saddle can be moved backwards or forwards.at the will of the rider
and by means of the hinge the position either backwards or forwards can be altered
which is of great advantage to the rider. It will thus be seen that when the handles
are lowered the saddle will bend upon its joint so as to retain the same or nearly the
same relation the one to the other.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried'
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a double sized sheet of drawings upon
which I have illustrated examples of the same which will enable others to adopt it
to the various circumstances met with in practice.
Figure 1 is a front view of a safety bicycle with one modification of my
adapted thereto.
Figure 2 represents the brake arrangement on a larger scale.
Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the spring and hinge for saddle.
invention

page_text: the position of same.
Figure 5 shows the handle bar A detached.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the hinged joint detached from the handle bar.
Figure 7 represents an alternative method for forming the knuckle a.
Figure 8 is a similar view to Figure 4 showing the ratchet and pawl arrangement
for adjusting the position of the handle bar.
Figures 9 and 10 are respectively side and back elevations of the ratchet and pawl.
attachment.
Figure 11 is a front view showing an alternative method for adjusting the position
of the liandle bar.
Figure 12 represents a part of the end view of Figure 11.
Figures 13 show the dovetailing of the tube B and the end 6 of the ratchet.
picce 6.
Figure 14 shows the neck a as shown in Figure 7 in section with the peg bl.
The handle bar A is adjusted in position to suit the riders convenience by means
of a knuckle or hinged joint formed in or below the crown of the stay as shown at
Figure 4. The handle bar A is shown detached from the joint in Figure 5 and it will
be seen from the drawings that the joint consists of a knuckle or neck a formed in the
handle bar A working in the socket or bearing & formed at the crown of the tube B.
A mmovable peg b' of round, oval, square, or any convenient section working through
the hinged cap 6 of the bearing is used to fix the position of the handle bar A by
engaging with holes or recesses a' formed in the neck a of the handle bar A and I may
use one two or any convenient number of these holes a'. The knuckle a may be
of round oval square or polyogonal section and in the two latter cases the peg
would be formed with flat sides so as to bear against the surfaces of the neck as
shown in Figure 14. The rider would use the handle bar A in the position X in
Figure 4 for hill climbing and for. level road riding or when descending an incline
he would change the position from X to Y which is done without dismounting by
lifting up the peg with one hand and raising the handle bar A with the other
band the peg 6 having now engaged with another holo al in the knuckle a by
means of a spring 68 fitted to the peg shown in Figure 2 and the position Y is
changed again to X in the same manner. The handle bar A may be detached
very quickly from the machine by turning the nut or catch 6 shown in Figure 6
a quarter of a turn which allows of the cap of the bearing b being thrown back
and the handle bar A withdrawn. This is very convenient for the rider when he
wishes to leave his machine in a road or public thoroughfare whilst he transacts
business in a shop etc. In Figures 8, 9 and 10 I-show another arrangement for
altering the position of the handle bar A which consists of a ratchet wheel a fixed
to the handle bar and hinged to the ratchet frame 6 which is fixed to the stay
tube B and has the attachment of the slide catch or pawl 6. Thus to change the
position of the handle bar the rider slides the catch towards him with one hand
moving the handle bar A to the required position with the other hand and then
releasing the catch &' which locks the ratchet wheel as, the catch 6' being taken
back by the spring 68. The handle bar A is made detachable in this case by
dovetailing the end of the ratchet frame 6 into the stay tube B as shown
in Figure 13 the joint being fixed by a peg the removal of which enables the
handle bar with ratchet attachment to be detached. An alternative method for
altering the position of the handle bar A is shown in Figure 11 where the
bearing has flanges 60 formed at each end in which are cut a number of notches
or recesses to receive the sliding catches or bolts 612 fitted to the handle bar A
the latter being formed with the neck a as before described and shown in Figure 5
or the flanges & may be formed on the handle bar itself and the sliding bolts 61*
fitted to the bearing b.
In Figure 2 show a method for working the brake direct from the handle
bar. A peg or other projecting piece a working in connection with the brake

page_text: rod M is fixed to or formed with the neck a of the handle bar A and works
through an opening or slot formed beneath the hinge 6 of the boaring b. The
peg or plunger has a snug be fitted thereon as shown and when the handle
har A is 6xed in. position this snug rests in a cavity or recess formed in the top
face of the cylinder end or guide through which the pog b¹ works and which is
formed with the cap 6 of the bearing b. When the brake is required to be put
into action the rider lifts the peg or plunger turning it round a little so that the
snug. 16 rests on the top surface of the cylindrical guide b. The handle bar A
can then be rotated from the position X to Y shown in Figure 2 and the brake.
gradually applied, and when the position is reversed to X the brake is released the
peg fixing the handle bar by being turned and then taken in to the corresponding
hole a in the neck a (Figure 5) by the spring 18. With the ratchet and pawl'
arrangement shown in Figures 9 and 10 the brake rod M is worked by the
projecting peg or piece formed with or fixed to the ratchet wheel aº as illustrated
in Figure 9. Or the projecting piece Figures 2 and 9 which works the brake
rod M may be formed with or uxed on the handle bar itself on either or both sides
of the knuckle a as shown by dotted lines in Figure 5.
'
In Figure 3 show an arrangement for taking the vibration or jar off the
saddle by attaching to the seat pillar el fitted into the stay tube E a spring e²
fitted in the manner shown. The saddle C is hinged to the seat pillar el ate by
the middle part et of the hinged joint e being fixed by pins to the saddle
frame c (the latter being slotted, as shown in Fig. 34 at c) and working between
the jaws formed with the,seat pillar e (but the position of the hinged joint may be
anywhere about the seat pillar) and by this arrangement allowance is made for
the position of the saddle C to be adjusted to suit the position of the handle
bar A.,
Having now particularly described end' ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be' performed declare that what I
claim is
1st. The improvements in cycles herein set forth and as shown upon f
accompanying drawings.
1
the
2nd. The alternative methods for adjusting the position. of the handle bar
substantially as set forth and illustrated in Figures 8 9, 10 and 11.
3rd. The particular methods for working and applying the brake rod M. as set
forth and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 5 and,9.
4th. The particular arrangement of adjustable and removable handle bar, bearing,
and parts shown by Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 14 and as set forth.
5th. The arrangement for adjusting the position of the saddle C and reducing
the vibration and jar of the same substantially as set forth and shown in Figure 3.
6th. The methods for detaching the handle bar A from the machine as set forth
and illustrated in Figures.5, 6, and 13.
Dated this 27th day of September 1895.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.