An Improvement in or applicable to Bicycles and the like Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in or applicable to Bicycles and the like Vehicles.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in or applicable to bicycles and the like
vehicles, hereinafter referred to as "cycles," the objects of the Invention being to
enable the cyclist to materially increase his driving power and his retarding or
stopping power beyond that which he normally exerts, when climbing or descending
gradients or when meeting the wind or when spurting or at such other times as
he may require to increase his pace, or when, as on an emergency, he may desire
to suddenly stop, and also to enable the cyclist to relieve himself from the fatigue
of supporting himself in the forwardly inclined position frequently assumed, when
he may wish so to do.
To this end, the Invention consists in the application to such vehicles of means of
enabling the cyclist, at will, to apply a greater driving power or retarding power
than that which is due to his weight and downward momentum on the pedals or
treadle levers, by taking, with the fore arms, an upward bearing against a part of
or an attachment to the machine, which will enable him to bear with a greater
pressure downwardly on the pedals or treadle levers, and so attain the object of the
Invention, without interfering with his manipulation and control of the steering gear.
In carrying the Invention into effect, I, according to one modification, pivotally
attach to the upper back-bone of the cycle-frame, between the cyclist and the
handle-bar stem, an upright adapted at its free end to pivotally or otherwise support
a cross-bar, the ends or arms of which latter may be straight or may be curved
conformably to the forearms, and are or may be padded at their under curved parts
so as to be adapted to offer a soft but effective resistance to upward or upward and
forward pressure exerted by the forearms.
The arms of the cross-bar may be hinged together at their junction with tho
upright to permit of their folding together when not required for use, at which
time the upright also may be turned about the back-bone so as to depend below it
with all the parts out of the cyclist's way. The cross-bar may also be shaped so as to
offer a support to the chest when borne against thereby.
The upright, when so applied to the back-bone, may be stayed back thereto, so as
to offer the required resistance to forward pressure of the fore arms or chest, by a
chain or the like secured to a more rearward part of the back-bone. Such means
enable all the parts to adjust and accommodate themselves to the varying relative
positions of the cycle and cyclist, and so, while attaining the object of the Invention,
do not interfere with the cyclist's manipulation of the steering gear. Or, the fore-
arm upright may be rigidly connected to the upper back-bone and connected to the
handle-bar stem by a rod like connection.
The handle-bar, is preferably raised to about the level of the fore-arm bar and
made straight across and of a less length than the fore-arm bar, which latter is
preferably made straight, as thereby the cyclist is enabled, normally, to ride at ease
with his hands taking hold of the handle-bar and the fore-arms resting on their bar,

page_text: and on an emergency, to slip his fore-arms around the ends of and under their bar,
without leaving hold of the handle-bar, which enables him to instantly obtain a
materially increased power over the cycle for increasing his speed or stopping the
cycle.
i
Dated this 10th day of October 1896.
1440
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, Engineer,
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 relates to an improvement in or applicable to bicycles and like
vehicles having a front steering handle-bar and pedal driving gear, the improvement
being designed to enable the cyclist, at will, to materially increase either his driving
power or his retarding power, beyond that which he normally exerts due to his
weight and normal momentum on the pedals, as occasion may necessitate, as, for
instance, when climbing gradients, or when meeting the wind, or when sprinting or
when descending gradients, or when, as on an emergency, he may desire to suddenly
stop.
To this end, the Invention consists in or is characterized by the application to the
cycle frame, intermediate of the handle-bar and the saddle, of a fore-arm-bar and
supporting stem which is adjustable both in its distance from and in its height
in relation to the handle-bar and saddle, and is adjustably connected to the handle-
bar, and has facility of turning about the axis of its supporting stem, whereby it is
enabled to accommodate itself to the steering movements of the handle-bar, and
enables such movements to be imparted from it to the handle-bar, and is effective in
enabling the cyclist to obtain increased power as above referred to, by taking, with
the fore-arms, a forward or an upward bearing against the fore-arm-bar, which will
enable bim (while manipulating the handle-bar and without interfering with his
control of the steering-gear), in consequence of tho leverage he will thus obtain, to
bear on the pedals with a moderately increased or with a considerably greater
pressure than that which is due to his weight and normal momentum. The
fore-arm-bar also affords the cyclist, when travelling under ordinary circumstances,
a means of resting his arms by folding the same and resting thereon so as to aid in
supporting the weight of the body and in relieving the spine and the seat muscles
from the burden and fatigue of so doing, and an auxiliary means of steering the
cycle when not holding the handle bar.
On the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1, represents an elevation, and
Fig. 2, represents a plan of a bicycle adapted with the improvement.
a, is the fore-arm bar, which is adjustably applied to the cycle frame b,
intermediate of the normal handle-bar c, and the saddle d, in such a position as will
offer an effective resistance to forward or upward pressure exerted by the cyclist's
fore-arms while having hold of the handles or handle-bar, when he desires to
increase his driving power or his retarding power as aforesaid.
The fore-arin-bar is supported by and is vertically adjustable in a stem or stayed

page_text: frame b', which is adjustably supported, as at 62, by the upper backbone b³, or it may
be supported by any other convenient part of the cycle-frame which will permit of
its being adjusted in relation to its distance from the saddle and handle-bar.
The fore-arm-bar has a turning movement about the axis of its supporting stem
as a centre, which enables it to accommodate itself to the varying positions given by
the cyclist to the handle-bar, to which latter, the fore-arm-bar is connected by a
rod e¹, which is telescopically adjustable in length, as at e³, and has ball-and-socket
connections, as at e, with the bars a, c, so that the cyclist's manipulation of the
steering gear by the handle-bar, will not be interfered with by his forward or
upward pressure with his fore-arms on the fore-arm-bar.
The fore-arm-bar extends beyond the handle-bar, as at a¹, sufficiently to be
engaged by the cyclist's fore-arms, either when bearing forwardly or upwardly
thereagainst, or when resting thereon, and may be padded at such parts.
The improvements may be applied to cycles fitted with flat, raised, dropped,
forward or backward handles, by correspondingly adjusting the position of the
fore-arm-bar.
As applied to roadster cycles, I prefer the relative positions of the handle-bar
and fore-arm-bar represented in full lines ou the drawings, as the cyclist, when
having hold of the handles of the handle-bar, can then, by leaning his fore-arms
forwardly against the fore-arm-bar, obtain a moderately increased driving or
retarding power, and, by slipping his hands along the handle-bar towards the stem
thereof and leaning his fore-arm upwardly against the fore-arm-bar, he can obtain a
considerably increased driving or retarding power; but, for racing cycles, in which
the handles are arranged very low in relation to the saddle, I prefer the relative
positions, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The application to a cycle frame having a front steering handle-bar and pedal
driving gear, intermediate of the handle bar and the saddle, of a fore-arm-bar and
supporting stem adjustable from and in relation to the height of the handle-bar and
saddle, and adjustably connected with the handle-bar, the fore-arm-bar having
facility of turning about the axis of its supporting stem, and being so applied in
relation to the handle-bar as to enable the cyclist, while having hold of the handle-
bar, and without interfering with his control of the steering gear, by taking a
forward or an upward bearing against the fore-arm-bar, to increase his normal
driving or retarding power as occasion may require, and also serving to support his
fore-arms and resting his body if required, while travelling under ordinary
circumstances, and as an auxiliary means of steering the cycle, as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of Tule 1807
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.