Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 5th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 8th Nov., 1887
We JOHN ASBURY of Cheylesmore Coventry in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
and JOSEPH WHITE of Earlsdon near the City of Coventry, Watch Manufacturer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates mainly to a novel construction of steering head for bicycles
and tricycles.
It has already been proposed to adapt to the steering heads of velocipedes, ball
bearings which greatly reduce the wear of the frictional parts and prevent the rattling
of the centre pin common to the ordinary construction of steering head.
Hitherto, in adapting ball bearings to the ordinary centre pin pressure has been put
upon the balls in the act of tightening up the centres.
Now, the object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantage of putting
unnecessary friction upon the ball bearings and to tighten up the centres without in
any way affecting the bearings.
To this end instead of fitting the centre pin into the head as usual, we fit it into a
tube which drops into the head. This tube is formed with curved shoulders at
top and bottom to bear against the anti-friction balls of the top and bottom
bearings.
In the bottom of the head we fit a filling piece suitably shaped to constitute the
bottom of the lower ball bearing, and in the top of the head we screw a ring
or collar suitably shaped on its under face to form the top of the upper ball
bearing.
When these parts are inserted in the head together with the anti-friction balls
the head will be free to turn without affecting the tube contained therein.

page_text: This tube has a longitudinal opening in its side corresponding with the opening in
the head and it is fitted internally with centres to receive the centre pin of the
backbone. The bottom centre is a fixture but the top centre is formed in the end of
a screw which takes into the top of the tube and provides for the tightening up of the
centre pin.
Thus, whatever the amount of tightening, for the purpose of gripping the centre
pin firmly, the ball bearings will not be affected thereby.
This arrangement of mechanism applies equally to the couplings of tandems and to
the steering heads of bicycles and tricycles.
Dated thi th
1007

page_text: We JOHN ASBURY of Cheylesmore, Coventry in the County of Warwick, Machinist.
and JOSEPH WHITE, of Earlsdon, near the City of Coventry, Watch Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates mainly to a novel construction of steering head for bicycles
and tricycles.
It has already been proposed to adapt to the steering heads of velocipedes, ball'
bearings, which greatly reduce the wear of the frictional parts, and prevent the
rattling of the centre pin common to the ordinary construction of steering head.
Hitherto, in adapting ball bearings to the ordinary centre pin, pressure has been
put upon the balls in the act of tightening up the centres.
Now the object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantage of putting
unnecessary friction upon the ball bearings, and to tighten up the centres without in
any way affecting the bearings, and also to provide for the ready removal of the anti
friction balls for the readjustment of the same, and of the bearing surfaces, without
the necessity for disconnecting the centre pin and neck from the backbone.
To this end, instead of fitting the centre pin into the head, as usual, we fit it
into a tube which drops into the head. This tube is formed with curved shoulders
at top and bottom to bear against the anti friction balls of the top and bottom
bearings.
In the bottom of the head we fit a filling piece suitably shaped to constitute
the bottom of the lower ball bearing, and in the top of the head we screw a ring
or collar suitably shaped on its under face to form the top of the upper ball
bearing.
When these parts are inserted in the head, together with the antifriction balls, the
head will be free to turn without affecting the tube contained therein.
This tube has a longitudinal opening in its side corresponding with the opening in
the head, and it is fitted internally with centres to receive the centre pin of the
backbone. The bottom centre is a fixture, but the top centre is formed in the end of
a screw, which takes into the top of the tube, and provides for the tightening up of
the centre pin.
In the accompanying Drawings
:-
Fig. 1 is a back view of a bicycle head with our invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a section on the line
of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the head; and
Figs. 4 and 5 are front and side views of the tube detached.
A is the bicycle head having a longitudinal opening in front, as usual, for receiving
the bicycle neck. The head A is closed at bottom with the screwed plug a (see Fig. 2),
the upper part of which is recessed to form a bed for the antifriction balls d. Into

page_text: the head we drop the slotted tube B. Within this tube is fitted the centre pin C
of the bicycle neck and it is secured by the screw band by the studs cc on either
side of the neck. The inclined shoulders of the tube B bear upon the antifriction
balls & below, and support the antifriction balls of the upper bearing, which balls d'
are held down in place by the collar D screwed into the head A.-e is a retaining
catch for preventing the collar D from working loose. Thus, whatever the amount of
tightening of the screw for the purpose of securing the centre pin C, the ball
bearings are not thereby affected.-The independent movement of the tube B removes
from the centre pin and centres the constant source of wear to which they have been
exposed, and which has often necessitated the renewal of the centre pin, a difficult
matter from the manufacturer's point of view. The wear now occurs in the anti-
friction balls, which can, by unscrewing the plug a and collar D, be very easily
removed and replaced.
This arrangement of mechanism applies equally to the couplings of tandems, and to
the steering heads of bicycles and tricycles.
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 —
Constructing steering and similar heads for Velocipedes with the centre pin
mounted in a tube which turns in antifriction bearings independently of, and within
the head, in the manner shown and described.