A New or Improved Device or Attachment for the Shoes of Cyclists to Afford a Better Grip of the Pedal.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
A New or Improved Device or Attachment for the Shoes of Cyclists
to Afford a Better Grip of the Pedal.
We, WILLIAM DAVID SMITH and RICHARD JAMES SMITH, both of
"Pinewood Hawley, Blackwater, Hants, Gentlemen, 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 :-
Our invention relates to a new or improved device or attachment for the shoes of
cyclists and has for its object to provide a device which shall be strong, light, and
durable, and which will give the user the power of a pull and push stroke which is
very necessary where speed is required, at the same time doing away with the bars
which are now usually fixed to the soles of cyclist's shoes, and which are extremely
inconvenient when the wearer is off the machine. Our improved device can
further be used with any sized shoe and can be attached and detached in a few
moments.
In carrying our invention into practice, we provide two bars of hard wood the
outsides of which may be covered with leather, rubber, or other suitable material.
The tops of these two bars are furnished with metal clips bent at right angles and
serrated or roughened at the inside so as to afford a firm grip to the sides of the
soles of the shoe.
The two bars are further joined together by means of plates sliding one over the
other the sides of which are bent down at right angles and furnished with slots
through which passes a suitable screw-threaded bolt, around which is coiled a
strong spiral spring and the upper part of the said bars carry slotted extensions of the
sliding plates working on suitable screws, the whole arrangement allowing of the
device being extended in any direction so as to fit shoes of various sizes.
In order that our invention may be more fully understood, we will now proceed
to describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a plan of our improved device, Fig. 2 an underside view of same, and
Fig. 3 an end view.
Fig. 4 is a view of a two pin screwdriver or key used in connection with the
device.
с
Our improved device consists of two bars made of any hard wood and which
may be faced or covered with india-rubber, leather, or other suitable material.
The two bars are furnished at one end with clips cel the ends of which are
bent up at right angles and roughened or serrated and the two bars are joined -
together by the plates p and pl sliding under plates p³ and p³, the sides of the said
plates being bent down at right angles and provided with slots ss s¹¹ through
which the bolt d passes, a spiral spring c being placed around same between the
turned down edges of the plates to keep the plates pp', which are free to move to
and fro, tightly against the nut a of the bolt d, the plates p' & p being permanently
fixed by the screw to the bars b b and incapable of moving in a longitudinal
direction. The plates ppl are furnished with slotted extensions g g' working upon
screws e e¹ so as to be capable of moving to and fro the longitudinal sides of the
slots being formed slanting so as to allow the heads of the screws to lie flush with
the surface of the plates, the ends of the said extensions being also bent at right
angles to form clips o o' corresponding to the clips c c'.
In order to attach our improved device to the shoe, the nut a of the bolt dis
loosened by means of the tool shown at Fig. 4 and the sliding plates ppl are
drawn out, the shoe is then placed upon the surface of the device and the plates
are again drawn together until the bent up ends of the clips c¹ and the

page_text: extensions g g firmly grip the sides of the shoe when the nut of the bolt is screwed
up tightly, before doing so however the two bars b b are drawn the required
distance apart by means of the plates p p sliding under the plates p² p³ and upon
tightening the nut the whole is firmly held in position.
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 new or improved device or attachment for the shoes of cyclists, arranged,
constructed, and operated, substantially as herein described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of December 1802
F. G. CASSELL,
Of Cassell & Co.,
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Agent for the Applicant.