Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
provinces.
I, MARTIN DIEDERICH RUCKER, of 32 Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London,
Managing Director of Humber & Company Limited, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of cycles chiefly used for advertising or
acrobatic purposes and commonly known as "Eiffel" cycles; these machines are
in many respects like the ordinary safety bicycle, with the two wheels driven
by the back wheel, but the framework is carried up to an exaggerated height
usually from seven feet upwards, and the saddle and handle-bars are situated at
the top of this high or "Eiffel" frame. The pedals are placed conveniently
for the rider high up on the machine, and the power is carried from the pedals to
the driving wheel by means of one or more chains and chain-wheels. The great
difficulty with this machine is the mounting and dismounting on account of the
enormous height, the machine having usually to be held while the rider climbs
up to his seat or climbs down from it. It will readily be seen that this causes
great difficulty as it is necessary for an attendant upon another machine to follow
closely the rider of the "Eiffel" in order to dismount him when required. To
get over this difficulty I have devised an attachment for a second rider so that
he may ride upon the Eiffel machine but so low down that he can readily dismount
when necessary and assist his elevated partner.
In carrying out my invention I construct the machine so far as concerns the
wheels framework and position of the top rider more or less as usual, and
preferably with the back struts extending from the centre of the back wheel
upwards and terminating underneath the saddle of the top rider; I then provide
other struts starting from the centre of the back wheel but extending further
backwards than the tall struts and terminating underneath the seat of the second
or lower rider, and connect the top of these struts with the before described tall
struts by cross tubes or stays in any convenient manner. The second rider need
not have anything to do with the steering and in this case the handles provided for
him may be carried in any convenient way by or upon the tall struts, a crank axle,
cranks and pedals being carried by any suitable part of the frame so that the back
rider may also drive. As the front wheel is usually the steering one both riders
would require to drive on to the back wheel, this may be effected as regards the
top rider as is now usually the case with these machines; the back rider must
drive off separate pedals and these may be arranged one on each side of the driving
wheel each carried upon a short axle or stud and having a chain-wheel connected
by a chain with a corresponding wheel probably of smaller size upon the hub or
axle of the road-wheel, or the axle for the back rider may pass through the hub of
the back wheel and drive the latter by one of the well-known gears usually
employed with what are known as geared ordinaries or front-driving safeties. Or
other convenient arrangement of mechanism may be employed.
The framework as above described may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
Dated this 10th der of Anril 1895
+
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, MARTIN DIEDERICH RUCKER, of 32 Holborn Viaduct in the City of London,
Managing Director of Humber & Company Limited, 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 that class of cycles chiefly used for advertising or
acrobatic purposes and commonly known as "Eiffel" cycles; these machines are
in many respects like the ordinary safety bicycle with two wheels and driven by
the back wheel, but the framework is carried up to an exaggerated height usually
from seven feet upwards, and the saddle and handle-bars are situated at the top of
this high or "Eiffel" frame. The pedals are placed conveniently for the rider high
up on the machine, and the power is carried from the pedals to the driving wheel
by means of one or more chains and chain-wheels. The great difficulty with this
machine is the mounting and dismounting on account of the enormous height, the
machine having usually to be held while the rider climbs up to his seat or climbs
down from it; it therefore is necessary for an attendant upon another machine to
follow closely the rider of the Eiffel" in order to dismount him when required.
To get over this difficulty I have devised an attachment for a second rider so that
he may ride upon the Eiffel machine but so low down that he can readily dismount
when necessary and assist his elevated partner.
"
In carrying out my invention I construct the machine so far as concerns the
wheels, framework and position of the top rider more or less as usual, with the
back struts extending from say the centre of the back wheel upwards and
terminating underneath the saddle of the top rider; I may then provide other
struts starting from the centre of the back wheel but extending further backwards
than the tall struts and terminating underneath the seat of the second or lower
rider, and connect the top of these struts with the before described tall struts by
cross tubes or stays in any convenient manner. The second rider need not have
anything to do with the steering and in this case the handles provided for him
may be carried in any convenient way by or upon the tall struts, a crank axle
cranks and pedals being carried by any suitable part of the frame so that the back
rider may also drive. As the front wheel is usually the steering one both riders
would require to drive on to the back wheel; this may be effected as regards the
top rider as is now usually the case with these machines. The back rider must
drive off separate pedals and these may be arranged one on each side of the
driving wheel each carried upon a short axle or stud and having a chain-wheel
connected by a chain with a corresponding wheel probably of smaller size upon the
hub or axle of the road-wheel, or the axle for the back rider may pass through the
hub of the back wheel and drive the latter by one of the well-known gears usually
employed with what are known as geared ordinaries or front-driving safeties. Or
other convenient arrangement of mechanism may be employed.
The framework as above described may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention, for example I may as shown in the accompanying
drawing vary the position of the tubes so as to place the saddle of the lower
rider further over the driving wheel, and bring the crank axle in front of that
wheel, so that the driving arrangements will be the same as those of an ordinary
safety bicycle; nevertheless the first described arrangement may be used if
preferred.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawing, which is a side elevation of a preferred form of tandem bicycle
constructed according to the present invention.
A is the general framework, the details of which may vary without departing
from the spirit of the invention, and as it is substantially of the nature of the

page_text: ordinary cycle framing, the drawing will sufficiently illustrate how it may be
carried out. B is the steering fork carrying the steering wheel C, the stem B₁ of
the fork passing up between the front tubes A' of the frame A, (of which tubes
there are two) and carrying at the top the handles B'; in the drawing one of the
tubes A¹ is represented as partly broken away in order to show the stem B'. D is
the saddle for the top rider and E his pedals, cranks, crank-axle and chain-wheel,
all of ordinary construction, and conveying the power by an endless chain F to a
wheel on the crank-axle G of the second rider, in a manner common with tandem
bicycles, excepting that in this case, owing to the height of the machine this chain
lies nearly vertical, whereus in ordinary cases it lies nearly horizontal. His a
two-armed lever carrying pulleys H' at each end to engage with the chain, so
that by turning the lever the two portions of the chain will be forced further
apart, and thereby tightened thus preventing the chain from shaking about. I is
the saddle of the second rider and J his handles; K is a handle connected with
the stem of the steering-fork B, so that when walking beside the machine and
pushing it, a person can also steer it, which would not be practicable if the
steering could only be done by the handles B'; in riding the machine is steered by
the top rider through his handles B*.
L is the back or road-driving wheel driven in the ordinary manner by a
chain M from the crank-axle G to a chain-wheel on the hub of the wheel L
so that the power of both riders passes through the chain M to the road-
wheel L.
In operation the rider who is going to occupy the lower seat I holds the
macbine while the top rider climbs up by means of the steps N upon the framing,
and takes his seat upon the saddle D; the machine is then started, the lower rider
mounting in the manner customary with tandem bicycles of usual construction.
In dismounting the operation is reversed, the lower rider dismounting and holding
the machine while the top rider dismounts.
It will be seen that whereas in ordinary tandem bicycles the riders sit approxi-
mately at the same level one in front of the other in the present machine these
positions are altered, the one rider sitting nearly vertically above the other and
not at all in the same horizontal plane.
The drawing fairly represents the proportions of a machine now in existence, in
which the top rider sits at an elevation of about fourteen feet, the second rider
being at about the usual height from the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. A tandem bicycle in which the riders instead of sitting as usual one in front
of the other in substantially a horizontal plane sit one above the other in
approximately a vertical plane.
2. The combination with a bicycle of the "Eiffel" class (that is one in which
the rider is elevated to an exaggerated beight) of fittings for a second rider who
sits at or about the normal level.
3. In a tandem bicycle the combination with a driving-chain M lying
approximately in a horizontal plane of a second chain F extending to a height
above the head of the second or lower rider and lying approximately in a vertical
plane.
4. The complete tandem bicycle substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this AL
ג
1005