Year: 1897

page_text: We, CHARLES OWEN, of 2, Stafford Road, Wallington, Cycle Manufacturer, and
WILLIAM JOHN SAUNDERS, of 21, Waddon New Road, Croydon, Engineer, both
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in velocipedes, and it is partly applicable
to any form of bicycle or tricycle of the diamond or V shaped type of frame for
convertible purposes, and partly for strengthening the upper part of the forks
employed.
Hitherto it has been found necessary or advisable, in order to resist the strains
brought upon the various parts of a velocipede by strong or heavy men, to employ
an approximately horizontal stay or support between the top of the head tube and
the top of the pillar tube, supporting the saddle, over the crank axle. The stay
referred to, however, prevents the velocipede so fitted being used by a lady, and
manufacturers had either to make two distinct patterns or have failed to secure as
rigid a machine as might be desirable for male riders. Several attempts have been
made to overcome this difficulty by using one or more detachable or pivoted stays
to produce a convertible machine. Amongst others may be mentioned Letters
Patent granted to George Singer dated 5th November, 1887, No. 15,101, in which
a stay, pivoted at the upper part of the head tube and connected to the saddle
supporting tube, could be detached from the latter, when required for a lady's
use, and connected to the lower tube or tube proceeding from the bottom of the
steering head socket. The present invention is an improvement upon the afore-
said convertible velocipedes.
In our invention we employ a stay tube pivoted to the upper part of the steering
head, and at its other or lower end provide it with a fork by means of which it is
attached to the saddle supporting tube when used as a horizontal stay; a suitable
connecting bolt being passed through the fork and a central lug on the saddle
tube. The fork end, however, is not integral with the stay tube, but is fitted to
slide telescopically within the stay tube a sufficient distance to pass the saddle
supporting tube in its radial movement upon its front pivot. Furthermore, the
telescopic arrangement permits its extension outwardly when used as a convertible
stay in arranging a machine for a lady's use, when it is similarly connected by
a bolt with a brace or lug carried by the bracket, or by the front and saddle tubes
which carry the bracket. In either position, for male or female riders, a clip at
the end of the stay tube serves to support and keep the forked end in its required
position.
The front forks of a velocipede hitherto have been liable to break at the underside
of the fork crown, this being their weakest point. Now according to our invention
a webbed liner is passed down the oval or D shaped fork blades for a distance of
about four inches from the top; and as this fits tightly both lengthwise and
crosswise of the section it imparts the necessary rigidity. A raised cap is provided

page_text: to form a finish to the fork crown. The webbed liner may be either simply fitted
and driven in, or it may be brazed up with the fork sides to the crown
Dated this 15th day of November 1897.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
37 & 39, Essex Street, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicants.
Pimprovements in velocipedes.
We, CHARLES OWEN, of 2, Stafford Road, Wallington, Cycle Manufacturer, and
WILLIAM JOHN SAUNDERS, of 21, Waddon New Road, Croydon, Engineer, both
in the County of Surrey, 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 improvements in velocipedes, and it is partly applicable
to any form of bicycle or tricycle of the diamond or V shaped type of frame for
convertible purposes, and partly for strengthening the upper part of the forks
employed.
In the further description of this invention reference is made to the accompany-
ing drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the principal features of a
bicycle embodying the convertible feature of the machine, a pivoted stay tube being
shown as placed in an approximately horizontal position in the upper part of the
frame when the machine is used by male riders, and in a diagonal direction, (as
indicated by dotted lines), when the machine is converted into a ladies' bicycle
Fig. 2 is a plan of the said pivoted stay tube. Fig. 3 is an elevation to an enlarged
scale of the front fork and steering head; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken trans
versely through the front fork, showing a webbed liner within the said fork tube
or blade and Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of the said webbed liner respectively
showing the narrow and wide faces of the webs; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 being drawn to
a still larger scale than Fig. 3.
Hitherto it has been found necessary or advisable, in order to resist the strains
brought upon the various parts of a velocipede by strong or heavy men, to employ
an approximately horizontal stay or support between the top of the head tube and
the top of the pillar tube supporting the saddle, over the crank axle. The stay
referred to, however, prevents the velocipede so fitted being used by a lady, and the
manufacturers had either to make two distinct patterns or have failed to secure as
rigid a machine as might be desirable for male riders. Several attempts have been
made to overcome this difficulty by using one or more detachable or pivoted stays
to produce a convertible machine. Amongst others may be mentioned Letters
Patent granted to George Singer, dated 5th November, 1887, No. 15,101, in which
a stay, pivoted at the upper part of the head tube and connected to the saddle
supporting tube, could be detached from the latter, when required for a lady's
use, and connected to the lower tube or tube proceeding from the bottom of the
steering head socket. The present invention is an improvement upon the afore
said convertible velocipedes.
In our invention we employ a stay tube a, pivoted to the upper part of the
steering head b, and at the other or lower end of the stay tube a provide it with
a fork end a' by means of which it is attached to the saddle supporting tube c
when used as a horizontal stay when the machine is to be ridden by a male rider;
a suitable connecting bolt c being passed through the fork and a central lug on
the saddle tube c. The fork end a however, is not integral with the stay tube,

page_text: but is fitted to slide telescopically within the stay tube a sufficient distance to
pass the saddle supporting tube in its radial movement upon its front pivot, as
indicated by the radial dotted line in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the telescopic arrange-
ment permits its extension outwardly when used as a convertible stay in arranging
a machine for a lady's use, when it is similarly connected by the bolt c¹ with a
brace or an equivalent lug carried by the bracket, or by the front or saddle tubes
which carry the bracket. In either position, for male or female riders, a clip e at
the end of the stay tube serves to support and keep the forked end a¹ in its
required position.
The front forks of a velocipede hitherto have been liable to break at the under-
side of the fork crown f, this being the weakest point. Now according to our
invention a webbed liner g is passed down the oval, D or other shaped fork
blades or tube h, for a distance of about four inches from the top; and as the
webbed liner g fits tightly both lengthwise and crosswise of the section of the
tube h, (as indicated in Fig. 4), it imparts the necessary rigidity. A raised
cap g is provided to form a finish to the fork crown. The webbed liner may be
either simply fitted and driven in, or it may be brazed up with the fork sides to
the crown.
It will be apparent that the webbed liner is equally applicable to
round tubes, as well to oval or D shaped tubes, the webs being suitably shaped and
arranged to suit the form of tube adopted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
-
1. The herein described improvement in convertible velocipedes for male or
female riders having a V shaped or diamond frame consisting of the stay tube a,
pivoted to the steering head b, and adapted to be secured to the saddle tube c in
an approximately horizontal position for male riders, or in a diagonal position
to the brace or its equivalent for female riders, by a telescopically sliding fork
end a', with a clip e and suitable fastenings, as and for the purpose herein described
and shown by the drawings.
2. The herein described improvement in strengthening the front fork of a
velocipede, consisting of a webbed liner having webs or ribs to support and
strengthen the said fork or tubes forming the same, as and for the purpose
described and shown in the drawings.
Dated thin 19th day of August 1898
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
37 & 39, Essex Street, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicants.