IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Lang at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1877.
JAMES LANG, of Cockspur Street, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex,
Gunmaker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
My Invention relates to velocipedes adapted for juvenile use and for the use of
adults, and consists of an improved arrangement and combination of parts, whereby
great simplicity of construction with economy in the cost of manufacture and in-
creased durability are obtained, whilst facility is afforded for renewing any portion
when worn, and for converting the velocipede from a tricycle into a bicycle, and
vice versa, as desired; also for exchanging certain of the parts in order to adapt the
same vehicle for the use of youths of all sizes and of adults when required.
In carrying out my Invention, as applied, for example, to the construction of a
tricycle, I dispeuse with the ordinary spring back bone and employ a rigid frame
consisting of two rods, by preference of wood, placed in an inclined position and
meeting at their upper ends, at which part they are connected, as herein-after
described, and diverging towards their lower ends where they are strengthened by
malleable cast-iron fittings and receive the axle of the hind wheels. The seat for the
rider is also constructed of malleable cast iron, and is supported on the two rods at a
suitable intermediate point between their two extremities. The upper ends of the
rods are connected by two half cap pieces of malleable cast iron rivetted thereto,
each of which contains a pin or pivot, the two pins or pivots being situate in one
line, either vertical or slightly inclined, as desired. These pins or pivots form the
centre around which swivels the fore carriage supporting the axle of the front
wheel.
The fore carriage consists of two rods, by preference of wood, which at their lower
ends support the cranked axle (the wheel being situate between them) and at their
upper ends are attached to a malleable cast-iron frame which it fitted to the pins or
pivots before mentioned, and carries the steering handle.
The rods are each strengthened at their lower ends by two half caps of malleable
cast iron rivetted thereto, the two half caps being arranged so as to engage or inter-
lock with each other. The metal portion of the frame of the fore carriage consists
mainly of one casting composed of two pendent pieces to which the upper ends of
the rods with two malleable cast-iron facing plates are rivetted, of two curved cross

page_text: bars which are mounted on the pins or pivots before mentioned; and of two curved
rods extending upwards which are united at their extremity, and have attached
thereto by means of rivets and with a malleable cast-iron face plate the steering
handle, which it is preferred to construct of wood, similarly to the rods of the main
frame and of the fore carriage. A spring may be fitted between the two pivotted
cross bars if desired.
If it is required to convert the tricycle into a bicycle the two hind wheels may be
replaced by a single wheel situate between the two limbs of the frame. By re-
moving also the rods constituting the main frame of the vehicle, and of the fore
carriage, and substituting others of different length, and fitting wheels of different
dimensions, the velocipede may be converted from a toy to a vehicle for a full
grown adult, or vice versa, or be adapted for the use of youths of all sizes as
required.