IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES SOCIABLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS WARWICK of Alma Street Aston near Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES SOCIABLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES
" to be as
follows:-
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described the parts of bicycles sociables and other velocipedes whereby a sociable
or other like velocipede is produced having but two tracks and which is so narrow
that it will pass through doors and passages much narrower than those through
which ordinary sociables and tricycles will pass. The sociable or velocipede when
divided constitutes two bicycles.
In constructing a sociable according to my invention I take two driving wheels
and connect them respectively with two steering wheels by means of back bones
nearly similar to those of ordinary bicycles excepting that the back bones and the
steering wheels are in front of the driving wheels and the seats of the riders are in
advance of the axles of the driving wheels. The pedals on which the riders operate
are not attached to the axles of the driving wheels but to axles situated between
the driving wheels and the steering wheels. The pedal axles and the driving
wheel axles carry chain wheels and endless chains connect the said chain wheels.
By varying the diameters of the two chain wheels the driving wheel and the pedal
axle or shaft may be made to rotate at the same or different angular velocities.
The axles of the driving wheels are hollow and by fixing the ends of a rod or
tube in the said axles the two driving wheels may be rigidly connected together at
any required distance apart. A cross bar is also connected to the front end of each
backbone thus completing a rigid frame. The steering mechanisms are also
connected together by a connecting rod so that the two steering wheels are always
preserved in parallel planes.
In the sociable constructed in the manner described each rider sits astride one of
the driving wheels on an ordinary saddle fixed to the backbone so that the width
of the vehicle need not much exceed the width of the two seats the riders when
seated on the vehicle overhanging it on each side. As each steering wheel_is
immediately in front of a driving wheel the vehicle makes but two tracks. By

page_text: separating the driving and steering wheels and fixing them at the required distance
apart a third seat may be introduced between the two seats carrying the persons
driving the vehicle.
When the two driving wheels with their respective backbones and steering
mechanism are separated by the removal of the connecting parts described the two
separated parts constitute bicycles having their steering wheels in front an
arrangement which prevents the rider from being thrown forwards.
Dated this seventeenth day of September 1884.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION;
"
I THOMAS WARWICK of Alma Street, Aston near Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BICYCLES, SOCIABLES AND OTHER VELOCIPEDES and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner herein after
described, the parts of bicycles, sociables and other velocipedes whereby a sociable
or other like velocipede is produced having but two tracks and which is so narrow
that it will pass through doors and passages much narrower than those through
which ordinary sociables and tricycles will pass. The sociable or velocipede when
divided constitutes two bicycles.
In constructing a sociable according to my invention, I take two driving wheels
and connect them respectively with two steering wheels by means of back bones
nearly similar to those of ordinary bicycles excepting that the back bones and the
steering wheels are in front of the driving wheels and the seats of the riders are in
advance of the axles of the driving wheels. The pedals on which the riders
operate are not attached to the axles of the driving wheels but to axles situated
between the driving wheels and the steering wheels. The pedal axles and the
driving wheel axles carry chain wheels and endless chains connect the said chain
wheels. By varying the diameters of the two chain wheels the driving wheel and
the pedal axle or shaft may be made to rotate at the same or different angular
velocities.
The axles of the driving wheels are hollow and by fixing the ends of a rod or
tube in the said axles the two driving wheels may be connected together at any
rèquired distance àpart. A cross bar is also connected to the front end of each

page_text: backbone thus completing a rigid frame. The steering mechanisms are also cont
Dected together by a connecting rod so that the two steering wheels are always
preserved in parallel planes.
In the sociable constructed in the manner described, each rider sits astride one
of the driving wheels on an ordinary saddle fixed to the backbone so that the
width of the vehicle need not much exceed the width of the two seats, the riders
when seated on the vehicle overhanging it on each side. As each steering wheel is
immediately in front of a driving wheel the vehicle makes but two tracks. By
separating the driving and steering wheels and fixing them at the required distance
apart a third seat may be introduced between the two seats carrying the persons
driving the vehicle.
When the two driving wheels with their respective backbones and steering
mechanism are separated by the removal of the connecting parts described, the
two separated parts constitute bicycles having their steering wheels in front an
arrangement which prevents the rider from being thrown forwards.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation and Figure 2
in plan (with the seats removed) a two track sociable velocipede constructed
according to my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
,
a, bare the two driving wheels of the sociable and a², 63 are the steering wheels
situated in front of and in a line with their respective driving wheels as represented
in the plan Figure 2. The driving and steering wheels a, a¹ at one side and the
driving and steering wheels b, b' at the other side of the sociable, are each
supported by a back bone c, c³, c³; a being the back bone proper; c² the fork
supporting the driving wheel and the vertical fork supporting the steering wheel.
The vertical part of each of the back-bones c carries an adjustable support d for
the rider's seat e (see Figure 1) the said seats being in advance of the axles of the
driving wheels a, b; f, f are the pedal axles carrying the pedals g, g the said axles
being supported by adjustable brackets or arms h (see Figure 1) jointed to the
back bone c. Each pedal axle f carries a chain wheel i and the hub of the driving
wheel carries a smaller chain wheel k over which chain wheels and k an endless
chain works for connecting the pedal axle with the driving wheel.
The two driving wheels a, b are connected together by the cross bar or tube /
having screwed ends. The hubs of the driving wheels a, b are hollow or tubular
and the ends of the cross bar or tube / pass through the said hubs and the
forks c, c of the backbones. By screwing, screw nuts m, m upon the screwed
ends of the bar or tube land against the forks c³, c³ the two driving wheels are
connected together and to the forks c², c³ of the backbone the inner branches of the
forks fitting against shoulders on the cross bar or tube l. The front ends of the
two backbones are connected together by the cross connecting rod n its ends being
screwed at p, p to arms q, q on the forks c³, c³ of the back bones (see Figure 2)
thereby forming a rigid frame. By varying the lengths of the cross rod or tube
and the front connecting rod n the two driving wheels and their backbones and
steering wheels may be connected together at any required distance apart. In the
sociable velocipede represented in the Drawing the parts are so connected together
that one or more seats may be combined in the sociable in addition to the riders'
Beats the said additional seat or seats being supported by vertical supports fixed to
the back cross tube or rod l. When the riders' seats only are used, each rider sits
astride one of the driving wheels so that the width of the vehicle need not much
exceed the width of the two seats and hence a narrow vehicle is produced which
can pass through much narrower doors and passages than ordinary sociables or
tricycles.
The steering mechanism of the front wheels a², b³ are connected together by the
cross rod (see Figure 2) jointed to the crank arins 8, 8 on the forks c³, c³ carrying
the said front or steering wheels.
The steering mechanism is worked by the rider seated on the right hand seat by
means of the connecting rod t jointed at one end to the crank s and at the other

page_text: end to the arm u on the bottom of the vertical rod of the grasping and steering
handle y. By moving the said handle y through the required angle the two
steering wheels a², 6ª are simultaneously deflected into parallel planes for steering
the vehicle.
The steering mechanism may be attached to the left hand side of the vehicle or
both the right and left hand sides of the vehicle may be provided with steering
mechanism, in which case either rider may steer the vehicle.
By removing the cross connecting bar or tube at the back and the connecting
bar n at the front of the vehicle and the steering connecting rod r, the two driving
wheels a, b and their respective backbones carrying the steering wheels may be.
separated, the two separated parts constituting bicycles having steering wheels in
front, a short axle being introduced into each hub of the driving wheels and
connected with the fork of the backbone.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is of: "Improvements in bicycles, sociables and other velocipedes"
Making a two track sociable or other velocipede for carrying two or more
persons by the combination of two driving wheels connected by backbones to
steering wheels at the front of and in the same lines as the driving wheels, the
said driving and steering wheels and the steering mechanism being connected
together and disconnected from one another substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, the disconnected parts when
provided with the short axles described constituting bicycles having their steering
wheels in front as described.
Dated this Fourth day of Tunn 10OK