IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO-TRACK VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, FREDERICK CHARLES WRIGHTE 60 Herbert Road Small Heath Birmingham
Warwickshire Bicycle Maker do hereby declare the nature of this my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO-TRACK VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
Three wheels A B and C are mounted on the frame of the velocipede in such
a manner that the velocipede is a two track front steering single driving machine.
The Left hand Wheel A is a non-driving or traction wheel. The Right hand
Wheel B, (which is two-thirds of the diameter of the traction wheel-A,) is, the
driving wheel. This wheel B runs pararrel to wheel A, and either in a direct, or
indirect vertical and transverse centre line, of wheel base. The Driving Wheel B,
is by means of gearing chain, or band wheels, driven at a speed equal or nearly
equal to the circumference of the non driving wheel A. The steering wheel C runs
in advance of and in the same longitudinal track as the driving wheel B.
I claim as and for my improvement; the relative positions of each wheel to the
others, the relative position of the driving wheel B to the steering wheel C, the
relative position of the traction wheel A to the steering wheel C, the relative
position of the driving wheel B to the traction wheel A; and the combined
application of the above arrangement of the driving, traction, and steering wheels,
as a means whereby, to procure better driving power, and truer steering.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, FREDERICK CHARLES WRIGHTE, of 60, Herbert Road, Small Heath,
Birmingham, Warwickshire, Bicycle Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TWO-TRACK VELOCIPEDES." and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My Invention relates to Improvements in those two-track velocipedes in which
three wheels are used, one of them only being a driving wheel, and it has for its
object to so arrange the wheels and apply the driving power in such a velocipede
that there is a direct thrust on the steering wheel, so as to avoid skidding or
slipping and undue lateral pressure on the steering wheel rim.
I proceed with reference to the accompanying drawings to fully describe my
Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of a two-track velocipede
constructed in accordance with my Invention and Fig. 3 is a side elevation and
Fig. 4 is a plan of a modified form of the same.
I will first describe my Invention with reference more particularly to Figs 1 & 2.
For the purposes of my Invention I provide three wheels A, B and C preferably
of unequal diameters and mount them to revolve on bearings supported by
a suitable framework D. The wheel B receives motion from the pedals E by any
ordinary means but preferably by means of a chain and chain wheels and it thus
forms the driving wheel of the velocipede. Directly in front of the wheel B
is placed the steering wheel C which may be carried by an ordinary fork c¹ and
arranged to be actuated by the ordinary steering gear c² or by any other suitable
means. The wheel A is a non-driving wheel running freely and disconnected from
the driving wheel B. It is placed preferably a little in front of the wheel B to
prevent the machine pitching backwards when ascending bills. I prefer to "gear
up" the driving wheel B so that it will revolve at the same speed as the non-
driving wheel A but it may be arranged if desired to run either faster or slower
than the wheel A.
As the driving wheel B is placed in the same straight line as, and directly
behind, the steering wheel and as it is altogether disconnected from the non-
driving wheel A there is, when the machine is being driven, a direct thrust on the
steering wheel and an absence of undue lateral pressure on the rim and no
tendency to skid or slip as there is in other two-track velocipedes in which the
driving wheel is placed on the opposite side of the velocipede to the steering wheel.
The non-driving wheel A may be placed behind the driving wheel B as shewn in
Figs 3 & 4 or it may be placed on the samne vertical centre line and instead of being
larger than the wheel B it may be the same diameter or smaller.
The driving wheel B and the steering wheel C may be arranged on the right
hand side of the velocipede and the non-driving wheel A on the left hand side as
shewn in the drawings or vice versa.

page_text: 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
The combination and arrangement of the wheels in a three wheeled two-track
velocipede as herein before described and shewn and for the purposes set forth, that
is to say, a steering wheel combined with and arranged to run in front of, and in
the same track as, a driving wheel in combination with a non-driving wheel
running in another track at their side.