Improvements in or relating to the Predetermination of Cycle Adjustments.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Predetermination of Cycle
Adjustments.
I, CHARLES THOMAS CROWDEN of Messrs. Humber & Company Limited, Beeston,
County of Nottingham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to the means or method of ascertaining the various
adjustments or dimensions necessary to suit a rider with a cycle. The device or
apparatus employed may resemble a cycle or not and may be either a fixture or
movable, but must be provided with the necessary parts to be adjusted as for example
the handles, the saddle, the pedals etc. When a person is going to ride a machine not
previously fitted to him he must first adjust the various parts to his length of limb
and various requirements as for example he must raise or lower the saddle so as to
get the right length of leg, and he must also bring the saddle forwards or backwards
according to the position that he prefers. The handles also must be raised or
lowered, and although means for adjusting the width between the handles and
the backward or forward position of these handles, and possibly the angle of the
handles as well, are not usually obtainable upon a bicycle they should be included
in such a machine or apparatus as I am now describing. The apparatus may be
made of elegant appearance and may he provided with a dummy rider, dress stand,
or the like so as to exhibit the positions taken by the rider with different adjustments,
and also if necessary and particularly in the case of lady riders to indicate the effect
of the various positions upon the rider's dress; so that this device, besides serving
the extremely useful purpose of enabling the rider to have the machine adjusted so
that when it comes it may properly fit him, may also serve for exhibition purposes to
show off dresses, machine attachments and the like. An intending rider would go to
a shop where such a machine was employed, would adjust it to his requirements, and
the order for the machine would then be delivered with special numbers or other
indications so that the factory having these would know precisely what the various
adjustments were. Plates or representations of the machine giving the numbers of
the adjustments and index scales or other arrangements for facilitating the correct
understanding of the adjustments may be used.
The framework may be of any desired materials shape or construction, whether
representing a bicycle or other velocipede or not, but must be so arranged as to
carry the various parts of which the adjustment is to be determined, each of these
parts being arranged so that it can be promptly adjusted preferably while the
rider is upon the apparatus. The handle bar or whatever carries the handles may
be provided with an arrangement by which the handles may be caused to approach
or recede from each other simultaneously and at a similar speed as for example
by a right and left hand screwed rod upon which are two nuts one to each handle
so that by turning the rod both the handles would approach or recede from each
other simultaneously at the same speed and always maintaining the same distance
from the centre line of the machine; a handle, hand wheel or the like may be
employed for turning this rod. The height of the handle bar would also require
adjusting. However rack and pinion mechanism, screw or other gearing may be
used for this or any of the adjustinents.
For the adjustment of the saddle in either a vertical or horizontal plane or both,

page_text: or the tilt, I prefer to so arrange the parts that the adjustment can be made while
the rider is sitting upon the machine, and in order the more accurately to determine
the adjustment it is better that the cranks and pedals should be constructed so as
to be rotated by the rider as it is only when operating the pedals as in riding
that the adjustments of the saddle can be accurately determined.
The pedals may be so carried upon the cranks that the length of the crank
throw can be adjusted so as to ascertain the most convenient length of crank for
the rider and brake power or other arrangements may be adopted whereby the
effect upon the rider of higher or lower gearing can be proved so that he can
test his capabilities in that respect, and thus avoid ordering a gear which does not
suit him. The width of tread may also be adjustable if desired.
As above indicated any means may be employed for draping or displaying the
dress of the rider or of the dummy rider.
Dated this 30th day of November 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to the Predetermination of Cycle
Adjustments.
I, CHARLES THOMAS CROWDEN of Messrs. Humber & Company Limited, Beeston,
County of Nottingham, Engineer, 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 the means or method of ascertaining the various
adjustments or dimensions necessary to suit a rider with a cycle. The device or
apparatus employed may resemble a cycle or not and may be either a fixture or
movable, but must be provided with the necessary parts to be adjusted as for example
the handles, the saddle, the pedals etc. When a person is going to ride a machine
not previously fitted to him he must first adjust the various parts to his length of
limb and various requirements as for example he must raise or lower the saddle so as
to get the right length of leg, and he must also bring the saddle forwards or backwards
according to the position that he prefers. The handles also must be raised or lowered,
and although means for adjusting the width between the handles and the backward or
forward position of these handles, and possibly the angle of the handles as well, are not
usually obtainable upon a bicycle they should be included in such a machine or apparatus
as I am now describing.
The framework may be of any desired materials, shape or construction, whether
representing a bicycle or other velocipede or not, but must be so arranged as to carry
the various parts of which the adjustment is to be determined, each of these parts
being arranged so that it can be promptly adjusted preferably while the rider is upon
the apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing by way of example, one construction of apparatus
according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the main frame, the parts A' of which rest upon or are secured to the ground
or floor. A3 and A3 are tubes forming part of the frame and parallel with each other,
being respectively disposed in the same relationship as the head tube and down tube
of a diamond-frame safety bicycle. The tube A2 receives a preferably hollow spindle C
serving as the handle-bar stem and carrying at its upper end the handle-bar E,

page_text: (Fig. 2); the tube A³ is a guide for a sliding and preferably hollow spindle D serving
as a seat pillar.
is a shaft carried in the lower end of the tube A2 and provided with a hand-
wheel by which it can be rotated, and with a collar C3 to prevent it from moving
endwise the upper or inner end of the shaft C₁ is screw threaded and engages
corresponding threads in the lower end of the spindle C which it enters. The
spindle C is made non-rotatable in the tube A² by a key A fixed in the side of the tube
so as to extend into a key-way C4 formed along one side of the spindle. Or other means
may be employed to prevent it from turning. C is a graduated scale on the spindle C,
to be read with reference to the upper end of the tube A2 which will serve as an
index. By rotating the hand-wheel C to move the spindle C up or down by means
of the screwed shaft C the position of the top end of the handle-bar stem may be
adjusted in the direction of the length of the tube A2 as desired, in relation to the
frame A.
The spindle D carries at its upper end the saddle F and in other respects resembles
the spindle C being graduated as shown at D³, and provided with a key D³ and
slot D'. At the lower end of the tube A in which the spindle D slides is a shaft D¹
rotatable in the tube and screwed into the spindle D; to the lower end of this rod is
fixed a bevel wheel D2 gearing with a bevel wheel D, the latter being fixed upon a
shaft rotatable in a bearing at A in the frame A, and provided with a hand wheel D.
By rotating the hand wheel D° the movement of rotation is transmitted by the bevel
wheels De D2 to the rod D' which thereupon raises or lowers the saddle-supporting
spindle D as desired.
In bearings A is a crank shaft G with crank arms G¹ fixed upon it; these arms G¹
are slotted as at G², the pedal pins G³ being carried by slide-blocks adjustable in the
slots by means of an adjusting screw G to vary the throw as desired; G5 is a
graduated scale alongside the slot to enable the throw to which the pedals are adjusted
to be readily ascertained:
The adjustable handle-bar stem, seat pillar and cranks might constitute in combination
with the frame A a complete apparatus; but it is preferred to apply to the spindles C
and D one or more of the additional adjustments hereinafter described.
The handle bar E or whatever carries the handles, may be provided with an
arrangement by which the handles E' may be caused to approach or recede from each
other simultaneously and at a similar speed as for example by the device illustrated in
Fig. 2, wherein E' is a right and left-hand screwed rod journalled midway between
its ends so as to be rotatable but not movable endwise in a block H supported at the
head of the spindle C; upon this rod E are two sleeves E³, one to each handle.
Each sleeve is internally screw-threaded to engage the rod E and provided with
jaws E which engage with and slide along projections H' extending from the block H,
so that the sleeves are movable endwise but not rotatable. By turning the rod E² by
means of the wheel Es fixed upon it both the handles E¹ are caused to approach or
recede from each other simultaneously at the same speed, so as to be always equidistant
from the centre-line of the machine. The projections H' and jaws E' may be graduated
to enable the distance between the handles to be conveniently read off.
The handles may be adjusted to any desired angle at the head of the handle-bar
stem C; for this purpose in the machine now being described a frame J in which
slides the block H carrying the handle-bar is rotatable in a socket C carried at the
head of the spindle Cand is provided with a pointer J' working against a graduated
scale C fixed to the socket (so that after adjustment of the handle to the desired
extent the handle to which it is adjusted can readily be seen.
To enable the handles to be adjusted backward and forward the block H by which
they are borne is arranged to travel backwards and forwards in the frame J which
lies in the central plane of the machine and at an angle to the spindle C as shown.
H2 is a handle operating a screw H³ by which the block H is reciprocated in the
frame J. His a graduated scale by which the extent of this adjustment is
read off.
To enable the saddle F to be adjusted backwards and forwards it is carried by a

page_text: block F adjustable by a screw F2 in a slotted har M fixed at the head of the spindle D,
the screw being rotated by the handle F³, and the bar graduated to enable the extent
of the adjustment of the saddle to be readily determined. The bar M may also if
desired be arranged to tilt in the vertical plane by worm gearing or otherwise, about
the end of the spindle D, which latter may be provided with a fixed graduated are
against which the tilt of the saddle carrying bar M can be read off. It is desirable
that the parts should be so arranged as to permit the saddle to be adjusted whilst the
rider is seated upon it. In order to more accurately determine the adjustment of the
saddle it is, advisable that the cranks and pedals be constructed so as to be rotatable
by the rider, for it is only when operating the pedals as in riding that the adjustment
of the saddle can be properly determined.
Brake power or other arrangements may be adopted whereby the effect upon the
rider of higher or lower gearing can be tested so he can try his capability in that
respect and thus avoid ordering a gearing which does not suit him. The width of
tread may also be adjustable if desired.
Instead of the screws for adjusting the height of the handle bar and seat pillar or
for making the other adjustments in the apparatus other gearing may be used.
An
The apparatus may be made of elegant appearance and may be provided with a
dummy rider, dress stand, or the like so as to exhibit the positions taken by the rider
with different adjustments, and also if necessary, and particularly in the case of lady
riders, to indicate the effect of the various positions upon the rider's dress, so that this
device, besides serving the extremely useful purpose of enabling the rider to have the
machine adjusted so that when it comes it may properly fit him, may also serve for
exhibition purposes to show off dresses, machine attachments and the like.
intending rider would go to a shop where such a machine was employed, would adjust
it to his requirements, and the order for the machine would then be delivered with
special numbers or other indications so that the factory having these would know
precisely what the various adjustments were. Plates or representations of the machine
giving the numbers of the adjustments and index scales or other arrangements for
facilitating the correct understanding of the adjustments may be used.
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 cycle-adjustment predetermining-apparatus.
2. For predetermining cycle-adjustments a device or apparatus in which are
adjustable members representing the corresponding parts of a cycle.
3. In a device or apparatus for predetermining cycle adjustments, the combination
with a frame of one or more movable members or parts and adjustable as described.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete apparatus
for the predetermination of cycle adjustments substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of August 1896.
CHARLES THOMAS CROWDEN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.