An Improved Driving or Speed Gearing for Cycles and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 12th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
An Improved Driving or Speed Gearing for Cycles and the like.
JOHN EDWARD PRESTON 36 Lyndhurst Road Peckham S.E. Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a set of crown or bevil wheels one being secured to the
frame or some fixed part of the cycle or the like and another wheel of similar size
being secured to the moving part.
If the gearing be placed upon the treadle shaft or spindle the said moving part is
the chain wheel.
If the gear be attached to the driving wheel shaft or spindle the said moving part
is the hub of the driving wheel.
Between the two above mentioned crown or bevil wheels and gearing into or
engaging with same I place one or more pinion wheels supported upon a suitable
spider or frame hereinafter called the pinion frame and revolving (upon ball or other
suitable bearings) upon a common shaft or spindle with the crown or bevil wheel.
The pinion frame when the gear is attached to the treadle shaft receives its
motion direct from the treadles being secured to the shaft in any suitable way: when
the gear is fixed to the driving wheel which I prefer the pinion frame carries the chain
wheel which is so constructed that its inner diameter makes a joint with the aforesaid
crown or bevil wheels to enable the above gear to be run in oil.
I also attach to the above a suitable disengaging gear to enable the rider to disengage
one crown wheel from the pinion & so reduce his gearing to half speed.
An Improved Driving or Speed Gearing for Cycles and the like.
I, JOHN EDWARD PRESTON of 8 Burton Road Brixton London S.W., late of
36 Lyndhurst Road, Peckham London S.E., 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:-
My invention relates to an improved speed driving gear for cycles and the like,
and consists of a pair of crown or bevel wheels, one of which is fixed by any suitable
means to the frame or other stationary part of the machine, while the other is attached
to a moving part of the same, that is to say, if the said gearing be mounted upon the
pedal spindle or bottom bracket, the said moving part would be the chain wheel, but
if the said gear be mounted upon the shaft of the hind or driven wheel of the machine
the said moving part would be the hub of the said driven wheel.
Between the two said crown or bevel wheels, I mount a circular skeleton frame
(hereinafter called the pinion frame) carrying one or more (preferably three) pinion
wheels which gear with both the said fixed and movable crown or mitre wheels, the

page_text: said pinion frame being preferably mounted upon ball bearings, upon a shaft cominon
to the said pinion frame and both the said mitre wheels.
The said pinion frame, when the gear is mounted upon the bottom bracket, is secured
by any suitable means to the pedal spindle, and receives motion directly from the
treadles, but when the said gear is mounted upon the shaft of the driven wheel (which
I prefer) the said pinion frame is constructed with teeth upon its periphery and forms
a sprocket or chain wheel, and internally so formed as to make a joint with the said
crown or bevel wheels to enable the said gear to run in oil.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I have hereunto appended a
sheet of drawings, in which I have chosen to illustrate my said improved speed gear
in connection with the hind or driven wheel of the machine.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my invention with the fixed or stationary bevel or crown
wheel partly broken away to show the position of the said pinion frame.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the said pinion frame detached from the said mitre
wheels and partly in section, to show the bearing balls and ball race.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 1 takon upon the line A B, and viewed from
right to left.
Assuming that my invention is being used in connection with the hind or driven
wheel of the machine, I mount upon the shaft A of the said driven wheel, a pair of
mitre or crown wheels B, B' the former of which I screw or otherwise firmly connect
to one end of the wheel hub, C, the latter being held stationary by being connected
in any suitable way to the fork or other part of the machine frame D. Between the
two said bevel wheels B and B' I mount upon the same shaft A, a skeleton wheel, the
nave or hub E of which is provided with a hall race and carries any number of steel
balls F for reducing friction between E and A. The said hub or nave E has two or
more (preferably three) projections G, and a like number of intermediate studs H, and
upon each of the latter I mount loosely a mitre pinion wheel J, which gear with both
the mitre wheels B and B', while the projections G fit up to and has secured to them
by the means of screws L a metallic rim K carrying any number of sprocket wheel
teeth M which receive the chain in gear with the sprocket wheel upon the bottom
bracket in the usual way. The said rim K has preferably two return edges or
flanges N and N' (shewn broken away in Fige. 1 and 2) the former of which encloses
the edge of the outer face of the wheel B, and the latter the same portion of the
wheel B', which provides that the teeth of the wheels B and B' may be always flooded
with oil for lubricating the same.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the mitre wheel B' (and conse-
quently the hub C and the driven wheel of the machine,) would revolve twice to one
revolution of the pinion frame; that is to say, the wheel B would be revolved once
in unison with the pinion frame, and once by reason of the epicyeloidal motion of
the pinions J in gear with the stationary wheel B, and if the number of teeth M on the
pinion frame be one half the number of the teeth on the ordinary sprocket wheel
upon the bottom bracket, it follows, that I attain four revolutions of the driven wheel C
to one revolution of the pedal spindle,
By the same rule if my improved gear be mounted upon the bottom bracket of
the machine with the wheel B a fixture to, say the front fork, and the wheel B¹
attached to the loosely mounted sprocket wheel, the said sprocket wheel would be
revolved twice to each revolution of the pedals, which provides, that if an ordinary
sprocket wheel be mounted upon the hind or driven wheel having half the number
of teeth of the sprocket wheel upon the bottom bracket the same result would be
attained.
Again if one of my improved gears be mounted upon both the bottom bracket,
and the driven wheel, and the number of teeth upon the bottom bracket sprocket
wheel be double that of those upon the pinion frame on the driven wheel, it is possible
to attain eight revolutions of the driven wheel to one of the pedal spindle.
Although I have described and shewn my improved gear as applied to one end
of the hub of the driven wheel or bottom bracket, it is obvious that the saine may be
duplicated so as to be applied to both ends of either or both, and i may find it

page_text: desirable to so employ it when used for the propulsion of cycles having more than two
track wheels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The construction and use of the herein described speed gear, and the application
of same to one or both ends of the bottom bracket, or the driven wheel or wheels, or
hoth, of any type of velocipede having two or more wheels substantially as herein
set forth.
2nd. In an improved speed gear for cycles the combination of a pair of crown or
bevel wheels such as B and B', mounted upon the shaft A of the hind or driven
wheel or wheels of a bicycle, tricycle, or other velocipede, the wheel B being a fixture
to the back fork or other part of the frame of the machine, and the other B¹ to
the hub C of the driven wheel, the latter receiving motion from a set of mitre
pinions such as J, carried in a pinion frame such as E, K, mounted on ball
bearings F upon the axle or shaft A, between B and B', and in gear with both,
the said frame having upon its periphery any number of sprocket wheel teeth M in
gear with a suitable chain, operated in the usual way, by a sprocket wheel upon the
pedal spindle, the whole connected and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn by the appended drawings.
3rd. In an improved speed gear for cycles, the combination of a pair of crown or
bevel wheels such as B and B', mounted upon the pedal spindle of a bicycle,
tricycle, or other velocipede, the wheel B being a fixture to the front fork of the
machine, and the wheel B₁ to a sprocket wheel mounted loosely upon the said
spindle, the latter mitre or bevel wheel and sprocket wheel receiving motion from
a set of mitre pinions such as J, carried in a pinion frame such as E, K, mounted
and fixed upon the said pedal spindle between B and B and in gear with both,
the said sprocket wheel carrying a chain in gear with a sprocket wheel upon the
shaft or axle of the hind or driven wheel or wheels of the machine in the usual way,
the whole connected and operating substantially as herein described.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.