Improvements in Cycles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 10th. Dec.. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cycles.
I WALTER BRIERLEY of Penny Bank Chambers, Halifax, in the County of
York, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Johann Hirschmann of 45 Johannisstrasse,
Nurnberg, in the Empire of Germany, Engine Maker, 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 improvements in bicycles, tricycles, and other cycles,
the object being to enable the rider to change the "speed or driving wheel,
without dismounting, or stopping the machine, or altering the stroke of the crank, or
the number of treads, or revolutions of the said cranks. By this means the rider
can use a small first driving gear wheel when ascending an incline and when greater
power is required, and on reaching level ground the rider can without stopping or
dismounting drive the cycle with a larger first driving gear wheel and thereby
attain a greater speed, less propelling power being required.
Such being the nature, and object of this invention the following is a complete
description of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Fig. 1. is a sectional end elevation of part of the cranks, and driving parts of a
cycle constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 2. is a sectional view on line A. B of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. shews a modified form of the keys to what is illustrated by Fig. 1.
Figs. 4. are sectional elevations of suitable apparatus for changing the driving
wheel by hand instead of by foot.
According to this my invention the crank axle a has a groove wherein the
key d can be moved to the left and right, so that it can engage with one of the
recesses e. e. or ele of the chain wheels or one of which wheels is of larger
diameter, and has a greater number of teeth than the other wheel b¹ (Figs. 1 and 3).
The axle a is hollow at both ends, and carries the pins f. f¹ secured in any
convenient way against their falling out.
The action is as follows:-Suppose that as shewn in Fig. 1 the small chain
wheel is in action and a level part of a road is reached then, the right foot of the
rider must be pressed (whilst riding) against the pin fl whereby the key d is
uncogged or disengaged from the recess e¹ and engages with one of the recesses e e
removing the pin at the same time. If an incline of the road is to be ascended
the key d by means of the pin f is pressed into one of the recesses e¹ e¹ and the
smaller driving wheel comes into action, and the rider obtains greater power.
The key d in the groove of the axle a may consist of two parts (see Fig. 3)
where the movement caused by a pin is transmitted by spiral spring g placed in
the hollow axle and between the keys d d.
The key, or keys can be operated by hand in the following manner (see Figs. 4).
There is a collar h on the axle a said collar being connected to the key d by the
screw. The left or right movement of the key or keys is produced by two
pins in the recess k in the collar h.
The pins are carried in the fork m operated by rod (mounted on a fulcrum
stud) by the hand of the rider.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manuer the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
A contrivance for changing the "speed" or driving wheel of cycles having chain
whoals Al both on the monk and defainn mhaol a-1.

page_text: the foot against the pin for f¹ the key d catches one of the recesses e e or e¹ e¹ of
the chain wheels so that the corresponding wheel is made to work whilst the
other is running loose.
Dated this 8th day of October 1892
WALTER BRIERLEY.