Improvements in Bicycle Brakes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 9th July,
1898
1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle Brakes.
We, ARTHUR DEAN STEBBINS, Transportation Agent, and DANIEL HARVEY
HAYNE, Attorney-at-Law, both of 214, E. German Street, in the City of Balti-.
more, in the State of Maryland, in the. United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Bicycle brakes, as commonly constructed heretofore, have been made with
a shoe provided with a rigid contacting surface. It has been found that a shoe
of this character, in its action on a rubber tire, and more especially on a pneumatic
tire, has an injurious effect, as the rigid contacting surface of the shoe bruises
the rubber and thereby shortens the life of a tire to a considerable extent. To
lessen this injurious effect, brakes have been constructed with roller shoes. The
latter brakes are operated by pressing the roller upon the periphery of the wheel
and thereby retard the rotation of the latter. They, by themselves, are objection-
able as considerable power is required to operate them to press the roller on the
wheel with sufficient force to act efficiently.
In the brake in the present instance it is sought to retain the advantages of
the shoe having a rigid contacting surface and of the roller shoe, without their
objectionable features. The positive action of the shoe having a rigid contacting
face is the latter's principal advantage. The principal advantage of the roller
shoe is that it does not tear or bruise the rubber. The brake in the present
instance has these advantages to a considerable extent without the disadvantages.
The invention consists, primarily, of a spring brake lever provided with suit-
able attaching means, an arm fixed to the brake lever and carrying a roller
adapted to bear on the periphery of a wheel, a presser foot adapted to bear on the
roller to retard the rotation of the latter, and an operating means for forcing the
presser foot into engagement with the roller and the roller against the periphery
of a wheel. In a brake of this description, the roller contacts with the periphery
of the wheel and by yielding more or less prevents injury to the tire, and the
presser foot, with its rigid face, contacts with the roller and retards the rotation
of the latter. As the roller can be made of harder substance than the tire, it is
not so liable to injury, and if it should be injured, it can be replaced at a com-
paratively small cost. The roller being retarded in its rotation by the presser
foot retards the rotation of the wheel. The action of these parts is such that the
application of the brake is gradual, easy, and effectual.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, and in which
similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle, showing so much of the same as is
necessary to illustrate the invention, and of the braking mechanism, partly in
section, mounted thereon.
Figure 2 is a detail perspective view showing the spring support for the roller
shoe and presser foot, and the clip mechanism for securing, the same in place.

page_text: Figure 3 is a plan view showing the braking mechanism, without the operating
rod, and a section of the forks to which it is attached.
Figure 4 is a sectional view showing a wheel tire in the form of a pneumatic
tube, the roller shoe and the presser foot.
Referring to the drawings by letter, A designates the frame of a machine,
in the head A¹ of which is journaled the steering fork A2. In the bifurcation
of the latter is mounted the wheel A3. provided with a pneumatic tyre A. These
several parts may be of any construction suitable in the premises.
The braking mechanism is secured to the steering fork so as to always bear the
same relative position to the wheel, so that if the latter should be turned, the
brake will turn with it, and thereby always be in a position to engage with
the periphery of the wheel.
The roller shoe B is journaled on the shaft B¹ mounted at its ends in the
arms projecting from the plate 6. The latter is provided with a mechanism
for securing it in the upper end of the bifurcation of the steering fork...Whis
mechanism consists of the clips be projecting from opposite sides of the plate
and from the end opposite to that from which the arms b project. These clips
are so shaped as to engage with the forks a. After the clips have been placed
in position, they are secured by the rivets 63. By means of a clip mechanism
of this construction no alteration is required in the steering fork for- the; attach-
ment of the brake. The plate 61 is elastic and normally holds the roller shoe
carried by the arms b projecting from its free end out of contact, with the periphery
of the wheel.
The periphery of the roller shoe B is concave.
Mounted above the same is the
presser foot C shaped so as to register with the concave periphery of the roller
shoe. The presser foot is carried by the spring support c¹ projecting from the
outer end of the plate between the arms b, and is normally held out of con-
tact with the roller shoe.
In the preferred form of construction, the plate b¹, the arms b, the support c¹,
the presser foot C and the clips. 62 are all made of a single piece of sheet metal
cut and shaped for the purpose. However, they may be made separately and
suitably assembled.
The brake is operated by the lever L pivoted in the ordinary manner to the
handle bar H and connected with the presser foot C by the rod 7. The latter is
provided with a telescopic joint by means of which it can be adjusted to allow
the brake to be applied with more or less force.
It is to be observed that the comparative resilience of the plate 61 and the spring
support is such, when the brake is operated, that the roller shoe will first con-
tact with the periphery of the wheel and then afterwards the presser foot will
engage with the roller shoe. The comparative resilience, however, may be such,
that the presser foot will first engage with the roller shoe and force the latter on
the wheel. The first arrangement is to be preferred, however, as the engagement
of the shoe with the wheel will be smoother and more gradual and thereby lessen
the liability of injury to the tire.
The operation of the device is as follows: The rider, when he desires to apply
the brake, moves the free end of the lever L towards the handle H. This
moves the rod 7 downward and forces the shoe onto the periphery of the wheel. Upon
further movement of the lever, the presser foot is brought into engagement with
the roller shoe. As the rotation of the roller shoe is retarded, the rotation of
the wheel will also be retarded and the speed of the machine decreased. When the
lever L is released the spring supports b and c cause the roller shoe and the
presser foot to resume their normal positions.
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what, we
claim is:
1. In a bicycle brake the combination of a spring brake lever an arm fixed

page_text: to said lever, a roller shoe carried by said arm, the brake lever having a part
engaging with said roller shoe to retard the rotation thereof, and an operating
device connected with that part of the brake lever which engages with the roller
shoe.
2. In a bicycle brake, the combination of a spring plate formed into supports,
a roller shoe carried by one of said supports, a presser foot carried by the other
of said supports, said supports being so formed as to normally carry said shoe
out of contact with the wheel and the said foot out of contact with the shoe,
and a mechanism for moving said shoe and said foot against the action of their
respective spring supports.
3. In a bicycle brake, the combination of a spring plate having portions of
one end bent to form clips adapted to engage with the forks of a frame and
portions of the opposite end bent to form arms, a roller shoe carried by said
arms, and means for operating said brake.
4. In a bicycle brake, the combination of a spring plate having portions of one
end bent to form clips adapted to engage the forks of a frame, and portions of
the opposite end bent to form arms, a roller shoe carried by said arms, à presser
foot formed of a portion of the plate projecting from between said arms and
adapted to bear on said roller shoe to retard the rotation thereof, and an operating
means connected with said presser foot.
ARTHUR DEAN STEBBINS.
DANIEL HARVEY HAYNE,
Agents, Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool.
ARTHUR DEAN STEBBINS.
DANIEL HARVEY HAYNE.
Agents, Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool.