Improvements in Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1888-Accepted, 15th June, 1889
Improvements in Bicycles and other Velocipedes.
1, CARL RAUHE Manufacturer, of Düsseldorf, in the German Empire, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Bicycles and especially the so-called safety-bicycles have the drawback, that the
steering wheel can be turned aside too easily and therefore accidentally which renders
the management by inexperienced persons difficult
To avoid this difficulty I provide a spring or pair of springs which tends to keep the
wheels parallel to each other, so that the steering wheel can only be turned by a
special pressure on the steering rod.
In the further description of the invention reference will be made to the annexed
drawings.
Figs. 1 to 12, which represent a bicycle embodying my invention, as well as details
and modifications of the same.
In the construction represented by Figs. 1 to 4, the object of my invention is
attained by means of two helical springs a situated right and left, between the fork!
and the back or beam for its upward oxtension so as to maintain the direction of
the steering wheel by exerting an equal pressure on both sides (Figs. 1 and 3). For
turning the steering wheel sideways, it is necessary to compress the one or the other
of the two springs (Fig. 4). These springs are coiled on a core which has
preferably the shape of a horse-shoe or semi-circle and is secured to a transverse
rod c attached to the fork l.
b
This core b is guided by an eyelet d formed on the saddle-beam for its extension
and which serves as an abutment for the coiled springs. The core could, how-
ever, be attached to the saddle-beam and guided at both ends in perforations of the
cross beam c. To regulate the tension of the springs, the ends of the coro bare
provided with screw threads passing through screw nuts m, m. Instead of using a
circular core, the helical springs may be coiled on a pair of spindles attached at one
end to the cross beam e perpendicularly thereto and passing at the other end through
a slot in a second cross beam fixed to the part f, the two cross beams thus formning
abutments for the said springs.
As shown by Figs. 5 to 8, the springs may be enclosed in casings h,, of which
the part is adapted to telescope into and out of the piece h¹. The springs enclosed
in these casings or sleeves tend to expand them as far as the pins will allow, the
pin being guided in a slote of the sleeve /!.
By these sleeves the expansion of the springs is limited, so that in case one spring
exerts a stronger pressure than the other, it will not cause a deviation of the steering
wheel from its course.
If the wheel is turned on one side, the sleeve or casing will be shortened on one
side, but will remain unaltered on the other side. Instead of these telescopic sleeves,
other suitable devices may be employed to limit the expansion of the spring.
Instead of the coiled springs, or in addition to the saine, I may employ leaf springs ;
as indicated by Figs. 9 to 12. In the construction shown by Figs 9 and 10, a spring a
is fastened to each side of the saddle beam f, and rests with its front end upon
one of the rollers secured to the wheel fork I, so as to prevent the accidental turning
of the latter.
Fig. 12 shows a leaf spring secured to the wheel fork and held between pins or
rollers o which are secured to the saddle bar.
In order to release also the support of the wheel fork, the device shown in
Figs. 5 to 8 may be employed, where the cross bar is capable of pivoting on the
C

page_text: wheel fork. After the cross bar c, which is held by the brake bar g only, has been
released, the springs attached to the bar c can play freely.
The turning of the cross bar is, however, prevented by the brake g which is situated
between the projections and allowed sufficient motion between the same, for per-
forming its ordinary functions as a brake. If it is desired that the spring shall
not act on the wheel fork, the lever g is drawn forward until it clears the projections i,
after which the wheel fork can turn freely in the eyelet d¹ formed on the cross bar c.
For disengaging the brake from the projections I use the following appliance.
Besides the handle & situated in front of the steering or balance rod, and which
presses the brake against the rim of the wheel, if the handle is pressed back towards
the balance rod, there is a second handle A situated behind the balance rod, which
when pressed forward towards the balance rod produces an opposite motion of the
brake, that is away from the rim of the wheel, and out of the projections i so as to
clear the latter. If the handle k' is pressed forward, the short lever n pivoted at n
and connected with is caused to recede with its lower end and thereby to lift the
brake lever g above the projections i.
my invention, and in what
Having now particularly described the nature of
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim :-
1. A velocipede having a spring or springs a, adapted to maintain the direction or
position of the steering wheel, and the pressure of which must be overcome in steering,
substantially as described.
2. In a velocipede provided with helical springs adapted to act as specified in
claim 1, telescopic sleeves or casings h, held apart by the said helical spring and
-provided-with-pins-s-guided in slots e for limiting the expansion or telescoping of the
sleeves, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a steering wheel and wheel fork, with a saddle bar, a spring
or springs tending to retain the position of the wheel fork relatively to the saddle bar
and means for temporarily releasing the wheel fork from the influence of the said
spring or springs, substantially as described.
4. The means for disconnecting the spring or springs from the wheel fork
comprising a cross bar adapted to turn on the wheel fork and having a pair of
projections i, i, a brake lever g normally held between the said projections and a
handle for disengaging the brake lever from the cross bar c substantially as
described.
A
1000
CARL RAUHE,
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.