Improvements in Bicycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Bicycles.
We, CILARLES THOMAS BURGESS, and WILLIAM BOWER BURGESS, both of Victoria
Works, Brentwood, in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
We form the frames of bicycles mainly of wood stiffened by a lacing of wire or
cord and bifurcated to receive the hinder wheel. Metal fittings are mounted upon
this wooden frame to carry the bearings, the seat, and the fork of the steering
wheel. The frame may be made in different forms; thus for a ladies' bicycle the
frame may consist of a long strip or ribbon of tough wood having both its ends
fixed at the socket for the steering fork, whence it makes a circuit passing rear-
wards and in a downward direction to receive the fitting for the treadle axis, thence
passing in succession to the bearings for the hinder wheel, the seat fixing and
back to the fork socket. The ribbon of wood is divided or bifurcated to pass on
either side of the hinder wheel and the double loop of the frame so formed is laced
racketwise. This lacing serves not only to stiffen the structure but also as a dress
guard extending on both sides of the rear wheel. At and in front of the fixing
for the treadle axis the upper and lower members of the frame are connected and
maintained sufficiently far apart to ensure the requisite rigidity.
A mud guard may be provided from the same strip or ribbon of wood from
which the main frame is formed by splitting it in direction of the thickness and
so forming a flap extending from behind the seat rearwards as far over the rear
wheel as may be desired.
In the case of a gentleman's bicycle this stiffness may be obtained by continuing
one member of the frame beyond the socket of the steering wheel and causing it
to return to meet the main frame; or it may if desired be extended beyond the
main frame to form a mud guard.
The frame of a gentleman's bicycle may be formed in another way but still
with a ribbon of wood constituting an upper and a lower member connected by
a racket like lacing. In this case the upper and lower members of the frame
which preferably are in one piece, both start from the bearings for the rear wheel
and pass forward to the socket for the steering wheel. The lower member carries
the fixing for the treadle axis and the upper member the seat bracket.
The rear end of the frame is bifurcated to embrace the rear wheel.
Lacing is not in all cases essential and in some cases a network may be
substituted.
Sometimes we make frames in the manner described in which ribbons or bands
of metal or other material are substituted for wood.
Deted this 6th day of May 1897

page_text: Improvements in bicycles.
We, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, and WILLIAM BOWER BURGESS, both of Victoria
Works, Brentwood, in the County of Essex, 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:
We form the frames of bicycles mainly from one strip of bent wood. Metal
fittings are mounted upon this wooden frame as hereinafter described to carry the
bearings, the seat and the fork of the steering wheel. The frame may be made
in different forms; thus for a lady's bicycle the frame may consist of a long strip
or ribbon of tough wood fixed at the socket for the steering fork, whence it makes
a circuit passing rearwards and in a downward direction to receive the fitting for
the treadle axis, thence passing in succession to the bearings for the hinder wheel
and to the seat fixing and back to the fitting for the treadle axis and to the fork
socket. The ribbon of wood is divided or bifurcated and the two portions bent
apart to pass on either side of the hinder wheel and this double loop of the frame
so formed is laced racketwise, the loop being so formed that this lacing serves not
only to stiffen the structure but also as a dress guard extending on both sides of
the rear wheel. At the fixing for the treadle axis the parts are maintained
sufficiently far apart to ensure the requisite rigidity.
A mud guard may be provided from the same strip or ribbon of wood from which
the main frame is formed.
In the case of a gentleman's bicycle the required stiffness of the frame may be
obtained by continuing one member of the frame beyond the socket of the steering
wheel and causing it to return to meet the main frame; or it may if desired be
extended beyond the main frame to form a mud guard.
Sometimes we make frames in the manner described in which ribbons or bands
of metal or other material are substituted for wood.
The drawings annexed shew examples of bicycle frames constructed in the above
manner.
Figure 1 is a side view of one example. Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.
Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3, Figure 1, passing through the bracket
which carries the bearing for the treadle spindle. Figure 4 is a side view of
another example slightly modified from the construction shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is another slightly modified example. Figure 6 is a plan of the same.
e is a
In Figures 1, 2 and 3, a is the bent flat strip of tough wood or other material
forming the frame. bis the bracket for the treadle spindle bearing. c the brackets
for the axle of the rear wheel and d the bracket for carrying the seat.
curved plate which projects from the back of the socket which receives the steer-
ing wheel spindle and to which curved plate the front end of the frame is secured.
The bracket is as shewn of oblong trough form with flat sides and rounded
bottom and ends-it has also two flanges b extending outwards from it one along
the top of each of its sides-projecting from the bottom is also the bearing 68 for
the treadle spindle.
One end of the strip a starts from the plate e extending downwards and afterwards
rearwards. The portion extending. rearwards is slit longitudinally so that one
part of it may pass on one side of the rear wheel and the other on the other side
one part is secured to one flange 61 and the other to the other flange. of the
bracket one part is also secured to the top plate of one of the brackets c and
the other part to the top plate of the other bracket c.
Afterwards the strip is curved upwards then again downwards in front of the

page_text: rear wheel and a bend in it is made to lie in the cup or hollow of the bracket b
the strip which here may be undivided passing downwards between the divided
parts of the strip which are secured to the flanges b¹. The strip then extends
upwards to be secured to the curved plate e passing between it and the first end of
the strip it is then again bent downwards and passed into the cup or hollow
of the bracket 6 through a slit formed through the bottom of the cup to allow it
to do so--and passes out from the top of the rear end of the cup and over the top
of the rear wheel to form a mud guard above it. Here it passes between the two
parts of the longitudinally divided portion of the strip and is secured to these
parts by a bracket or connecting piece f as shown in Figure 1. The bracket b
may be formed with plates ³ extending up from the top of its ends for the bent
strip to be secured to as shown in Figure 1. Stays g may also be made to extend
from the top of the plate 63 which is at the rear end of the bracket to the bracket c
one on either side of the rear wheel. Other stays h may also be made to extend
from the lower part of the bracket b to the lower part of the bracket c.
The front and rear portions of the frame may also as shown at Figure 1 be laced
with wire like a racquet to give increased strength. It will be seen that the
two loops of the frame which are on either side of the rear wheel and the mud
guard which extends over the top of this wheel are made to extend back to such
a distance in rear of the axle of the wheel that the lacing serves not only for
giving increased strength but also serves as a very efficient dress guard. If the
bicycle is for men a stay may also be made to extend from the upper portion of
the front loop of the frame to the upper portion of the rear loop.
In the modification shown at Figure 4 the strip a is somewhat differently bent.
One end of the strip lying in the curved cup of the bracket 6 is made to extend
upwards in front of the rear wheel then downwards on either side of this wheel
then again forwards to be secured to the flanges 61 of the bracket b then upwards
and again downwards for the bend to be secured to the curved plate c.
Afterwards
the downward continuation of the strip is made to pass into the curved cup or
trough of the bracket and then upwards and over the top of the rear wheel to
form a mud guard. A stav i is also shewn as extending from the bottom of the
bracket b to the bottom of the socket which receives the steering spindle.
In the modification shown at Figure 5 both ends of the curved strip a are secured
to the curved plate e and the form of the bracket bis modified.
The dotted lines in the upper part of this figure show how in bicycles for men
the frame may be strengthened by making one end of the strip to extend back
from the socket of the steering wheel spindle to the bracket d which carries the
seat.
In all these examples it is not essential that the strip a should be in one con-
tinuous length, it is obvious that wherever the strip is secured to one or other of
the brackets it might be divided across to form two portions cach portion being
secured to the bracket so that the two portions are connected together end to end
and virtually form a single strip.
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. A bicycle frame formed from a bent strip or strips of tough wood or other
material in which the loops or bands of the frame which pass on either side of
the rear wheel are laced and extend back in rear of the axle of the wheel to a
sufficient distance for the lacing to form an efficient dress guard.
2. A bicycle having its frame formed from a strip or ribbon of tough wood or
other material bent into two upwardly extending loops one extending forwards
and the other backwards from the central portion of the frame and having this
central portion secured to one bracket piece the portion of the strip connecting
the lower part of the two loops being divided longitudinally and its two parts

page_text: connected to side flanges of the bracket at a distance apart from one another and
the portion connecting the upper parts of the two loops connected to a curved
central portion of the same bracket.
3. A bicycle having its frame formed from a strip or ribbon of tough wood or
other material bent into two loops one in front of the other and having the under-
side of each loop and the portion connecting them slit longitudinally and the two
parts of this connecting portion secured to two plates or flanges one at cach side of
a bracket carrying the treadle spindle bearing and also having the descending
bend which connects the upper portion of the two loops passing down between
these two parts and secured to a corresponding curved surface at the centre of the
bracket.
4. A bicycle having its frame formed from a bent strip or strips of tough wood
or other material and connected at its forward end to a curved plate standing out
from the back of the socket for the steering spindle.
5. Bicycle frames constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and illus-
trated in the drawing annexed.
Datel this 4th of 1000