AN IMPROVED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1884

page_text: WILLIAM BEDFORD DOWNEY Engraver Mayville 2nd Avenue Hendon do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR
VELOCIPEDES to be as follows:-
I take an ordinary Bicycle & remove the pedals & substitute pins working in
bosses fixed to upright rods. The upper parts of the rods slide freely in tubes
suspended from the handle bars. The pedals are fixed at the ends of arms say
3 in. long which can be attached at any part of the upright rods enabling any rider
to use any size machine & placing the work back allows the saddle to be put
back makes this a Safety Gearing. In place of making the rods slide in tubes,
a chain cord or band may be fixed to the top ends of both rods & passed over a
pulley or pair of pulleys or a chain band or cord may be fixed to the top ends of
each rod & fastened to a double pulley each chain band or cord being wound round
a different way or otherwise to ensure that when one pedal descends the other shall
ascend-When these last two arrangments are used, Clutches may be used instead
of plain cranks enabling the rider to use pedals as foot rests & to propel machine
by vertical motion at pleasure.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM BEDFORD DOWNEY of Mayville, 2nd Avenue, Hendon, in the County
of Middlesex, Engraver, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"AN IMPROVED DRIVING GEAR FOR BICYCLES AND VELOCIPEDES," 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-a-driving arrangement which can be fitted to an ordinary
type of bicycle the object-being-to give increased-power, to render the machine
safer and to place the rider in the best possible position to utilize his strength. Tu
attain this end I take an ordinary bicycle and remove the pedals from-the-cranks.
1 then fix to the handle bar on each side of the head two small brackets from
which are-suspended two tubes. Working freely in these tubes are two light bars
or tubes which are extended downwards and backwards by an easy curve and
terminate with pedals for the feet. On to the cranks-are fixed in the usual slots
two short pins on which are loosely mounted-small bosses. through which-the-pedal
bais pass and are adjustable there with so that the height of the pedals.may be varied.
I provide a joint in each of the pedal bars-at-some convenient part so as to allow
the swinging tubes to lie as close to the front forks as possible-and-be out of the
way of the knees of the rider.
It will be seen that when power is applied to the pedal bars it is transmitted
direct to the cranks while the point of pressure is always behind the centre of the
axle and the path of the pedal is so slightly eliptical that it cannot be told from a
purely rotary action when in operation.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will more particularly
describe it with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are
marked with like letters of referonce.
In the accompanying drawings Figs 1. and 2. sheet No 1. are side and front
elevations respectively showing a bicycle fitted with my invention. A. A, designates
the brackets on the handle bar. B. B, the suspending tubes. C. C, the pedal bars
cach formed in two parts and jointed together by the joint c. D. D, the pedals.
E. E, the bosses mounted on the pins F. F. fixed to the cranks of the bicycle; and
e. e. the set screws for locking the bars C. C, to the bosses E. E.
Figs. 3. and 4. sheet No. 2. of the accompanying drawings, being a side and front
elevation respectively, show another arrangement; the tubes B. B, are suspended
from a bracket A, fixed to the head of the bicycle by the lock-nut holding the
centro pin of the head. The pedal bars C. C, are curved forward before entering
the suspended tubes so as to keep them more forward and clear of the rider. Studs
are formed on the bosses E. E, which being screwed into snugs fixed on the pedal
bars C. C, form the joints c. c.
The bottom part of the pedal bars may be bent to bring the position of the
pedals either above or below the centre of the axle of the driving wheel so that a
inachine with either a large or small driving wheel may be used, by the same
sized rider.
I prefer to fit antifrictional ball or roller bearings to the bosses working on the
crank pins and also to the bars sliding within the suspended tubes, a convenient

page_text: I sometimes find it more convenient to reverse the construction as hereinbefore
described and shown and make the hanging tubo work inside the pedal bar
or tube.
Although described and shown as applied to a bicycle this arrangement may be
applied to tricycles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The arrangement for propelling bicycles and other velocipedes as herein-
before described and shown with reference to Figs. No. 1. and 2. Sheet. No. 1.
and Figs. 3. and 4. Sheet. No. 2. of the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The sliding telescopic pedal lever consisting of a pedal bar pivotted
on the crank, sliding inside a tube suspended from a fixed part of the frame as
herein before described and shown.
Dated this 26th day of May 1885.
ROT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Royal Courts Chambers,
70, 71, & 72, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.