IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Maximilian Wilson, of Northampton, in the County of
Northampton, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO
VELOCIPEDES."
Scaled the 12th January 1877, and dated the 17th July 1876
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Maximilian Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th July 1876.
MAXIMILIAN WILSON, of Northampton, in the County of Northampton, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention consists in adapting to the hub of the driving wheel or wheels
of velocipedes or bicycles a friction break for the purpose of controlling the speed
of the machine.
In carrying out my Invention I adapt to one of the hubs of the large driving
wheel a pulley with a V groove made in its periphery, and to this I adapt a friction
break formed of curved blocks of wood or other suitable substance secured to a
flexible steel or wrought-iron band, which is attached by one end to the fork of the
machine, and by the other to a rod or wire which extends up to the steering
handle, and terminates in a screw box, in which is fitted an adjusting screw, so that
by turning the screw box the rod or wire may be drawn up or tightened, as the
break blocks wear away. This adjusting screw is jointed to a rocking hand lever,
which is mounted in bearings fixed on the boss of the steering handle at the top of
the pillar. The rocking lever for working the break is in a line with one of the
arms of the steering handle, so that it may be depressed (so as to cause the break
to act on the V pulley on the wheel boss) without the hand of the rider leaving
hold of the steering handle. For this reason I prefer this arrangement, but, if
preferred, the screw of the break may be made to work in a female screw tapped
in the boss of the steering handle. At the top of the adjusting screw is mounted a
small winch handle, by turning which the screw with the break rod or wire will
be drawn up and cause the break blocks to bind on the V pulley.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Maximilian Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
January 1877.
MAXIMILIAN WILSON, of Northampton, in the County of Northampton, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO VELOCIPEDES."
This Invention of "Improvements Applicable to Velocipedes" consists in adapting
to the hub of the driving wheel or wheels of velocipedes or bicycles a friction break
for the purpose of controlling the speed of the machine.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shown two ways of carrying out my
Invention; but it will be seen that in both I adapt to one of the hubs of the large
driving wheel a pulley with a V groove made in its periphery, and to this I adapt
a friction break formed of curved blocks of wood or other suitable substance
secured to a flexible steel or wrought-iron band, which is attached by one end to
the fork of the machine, and by the other to a rod or wire which extends up to the
steering handle and terminates in a screw box, in which is fitted an adjusting screw,
so that by turning the screw box the rod or wire may be drawn up or tightened as
the break blocks wear away.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of so much of a velocipede
or bicycle as is necessary to understand my Invention.
a, a, is the large running wheel, and b, b, the hub, on the ends of the axle of
which are fixed the treadle cranks c, c. The axle of the running wheel a is
mounted in bearings a¹, a, at the lower end of the fork d, d, which carries at its
upper end the steering handle e, e, as usual. The break pulley fis fixed to the
hub of the large running wheel, and is partially surrounded by the flexible steel
or wrought-iron band g, which is provided with the curved blocks of wood g¹, which
by bearing against the V groove in the periphery of the break pulley will be
made to bind tightly thereon and act as a break. This flexible steel band g is
secured by one end to the fork d, as at g², Fig. 1, and is connected by the other
to the rod h, which extends up to the steering handle c. The rod is provided at
its upper end with a screw box i, and an adjusting screw i¹, as and for the purpose
already explained. This adjusting screw is in Figures 1 and 2 jointed to a
rocking hand lever j, which is mounted in bearings fixed on the boss of the steering
handle e at the top of the pillar of the fork. The rocking lever j for working the
break is in a line with one of the arms of the steering handle c, so that it may be
depressed (so as to cause the break g to act on the V pulley f on the wheel boss)
without the hand of the rider leaving hold of the steering handle c. For this
reason I prefer this arrangement, but, if preferred, the screw i of the break may be
made to work in a female screw tapped in the boss of the steering handle e, as
shewn in the detached view, Fig. 3. In this instance it will be seen that at the
top of the adjusting screw i is mounted a small winch handle, by turning which
the screw with the break rod or wire h will be drawn up and will thereby cause
the break blocks g¹ to bind on the V pulley f, and thus control the speed of the
running wheel. The swan neck l, which carries the saddle or seat for the rider,
and supports the trailing wheels, is of the ordinary construction. These parts of the
machine therefore with the exception of a portion of the swan neck are not shewn
in the Drawing, and require no description, as they form no part of the present
Invention.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements Applicable to Velocipedes,"
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the adaptation to the hub
of the driving wheel or wheels of velocipedes of a friction break which may be
worked by means of a lever, winch handle, or other equivalent or analogous device
adapted to the steering handle, as herein set forth, for the purpose of enabling the

page_text: rider to control the speed of the machine without the necessity of quitting hold of
the steering handle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Maximilian Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
M WILSON
M WILSON