Improvements in Toe Clips for the Pedals of Bicycles and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan.,
1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Toe Clips for the Pedals of Bicycles and
the like.
I, FREDERICK MYERS, of No. 49 Centre Street, in the City, County, and
State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention relates to a bicycle pedal having a toe-clip, which is pivotally
connected to the pedal so that the toe-clip will hang loosely, without rigid
connection to the pedal, while the rider's foot is obtaining control of the pedal,
means being provided whereby the toe-clip will be brought to its operative
position by means of the rider's foot after it is engaged with the pedal, thus
preventing liability of the foot pressing downwardly upon the toe-clip and bending
the same down upon the pedal while being engaged therewith. The invention has
for its object to provide a pivoted toe-clip of improved construction, and improved
means for controlling the same through the agency of the rider's foot. The
invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and
claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification,-
Figures 1, 2 and 3 represent end views of a bicycle pedal provided with my
improvements, showing the same in different positions.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pedal in the position shown in Figure 3.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings,
a represents a bicycle pedal, which may be of any known or suitable form and
construction; and represents the crank-arm upon which the pedal is journalled.
c represents the toe-clip, which is pivotally connected at c with the pedal, the
connection being here shown as formed by means of a hinge-member having
ears d, d affixed to the pedal, and a pivot pin inserted through said ears, and
through an ear formed on the toe-clip and located between the ears d, d.
² represents an arm or extension formed on the toe-clip and projecting rearwardly
from the pivot and inwardly over a portion of the pedal, the arrangement being
such that when the pedal is idle, or in its normal position when not in use, the toe-
clip will hang loosely below the pedal, as shown in Figure 1, with the arm c
projecting over a portion of the pedal, so that when the rider's foot is finding the
pedal, as shown in Figure 2, the toe-clip will at first be out of reach of the foot,
so that there will be no possibility of the foot encountering the toe-clip and
pressing downwardly thereon before coming to a bearing upon the pedal.
e represents an arm which is connected by a pivot-pin e to ears i, i, on a hinge-
member affixed to the pedal. Said arm is formed to be pressed downwardly by
the rider's foot into engagement with the extension 2 of the toe-clip, for the
purpose of first raising the toe-clip to its operative position, and then locking it
in said position, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the arm e having a lip e² at its outer
end formed to bear upon the toe-clip extension c², as shown in Figure 2, and to
press said extension downwardly, thus raising the toe-clip to the position shown in
Figure 3, the lip 2 at the same time interlocking with the extension c², so that, so
long as the pedal remains in the position it occupies while controlled by the rider's
foot, the toe-clip cannot swing downwardly. When the pedal is released, however,
it swings to the position shown in Figure 1, and the arm e swings away from the

page_text: extension c by gravitation, thus releasing the toe-clip, so that it can nang
loosely.
* represents a metal strip or cross-piece secured to the toe-clip and extending
across the same, its ends being bent upwardly to form ears k, k¹ to bear against
the sides of the rider's foot, and constitute side-guides both for the toe-clip and
for the pedal. The strip k is sufficiently flexible to enable it to be bent at
different points to increase or decrease the width of its bearing surface between
the ears k¹, thus adjusting the side guides to the width of the rider's foot.
The hinge-members to which the toe-clip and the arm e are pivoted are adapted
to be attached to the side plates of a pedal of ordinary construction, so that the
entire attachment can be applied to an ordinary pedal having slots or orifices a² in
its side pieces for the reception of the attaching screws a³.
It will be observed that in Figures 2 and 4, the journal of the pedal is advanced
beyond the middle of the pedal, the object being to more nearly counter-balance
the weights on opposite sides of the journal and cause the pedal to naturally
assume a position more convenient to the application of the rider's foot to the
plate e.
I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to pivot a toe-clip to a pedal,
and to provide the latter with means operated by the rider's foot for bringing the
toe-clip to, and holding it in its operative position; but I am the first, so far as I
am aware, to provide the clip with an arm or extension projecting rearwardly from
the hinge or pivot which connects the clip to the pedal, and to provide the
pedal with a hinged foot-operated arm adapted to directly engage said extension,
the whole constituting an effective appliance, which is simpler and more reliable
than auy contrivance for the same purpose of which I am aware.
To accommodate my improved attachment to any width of pedal, I make the
arm e adjustable in length, this being preferably accomplished by making said arm
in two sections, 2, 3, one section having ears 4, 4, which are bent under the other
section. Before the attachment is applied, the ears may be so loose as to permit
the sections to slip one on the other, and when the arm has been thus adjusted
to the width of the pedal, the ears may be hammered tight, so that neither section
can slip independently. A spring 5 may be applied to the arm e, and arranged to
press said arm outwardly, when there is no pressure upon it, thus preventing the
arm from remaining in engagement with the toe-clip.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is :-
1. A bicycle pedal, a toe-clip pivoted thereto, and adapted to swing loosely
thereon, said clip having an arm or extension at the rear of its pivot, and a
clip-adjusting arm pivoted to the pedal and arranged to be pressed against the
arm of the clip by the rider's foot to move said clip to its operative position.
2. A bicycle pedal toe-clip provided with side-guides for the rider's foot, and
with means for connection with the pedal.
3. A bicycle pedal toe-clip provided with a transverse flexible metal strip bent
upwardly at points near its ends to form side-guides.
4. A bicycle pedal attachment comprising a hinge-member adapted to be
secured to one of the side plates of the pedal, and a toe-clip pivotally connected
to said plate and provided with an arm or extension at the rear of said pivotal
connection.
5. A bicycle pedal attachment comprising a hinge-member adapted to be
secured to one of the side plates of the pedal, a toe-clip pivotally connected to
said member, and provided with an extension at the rear of its pivot, a toe-clip
adjusting arm formed to engage said extension, and a hinge-member pivotally
connected to said arm and adapted to be attached to the other side plate of the
pedal.
6. A bicycle pedal attachment comprising hinge-members adapted to be secured

page_text: to the side-plates of the pedal, a toe-clip pivotally connected to one member, and
having an extension at the rear of its pivot, and an adjustable arm pivotally
connected to the other member, and formed to engage said extension.
7. A bicycle pedal attachment comprising hinge-members adapted to be secured
to the side-plates of the pedal, a toe-clip pivotally connected to one member, and
having an extension at the rear of its pivot, an arm pivotally connected to the
other member and formed to engage said extension, and a spring arranged to
normally force said arm out of engagement with the extension.
8. A bicycle pedal having its journal advanced forward of its middle part, and
carrying a toe-clip at the front side, the position of the journal with respect to the
middle of the pedal causing a counterbalancing effect, substantially as described.
Dated this 6th day of November 1895.
FREDERICK MYERS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.