An Improved Brake for Cycles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Brake for Cycles.
I, JOHN ISAAC GREGORY, of Queen's Hotel, Caerphilly, in the County of
Glamorgan, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved brake for cycles and the object of it is,
improved efficiency over those hitherto in use.
It is well known, that very few bicycles can be effectually stopped or sufficiently
retarded by means of the usual brake-lever and spoon in general use.
In the present invention, I extend the width of the outer periphery of the rim of
the wheel slightly beyond the bottom part of the inflated tyre, this extension of
rim is made in the form of a groove, either flat or V-shaped. Around the groove,
I place a loop of steel wire or ribbon, the ends being attached to a tumbling lever
of suitable shape as usually applied to, brake mechanism of this nature.
To the long end of this lever, I attach a rod or cord, leading forwards to as
convenient a place as possible upon the steering handle and attached to a lever of
the ordinary kind. A screw can be placed in any convenient part of the lever, so
that by applying the said screw the lever can be brought home with greater power
than is possible by pressing with the hand alone, the rider can then let go of the
lever, trusting entirely to the screw arrangement before described.
In order to keep the loop or brake strap in position, I place upon any convenient
portion of the bicycle, such as the rear mudguard or back stays, a jointed spring
or link, attached also to the loop, this is for the purpose of keeping the loop away
from the groove when the brake is not applied and also for keeping the loop in
position in the groove.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:
1
This invention relates to an improved brake for cycles and the object of it is
improved efficiency over those hitherto in use.
It is well known that very few bicycles can be effectually stopped or their
motion sufficiently retarded by means of the usual brake lever and spoon in
general use.
In the present invention, I extend the width of the outer periphery of the rim of
the wheel slightly beyond the bottom part of the inflated tyre, this extension of
rim is made in the form of a groove, either flat or V-shaped. Around the groove,
I place a loop of steel wire or ribbon, the ends being attached to a tumbling lever
of suitable shape as usually applied to brake mechanism of this nature.
To the long end of this lever, I attach a rod or cord, leading forwards to as
convenient a place as possible upon the steering handle, and attached to a lever of
the ordinary kind. A screw can be placed in any convenient part of the lever, so
that by applying the said screw, the lever can be brought home with greater power
than is possible by pressing with the hand alone, the rider can then let go of the
lever, trusting entirely to the screw arrangement before described.
In order to keep the loop or brake strap in position, I place upon any convenient
portion of the bicycle, such as the rear mudguard or back stays, a jointed spring
or link, attached also to the loop, this is for the purpose of keeping the loop away
from the groove when the brake is not applied and also for keeping the loop in
position in the groove.
The following is a description of my present invention as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which:-
-
Figure 1 represents, in side elevation, a bicycle fitted with my improved brake.
Figure 2 is a section (drawn to a larger scale) of the tyre of the back wheel,
including also, in elevation, part of the back stay.
Figure 3 is a view, also drawn to a larger scale, of the tumbler lever, com-
municating cord, brake strap, and spiral spring.
Figure 4 is a back view of the handle bar and brake fitting.
Figure 5 illustrates another method of making the groove applicable to existing
wheels.
Referring to Figure 1: A, is the back wheel to which the brake gear is attached.
B, is the rim of the wheel upon the side of which is formed a V-groove and
around which a wire C is laid so as to form a brake strap. The wire C is caused to
tighten and grip the groove in the rim by means of a tumbler-lever arrange-
ment D; one end of the wire being attached to the lever at E, and the other end
of the wire attached to the lever at F. The lever D, is lengthened to any con-
venient extent and at its extremity G the power is applied for tightening the
brake strap upon the rim B.
A spiral or other spring H is attached to the lever at I, so as to pull the lever
over and thus release the brake strap from contact with the rim B. One end of
the spring His attached at any convenient position to the back stay J. The
lever D, oscillates upon the stud K fixed in any convenient position upon the
back stay J. The ends of the brake strap or wire C, C, are screw-threaded so as
to engage in swiveling studs at E and F. These studs can be removed from the
lever and revolved upon the screwed wire ends of the brake strap so as to
conveniently adjust the length of the brake strap; or any other suitable device
may be applied for lengthening or shortening the wires, such as, a small screwed
swivel coupling or the like.
L, L, are small springs attached at one end to the brake wire and at the other to
any convenient support upon the bicycle, but preferably to the mudguard M. These
are for the purpose of pulling the brake strap away, and out of contact, with the
groove in the rim of the wheel when the brake is released and out of operation.
The power is applied to the brake by a lever arrangement attached to the handle bar

page_text: after the usual manner, one end of a wire, chain, or cord S is attached to the handle
bar lever, the other end of the cord to the tumbler lever D, at G.
Guide pulleys N and O are fixed in convenient positions upon the top tube of
the machine, so as to guide the communicating cord attached to the lever.
Referring to Figure 2: A is the tyre with the rim B, and V-groove P. The
groove being formed in one, with the other part of the rim, and projects sufficiently
upon one side so that the brake strap or wire C shall clear the side of the tyre,
embedded in the bottom of the V-groove is a thin strip of wood or other suitable
material R, held in position by rivets, or other convenient fastening. K is
a stud attached to the back stay † in any convenient position and upon which the
tumbler lever D oscillates.
Referring to Figure 4: U is the brake lever attached at the end to a fixed pin V,
the communicating cord S being attached to the lever at W.
O, is a pulley for guiding the communicating cord S, and is fixed by a suitable
clip X upon the top bar.
Referring more particularly to Figure 5 which illustrates another method of
making the groove applicable to existing wheels, B is the rim of the wheel and Y
the V-groove these are rings of metal of about the same diameter as the rim, and are
held in position by clips Z, which are thin pieces of metal of about half an inch in
width, and are riveted, or brazed, or formed in one, with the inside ring of the groove.
These clips are merely bent over the outside edge of the rim of the wheel, and the
usual pneumatic tyre arrangement rests upon the top. Thin wood segments are
laid into the bottom of the groove, and the whole riveted together.
In descending long and steep hills, in order to clip the brake wheel firmly and to
take the strain off the rider's hands, I place upon the brake lever near the handle
bar a small screw arrangement, a hole being drilled through the handle bar in any
convenient position for the end of the screw to pass through. A wing-nut or
similar device is placed upon the end of the screw for tightening up, or the lever
may be tapped and a screw passed downwards, the head of the screw having a
suitable hand arrangement for revolving it.
I do not confine myself to fixing the tumbler lever upon the back stays but can
attach it to the bottom fork or compression stays, or to any part of the machine to
which the lever can be affixed. The communicating cord with the tumbling lever
can be led up to the steering handle by any direct or indirect method, either by
rods, chain, or cord, as may be found most convenient.
Bicycles constructed for the use of ladies must necessarily have the tumbler
lever affixed in such a position that the connecting cord will follow alongside the
curved tubes on the lower part of the machine, as shown in Figure 5, Sheet 2 of
these drawings.
D, is the tumbling lever, H, the spring, S, is the communicating cord attached
to the brake lever near the handle, and O is a pulley or sheave fixed in a convenient
position upon the head for guiding the brake cord Š.
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:
-
1. A brake for a bicycle, consisting of a flexible band cord or wire fitting into
a circumferential groove in the side of the rim of one of the road wheels, the
ends of which brake band are connected to opposite arms of a cruciform lever turn-
ing on a fixed central pivot; a second flexible band cord or wire connecting the said
pivoted lever with the ordinary brake lever near to the head of the machine, and
adapted by the ordinary operation of the brake lever to cause the attached flexible
band to pull round or turn the intermediate cruciform lever which causes the
flexible brake band to tighten around the wheel.
2. The combination with one of the road wheels of a cycle, of a circumferential
groove in the side of the rim thereof and a brake consisting of a flexible band
cord or wire fitting into a circumferential groove in the side of the rim of one of the

page_text: road wheels, the ends of which brake band are connected to opposite arms of a
cruciform lever turning on a fixed central pivot; a second flexible band cord or
wire connecting the said pivoted lever with the ordinary brake lever near to the
head of the machine, and adapted by the ordinary operation of the brake lever to
cause the attached flexible band to pull round or turn the intermediate cruciform
lever which causes the flexible brake band to tighten around the wheel.
11
001
1
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.