A New Apparatus for Teaching the Art of Riding on Bicycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Apparatus for Teaching the Art of Riding on Bicycles.
1, KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES, of 92 Victoria Street, Westminster, S. W.,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be na
follows:-
The object of my invention is to enable persons who have not learned to ride on
bicycles to acquire the art on my apparatus which is self supporting and thus the
assistance of an attendant who is usually required to keep the learner upright is
dispensed with.
The principle of my invention consists in mounting the bicycle on a frame-work
which carries rollers on which the wheels of the bicycle rest. The back rollers are
driven by the back wheel of the bicycle and the front rollers or one of them aru
or is driven by being connected in some convenient manner to the back rollers.
The effect of this arrangement is that instead of the bicycle running over tho
ground, the ground, which corresponds to the rollers, slips under the bicycle: and
any tendency of the learner to fall to either sido may be corrected by the learner
by running the front wheel of the bicycle in the direction in which he is falling so
es to bring his base under his centre of gravity as is done with bicycles running on
A road.
In order to assist the learner in keeping his balance I adopt several methods.
I may either attach to the bicycle a heavy hanging weight which lies in the frame-
work so far below the point at which the bicycle wheels are supported as to lower
the contre of gravity of the whole system nearly down to or actually below the
points of support, and thus cause the whole system to be nearly or actually in a
state of stable equilibrium.
Or I may fix a bar or other convenient apparatus to the frame-work of the
bicycle and carry this downwards inside the frame-work below the point where the
bicycle wheels are supported and there connect it in any convenient inanner to
weights or springs in such a manner that any tendency of the learner to fall out of
the perpendicular will be at once resisted by the weights or springs. A very
suitable arrangement for effecting this object consists in fixing a cross-head to the
lower end of the bar at or about the level of the point of support of the bicycle
wheels and attaching each end of this crosshead to a boll crank lever which is
controlled in its movement by means of weights or springs but which is free to
move at right angles to the plane of the bicycle wheels by being able to slide along
a fixed shaft so that the bell crank lever can follow the movement of the biocycl.
from side to side, and at the same time continuously exert a pressure either on one
side or the other to keep the bicycle vertical.
Or I may effect this very conveniently by attaching a crosshead to the lower end
of the bar transversely to the plane of the bicycle, the ends of which will when the
learner has got too far out of the perpendicular como into contact with the ground
or the frame-work and prevent him moving still further out of the perpendicular
and this crosshond may be controlled by springs or be provided with springs and if
dosired rollers at the two ends so as to destroy any jarring movement.
Or I may control the tendency of the learner to fall out of the perpendicular by
meaus of weights or springs attached to the bicyclo above the frame work as for
example by attaching to the upper part of the bicycle near the seat or near the

page_text: handles, if preferred, straps, the other ends of which are connected to springs or
weights either directly or by means of pulleys.
In all cases I make the strain produced by the weights or springs adjustable so
that when the learner first begins he is held upright independently of any effort of
his own, and as he gains confidence the strains are gradually reduced until at last
they are so much reduced that they have no effect in balancing him.
I also provide means for preventing the learner turning the front wheel to too
great an angle which might result in taking the front wheel off the front rollers.
This effect either by means of suitable adjustable flanges on one of the front
rollers or by means of an adjustable fork placed on the frame-work in front of or
behind the front wheel, or in any other convenient manner as for example by
controlling the movement of the huudles.
Dated this First day of March 1895.
A New Apparatus for Teaching the Art of Riding on Bicycles.
I, KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES of 92 Victoria Street, Westminster, S. W.
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to enable persons who have not learned to ride
on bicycles to acquire the art on my apparatus which is self supporting and thus
the assistance of an attendant who is usually required to keep the learner upright
is dispensed with.
The principle of my invention consists in mounting the bicycle on a framework
which carries rullers on which the wheels of the bicycle rest. The back rollera
are driven by the back wheel of the bicycle and the front rollers or one of them
are or is driven by being connected in some convenient manner to the back roller.
The effect of this arrangement is that instead of the bicycle running over the
ground, the ground, which corresponds to the rollers, slips under the bicycle :
and any tendency of the learner to fall to either side may be corrected by the
learner by running the front wheel of the bicycle in the direction in which he is
falling so as to bring his base under his centre of gravity as is done with bicycles
running on the road.
In order to assist the learner in keeping his balance 1 adopt several methods.
I may either attach to the bicycle a heavy hanging weight which lies in the
framework so far below the point at which the bicycle wheels are supported as to
lower the centre of gravity of the whole system nearly down to or actually below
the points of support, and thus cause the whole system to be nearly or actually in
a state of stable equilibrium.
Or may fix a bar or other convenient apparatus to the framework of the
bicycle and connect it in any convenient manuer to weights or springs in such a
inanner that any tendency of the learner to fall out of the perpendicular will be at
once arrested by the weights or springe. A convenient way of doing this is to
make use of the saddle pin and the framework of the back wheel, to which I firmly
attach a light irou frame which at its lower ond carries a cross-head which is so
constructed as to be capable of sliding sideways on a horizontal iron bar, which
bar is controlled at both ends by adjustable springs: this arrangement is illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the annexed drawings, in which A is the light iron frame

page_text: attached to the bicycle, B is the cross-head, C is the horizontal iron bar, the
springs for controlling which bar are marked D:
Fig. 2 is a section through a be, the bicycle being removed in order to make the
drawing clearer.
་
Fig. 3 shows the clamp at the top of the frame for fixing it to the bicycle, being
a section through de.
Fig. 4 represents a very convenient form of bracket for holding and adjusting
the springs; the screws are right and left handed and by turning the hand-wheel E
the springs can be loosened or tightened at will to suit the requirements of the
person using the machine.
In practice it will be found desirable to make the frame A adjustable so as to
fit bicycles of different widths over the axle, and also to fit bicycles having wheels
of different diameters and different shaped frames; the front roller should also be
made adjustable so as to fit bicycles with different wheel bases.
It is obvious
:
that the back wheel of the bicycle may be made to sit on a single roller in the same
way as the front wheel is depicted in Fig. 1, but in this case it will be necessary to
take some suitablo precaution to prevent the bicycle moving forward or backward.
and thus falling off the rollers.
In place of the cross-head sliding on the bar, it may be firmly attached to the
bar, and the bar itself may then be allowed to slide between rollers controlled by
springs placed at each side of the cross-head at a suitable distance therefrom.
And many other modifications will readily suggest themselves which come within
the principle of my invention which consists in controlling the tendency of the
bicycle to fall at the same time leaving the bicycle perfect freedom to move
along the face of the rollers when the user turns the front wheel to one side
or the other.
Another suitable arrangement for effecting this object consists in fixing a cross-
head to the lower end of the bar at or about the level of the point of support
of the bicycle wheels and attaching each end of this cross-head to a bell orank
lever which is controlled in its movements by means of weights or springs but
which is free to move at right angles to the plane of the bicycle wheels by being
able to slide along a fixed shaft so that the bell crank lever can follow the move-
ment of the bicycle from side to side, and at the same time continuously exert a
pressure either on one side or the other to keep the bicycle vertical.
Or I may effect this very conveniently by attaching a cross-head to the lower
end of the bar transversely to the plane of the bicycle, the ends of which will
when the learner has got too far out of the perpendicular come into contact with
the ground or the framework and prevent hin moving still further out of the
perpendicular and this cross-head may be controlled by springs or be provided
with springs or if desired with rollers at the two ends so as to destroy any jarring
movement.
In all cases it is desirable to make the strain produced by the springs or weights
adjustable so that when the learner first begins he is held upright independently of
any effort of his own, and as he gains confidence the strains are gradually reduced
until at last they are so much reduced that they have no effect in balancing him.
I also provide means for preventing the learner turning the front wheel to too
great an angle which might result in taking the front wheel off the front roller.
This I effect either by means of suitable adjustable flanges on one of the front
rollers or by means of an adjustable fork placed on the framework in front of or
behind the front wheel, or in any other convenient manner as for example by
controlling the movement of the handles.
Having now described my invention and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. Supporting a bicycle on rollers which are connected together so that both
the front and back rollers revolve and at the same time controlling the tendency

page_text: of the bicycle to fall out of the vertical position, while leaving it free to move
sideways along the faces of the rollers, substantially as described.
2. The form of apparatus described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Dated this 16th day of November 1895.
KILLINGWORTH W. HEDGES.