Patent ID: 7497454

Claim:
A bicycle fork comprising: an upper fork having a stem, a joint, a first internal tube, and a second internal tube; a first external foot telescopically engaging the first internal tube; a second external foot telescopically engaging the second internal tube; a shock absorber operably mounted within the first external foot; and a locking mechanism operably mounted within the second external foot, the locking mechanism comprising: a locking sheath; an adjusting rod slidably engaging the locking sheath, the adjusting rod rotating with respect to the locking sheath between a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration; a first interlocking element of the adjusting rod; and a second interlocking element of the locking sheath, the first and second interlocking elements lockingly engaging each other when the adjusting rod is rotated to the locked configuration, and the first and second interlocking elements being disengaged from each other when the adjusting rod is rotated to the unlocked configuration, wherein the first interlocking element is a slot in the adjustment rod, and wherein the second interlocking element is an external thread in the locking sheath.