Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
  • B62K19/00—Cycle frames
  • B62K19/30—Frame parts shaped to receive other cycle parts or accessories
  • B62K19/36—Frame parts shaped to receive other cycle parts or accessories for attaching saddle pillars, e.g. adjustable during ride
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
  • B62K21/00—Steering devices
  • B62K21/12—Handlebars; Handlebar stems
  • B62K21/16—Handlebars; Handlebar stems having adjustable parts therein

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of the two-wheel vehicles, in particular to bicycles. More specifically this invention concerns a device for changing the riding position as a function of the slope of the road in case both of paved roads and unpaved roads.
• the bicycle in fact does not offer the cyclist any particular driving difficulty both on flat and regular terrain. Under such conditions the position of the whole bicycle-cyclist is sufficiently stable; the centre of gravity of such whole is well centered with respect to the two supports, i.e. the contact points between wheels and ground; and the weight of the cyclist is uniformly distributed on the two wheels.
• the present invention seeks to overcome in a functional and effective way the problem mentioned above by means of a device of simple mechanical design and reliable operation which can be provided both upon manufacturing the bicycles and under the form of a kit ready for assembling and installing on already existing bicycles.
• a device is provided to make both handlebar and saddle movable with respect to the frame of the bicycle, the two movements being correlated to each other so that the raising of the saddle corresponds to the lowering of the handlebar and viceversa.
• the cyclist can control such movements by blocking and releasing the device so as to modify at will his riding position whenever he likes it.
• the paths of saddle and handlebar can also be different.
• Fig. 1 shows schematically the device in the oleodynamic embodiment
• Fig. 2 shows a merely mechanical embodiment
• Fig. 4 shows a positive angular position of the sleeve supporting the saddle with respect to the vertical
• Figs. 5 and 6 show the equilibrium of the weights in a conventional bicycle in a descent and in a hill, respectively;
• Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to Figs. 5 and 6 which show the riding position and the equilibrium of the weight of a bicycle provided with the device according to the invention;
• Fig. 9 show an embodiment provided with a shock absorber
• Fig. 10 shows an embodiment which provides at the same time different paths of the two sleeves relative to the saddle and the handlebar; - -
• Fig. 11 shows the device of the invention applied to the already existing bicycles.
• both sleeve 10 supporting the saddle and stem 11 of the handlebar can slide in their respective housings; chamber 12 and chamber 13 of the frame are completely filled with oil and the passage of oil from one chamber to the other is subjected to the opening of gate valve or cock 14.
• gate valve or cock 14 When facing a hill, the cyclist turns the cock 14 and causes the handlebar to lower and the saddle to raise by standing on the pedals and pressing the handlebar until the desired position is reached.
• the whole assembly is blocked in its position because of the incompressibility of the oil until it is operated again.
• the frame should be designed so as to allow the sleeve 10 supporting the saddle to slide along a direction forming a positive (instead of negative) angle with the vertical. This can be achieved by constructing sleeve 10 so as to be introduced in a tubular column 21 in line with the back fork 22 (see Fig. 4). If necessary, it can be made in a split form to increase the sliding range allowed in the two vertical sleeves. The same split can also be made in the stem supporting the handlebar.
• FIG. 2 A mechanical embodiment is shown in Fig. 2.
• an oscillating arm 15 pivoted at the frame supports at one end the saddle 16 and at the other end a collar 17 in which the sleeve 18 of the handlebar can rotate without sliding and can slide without rotating in a suitable casing 19 integral with the fore fork.
• a mechanical blocking and releasing device formed of a manual control lever 20 which can be provided on the handlebar allows the riding position to be varied and fixed at will.
• the springing effect can be provided by a simple construction arrangement relative to the sleeves supporting the saddle and the handlebar which can slide in the respective columns, as shown in Fig. 9.
• Sleeve 23 includes a chamber 24 closed by an air-tight sliding plunger 25.
• Such chamber 24 is filled with compressed air through valve 26, and spring 27 opposes the sliding of the plunger outwards.
• the saddle (or the handlebar) mounted on such sleeve is protected from impacts and jumps by a compressed air cushion between the saddle or the handlebar and the frame.
• the spring suspension can be adjusted to be harder or softer by suitably regulating the amount of air let into chamber 24 through the above-mentioned valve 26. It should be noted that the movements of the saddle and the handlebar made at the same time but in opposite directions should not be necessarily the same.
• the existing sleeve supporting the saddle and the sleeve supporting the handlebar are replaced by two different elements 10 and 11, respectively, which are manufactured according to the above-mentioned criteria and connected to each other by a hose 28 in which the described blocking and releasing device 14 is provided.

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11400942

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (12)

Citations (5)

• 1992
  • 1992-04-10 IT ITRM920268A patent/IT1254000B/it active
• 1993
  • 1993-04-09 EP EP93911538A patent/EP0633854A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1993-04-09 WO PCT/IT1993/000032 patent/WO1993021056A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

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