bicycle

Abstract

This product provides a bicycle that can be safely used immediately without adjusting the front brake, even when delivered directly to the user in a folded and compacted packaging state, can be easily transported in a vehicle to a safe park in the suburbs, and can be easily stored indoors. [Solution] The bicycle 1 comprises left and right handlebars 2 to which brake levers 3 are attached and which can be folded backward, a down tube 5 positioned so as to contact the side of the front wheel 4 when the handlebars are rotated approximately 180°, and a band brake assembly 8 provided between the front fork 6 and the hub 7 of the front wheel 4. Because the front brake is a band brake, even if the bicycle is delivered directly to the user, it can be used safely immediately without having to adjust the left and right brake shoes as would be necessary if it had caliper brakes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle that can be miniaturized for storage and transportation while maintaining the basic structure of a normal children's bicycle that allows a child to safely ride, and can be easily and quickly restored for use.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various types of folding bicycles that can be miniaturized for storage and transportation have been provided. For example, the bicycle described in Patent Document 1 is a folding bicycle that can reduce the volume after folding by disassembling the front half of the frame vertically, folding each part, using the horizontal connecting part as the center of folding, and overlapping the front and rear two wheels.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Including the bicycle described in Patent Document 1 above, conventionally provided folding bicycles focus on miniaturization, so for children who are not used to riding, they tend to lack stability in structure. On the other hand, bicycles are generally miniaturized and packed and delivered by manufacturers. The front wheel brakes of such bicycles are caliper brakes or V brakes with a structure that evenly sandwiches the rim with a pair of brake shoes from left and right. In this case, during transportation, the uniformity of the left and right brake shoes may be impaired due to external impacts or interference with unintended brake wires. Therefore, readjustment of the brakes is required before use. Since this adjustment is not easy for users, generally, it is necessary to perform brake adjustment after unpacking at the sales store before delivering to the user. Therefore, one objective of the present invention is to provide a bicycle that can be used safely without adjusting the front brake, even when it is delivered directly to the user in its packaging via mail order. In recent years, in urban areas, there are few suitable places for children to safely practice riding bicycles, so they often seek out parks in the suburbs. In such cases, there is a demand for bicycles that can be easily loaded and unloaded into small vans (like kei cars) so that young children can play safely. Also, in apartment buildings, children's bicycles are often stored on the entrance porch, inside the entrance hall, in the corridor, or on the balcony, but in this case, the handlebars on both sides protrude into the living space, obstructing the passage of other residents. Therefore, another objective of the present invention is to provide a bicycle that has a different configuration from conventional folding bicycles, can be easily made compact for vehicle transport, packaging, and storage, but does not differ significantly from the basic configuration of a child's bicycle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The following description will refer to the reference numerals in the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. To solve the above problems, the bicycle of the present invention is equipped with a band brake assembly 8 between the front fork 6 and the hub 7 of the front wheel 4. The band brake assembly 8 is connected to the brake lever 3 via a brake wire 9. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, since the front brake is a band brake, even a bicycle delivered directly to the user can be safely used immediately without having to adjust the left and right brake shoes, as would be necessary if it had caliper brakes. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a side view of the bicycle according to the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 1 is a side view of the bicycle in its stored state. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows a partial cutaway view of the handlebars in use on a bicycle, with (A) showing the view from the axis of the bend and (B) showing the view from the direction perpendicular to the axis of the bend. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a partial cutaway diagram of the bending process of the handlebars in a bicycle, where (A) is a view from the axis of the bending, and (B) is a view from the direction perpendicular to the axis of the bending. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the band brake section of a bicycle with some parts omitted, and (A) and (B) are views from opposite directions, respectively. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the band brake section of the bicycle with a portion omitted and the brake cover removed, where (A) shows one side and (B) shows the opposite side. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the band brake section of a bicycle, with some parts omitted, and the brake cover is shown separated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1, the bicycle 1 has left and right handlebars 2 to which brake levers 3 are fixed and which can be folded backward. As shown in Figure 2, when the handlebars 2 are folded backward and the handlebars are rotated approximately 180°, the down tube 5 is positioned so that it contacts the side of the front wheel 4. By having the front wheel 4 face backward, the length of the bicycle in the front-to-back direction can be shortened, which leads to a reduction in the packaging size when selling by mail order. A band brake assembly 8 is fixed between the front fork 6 and the hub 7 of the front wheel 4. The band brake assembly 8 is connected to the brake lever 3 via a brake wire 9.

[0009] As clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, the handlebar 2 comprises a base portion 21 fixed to the handlebar stem 11 and a foldable portion 22 pivotally attached to its tip. The base portion 21 has a clevis portion 21a at its tip. The clevis portion 21a is closed forward and open rearward.

[0010] The bent portion 22 has an eye portion 22a on its base end and is pivotally supported by a pivot 23 on the clevis portion 21a so as to be bent only to the rear. The brake lever 3 is fixed to the middle portion of the bent portion 22 and the grip 24 is fixed to the tip portion. A threaded portion 22b is formed on the outer circumference of the middle portion of the bent portion 22.

[0011] A cylindrical locking member 25 is externally fitted to the outer circumference between the base portion 21 and the bent portion 22, allowing it to move axially between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking member 25 has a threaded portion 25a on the inner circumference of the tip end on the bent portion 22 side and a spring-receiving step portion 25b on the inner circumference of the base end, with an internal spring 25c inserted between them. As shown in Figure 3, when the threaded portions 22b and 25a of the locking member 25 are screwed in, the base end abuts against the step portion of the clevis portion 21a, fixing it in the locked position. Also, as shown in Figure 4, when the threaded portions 22b and 25a are unscrewed toward the bent portion 22 side, the locking member 25 can move axially to an unlocked position where the eye portion 22a is exposed, while compressing the internal spring 25c. When the locking member 25 is in the unlocked position, the clevis portion 21a and the eye portion 22a are exposed, allowing the bent portion 22 to be bent. If the threaded portions 22b and 25a are simply unscrewed, the clevis portion 21a and the eye portion 22a will not be exposed, and therefore, bending is not possible in this state. Conventional foldable handles have the drawback of being cumbersome to assemble and adjust the angle of, but with the above configuration, the handle can be easily assembled and angle adjustment is unnecessary.

[0012] The band brake assembly 8 is mounted on the support cover 81, as clearly shown in Figure 6, and includes brake shoes 82, wire locking fittings 83, and a bell crank 84.

[0013] The support cover 81 has a cylindrical portion 81a that rotatably receives a brake drum fixed to the hub 7 of the front wheel 4 and supports a brake shoe 82, and an extension plate portion 81b that extends radially therefrom. The extension plate portion 81b is directed upward and is fixed to the welded piece 61 of the front fork 6 with bolts 62 integrally with the wire locking fitting 83.

[0014] The wire locking fitting 83 is fixed to the upper end portion of the extension plate portion 81b, and the outer wire portion 91 of the brake wire 9 extending from the brake lever 3 is locked thereto.

[0015] The bell crank 84 is pivotally supported on the extension plate portion 81b by a shaft bolt 85. One arm 84a of the bell crank 84 is connected to the brake shoe 82, and the other arm 84b projects upward from the extension plate portion 81b, and the inner wire portion 92 extending from the wire locking fitting 83 is connected to the end thereof.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 5, a brake cover 10 is detachably fitted and fixed to the upper part of the band brake assembly 8 so as to cover from the wire locking fitting 83 to the upward protruding portion of the bell crank 84 and shield the inner wire 92 in the inner space 10a (FIG. 7).

[0017] The brake cover 10 has a function of covering a driving portion exposed upward from the support cover 81 to prevent injury caused by finger insertion and improving the appearance. In the case of the band brake of the rear wheel, the movable part faces downward and is covered by other mechanism parts, so the possibility of inserting a finger there is small. However, in this embodiment, it is attached to the front fork 6 that has no covering around it, and moreover, the movable part projects obliquely forward and upward, so it is necessary to install the brake cover 10 to cover this.

[0018] When storing the bicycle 1 in a packing box or loading it onto an automobile, the handlebar 2 is bent and then the handle is rotated approximately 180°, causing the side surface of the front wheel 4 to abut against the downtube 5 for reduction. In this state, the bicycle 1 can be stably accommodated in a cardboard box for packing or loaded onto an automobile. Since the front wheel 4 faces backward, the length of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction can be shortened, so that the packing size during delivery by mail order can be within the size limit of the carrier (for example, a total of 200 cm for the three sides). Also, since the front wheel brake is a band brake, even when the bicycle 1 is directly delivered from the seller to the user, without adjusting the left and right brake shoes as in the case of a caliper brake, after restoring the handlebar 2, it can be safely started to be used as it is.

Explanation of Signs

[0019] 1 Bicycle 2 Handlebar 21 Base 21a Clevis part 22 Bending part 22a Eye part 22b Screw part 23 Pivot 24 Grip 25 Lock member 25b Spring receiving step part 25c Interior spring 3 Brake lever 4 Front wheel 5 Downtube 6 Front fork 61 Welding piece 62 Bolt 7 Front wheel hub 8 Band brake assembly 81 Support cover 81a Cylindrical part 81b Extended plate part 82 Brake shoe 83 Wire locking fitting 84 Bell crank 85 Shaft bolt 9 Brake wire 91 Outer wire section 92 Inner Wire Section 10 Brake Cover

Claims

1. A bicycle characterized by having a band brake assembly provided between the front fork and the front wheel hub, and connected to the brake lever via a brake wire.

2. The brake levers are fixed and the left and right handlebars can be folded backward, A bicycle characterized by comprising a down tube positioned so as to contact the side of the front wheel when the handlebars are bent and the handlebars are rotated approximately 180°.

3. The band brake assembly has a cylindrical portion that rotatably receives a brake drum fixed to the hub of the front wheel and supports the brake shoe, and an extended plate portion that extends radially therefrom, and a support cover that is fixed to the front fork with the extended plate portion facing upward, A wire locking fitting is fixed to the upper end of the extension plate portion and locks the outer wire of the brake wire extending from the brake lever, The device comprises a bell crank pivotally supported on the extension plate portion, with one arm connected to the brake shoe and the other arm protruding upward from the extension plate portion and having an inner wire extending from the wire locking fitting connected to its end, The bicycle according to claim 1, wherein a brake cover is detachably fitted to the upper part of the band brake assembly, covering the inner wire extending from the wire locking fitting to the upper projection of the bell crank and from the wire locking fitting to the bell crank in an internal space.

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