A bicycle frame having shock absorbing characteristics. The bicycle frame generally comprises a head tube and a seat tube having an elongate crossbar rigidly attached thereto and extending therebetween. Rigidly attached to and extending between the seat tube and the crossbar is a shock absorber. The bicycle frame further includes first and second chain stay members having front ends pivotally connected to the opposed sides of an axle receiving sleeve attached to the lower end of the seat tube and rear ends adapted to support a tire axle therebetween. Additionally, first and second seat stay members are rigidly attached to and extend between the shock absorber and the rear ends of the chain stay members. Upon the exertion of a downward force to the seat tube, the chain stay members are caused to pivot upwardly thereby compressing the shock absorber via the movement of the seat stay members.
A bicycle shock-absorbing assembly is composed of a connection rod, a position restricting nut, a coil spring, a dustproof jacket, a resilient locating ring, a front reinforcing member, and a rear reinforcing member. The bicycle shock-absorbing assembly is arranged such that it is capable of alleviating the impact force which is transmitted from the bicycle wheels to the top tube, the seat tube, and the down tube of the bicycle.
Suspension system for a bicycle has a damper assembly coupled to a first portion of the bicycle relatively movable to a second portion of the bicycle and includes a hydraulic damper made of polyurethane material. The damper assembly has an outer casing from which extends an arm for applying a torque to the damper. The arm may be segmented or include a series of apertures for coupling to the second portion of the cycle so that the effective length of the arm and the torque applied to the damper can be adjusted to suit the rider's requirements. A link couples the arm to the second portion of the bicycle and the link maybe adjustable in length so that the bicycle geometry can be adjusted.
A mounting structure for a cycle handlebar comprises a stem which is cantilevered to a steer tube connector and is rotatably coupled for relative movement to the steer tube connector with the axis of rotation disposed above the steer tube connector and laterally spaced from the steer tube connector so that the handlebar may be selectively positioned relative to the steer tube connector and the cycle in a multiplicity of desired locations. A resilient damper is disposed between components in the coupling which have a toothed surface to mold the damper into an intermediate gear coupling the components to one another.
A bicycle frame uses an existing frame member--a seat stay--as a spring, and absorbs high frequency, low amplitude vibration with effective damping. The spring force constant can be adjusted for rider weight, riding style, road or terrain conditions, or the like, and the system is lightweight. Each seat stay is connected at a top end to the seat tube, and pivotally connected at the bottom end to the rear drop out, and has a circular arcuate curvature adjacent the bottom end with a radius of between about 11-16 inches and subtending an angle of between about 20-60 degrees. A damping/spring constant increasing element, comprising a metal strip bonded to elastomeric material (such as silicone) having a durometer between about 20-70 Shore A, is bolted to the seat stay convex arcuate portion, and can be replaced with a unit having a different durometer.
A flex joint for a vehicle frame has a flexible member fabricated of a durable material and a body formed upon the flexible member. The body is configured to define a desired bending of the flexible member. Either the flexible member or the body is configured for attachment to two vehicle frame members so as to interconnect the frame members relative to each other and so as to facilitate movement of one of the frame members relative to the other of the frame members substantially according to the desired bending defined by the body.
