Patent · US Expired

Discontinuous mechanical advantage front shifting for bicycles

US6282976A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
9References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 20, 1999
Grant dateSep 4, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T74/20438
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A rotatable handgrip twistshifter (10) mountable coaxially about a bicycle handlebar (20) that abruptly or discontinuously increases the mechanical advantage when shifting a front derailleur from a smaller to a larger chainring. A control cable (86) is slidably connected to the handgrip (12) such that during rotation of the handgrip (12) to effect gear shifts from the middle to larger chainrings of a triple chainring crankshaft (40, 41, 42), the cable (86) is abruptly dropped toward the handgrip axis of rotation thereby increasing the mechanical advantage or leverage of the shifter (10). Alternatively, the control cable (86) is slidably connected to the pivot arm (114) of a front derailleur such that during rotation of the handgrip (12) the cable (86) is deflected away from the derailleur pivot axis (207), likewise, increasing the mechanical advantage of the derailleur.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.