DE20310498U1 - Adjustable bicycle shaft has a tube with a toothed section on the upped tube end and a side tube with a connecting part whose end has a rotating connection - Google Patents

Abstract

The adjustable bicycle shaft has a tube (10) with a toothed section (101) on the upped tube end and a side tube (20) with a connecting part (202) whose end has a rotating connection on one side of the vertical tube. The shaft also has a recess (204) in the base end and a hole (205) in the side of the tube. A gripping block (30) has a toothed section (301) with a longitudinal hole (302).

Description

Dipl.-Ing. A. Wasmeier

Dipl.-Ing. H. Graf

Authorized before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office · Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office

Patent Attorneys PO Box 10 08 26 93008 Regensburg

German Patent and Trademark Office Zweibrückenstr.

80297 Munich

D-93008 REGENSBURG P.O. BOX 10 08

D-93055 REGENSBURG GREFLINGERSTRASSE

phone

(0941)79 20 (0941)79 20 (0941)79 51

Fax E-mail: wasmeier-graf@t-online.de

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H/g 2λ.275

date

08 July 2001 W/He

Applicant:

Hsin Lung Accessories Co. Ltd.
No. 18, Kuang Fu North Road,
Hu Ko Hsiang,
Hsin Chu Hsien,
Taiwan, ROC

Title:

Adjustable stem for a bicycle

Accounts: HypoVereinstia^k (ß,L£750 2£0 73J.5 8,3,9,^00 Place of jurisdiction Regensburg

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Adjustable stem for a bicycle

BACKGROUND OF THE INNOVATION

1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to a shaft, in particular a shaft for a bicycle, which can be adjusted in angle.

2. Description of the state of the art

A conventional bicycle stem has a side tube that is completely brazed or welded to the peripheral wall at the top of a vertical tube; the bicycle handlebar is fixed with a clamp member at the front end of the side tube. This prevents the angle between the side tube and the vertical tube from being adjusted, that is, the side tube cannot be adjusted in the up and down directions and, as a result, the handlebar cannot be adjusted in height with the clamp member at the front end of the side tube. Such a structure does not meet the needs of cyclists of different heights and cannot provide optimal comfort when riding. Even if angle-adjustable bicycle stems are available on the market, a cyclist must have his own tools ready to disassemble and re-tighten the parts during the adjustment process, which is often very laborious.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INNOVATION

The aim of the innovation is to provide an angle-adjustable stem for a bicycle, which allows for a quick adjustment of the size of the angle of the lateral

tube as desired or required by the cyclist, does not require any tools.

To solve this problem, the present invention proposes an adjustable stem for a bicycle, which has

a vertical tube having a toothed portion formed at an upper end thereof, a side tube having one end pivotally connected to the upper end of the vertical tube and a recess at the bottom end, an engagement block fitted into the recess at the bottom end of the side tube and having a toothed portion on the side surface engaging with the toothed portion of the vertical tube, and a cutting release device controlling engagement and disengagement of the toothed portion of the engagement block with the toothed portion of the vertical tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawings, which show:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the bicycle shaft according to the innovation, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bicycle shaft according to the innovation in the

assembled form,
Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the bicycle shaft according to the innovation in the

assembled form, in side view, and Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the innovation.

A21275 DOC · JJ

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a preferred embodiment of the innovation, according to which the shaft for a bicycle comprises a vertical tube 10, a lateral tube 20, an engagement block 30 and a quick release device 40.

At one end of the side tube 20, a clamping device 201 for securing the handlebar is arranged, another end is provided with a connecting component 202. The connecting component 202 in conjunction with a pivot axis 203 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the vertical tube 10 so that the side tube 20 can pivot with the pivot axis 203. The pivot axis 203 is inserted into the opening on the side of the upper part of the vertical tube 10 and is fixed therein immovably. In addition, a toothed portion 101 is formed at the upper end of the vertical tube 10 and a recess 204 at the bottom end of the side tube 20. The bottom part of the recess 204 has a through hole 205 which runs through the upper surface of the side tube.

The engagement block 30 is formed with a toothed portion 301 on its side surface and has an elongated bore 302. The engagement block 30 can be inserted into the recess 204 at the bottom end of the lateral tube 20 such that the bore 302 is aligned with the through-bore 205 and the toothed portion 301 engages with the toothed portion 101 of the vertical tube 10.

The quick release device 40 has an eccentric rotary component 401, a drive rod 402 and a lever 403. The rotary component 401 is connected to the lever 403. The drive rod 402 is connected at one end to a rotation axis 404 of the rotary component 401 and another end (free end) is provided with a threaded part 405. The drive rod 402 is passed through the through hole 205 of the side tube 20 and the hole 302 of the engagement block

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and a screw nut 406 is screwed onto it so that the engagement block 30 is positioned in the recess 204 and does not fall off. Once the lever 403 is operated, the eccentric rotary member 401 is actuated to rotate the up and down movement of the drive rod 402. In addition, slight adjustment of the nut 406 is possible, which facilitates effective tightening of the cutting release device 40.

When the lever 403 has been pulled to the horizontal position, the eccentric rotary member 401 rotates so that the actuator 402 is advanced and moved upward. The engagement block 30 is raised and the toothed portion 301 comes into contact and engagement with the toothed portion 101 of the vertical tube 10. Thus, the lateral tube 20 is fixed and no longer movable.

In connection with Fig. 4, the lever 403 is actuated upwardly to a vertical position. This causes a change in the eccentric position of the rotary member 401 such that the drive rod 402 moves downwardly and causes the engagement block 30 to move downwardly. The toothed portion 301 of the engagement block 30 is not in contact with the toothed portion 101 of the vertical tube 10. This allows the lateral tube 20 to be rotated downwardly or upwardly to the desired angular position. The drive rod 402 is then pushed downwardly and causes the engagement block 30 to rotate such that the toothed portion 301 of the engagement block 30 engages the toothed portion 101 of the vertical tube 10. The lateral tube 20 is thus positioned and prevented from moving upwardly or downwardly. The adjustment of the angle of the side tube 20 is achieved accordingly.

The innovation is a quick-release device and does not require any tools that the cyclist needs to quickly adjust the angle of the side tube.

A21275DOC j ; ;

Claims (2)

1. Adjustable stem for a bicycle, characterized by a vertical tube ( 10 ) with a toothed section ( 101 ) at the upper end of the tube,
a side tube ( 20 ) having a connecting member ( 202 ) provided at one end for pivotal connection to the side of the upper end of the vertical tube ( 10 ) and a recess ( 204 ) at the bottom end, the recess ( 204 ) being provided with a through hole ( 205 ) passing through the top of the side tube ( 20 ),
an engagement block ( 30 ) with a toothed portion ( 301 ) on the side surface of the block and a longitudinal bore ( 302 ), the engagement block ( 30 ) engaging in the recess ( 204 ) at the bottom end of the lateral tube ( 20 ), and the toothed portion ( 301 ) of the engagement block ( 30 ) being engageable with the toothed portion ( 204 ) of the vertical tube ( 10 ), and
a quick release device ( 40 ) with an eccentric rotary component ( 401 ), a drive rod ( 402 ) and a lever ( 403 ), wherein the rotary component ( 401 ) is connected to the lever ( 403 ) and the drive rod ( 402 ) and the eccentric rotary component ( 401 ) are pivotable relative to one another, and the drive rod ( 402 ) is inserted into the through hole ( 205 ) of the side tube ( 20 ) and through the hole ( 302 ) of the engagement block ( 30 ) and is fixed thereto such that the engagement block ( 30 ) is positioned in the recess. 2. Adjustable stem for a bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the free end of the drive rod ( 402 ) is provided with a threaded part ( 405 ) onto which a nut ( 406 ) is screwed to achieve easy adjustment.