GB2638019A

GB2638019A - Fork mount

Info

Publication number: GB2638019A
Application number: GB2401925.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Laight George
Original assignee: Fat Squirrel Ltd
Current assignee: Fat Squirrel Ltd
Priority date: 2024-02-12
Filing date: 2024-02-12
Publication date: 2025-08-13
Also published as: GB202401925D0; WO2025172228A1

Abstract

A fork mount 10 for mounting a bicycle (l, fig 8) has a main body 16 for fixing to a supporting surface (100, fig 8) and a hub 12 for supporting at least one fork leg of the bicycle l. The hub 12 has a through hole 14 for receiving a wheel axle associated with the at least one fork leg to secure the at least one fork leg to the hub 12. The through hole 14 has a longitudinal axis along which the wheel axle lies in use and is fixed to the main body 16 at a selectable angle relative to the support surface 100 to which the main body (16) is fixed in use. The angle is selected to allow a bicycle to be held upright when the steering is set to an angle. Interlocking formations such a pins 34,36 or ridges (42, fig 14) may prevent slippage.

Description

FORK MOUNT

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a fork mount for mounting a wheeled vehicle.

Background

Fork mounts for capturing a bicycle fork and retaining the bicycle for transport, storage, etc. are known. The fork mount may be permanently or removably fixed to a supporting surface, which is typically a horizontal supporting surface such as the floor of a vehicle.

Summary

According to an aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a fork mount for mounting a wheeled vehicle, the fork mount comprising: a main body for fixing to a supporting surface; and a hub for supporting at least one fork leg of the wheeled vehicle; the hub having a through hole for receiving a wheel axle which passes in use through the at least one fork leg of the wheeled vehicle to secure the at least one fork leg to the hub, the through hole having a longitudinal axis along which the wheel axle lies in use; the hub being fixed to the main body to be pivotable about a pivot axis which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the through hole of the hub and generally parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use.

The supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use is typically horizontal or close to horizontal and the main body projects vertically upwards. The hub pivot axis is typically parallel or at least close to parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use.

In use, the front wheel of the wheeled vehicle is removed from the fork leg or legs before at least one fork leg is located to or on the hub. The axle is then passed through the fork leg and into the through hole, and optionally through the other fork leg at the other end of the hub. The hub can be pivoted about the pivot axis. With the handlebar not turned, this allows the wheeled vehicle to be purposefully tilted and transported and/or stored at a slight angle. This is particularly useful as it allows the wheeled vehicle to be located close to a sloping interior van wall or the like. In addition, the whole fork mount can be fixed to the supporting surface to be relatively turned about a vertical axis. As the hub can be pivoted about the pivot axis, this allows the handlebar of the wheeled vehicle to be turned without causing the wheeled vehicle to be pulled or tilted off vertical. This helps to avoid "handlebar clash" between adjacent wheeled vehicles mounted on closely spaced adjacent fork mounts and/or with the sides of a van or trailer or the like to which the fork mount is fixed whilst maintaining the a stable vertical mounting arrangement for the wheeled vehicle.

In an example, the main body comprises an arcuate slot through which a mounting pin passes to pivotably fix the hub to the main body.

In an example, the mounting pin is provided as a separate component which passes through the arcuate slot of the main body into the hub.

The mounting pin may for example be in the form of a locking screw which is screwed into the hub to lock the hub at the desired rotational angle relative to the main body. The hub may also have one or more projecting walls which projects into the arcuate slot to assist in guiding the pivoting movement of the hub relative to the main body.

As an alternative, the mounting pin may be a projection which is integrally formed with the hub to pass through the arcuate slot of the main body. A screw may be provided to pass into the projection on the hub to lock the hub at the desired rotational angle relative to the main body.

In an example, the main body comprises an arcuate surface and the hub comprises a recess having an arcuate portion which slides along the arcuate surface of the main body as the hub pivots about the pivot axis to guide the pivoting movement of the hub.

In an example, at least one of the main body and the hub has a projecting locating pin and the other of the main body and the hub has a plurality of locating recesses which selectively receive the locating pin at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.

In an example, the at least one of the main body and the hub has a plurality of projecting locating pins which are selectively and respectively received in the locating recesses at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.

The locating pins and the locating recesses are arcuately arranged so that different ones of the locating pins and the locating recesses engage as the hub is moved to different rotational angles. This provides a first example of a mechanical lock between the hub and the main body.

In an example, at least one of the main body and the hub has a plurality of projecting teeth and the other of the main body and the hub has a plurality of grooves which selectively receive the projecting teeth at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.

The projecting teeth and the grooves are each arranged in a converging, fanlike manner so that the projecting teeth are respectively received in different ones of the grooves as the hub is moved to different rotational angles. This provides a second 25 example of a mechanical lock between the hub and the main body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

To assist understanding of the present disclosure and to show how embodiments may be put into effect, reference is made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows schematically a perspective view of a bicycle being fitted to an example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure; Figure 2 shows schematically a perspective view of the bicycle fitted to the fork mount; Figure 3 shows schematically a close up perspective view of the fork legs of the bicycle being fitted to the fork mount; Figure 4 shows schematically a front view of a bicycle mounted to a prior art fork mount; Figure 5 shows schematically a more detailed perspective view of a first example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure; Figures 6 to 8 show schematically front views of a bicycle mounted to an example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure in different configurations; Figures 9 and 10 show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a first specific example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure; Figure 11 shows schematically a perspective view of the hub of the first specific example of a fork mount; Figures 12A and 12B show schematically front elevational views of the first specific example of a fork mount with the hub pivoted to different rotational angles; Figures 13 and 14 show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a second specific example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure; and Figures 15 and 16 show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a third specific example of a fork mount according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure describes a fork mount for mounting a wheeled vehicle. The wheeled vehicle may be for example a bicycle, a tricycle, or the like. For brevity, reference will be made herein typically only to the case of the wheeled vehicle being a bicycle, it being understood that the principles discussed herein may be applied to other wheeled vehicles unless the context provides otherwise. It is also mentioned that the forks of bicycles typically have a pair of fork legs which retain the front wheel, with one fork leg on either side of the wheel. However, bicycles that have only a single fork leg for the front wheel are known and it will be understood that the principles discussed herein may be applied to such arrangements. For brevity, reference will sometimes be made herein simply to "fork" which is to be taken to mean one or two fork legs, unless the context requires otherwise. Finally, for completeness, it is mentioned that "fork legs" may often be referred to as "fork blades" or the like.

Fork mounts to which one or more bicycle fork legs of a bicycle are mounted or fixed to retain the bicycle in a substantially upright position for transport, storage, etc. are known. The fork mount may be permanently or removably fixed to a supporting surface, which is typically a horizontal supporting surface such as the floor of a vehicle. The supporting surface may be for example a load area, such as a cargo or storage area of an automobile, such as a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), a cross-over utility vehicle (CUV), a van, and the like, or the bed of a trailer, etc. The fork mount is used to removably fix the bicycle to the load area so that the bicycle can be safely stored and transported. Fork mounts typically include at least a base or main body carrying a central mounting extension or hub configured to support one or two bicycle fork legs of the wheel fork with the front wheel of the bicycle removed. The main body and hub are typically fixed in relation to each other. The main body and hub are often provided as a single integrated item but fork mounts where the main body and hub are separate components are also known.

A problem with mounting bicycles in vehicles or trailers or the like is what may be termed "handlebar clash". This may occur between handlebars of adjacent bicycles mounted on closely spaced adjacent fork mounts when the handlebars strike or become entangled with each other. This may alternatively or additionally occur when the handlebar of a bicycles strikes the side of a van or trailer or the like to which the fork mount is fixed. It will be understood that the space in a van or trailer or the like is often limited and therefore bicycles are often closely spaced next to each other and/or the sides of the van or trailer or the like.

One solution to this is to space adjacent fork mounts relatively forwards and rearwards of each other in the van or the like. This can help avoid the handlebars of adjacent bicycles clashing with each other as the bicycles and therefore the handlebars are spaced from each other lengthwise of the storage area. However, this does not solve the problem of handlebars striking the wall of the van or the like. Further, space in a van or the like is often very limited and there may not be sufficient room available to mount the bicycles relatively forwards and rearwards of each other.

A similar solution is to provide for the hub of the fork mount to be pivotable about a horizontal axis that is generally transverse of the load area. The hub can therefore be pivoted backwards and forwards in such a known arrangement. This allows one bicycle to be moved backwards or forwards relative to an adjacent bicycle. However, this suffers from the same problems as spacing adjacent fork mounts relatively forwards and rearwards of each other discussed above.

Another solution is to rotate the whole fork mount about a vertical axis. This allows the handlebar of the bicycle to be turned, which can help avoid the handlebars of adjacent bicycles clashing with each other as the bicycles and/or the handlebar striking the wall of the van or the like. A problem with this however is that because the fork legs of a bicycle are angled away from vertical (because of a combination of the bicycle frame's head-tube angle and the rake), the bicycle's front axle is only parallel to the ground when the handlebars are straight. As soon as the handlebar is turned, the front axle dips and is no longer parallel to the ground from the point of view of the bicycle. Therefore, in this known solution, the bicycle as a whole is pulled or tilted off vertical. (This is illustrated in Figure 4 which will be discussed further below.) In a fork mount according to the present disclosure, the hub is fixed to the main body to be pivotable about a pivot axis which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the through hole of the hub and generally parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use. That is, the pivot axis of the hub is typically parallel or at least close to parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use. The pivot axis of the hub is therefore typically horizontal and typically parallel to the length of the load area, such as a cargo or storage area of an automobile or trailer or the like. The pivot axis of the hub may therefore be regarded as a longitudinal axis, which is in contrast to the transverse or lateral pivot axis of hubs of some known fork mounts discussed above and in contrast to the vertical pivot axis of hubs of some other known fork mounts discussed above. The hub of the fork mount according to the present disclosure can therefore be pivoted about a longitudinal axis. (This is illustrated in Figures 12A and 12B which will be discussed further below.) The effect of this is that the handlebar of a bicycle mounted to the fork mount can be turned without causing the bicycle to be pulled or tilted off vertical. (This is illustrated in Figure 8 which will be discussed further below.) This allows multiple bikes to be stored and transported close together without the handlebars or the frames themselves clashing and/or helps to avoid clashing with a side wall of a van or the like. In addition, at the option of the user, the hub can be pivoted without turning the handlebar of the bicycle. This means the bicycle can be tilted off vertical if desired. (This is illustrated in Figure 7 which will be discussed further below.) This may be useful in the case that the bicycle is to be mounted close to a sloping wall of a van or the like.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, Figures 1 to 3 illustrate usage of a fork mount 10. The fork mount 10 is secured to a supporting surface 100. The supporting surface 100 may be for example a load area, such as a cargo or storage area of an automobile, such as a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), a cross-over utility vehicle (CUV), a van, and the like, or the bed of a trailer, etc. The supporting surface 100 is typically a horizontal supporting surface. It will be understood however that whilst such supporting surfaces 100 are at least generally horizontal, the supporting surface may be inclined slightly off horizontal, such as up to 5° or 10° or so, depending on the specific arrangement of the vehicle or trailer or the like.

As illustrated in Figure 1, first, the front wheel (not shown) of a bicycle 1 is removed from the fork legs 2 of the bicycle 1. One or both of the fork legs 2 are then located over a hub 12 of the fork mount 10. Typically, one of the fork legs 2 is located over one end of the hub 12 and the other fork leg 2 is located over the other end of the hub 12. The ends of the hub 12 typically fit between the axle apertures or fork ends 3 of the fork legs 2 through which the front wheel axle 4 normally passes.

The front wheel axle 4 or other similar elongate rod is then passed through one of the fork ends 3, through a central longitudinal through hole 14 of the hub 12 and through the other of the fork ends 3, as shown in Figure 2. The wheel axle 4 may be secured in place using wheel nuts, a quick-release mechanism, etc. so as to secure the fork legs 2 and therefore the bicycle 1 to the fork mount 10.

As mentioned above, a problem with mounting bicycles in vehicles or trailers or the like is what may be termed "handlebar clash", where handlebars of adjacent bicycles mounted on closely spaced adjacent fork mounts when the handlebars strike or become entangled with each other and/or the handlebar of a bicycles strikes the side of a van or trailer or the like to which the fork mount is fixed.

Referring to Figure 4, and again as mentioned above, one solution to this is to rotate the whole fork mount 10' about a vertical axis. This allows the handlebar of the bicycle to be turned, which can help avoid the handlebar clashing with adjacent bicycles, side of the van, etc. A problem with this however is that because the fork legs of a bicycle are angled away from vertical, the bicycle's front axle is only parallel to the ground when the handlebars are straight. As soon as the handlebar is turned, the front axle dips and is no longer parallel to the supporting surface 100 from the point of view of the bicycle. Therefore, in this known solution, the bicycle as a whole is pulled or tilted off vertical, as illustrated in Figure 4.

To address this and referring initially to Figure 5, in a fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure, the hub 12 is fixed to the main body 16 of the fork mount 10 to be pivotable about a pivot axis X which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Y of the through hole 14 of the hub and generally parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use. That is, the pivot axis X of the hub 12 is typically parallel or at least close to parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body 16 is fixed in use. The pivot axis X of the hub 12 is therefore typically horizontal and typically generally parallel to the length of the load area, such as a cargo or storage area of an automobile or trailer or the like. The pivot axis X of the hub 12 may therefore be regarded as a longitudinal axis, extending backwards and forwards relative to the storage area, which is in contrast to the transverse or lateral pivot axis of hubs of some known fork mounts discussed above and in contrast to the vertical pivot axis of hubs of some other known fork mounts discussed above. The hub 12 of the fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure can therefore be pivoted sideways, to the left and right, as illustrated in Figures 12A and 12B.

The effect of this is illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 which show schematically front views of a bicycle 1 mounted to an example of a fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure in different configurations.

Referring first to Figure 6, in this configuration, the bicycle 1 is fitted to the fork mount 10 without turning the handlebar 5 and without pivoting the hub 12 away from horizontal. The bicycle 1 is therefore vertical and the handlebar 5 is straight, that is, extending laterally of the length of the bicycle 1. This is perhaps the most stable mounting arrangement for the bicycle 1, though takes up the most room laterally of the bicycle 1.

Referring to Figure 7, in this configuration, the bicycle 1 is fitted to the fork mount 10 without turning the handlebar 5 but the hub 12 is pivoted away from horizontal. The handlebar 5 is therefore straight but the bicycle 1 is tilted off vertical.

This may be useful in the case that the bicycle 1 is to be mounted close to a sloping wall of a van or the like as the handler bar 5 can be tilted away from the wall.

Referring to Figure 8, in this configuration, the fork mount 10 as a whole has been fixed to the supporting surface 100 so as to be rotated about a vertical axis compared to the configurations shown in Figures 6 and 7 and the bicycle 1 is fitted to the fork mount 10 with the handlebar 5 turned. The hub 12 is correspondingly pivoted away from horizontal when the handlebar 5 is turned. The handlebar 5 is therefore moved to avoid handlebar clash with an adjacent bicycle, wall of a van, etc., but the bicycle 1 remains vertical. This is therefore a stable mounting arrangement for the bicycle 1 which takes up less room laterally of the bicycle 1.

A number of different arrangements for enabling the hub 12 to be pivotable about a horizontal, longitudinal pivot axis X are possible. Some specific examples will now be described.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, these show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a first specific example of a fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure, and Figure 11 shows schematically a perspective view of the hub of the first specific example of a fork mount 10. The fork mount 10 has a separate hub 12 and main body 16. It may be noted that a plurality of hubs 12 of different sizes and internal diameters, and/or a range of adapters of different sizes, etc., may be made available to the user in order to accommodate axles and bicycles forks of different sizes. The hub 12 and main body 16 may be formed of a rigid or substantially rigid material. By way of example, the hub 12 and main body 16 may be formed of a metal (e.g., steel, aluminium, titanium, etc.), a metal alloy (e.g., bronze, brass, etc.), or a hard plastics (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), etc.), etc. The hub 12 in this case is in the form of an elongate tube, with the central longitudinal through hole 14 through which the wheel axle 4 is passed in use. Other shapes and forms for the hub 12 are possible. For example, the hub 12 may be provided as two end rings separated and held together by a generally planar member or the like. The main requirements are that the hub 12 is rigid and can accommodate the wheel axle 4.

The main body 16 has a base 18, which in this example is in the form of a planar base plate. The base 18 has at least one through hole 20, and preferably at least two through holes 20, through which fasteners such as bolts, quick-release fasteners, etc. can be passed to fix the main body 16 to the supporting surface 100 of the vehicle or the like. A stem 22 extends upwardly from the base 18. At the top of the stem 22 is a head plate 24. The hub 12 is pivotably fixed to the head plate 24 to fix the hub 12 to the main body 16.

In this example, the main body 16 has an arcuate slot 26, which is provided in the head plate 24. The arcuate slot 26 extends laterally of the main body 16 and so in use typically extends laterally of the supporting surface 100 to which the main body16 is fixed in use. The arcuate slot 26 in effect defines the pivoting movement of the hub 12. In particular, the hub 12 is fixed to the main body 16 by a mounting pin which passes into the arcuate slot 26. In this example, the mounting pin is provided by a lock screw 28 which passes into the arcuate slot 26 and into a screw-threaded recess in the hub 12. The lock screw 28 is tightened and loosened as and when required to allow the hub 12 to pivot relative to the main body 16 and to lock the hub 12 at the desired rotational angle.

In the example shown, the hub 12 has a projecting wall 32, extending around the screw-threaded recess 30, which projects into the arcuate slot 26. The projecting wall 32 assists in guiding the pivoting movement of the hub 12 relative to the main body 16. In particular, the projecting wall 32 may have a diameter that corresponds to the width of the arcuate slot 26, at least at the part of the arcuate slot 26 that faces the hub 12, so that the projecting wall 32 is a sliding fit in the arcuate slot 26.

In this example, the projecting wall 32 extends only partly into arcuate slot 26 and the pivoting movement of the hub 12 is, at least in part, guided and controlled by the lock screw 28 which provides the mounting pin for pivotably fixing the hub 12 to the main body 16. In other examples, the projecting wall 32 may extend fully through the arcuate slot 26, effectively to provide the mounting pin for pivotably fixing the hub 12 to the main body 16. A short lock screw may be provided to screw into the projecting wall 32 to retain the hub 12 fixed to the main body 16.

To assist in locating and retaining the hub 12 at the desired rotational angle, at least one of the main body 16 and the hub 12 has a projecting locating pin and the other of the main body 16 and the hub 12 has a plurality of locating recesses which selectively receive the locating pin. In the example shown, plural locating pins 34 are provided on the hub 12 and plural locating recesses 36 are provided on the main body 16. It will be understood that conversely, the pins 34 may be provided on the main body 16 and the recesses 36 may be provided on the hub 12. In the example shown, the locating pins 34 are provided as two sets of plural locating pins 34, one set being either side of the screw-threaded recess 30 of the hub 12. The locating recesses 36 may likewise be provided as two sets. Each of the sets of locating pins 34 and the locating recesses 36 are arcuately arranged, parallel to or concentric with the arc of the arcuate slot 26. In the example shown, there are more locating recesses 36 than locating pins 34.

In use, the lock screw 28 can be loosened, allowing the hub 12 to be pulled slightly away from the head plate 24 and so pulling the locating pins 34 out of the locating recesses 36 in which they are currently located. The hub 12 can then be pivoted to the desired angle (either directly by hand or as a result of twisting movement of the bicycle 1 as a whole and/or of the handlebar 5). The locating pins 34 will then be located in different respective ones of the locating recesses 36. The lock screw 28 can then be tightened to lock the hub 12 in place.

The locating pins 34 and the locating recesses 36 therefore provide a mechanical lock to lock the hub 12 to the main body 16 at the desired rotational angle.

In this regard, it will be appreciated that bicycles can be relatively heavy and therefore a fork mount 10, and, here, the pivotable hub 12 in particular, can be subject to large forces during movement of a cargo vehicle in which the fork mount 10 and bicycle 1 are mounted. This is particularly the case during turning of the cargo vehicle. Having a strong mechanical lock to lock the hub 12 to the main body 16 is therefore of great value.

It is mentioned above that the pivoting movement of the hub 12 is, at least in part, guided and controlled by the lock screw 28. Alternatively or additionally, the hub 12 and the main body 16 may have other features to guide and control the pivoting movement of the hub 12 relative to the main body 16. For example, as seen most clearly in Figure 9, the main body 16 may have an arcuate surface 50 below the arcuate slot 26 which projects outwardly, towards the hub 12. The arcuate surface 50 is parallel to or concentric with the arc of the arcuate slot 26. Correspondingly, as seen in part in Figure 10 and most clearly in Figure 11, the hub 12 has a cut away or recess 52. The recess 52 has a flat rear wall 54 and an arcuate upper portion 56. The arcuate upper portion 56 is parallel to or concentric with the arc of the arcuate slot 26 and therefore the arcuate surface 50 on the main body 16. As the hub 12 is pivoted relative to the main body 16, the flat rear wall 54 of the recess 52 on the hub 12 slides along a flat wall part 18 on the main body 16 which is below the arcuate surface 50 and the arcuate upper portion 56 of the recess 52 on the hub 12 slides along the arcuate surface 50 on the main body 16.

Referring to Figures 13 and 14, these show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a second specific example of a fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure. Parts that are the same as or that correspond to parts of the first specific example are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated for reasons of brevity.

In the second specific example, a mechanical lock to lock the hub 12 to the main body 16 at the desired rotational angle is provided by projecting teeth and a plurality of grooves which selectively receive the projecting teeth. In particular, at least one of the main body 16 and the hub 12 has a plurality of projecting teeth and the other of the main body 16 and the hub 12 has a plurality of grooves which selectively receive the projecting teeth at different rotational angles of the hub 12 to fix the hub 12 at the selected rotational angle. In the example shown, the projecting teeth 40 are provided on the hub 12 and plurality of grooves 42 are provided on the main body 16.

It will be understood that conversely, the projecting teeth 40 may be provided on the main body 16 and plurality of grooves 42 may be provided on the hub 12. In the example shown, there are two projecting teeth 40, with one tooth 40 on either side of the screw-threaded recess 30 of the hub 12. The plurality of grooves 42 are similarly likewise provided as two sets, one on either side of the arcuate slot 26. In this example, the projecting teeth 40 and the grooves 42 are each arranged in a fan-like manner, converging downwardly as illustrated. As is clear, the projecting teeth 40 are respectively received in different ones of the grooves 42 as the hub 12 is moved to different rotational angles.

Similarly to the first specific example, in use, the lock screw 28 can be loosened, allowing the hub 12 to be pulled slightly away from the head plate 24 and so pulling the teeth 40 out of the grooves 42 in which they are currently located. The hub 12 can then be pivoted to the desired angle (either directly by hand or as a result of twisting movement of the bicycle 1 as a whole and/or of the handlebar 5). The teeth 40 will then be located in different respective ones of the grooves 42. The lock screw 28 can then be tightened to lock the hub 12 in place. The teeth 40 and the grooves 42 therefore provide a mechanical lock to lock the hub 12 to the main body 16 at the desired rotational angle.

Whilst a mechanical lock between the hub 12 and the main body 16 is preferred to provide extra strength and security, it may be sufficient in some cases to rely on friction between the hub 12 and the main body 16, particularly at the engagement between the hub 12 and the head plate 24. Figures 15 and 16 show schematically front and rear exploded perspective views of a third specific example of a fork mount 10 according to the present disclosure which relies on such a friction force. In this example, there is no mechanical lock between the hub 12 and the head plate 24, such as provided by the locating pins 34 and the locating recesses 36 of the first specific example and by the teeth 40 and the grooves 42 of the second specific example. Rather, in this third specific example, the lock screw 28 is simply tightened up when the hub 12 is at the desired rotational angle to provide a frictional lock. Whilst possibly not as secure as a mechanical lock such as provided in the first and second specific examples, this third specific example does have the advantage that the rotational angle of the hub 12 can be freely set and is not limited to the finite set of angles which are available with the locating pins 34 and the locating recesses 36 or the teeth 40 and the grooves 42 of the first and second specific examples.

It may be noted that in the examples above, the arcuate slot 26 defines the pivoting movement of the hub 12. That is, the arc of the arcuate slot 26 is centred on the pivot axis X, which is somewhat below the arcuate slot 26 and the head plate 24.

Correspondingly, in the first specific example, the arcs of the locating pins 34 and the arcs of the locating recesses 36 are centred on the pivot axis X. Likewise, the projecting teeth 40 and the grooves 42 of the second specific example converge on the pivot axis X. However, in yet other examples, the lock screw 28 or other mounting pin may pass through a circular through hole which defines the pivot axis for the hub 12. In that case, the pivot axis X passes through the screw-threaded recess 30 in the hub 12 and the hub 12 simply pivots around that axis, rather than sliding around an arc as in the example described above. However, that may not be optimal and an arcuate movement of the hub 12 with a displaced pivot axis Xis preferred. In particular, the pivot axis Xis displaced to achieve as large a distance or radius between the pivot axis X and the arcuate slot 26 as possible. This has two benefits. First, increasing the distance between the centre of rotation and the lock screw 28 increases the torque that the whole assembly can withstand. In practice, torque is applied to the fork mount pivot joint when the van or other vehicle goes around a corner due to the mass of the bike. As is known, torque = force x radius. Therefore, increasing the distance between the pivot axis X and the locking screw 28 increases the torque the joint can withstand. It is noted that this is particularly useful for examples that rely on friction, as shown in Figures 15 and 16. Secondly, increasing the distance between the pivot axis X and the arcuate slot 26 also means the locating pins 34 of the example shown in Figures 9 to 11 sit on a larger circumference, meaning they sit further apart from one another even with the same angle between them. If the distance between the pivot axis X and the arcuate slot 26 was too small, then the pins 34 sit too close together and the locating recesses 36 in which they sit merge. There needs to be sufficient material between the locating recesses 36 for strength.

The examples described herein are to be understood as illustrative examples of embodiments of the invention. Further embodiments and examples are envisaged. Any feature described in relation to any one example or embodiment may be used alone or in combination with other features. In addition, any feature described in relation to any one example or embodiment may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the examples or embodiments, or any combination of any other of the examples or embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described herein may also be employed within the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A fork mount for mounting a wheeled vehicle, the fork mount comprising: a main body for fixing to a supporting surface; and a hub for supporting at least one fork leg of the wheeled vehicle; the hub having a through hole for receiving a wheel axle which passes in use through the at least one fork leg of the wheeled vehicle to secure the at least one fork leg to the hub, the through hole having a longitudinal axis along which the wheel axle lies in use; the hub being fixed to the main body to be pivotable about a pivot axis which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the through hole of the hub and generally parallel to the plane of the supporting surface to which the main body is fixed in use.
2. A fork mount according to claim 1, wherein the main body comprises an arcuate slot through which a mounting pin passes to pivotably fix the hub to the main body.
3. A fork mount according to claim 2, wherein the mounting pin is provided as a separate component which passes through the arcuate slot of the main body into the hub.
4. A fork mount according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body comprises an arcuate surface and the hub comprises a recess having an arcuate portion which slides along the arcuate surface of the main body as the hub pivots about the pivot axis to guide the pivoting movement of the hub.
5. A fork mount according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the main body and the hub has a projecting locating pin and the other of the main body and the hub has a plurality of locating recesses which selectively receive the locating pin at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.
6. A fork mount according to claim 5, wherein the at least one of the main body and the hub has a plurality of projecting locating pins which are selectively and respectively received in the locating recesses at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.
7. A fork mount according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the main body and the hub has a plurality of projecting teeth and the other of the main body and the hub has a plurality of grooves which selectively receive the projecting teeth at different rotational angles of the hub to fix the hub at the selected rotational angle.