GB2376668A

GB2376668A - Bicycle frame mounted handlebar controls attachment

Info

Publication number: GB2376668A
Application number: GB0114986A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lloyd Townsend; Steven Wier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-06-20
Filing date: 2001-06-20
Publication date: 2002-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2021-06-20
Also published as: GB2376668B; GB0114986D0

Abstract

The attachment, which can be fitted or built-into the frame, replicates a portion of a conventional handlebar and thus allows the fitting of handlebar mounted products/controls directly to e.g. a seat post without further modification to such handlebar mounted products or controls.

Description

FRAME MOUNTED HANDLEBAR SHIFTER BRACKET This invention relates to a bicycle frame mounted handlebar controls attachment.

Bicycles have the majority of control levers attached to the handlebars.

This factor allows for easy hand activation of the controls such as brake and gear levers.

BMX bicycles have no gears, and therefore only have 2 brake levers and cables attached to the handlebars. It has become desirable to perform various tricks and stunts on BMX type bicycles requiring the complete rotation of the handlebars. Using normal brake cables and cable routes, this would mean that the brake cables would become tangled.

Several years ago, bicycle engineers developed rotor devices to enable the single rear cable to become split and rotate with the handlebars. (The front cable is passed through a hollow centre bolt in the fork), thus the desired rotation of the handlebars could be achieved without tangling either of the brake cables.

In recent years it has become desirable for certain Mountain Type bicycles to also be able to fully rotate their handlebars. However, the existing BMX rotor devices can only operate one cable, and thus, this presented a problem for Mountain bikes which had gears fitted as well as brakes.

A secondary problem has been the vast selection of different gear shifters, makers and standards employed with the handlebar mounted gear controls.

A common solution has been the removal of the gear system from the Mountain type bicycle.

According to the present invention there is provided a bracket which replicates the handlebar diameter and allows gear and other specific handlebar fitting products to be mounted directly onto the bicycle frame, without further modification.

Thereby by-passing the need to detangle any associated control cables in the event that the bicycle handlebars are rotated and secondly keeping all of the functionality and standards that were employed with the original handlebar designed control lever.

Claims

CLAIMS;

1) An attachment for a bicycle frame which replicates a portion of a handlebar and therefore allows the direct fitting of handlebar designed items to the bicycle frame or seat post, without further modification.

2) An attachment as claimed in claim 1) which can be affixed using any conventional engineering method including the following examples (but not exclusively) welding, brazing, bonding, clamping, bolting or riveting.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 Shows in perspective a clamp-on version, positioned onto the doted line of a frame seat tube.

Fig. 2 Illustrates the fitment of a typical handlebar'Twist-Grip'type gear selector control.

Fig. 3 Illustrates the fitment of a typical handlebar'Rapid-Fire'twin lever type gear selector control.

Fig. 4 Illustrates a perspective view of a typical handlebar designed'Twist-Grip'type gear selector control fitted to a frame seat tube using an example of the invention.