JPH0535573U - Bicycle saddle - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Even when a woman wears a skirt while riding, there is little risk that the skirt will curl up or break in the front part of the saddle, and the saddle will match the physique of the rider. It is constructed so that adjustment of can be performed very easily. [Structure] The front part of the saddle in the front-rear direction can be displaced downward relative to the rear part of the vehicle body.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a bicycle saddle.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 A saddle is provided at the top of the seat pipe to support the weight of the occupant and safely drive and steer the bicycle. The saddle is usually formed in a substantially horizontal saddle shape whose width gradually narrows toward the front in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. And get on with the front part sandwiched.

Various types of saddles are provided according to the type of bicycle. For example, in so-called mini-cycles, the riding distance is short and the vehicle often runs at medium to low speeds. Therefore, the occupant's posture is such that the body stands upright. Therefore, the weight of the occupant is largely supported by the saddle. Therefore, the saddle used in the mini-cycle as described above is generally wide so that the sitting comfort is important and the buttocks can be held securely.

On the other hand, racing bicycles are required to run at high speed. Therefore, the saddle used for this type of bicycle must be designed so that the legs generate the maximum pedaling force and the pedal can be rotated most quickly. For this reason, it is often formed with a narrow width as a whole so as not to hinder the movement of the legs, and is often made of a tough material with little elastic deformation.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, with the popularization of so-called mini-cycles, women are often riding bicycles while wearing skirts. However, as described above, the conventional saddle attached to the minicycle employs a generally horizontally extending saddle having a narrow front portion and a wide rear portion. Therefore, when a woman wears the skirt and gets on and off, the problem that the skirt is rolled up in the front part of the saddle or the skirt is caught in the front part and is torn is likely to occur. Further, during driving, the skirt is sandwiched between the occupant's crotch portion and the front portion of the saddle, thereby hindering the movement of the occupant's legs. For this reason, not only is it difficult to transmit the pedaling force to the pedal, but there is a problem in driving safety.

The same person does not always drive the same bicycle. In other words, the mini cycle is used by men and women of all ages. Therefore, it is possible that a woman wearing a skirt drives as described above, or a child or the like whose legs do not reach the ground while the buttocks are placed on the saddle.

In order to solve the above problems, the angle of the entire saddle can be changed, and the height of the saddle can be adjusted. However, in order to adjust the angle of the saddle and the like, it is necessary to loosen the screws and the like located under the saddle. Therefore, adjusting the saddle is extremely troublesome. In addition, since the conventional saddle is formed integrally and in a fixed shape, the range that can be adjusted to obtain the optimum riding posture even if the vertical height or tilt angle of the saddle is adjusted. limited. Therefore, it may be difficult for the occupant to take an optimal riding posture.

The present invention has been devised under the above circumstances, and solves the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and even when a woman rides in a skirt, the front part of the saddle is It is an object to provide a bicycle saddle in which the skirt is less likely to be flipped up or torn and the saddle can be adjusted extremely easily according to the occupant's body shape and the like.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention takes the following technical means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is characterized in that the front part of the saddle in the front-rear direction can be displaced downward with respect to the rear part of the vehicle body. Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the front portion of the saddle can be tilted forward and obliquely downward by a predetermined angle about the support shaft provided in the width direction at the longitudinal middle portion of the saddle. It is characterized in that it is configured to be able to.

[0010]

[Operation and effect of the device]

 By displacing the front portion of the saddle downward with respect to the rear portion, the front end portion of the saddle is displaced downward from the normal position. Therefore, for example, in a minicycle, when a woman wears a skirt and gets on and off, there is a very small possibility that the skirt will be caught in the front end and flipped up or broken. Further, as in the invention described in claim 2, by tilting the front portion of the saddle forward and obliquely downward with respect to the rear portion, the saddle front end portion where the skirt is easily caught is displaced downward. .. For this reason, for example, when a woman wears a skirt and gets on and off in a mini-cycle or the like, the risk of the skirt being caught in the front end portion and being turned up or broken is extremely small.

Further, since the front part of the saddle is displaced downward, the skirt is less likely to be caught between the occupant's crotch part and the front part of the saddle, and the movement of the leg part is hindered. It never happens. Therefore, the pedaling force can be sufficiently transmitted to the pedal, and the traveling safety is significantly improved.

Further, even when a person whose both legs are not touching the ground is driven with the buttocks placed on the upper surface of the saddle, the front part of the saddle is displaced downwards, and therefore, when the passenger gets on and off the vehicle. It is possible to place the foot on the ground simply by moving the person's buttocks to the front part of the saddle. For this reason, the safety when getting on and off is significantly improved. On the other hand, when the front portion is set to the same height or angle as the rear portion, the front portion can be sandwiched between the occupants' crotch portions as in the conventional saddle. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently transmit the pedaling force to the pedal when driving on a slope that requires a strong pedaling force or when traveling at high speed.

As described above, in the saddle according to the present invention, the height of the front portion of the saddle can be easily displaced according to the type of clothes worn by the passenger and the size of the body. As a result, it becomes possible to adjust the saddle within a range that cannot be adjusted by the conventional saddle, and it is possible to obtain an optimal riding posture and to greatly improve running safety.

[0014]

[Explanation of Examples]

 Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 shows a cross section along a center line of a saddle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, a saddle 1 according to this embodiment includes a saddle body 2 on which a passenger's buttocks are placed, and a connecting mechanism 4 for fixing the saddle body 2 to an upper end portion of a seat pipe 3. It is equipped with.

FIG. 2 is a view of the saddle 1 of FIG. 1 viewed from below. As shown in this figure, the saddle body 2 is formed in a saddle shape having a wide rear portion 5 and a front portion 6 provided so as to project forward from a front edge of the rear portion 5. Has been done. The front portion 6 according to the present embodiment is formed separately from the rear portion 5 and can be tilted obliquely downward to the front via a tilt mechanism 10 as described later. Is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the saddle body 2 according to the present embodiment is made of resin, and although not shown, the surface material is provided on the upper surface or the side surface which comes into contact with the buttocks or legs of the rider. Is attached.

The connecting mechanism 4 includes a pair of rod-shaped supports 7 fixed in a substantially parallel shape on the rear surface of the rear part 5 of the saddle body 2, a rear end of the support 7, and the rear part 5. A pair of cushion springs 8 interposed between the rear surface and the rear surface of the rear portion, a connection provided between the support body 7 and the upper end portion of the seat pipe 3, and fixing the support body 7 to the seat pipe 3. And a member 9. The support 7 is formed in a substantially L shape in a side view, and its front end portion 7a is formed by an embedded bolt 17 embedded and fixed in the front portion of the rear portion 5 and a nut 18 screwed to the embedded bolt 17. While being fixed to the rear portion 5, the rear end portion 7b is connected to the rear portion 5 via the cushion spring 8 so as to have a cushioning property.

In the saddle 1 according to the present embodiment, the front portion 6 of the saddle body 2 is formed separately from the rear portion 5, and the tilt mechanism 10 is provided with respect to the rear portion 5. It is connected so that it can be tilted. The tilt mechanism 10 in the present embodiment is fixed to the rear surface of the front portion 6 of the rear portion 5 and the bracket 11 fixed to the front end of the support body 7 in the form of a fastening. In addition, a front support member 12 that is rotatably supported by the bracket 11, and an operation member 13 that is rotatably attached to the front support member 12 and that regulates the inclination angle of the front portion 6 of the saddle. It is roughly composed of and.

The bracket 11 connects a pair of side wall portions 15 and 15 that face each other in a substantially parallel manner with a predetermined gap in the width direction, and an upper wall portion that connects the upper ends of the side wall portions 15 and extends to both sides. Both sides of the upper wall portion 16 are fastened together with a bolt 17 embedded in the front end portion of the saddle rear portion 5 together with the front end portion 7a of the support body 7 by a nut 18. It is fixed. Further, a support shaft 14 is provided in a lateral direction on the side wall portions 15 and 15, and the arm portion 20 of the front support member 12 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 14. ..

The front support member 12 includes an upper wall portion 21 fixed to the back surface of the front portion 6, and a pair of arm portions 20 extending diagonally rearward and downward from both sides of the upper wall portion 21, The pair of arm portions 20 have a shape in which they are opposed to each other in a substantially parallel manner with a gap slightly larger than the outer dimension in the width direction of the side wall portions 15 and 15 of the bracket 11. Then, the pair of arm portions 20 and 20 are fitted so as to sandwich the side wall portions 15 and 15 of the bracket 11 from the outside, and the support shaft 14 is inserted into the through holes of the side wall portions 15 and 15 and the arm portions 20 and 20. The front portion 6 is rotatably connected to the rear portion 5 by being inserted through.

The operation member 13 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 22 having an intermediate portion extending in the width direction between the arm portions 20 and 20, and an operation arm portion 23 is provided in front of the operation member 13. A restriction arm portion 24 is integrally formed on the rear side. At the front end of the operation arm portion 23, a thick operation portion 25 is provided so that the operation arm portion 23 can be easily rotated by a finger of a passenger. On the other hand, the tip end of the restriction arm portion 24 is configured to be engaged with the engagement step portions 26a and 26b provided on the front surface of the lower end portion of the bracket 11.

Further, the operation member 13 is elastically biased in the counterclockwise direction by a spring 27 in which the intermediate winding portion 27 a is inserted into the support shaft 14 provided on the bracket 11. In the saddle 1 having the above-described structure, when the operation portion 25 is pushed upward, the front portion 6 is provided with a support shaft provided in the width direction in the middle portion as shown by a virtual line in FIG. 1 and a solid line in FIG. It is possible to rotate it from the horizontal direction to the front diagonally downward direction about 14 as a center.

Therefore, at the rotational position of the front portion 6 in which the tip of the regulating arm portion 24 is locked by the lower locking step portion 26b, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The upper surface is inclined forward and downward, and the front end portion of the front portion 6 is displaced downward.

Therefore, even when a woman wearing a skirt gets on and off, there is less possibility that the skirt will be caught in the front end of the front portion 6 and turned up or broken. Further, the skirt is not sandwiched between the occupant's crotch part and the front part 6 of the saddle, and the movement of the legs is not hindered. Therefore, the pedaling force can be sufficiently transmitted to the pedal, and the driving safety is significantly improved. Further, even when a person with both feet not touching the ground is driven with the buttocks placed on the upper surface of the saddle body 2, the front part 6 of the saddle can be inclined forward and downward to get on and off. You can put your foot on the ground just by moving the buttocks to the front of the saddle. As a result, the risk of the bicycle falling over in the event of a sudden stop is reduced, and the safety when getting on and off is significantly improved. On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, when the restriction arm portion 24 is engaged with the upper locking step portion 26a and the front portion 6 is set at the same angle as the rear portion 5, as in the conventional saddle, It is possible to drive by sandwiching the front part 6 between the crotch parts of the occupant. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently transmit the pedaling force to the pedal when driving on a slope where strong pedaling force is required or when traveling at high speed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the rear portion 5 in the present embodiment is formed in an elliptical shape or an oval shape having a major axis in the bicycle width direction, and the rear surface thereof has the above-mentioned shape. A cushion spring 8 is arranged. Therefore, the buttocks of the occupant can be reliably supported and the cushioning property is also good. Therefore, even if the front portion 6 is inclined, the sitting comfort does not deteriorate in the normal running posture.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the operation portion 25 of the operation member 13 is pushed upward to engage the tip end portion of the regulation arm portion 24 with the locking step portions 26a and 26b. It can be canceled. Therefore, the inclination angle of the front portion 6 of the saddle can be set extremely easily according to the clothes worn by the occupant, the physique of the occupant, and the like. As a result, driving safety can be significantly improved.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, when the front portion 6 is inclined downward, no gap is formed between the rear portion 5 and the front portion 6. In the tilt mechanism 10a of this embodiment, one end of an arcuate male member 30 is fixedly provided on the rear surface of the front portion 6, while the male member 30 is slidably accommodated on the rear surface of the rear portion 5. The female member 31 made of the pipe is provided. The front part 6 and the rear part 5 are rotatable about the curvature center O of the male part agent 30 and the female member 31 by the male member 30 sliding inside the female member 31. In the present embodiment, it is configured so that it can rotate about the tangent line L between the front portion 6 and the rear portion 5. Further, the male member 30 and the female member 31 are configured so that they can be easily adjusted and fixed to a desired fitting position by a fixing screw 32. With the above configuration, even when the front portion 6 is inclined, no gap is formed between the front portion 6 and the rear portion 5, so that the riding comfort can be significantly improved, and The same effect as the first embodiment can be expected. FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the front part 6 can be displaced vertically downward with respect to the surface of the rear part 5, and the front part 6 and the rear part 5 are arranged on the front part 6 and the rear part 5. A resin surface material 33 for alleviating a step difference between the surface and the portion 5 is integrally attached. A fixing member 35 having a vertical sliding groove 34 is provided on the rear end rear surface of the rear portion 5, while a fixing member 35 having a vertical sliding groove 34 is fitted on the rear end rear surface of the front portion 6 in the vertical direction. A mounting member 37 having a slidable vehicle width direction pin 36 is provided, and a screw 38 is screwed into an end portion of the pin 36 to fix the pin 36 or the mounting member 37 at a desired height. Is configured as follows. With the above configuration, the front portion 6 can be displaced below the vehicle body with respect to the rear portion 5, and the same effect as that of the first and second embodiments can be expected. Further, the surface material 33 attached to the surface of the saddle is integrally formed of a relatively flexible material such as resin, and a step formed between the front portion 6 and the rear portion 5 by the surface material 33. Can be relaxed. Therefore, the riding comfort can be further improved. In addition, in the present embodiment, the front portion 6 is configured to be displaced vertically downward, but it is also possible to incline the sliding groove 34 and move the front portion 6 in an obliquely downward direction. .. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In the first embodiment, the front portion 6 of the saddle is rotatably supported by the support shaft 14 of the bracket 11 provided on the rear portion 5 of the saddle. 6 can also be supported. Further, the shapes of the saddle front portion 6 and the saddle rear portion 5 are not limited to those in the embodiment, and may be applied to a saddle for a mini-cycle and a saddle for another bicycle such as a saddle for a cycle vehicle. You can Further, the inclination angle of the front portion 6 of the saddle is not limited to that of the embodiment, and it is also possible to set the inclination angle of a plurality of steps of three steps or more.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the axis of a saddle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of the saddle shown in FIG. 1 viewed from below.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the saddle according to the embodiment with one side portion of the saddle body removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Saddle 5 Rear part 6 Front part 14 Spindle

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A bicycle saddle characterized in that the front part of the saddle in the front-rear direction can be displaced toward the lower part of the vehicle body with respect to the rear part. 2. The front part of the saddle can be inclined forward and downward by a predetermined angle around a support shaft provided in the width direction at the middle part of the saddle in the front-rear direction. Characteristic bicycle saddle.