JPH11268679A - Bicycle of easy front fork removal type - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a packing form of a bicycle compact and simplify assembly into a complete bicycle by providing an inside screw portion or the front fork stem upper end face and fixing by screwing a tip outside screw of a front fork fixing bolt inside the inside screw to support a front wheel unit. SOLUTION: A front fork fixing bolt 21 has a length sufficient for reaching a front fork stem 13 of a front wheel unit a tip of which has been inserted from a lower side when the front fork fixing bolt 21 is inserted from an upper end of a handle stem 18 installed on the inner pipe. An outside screw is provided on an outer peripheral surface of a tip portion and a manual rotation means 23 capable of easily tightening or loosening manually is installed on an upper end of the fork fixing bolt 21. Further, the front fork fixing bolt 21 is formed in a shape with hexagonal cross section or other polygonal shapes so as to prevent rotation deviation when the fork stem is inserted in the inner pipe. This allows a simple assembly without requiring special experience or technique.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a bicycle having a front wheel unit as a unit, and it is an object of the present invention to facilitate shipment, transportation and storage and to facilitate assembly.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a general bicycle, an upper pipe, a lower pipe, a vertical pipe, a head tube, a seat stay (back fork), and a chain stay are so-called diamond-shaped through a hanger lug, a head lug, and a seat lug. Most have a structure in which a front wheel and a rear wheel are attached to a frame integrally connected to a staggered type or the like.

[0003] In particular, with regard to the mounting of the front wheel, a front fork stem of a front fork supporting the front wheel is inserted from below into a head pipe held by a head lug, and a retainer, a bowl, a cap nut or the like is attached to the head pipe. Front fork mounted rotatably using a so-called ball-adjusting headset (wheeling type) or a bowl-adjusting headset (road type) using various small head parts. A handlebar stem is inserted into the stem from its upper end, and a pull-up rod penetrated into the handlebar stem is rotated by a screw portion at its upper end to screw a screw into a lower end of the handlebar inside the front fork stem. The handle is fixed by being pressed against the peripheral surface.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional bicycle having a general structure, the overall size of the bicycle is too large in consideration of the width of the handle and the protruding front wheel, etc. In order to ship the product, the handle, stand and saddle are removed, and the front wheel is removed from the front fork, and these are packed in a single large cardboard box for shipment, transportation, or storage. This has made it possible to streamline distribution to some extent, but due to the presence of a front fork that protrudes forward, the packaging box still has to be larger, resulting in higher distribution costs, and sales outlets. Does not have much inventory.

[0005] In addition, even when the bicycle is taken out of the packaging box and assembled into a completed vehicle, the assembly requires a certain amount of experience and special skills, and therefore it is impossible to assemble it unless a specialized trader. . For this reason, it is difficult to purchase a bicycle other than through a bicycle dealer or a store where there is a person having expertise in bicycle assembly.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, makes the packaging of a bicycle more compact, and facilitates assembly into a completed vehicle, thereby further reducing distribution costs. In addition to facilitating inventory management at retail stores, it is also possible to purchase items by mail order, and also to load goods into general passenger cars, thereby further increasing the practicality.

That is, according to the present invention, an inner pipe having a handle stem integrally joined thereto, which is rotatably held in a head pipe, and a front fork stem inserted from below into the inner pipe. A front wheel unit to be held and a front fork fixing bolt which is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at an upper end, and is externally threaded at a tip end. The front fork stem is provided with an internal thread at its upper end surface, and the front end of the front fork fixing bolt is screwed and fixed in the internal thread to support the front wheel unit. The present invention relates to a front fork easily detachable bicycle.

The present invention also provides an inner pipe having a handle stem integrally joined thereto, which is rotatably held in a head pipe, and a front fork stem inserted through the inner pipe from below. And a front fork fixing bolt that is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at the upper end, and has an external thread at the tip, and the front wheel unit has a front fork. While being rotatably supported,
An inner thread is provided at the upper end of the front fork stem, and an outer screw at the tip of a front fork fixing bolt is screwed and fixed in the inner thread to support the front wheel unit. The present invention also relates to a front fork easily detachable bicycle, which is provided with a front basket fixing member protruding forward from a running portion.

Further, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned handle stem can be freely changed within a range of 90 degrees with respect to the front wheel, and / or the outer peripheral surface of the front fork stem of the front wheel unit has a polygonal cross section. The present invention also relates to a front fork easily detachable bicycle in which the inner peripheral surface of the corresponding inner pipe is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer peripheral surface shape of the front fork stem.

In the above configuration, when the manual turning means is loosened and the front fork fixing bolt is rotated to the loosening side to remove the distal end external thread from the internal thread at the upper end of the front fork stem, the front wheel unit is in a free state. In this state, the front wheel unit can be removed from the body frame together with the front fork by pulling the front fork stem downward from the inner pipe in the head pipe.
In this case, in the case where the front fork of the front wheel unit is provided with a front basket fixing member projecting forward from the fork shoulder toward the traveling front, if it is only possible to attach the front basket using this, When removing the front fork from the bicycle frame together with the front wheel, it is possible to more easily remove the front wheel unit by holding the bicycle frame with one hand and holding the front basket fixing member of the front fork with the other hand become.

Further, in this case, when the handle stem is configured to be variable within a range of 90 degrees with respect to the direction of the front wheel, the handle stem is changed by 90 degrees with respect to the front wheel, and Along the body frame to reduce the width dimension, and the outer peripheral surface of the front fork stem of the front wheel unit has a polygonal cross-section, and the corresponding inner peripheral surface of the inner pipe is In the case of a polygonal shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape, the mounting position of the handle stem with respect to the front fork stem is easily adjusted.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The specific contents of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment.
Represents the entire body frame, 2 is a head pipe forming a head lug, 9 is a front wheel unit held by an inner pipe in the head pipe 2, 21 is a front fork fixing bolt, 18 is a handle stem, and 24 is a handle. An elbow 41 for attaching a handlebar fixed to an upper portion of the stem 18 represents a front basket fixing member. The head pipe 2 has a protruding connecting portion for connecting to the upper pipe 5, the lower pipe 6, and the like, and forms a head lug itself, and includes a hanger lug (not shown) and a seat lug (not shown). And a lower pipe 6 interposed between the hanger lug and a lower part thereof, and a lower pipe 6 interposed between the hanger lug and the seat lug in the upper part. One end of each of the upper pipes 5 interposed between the vertical pipes (not shown) and an intermediate portion thereof is integrally connected by welding.

As shown in FIG. 3, the head pipe 2 has a hollow tubular inner pipe 17 coaxially inserted therein and a flange 17a formed at the lower end thereof. Further, the lower end of the inner pipe 17 is connected to the head pipe 2 by the lower head part 4 with the flange 17a protruding downward, and the upper end is formed by the upper head part 3 with the flange 17a protruded upward. The inner pipe 17 is rotatably fixed to the head pipe 2.
The inner peripheral surface of the inner pipe 17 may be a normal circular shape. However, in order to further prevent a rotational displacement when a front fork stem of a front wheel unit, which will be described later, is inserted, the fitting state is further ensured. It is preferable that the section is formed in a hexagonal section as shown in the figure, or in a polygonal section such as a square section or an octagon.

Further, the handle stem 18 is hollow inside, and at least the lower end has a thickness fitting into the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the inner pipe 17, and a collar 19 is embedded in the upper end. The handle stem 18 is inserted from above into the inner peripheral surface of the upper part of the inner pipe 17, and is integrally welded to the upper end opening edge of the inner pipe 17. A basket bracket 7 is integrally fastened and fixed by a cap nut 8 to an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the inner pipe 17 projecting above the head pipe 2. Furthermore, front fork fixing bolt 2
1 has a length enough to be inserted from the upper end of the handle stem 18 attached to the inner pipe 17 and reach the front fork stem 13 of the front wheel unit 9 whose tip is inserted into the inner pipe 17 from below. An outer screw 22 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion, and a manual rotating means 23 which can be easily tightened or loosened manually is attached to the upper end.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the elbow 24 includes a base pipe 25 and a movable pipe 3 coaxially and rotatably fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the base pipe 25.
0, and a branch arm 37 integrally attached to the movable pipe 30. Base pipe 2
5 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the handle stem 18 and has a slit (not shown) formed in the back side in the vertical direction, and a pair of right and left fixing portions 26 is provided at both ends of the slit. The tightening screw 27 is screwed into the pair of fixing portions to reduce the width of the slit, thereby connecting the base pipe 25 to the handle stem 1.
8 can be integrally fixed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the base pipe 25 is formed with a flange 28 protruding in the outer peripheral direction.
A protrusion 29 is formed at one location on the side surface in the circumferential direction of 5.
In this case, the shape of the protrusion 29 in this embodiment is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape in the present embodiment, but may be other shapes such as a hemisphere. Reference numeral 25b denotes an external thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end edge of the base pipe 25. The movable pipe 30 has a slit 31 formed in the vertical direction on the back surface similarly to the base pipe 25 described above, and a pair of right and left fixed portions 32 are provided on both sides of the slit 31 so as to face each other with the slit 31 interposed therebetween. A fastening bolt 33 is attached across the pair of fixing portions 32, and a quick lever 34 which can be freely tilted by a shaft 34 a is attached to one end of the fastening bolt 33.

A spring case 35 is provided at the upper end of the movable pipe 30. A coil-shaped spring S is inserted into the spring case 35, and a set screw 36 is attached from above to the base pipe 25. The movable pipe 30 is constantly screwed into an external thread 25b formed at the upper end of the base pipe 25 to press the spring S.
In the direction of the flange 28. Reference numeral 25a denotes a lower end edge of the movable pipe 30, which represents a semicircular cutout portion formed at one location in the circumferential direction.

Therefore, when the quick lever 34 is rotated to the loosening side to loosen the tightening bolt 33, the movable pipe 30 can be rotated with respect to the base pipe 25 along the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the notch 25a is formed. Protrusion 2
When the position coincides with 9, the handlebar H is in the normal position (running state) as shown in FIG. 4, and the quick lever 34 is operated and tightened and fixed at this position to allow for traveling.

Further, when the quick lever 34 is loosened and the rotary pipe 30 is displaced in the direction perpendicular to this position, the slit 31 on the rear surface coincides with the projection 29 described above (FIG. 5).
The handlebar H can be parallel to the front and rear direction of the vehicle body. At this position, the quick lever 34 is operated to be tightened and fixed, so that it is compacted and packed in a box, and factory shipment, transportation, and warehouse management are performed. It can also be compacted after traveling and put indoors, and further stored in the trunk of a passenger car. On the other hand, a tip of the branch arm 37 has an annular holding portion 38, and a screw holder 39 is attached to one end of the holding portion 38, and a set screw 40 is screwed into the screw holder 39. Handlebar H held by holding portion 38
Are integrally tightened and fixed to the branch arm 37.

The front wheel unit 9 extends upward from the center of a front fork 10, a front wheel 16 rotatably held by left and right tip claws 12 of the front fork 10, and a shoulder 11 of the front fork 10. Front fork stem 13
A nut 14 having an internal thread 15 at the center is integrally attached to the upper end surface of the front fork stem 13, and the outer peripheral surface of the front fork stem 13 is
The inner pipe 17 in the head pipe 2 has a polygonal shape that matches the inner peripheral surface shape of the inner pipe 17.

Further, the front cage fixing member 41 is formed by bending an elongated metal plate and fixing one end thereof to the shoulder portion 11 of the front fork 10 with a screw 42 and protruding forward.
More preferably, the distal end is joined to the upper end of a front basket holding bar 43 fixed to the front wheel axle B of the front wheel unit 9 together. The front basket fixing member 41 used in this case is not necessarily limited to the above-described elongated metal plate, but may be a metal rod, another hard synthetic resin material, or the like.

Further, the bent shape of the front basket fixing member 41 is not necessarily constant depending on the shape of the front basket to be attached. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a step 41a is formed near the tip end, and this step is formed. The portion 41a is fixed to the bottom surface of the front basket 47, has a downwardly bent piece 44b at the rear, and has a pair of left and right claws 44a protruding forward. Claw 44a of front cage bottom plate mounting bracket 44
The front basket 47 can be detachably attached simply by engaging the front basket holding bar 43 with the lower side of the front basket holding bar 43.

As shown schematically in FIG. 9, the front basket 47 in this case has a handle 47b, and a fixed bar 47a is attached to the back side.
a is engaged in the hanger groove 46 with a lock of the cage fixing device 45 attached to the basket bracket 7 to reinforce the mounting state of the front basket 47, and the basket fixing device 45 releases the hanger groove 46 by one-touch operation. The front basket 47 can be easily removed.

In the above configuration, the handle stem 1
8, a base pipe 25 of an elbow 24
Tighten and fix with the tightening screw 27, and branch arm 3
After the handlebar H is attached to the holding portion 38 of FIG. 7 and the direction of the handlebar H is determined by operating the quick lever 34, the handlebar H is fastened and fixed by the quick lever 34. Next, the front fork stem 13 is inserted into the inner pipe 17 in the head pipe 2 from below, and the front fork fixing bolt 21 is inserted from the upper end of the handle stem 18 into the handle stem 18, and the manual turning means 23 is turned on. By operating, the external thread portion 22 provided at the tip portion is screwed and fixed into the nut 14 provided at the upper end portion of the front fork stem 13 to support the front wheel unit 9 (see FIG. 8).

When removing the front wheel unit 9,
By operating the above-mentioned manual turning means 23 in the opposite direction, the screwing between the tip of the front fork fixing bolt 21 and the front fork stem 13 of the front wheel unit 9 is released, and the handlebar H or the head pipe 2 is supported with one hand. Then, remove the front wheel unit 9 with the other hand. In this case, when the front basket fixing member 41 is attached,
By operating the cage fixing device 45 to release the lock from the hanger groove 46, the fixing bar 47 a of the front basket 47 is removed, and the rear portion of the front basket 47 is lifted upward, so that the claw 4 of the front basket bottom plate mounting bracket 44 is removed.
After removing the front basket 4a from the front basket holding bar 43 and removing the front basket holding bar 43, the front wheel unit 9 is removed by holding the front basket fixing member 41 and operating the manual turning means 23 described above.

Further, at the time of factory shipment, transportation, or storage in a warehouse, it is packed in a cardboard box. In this case, not only is the above-mentioned front wheel unit 9 removed from the body frame, but also the quick lever 34 of the elbow 24 is moved. By operating and loosening the tightening, the movable pipe 30 is rotated by about 90 degrees to make the handlebar H parallel to the body frame, so that the package is compacted, and thereby, it can be packed in a relatively small cardboard box. By making the handlebar H parallel to the vehicle body frame, it is possible to reduce the gap between adjacent bicycles even when bicycles are parked, thereby facilitating bicycle parking.

[0027]

According to the present invention, as described above, an inner pipe having a handle stem integrally joined thereto, which is rotatably held in a head pipe, and a front fork inserted from below into the inner pipe. A front wheel unit which is inserted into and held by the stem, and a front fork fixing bolt which is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at the upper end, and has an external thread at the tip. The front wheel is rotatably supported by the front fork, an inner thread is provided on the upper end surface of the front fork stem, and the front outer screw of the front fork fixing bolt is screwed into the inner thread to fix the front wheel unit. Because it is designed to be supported, the front wheel unit is removed and the handlebar is parallel to the body frame when shipping, transporting, and storing in the warehouse. Reducing the projecting portion, such as by, in order to be able to boxed it in the compact packing style relatively small in one of the cardboard box, it is possible to reduce and space saving of distribution costs.

In addition, even when the bicycle is taken out of the packaging box and the bicycle is assembled into a completed vehicle, the front wheels are unitized together with the front fork. It can be packed in a state, and can be easily assembled by anyone without special assembly experience and skills when assembling, so it can be sold not only at bicycle stores but also at other stores At the same time, loading on passenger cars is facilitated and mail-order sales can be carried out, so that the conventional bicycle distribution mechanism can be fundamentally reformed.

Further, an inner pipe in which a handle stem is integrally joined above the portion rotatably held in the head pipe, and a front wheel unit in which a front fork stem is inserted from below into the inner pipe. A front fork fixing bolt which is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at the upper end, and has an external thread at its tip, and the front wheel unit is rotatably supported by the front fork. In addition, an inner thread portion is provided on the upper end portion of the front fork stem, and a front outer screw of a front fork fixing bolt is screwed and fixed in the inner thread portion to support the front wheel unit. Is provided with a front cage fixing member protruding forward from the shoulder of the fork. When removing the knit, in order to be able to support the entire wheel unit with a basket fixing member before which projects toward the travel forward, more it is possible to further improving workability.

Further, the outer peripheral surface of the front fork stem of the front wheel unit has a polygonal cross section, and the corresponding inner peripheral surface of the inner pipe has a polygonal shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the front fork stem. In this case, the handle stem can be easily attached to the front fork stem.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of a main part, showing an attached state of a front wheel unit to a head pipe of a bicycle frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main part side view showing a state after a front wheel unit is attached to a head pipe of a bicycle frame.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing a state where the handle stem is attached to the inner pipe in the head pipe shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a front fork stem portion of the front wheel unit 9 fitted in the handle stem. The principal part enlarged side view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of an elbow.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a main part in a state where the movable pipe of the elbow shown in FIG. 4 is rotated by 90 degrees to make the handlebar parallel to the vehicle body frame;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a base pipe portion of the elbow shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of an elbow.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a main part in a state where a front wheel unit, a handle stem, and an elbow are respectively attached to a head pipe.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a main part in a state where a front basket is attached to the front wheel unit.

FIG. 10 is an essential part perspective view showing a state where the front basket fixing member is attached to the front wheel unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body frame 2 Head pipe 3 Upper head part 4 Lower head part 5 Upper pipe 6 Lower pipe 7 Basket bracket 8 Bag nut 9 Front wheel unit 10 Front fork 11 Shoulder part 12 Tip claw part 13 Front fork stem 14 Nut 15 Internal screw 16 Front Wheel 17 Inner pipe 17a Flange 18 Handle stem 19 Collar 21 Front fork fixing bolt 22 External screw 23 Manual rotation means 24 Elbow 25 Base pipe 25a Semicircular cutout 25b External screw 26 Fixed part 27 Tightening screw 28 Flange 29 Projection 30 Movable pipe 31 Slit 32 Fixed part 33 Tightening bolt 34 Quick lever 35 Spring case 36 Holding screw 37 Branch arm 38 Holding part 39 Screw holder 40 Set screw 41 Front cage fixing member 41a Part 42 bis 43 before basket holding bar 44 before basket bottom plate mounting bracket 44a pawl 44b downward bent piece 45 front basket fixture 46 hanger groove 47 cage 47a fixed bar B front axle H handlebar S Spring

Claims (4)

[Claims] An inner pipe having a handle stem integrally joined therewith, which is rotatably held in a head pipe, and a front fork stem inserted into the inner pipe from below and held therein. It consists of a front wheel unit and a front fork fixing bolt that is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at the upper end, and has an external thread at the tip, and the front wheel unit can rotate the front wheel by the front fork. In addition, the front fork stem is provided with an internal thread portion on an upper end portion thereof, and the front fork fixing bolt is screwed and fixed inside the internal thread portion to support the front wheel unit. The front fork simple detachable bicycle. 2. An inner pipe having a handle stem integrally joined thereto, rotatably held in a head pipe, and a front wheel having a front fork stem inserted through the inner pipe from below. Unit and a front fork fixing bolt which is inserted into the handle stem, has a manual rotating means at the upper end, and has an external thread at the tip, and the front wheel unit is capable of rotating the front wheel by the front fork. In addition to being supported, the front fork stem is provided with an internal thread at its upper end, and an external thread at the tip of a front fork fixing bolt is screwed and fixed in the internal thread to support the front wheel unit. A front fork simple detachable bicycle, wherein a front basket fixing member is provided on the front fork so as to protrude forward from a fork shoulder. 3. The front fork easily detachable bicycle according to claim 1, wherein the handle stem is configured to be variable within a range of 90 degrees with respect to the direction of the front wheel. 4. An outer peripheral surface of a front fork stem of the front wheel unit has a polygonal cross section, and an inner peripheral surface of an inner pipe corresponding thereto has a polygonal shape corresponding to an outer peripheral surface shape of the front fork stem. 3. The front fork easily detachable bicycle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front fork is easily detachable.