SADDLES FOR CYCLES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
THIS INVENTION relates to saddles for cycles.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
It is a medically accepted fact that the pressures exerted by
conventional cycle saddles on the human body can cause permanent damage,
particularly to the reproductive organs. This is particularly true of saddles which are
narrow and have a pronounced ridge down the centre. Such a saddle provides no
support for the ischial tuberosities. The pressure of the ridge on the genital organs
can be excessive and damaging.
In an effort to avoid these problems Applicant has been manufacturing
and selling a saddle which has a groove along the centre of the upper surface and
which is designed to provide support for the ischial tuberosities. The saddle thus
has two supporting pads which are narrow at the front and broaden towards the
rear. This construction takes pressure off the genital organs but still does not
necessarily properly support of the anatomy of all riders.
The present invention seeks to provide a saddle which can be adjusted
with a view to customizing it to the requirements of cyclists of different sizes, shapes
and body weights.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
chassis, a pair of padded supports for the ischial tuberosity regions of the rider, the
supports being carried by the chassis and means for displacing said supports with
respect to the chassis to enable the configuration of the seating surface of the
saddle to be changed.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided
a saddle comprising a padded support, a fluid filled sac within the padded support
and means for varying the pressure of the fluid in the sac to vary the hardness of the
padded support.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided
a saddle comprising a base plate, a chassis mounted on the base plate, means for
raising and lowering the rear end of said base plate about an axis transverse to the
front to rear direction of the saddle, padded supports carried by said chassis for
supporting the ischial tuberosity regions of the rider, said padded supports tilting with
the base plate when the base plate is tilted, and means for moving the padded
supports with respect to the chassis thereby to alter the configuration of the seating
surface of the saddle.
According to still further aspect of the present invention there is
provided a saddle comprising a chassis, a pair of padded supports for the ischial
tuberosity regions of the rider, the supports being carried by the chassis, means for
displacing said supports with respect to the chassis to enable the configuration of
the seating surface of the saddle to be changed, a fluid filled sac within each of the
padded supports, means for varying the pressure of the fluid in the sacs to vary the
hardness of the padded supports, a base plate, the chassis and a chassis nose
being mounted on the base plate, a post for connecting the saddle to the remainder
of the cycle, and means for tilting the base plate, chassis and the chassis nose with
respect to the means which connects the base plate to the remainder of the cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how
the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example,
to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a pictorial view illustrating the components of a cycle saddle in
accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the saddle;
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the saddle;
Figure 4 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a section on the line B-B of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a section on the line C-C of Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the saddle; and
Figure 8 is a section on the line D-D of Figure 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The saddle 10 illustrated in the drawings comprises a post 12 which
secures the saddle 10 to the frame (not shown) of the cycle. At its upper end the
post 12 is pivotally secured by a transverse bolt 14 to the underside of a bed plate
16. The bed plate 16 has a boss 18 on the underside, the horizontal bore of the
boss 18 being tapped. A pair of lugs 20 (see particularly Figure 4) is provided on the
underside of the plate 16.
The main chassis designated 22 comprises a central rib 24 which is
inclined from a higher rear end to a lower front end (see particularly Figure 4). The
underside of the rib 24 is split into two webs 26 (see Figure 6) each of which has a
slot 28 therein, the slots 28 being elongate in the front to rear direction.
The chassis 22 further inclines two curved walls 30 which merge with
the central rib 24 at the front end thereof and with the webs 26 at the rear thereof.
The rib 24 and walls 30 define two upwardly open cavities 32 which are closed at
their lower ends by horizontal bases 34. There is a circular hole 36 (Figure 1 ) in
each base 34. At the rear of the chassis 22 there is a rearwardly open cavity 38
bounded by the webs 26, the rear part of the rib 24 and a base wall 40. Around the
base wall 40 there is a depending rim 42 (Figure 4) which bounds a downwardly
open cavity 44. As best seen in Figure 5 the chassis 22 has two inwardly facing
guides 46 on the underside thereof. The plate 16 is in these guides.
The front end of the chassis 22 has a vertical slot 48 therein. Ahead of
the main chassis 22 is a chassis nose 50.
The chassis nose 50 has a rearwardly protruding trunnion 52 which fits
in the vertical slot 48 of the chassis 22. As best seen in Figures 1 and 4 the rear
end of the nose 50 is formed with a part cylindrical recess 54 so that the part
cylindrical front end of the chassis 22 fits snugly in the rear end of the chassis nose
50. The trunnion 52 has a bore 52.1 therein and the chassis has a bore 22.1. Once
these bores are aligned, a pivot pin (not shown) is inserted so as pivotally to connect
the chassis and chassis nose.
The chassis nose 50 has depending mounting lugs 56 each of which
has a hole 58 therein. In the underside of the chassis nose there is a slot 60 (see
Figure 4) which runs in the front to rear direction. The lugs 56 are one on each side
of the slot 60. The front end of the slot 60 is closed by a depending wall 62 and the
bed plate 16 is in the slot 60. The slot 60 provides a guide for the nose 50 similar to
the way in which the chassis 22 is guided on the plate 16.
At the rear of the saddle the skirt 42 has a hole 64 in it. A threaded
adjusting screw 70 is passed through the hole 64 and screwed into the tapped bore
of the boss 18. The screw 70 is rotatable in the hole 64 but restrained against axial
movement.
Two plates 72 are secured one to each side of the post 12. Each plate
72 has a hole 74 at the front end and a hole 76 at the rear end. One part 78 of a
turnbuckle 80 lies between the plates 72 and is pivotally connected to the plates 72
by a pin 82. A second part 84 of the turnbuckle 80 has a section thereof in the part
78 and at its other end is pivotally connected to the lugs 56. Similarly the parts 86
and 88 of another turnbuckle 90 are connected between the plates 72 and the pair
of lugs 46. The turnbuckles 80 and 90 respectively include captive nuts 78.1 and
86.1 (only shown in Figure 2) carried by the parts 78 and 86. The nuts can rotate
but not move axially. The parts 84 and 88 are threaded. As the nuts are turned the
parts 84 and 88 move in and out of the parts 78 and 86.
The cavities 32 receive a pair of padded supports generally designated
92 and 94. The supports 92 and 94 are mirror images of one another and each
comprises a lobe 96 and padding 98. The padding 98 is adhered of otherwise
secured to the lobes 96.
A rod 100 with an operating wheel 102 at its centre spans between the
webs 26 and passes through the slots 28. The ends of the rod 100 are threaded
and screwed into tapped transverse bores 104 in elements in the form of bushes
106. The bushes 106 are fitted into vertical bores 108 (see Figure 8) provided
therefor in the lobes 96. The threading is of opposite hand.
The front ends of the lobes 96 are pivotally mounted by pins 110
(Figure 6) onto the bases 34. The pins 110 pass through the holes 36.
Within each lobe 96 and associated padding 98 there is a gel filled sac
112. Each sac 112 has an upper part 114 which is within the padding 98 and a
lower part 116 within the lobe 96. A tube 118 connects the upper and lower parts
114, 116.
A plate 120 bears on the underside of each lower sac part 116 and can
be displaced vertically by a stud 122. The studs 122 pass through the bases 34 and
the lower parts 116 of the gel sacs.
Padding designated 124 is adhered or otherwise secured to a plate
126 which has, both in plan and side elevation, a configuration which conforms to
that of the chassis nose 50. The plate 126 is adhered to the chassis nose 50. The
configuration of the padding 124 is best seen in Figure 3.
The configuration and characteristics of the saddle 10 can be adjusted
in the following manner. The angle of the chassis nose 50 with respect to horizontal
can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the turnbuckle 80. The chassis nose
50 pivots about the pin in the bores 22.1 , 52.1. The angle of the plate 16, and
hence of all the parts carried thereby, can be adjusted by means of the turnbuckle
90. It will be understood that in the first of these adjustments the chassis and
chassis nose move relatively to one another and in the second they move in unison.
To displace the chassis 22 and chassis nose 50 horizontally
backwards or forwards the screw 70 is rotated, causing the chassis 22 and chassis
nose 50 to move backwards or forwards with respect to the plate 16.
By turning the wheel 102, the rod 100 is rotated in the threaded bores
104 of the bushes 106 thereby displacing the padded supports 92, 94 towards or
away from one another and thus causing the buttocks to be supported at varying
positions.
The hardness of the padding 98 can be adjusted by rotating the studs
122 independently of one another thereby displacing said plates 120 towards or
away from the walling of the gel sacs 112 and changing the pressures in the gel
sacs 112.