WO2012107520A1

WO2012107520A1 - Bicycle saddle

Info

Publication number: WO2012107520A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/052214
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Meneghetti
Original assignee: Selle Smp Sas Di Maurizio Schiavon
Priority date: 2011-02-11
Filing date: 2012-02-09
Publication date: 2012-08-16
Also published as: ITVI20110023A1; IT1404811B1

Abstract

A bicycle saddle comprising a body covered with upholstery and supported by a fork (8) for securing it to the bicycle frame, wherein: - the body (1) presents at its rear a continuous base (20) from which there forwardly extend two substantially parallel extensions (9, 10), separated by an upwardly and downwardly open channel (24), - the base (20) of the body (1) is upwardly inclined rearward by an angle of 5°-10° and presents two upwardly concave lateral portions, outwardly inclined downward by an angle of about 30°-45°, and housing upholstery portions (11, 13) of maximum thickness about 10 mm, - the channel (24) terminates rearward at the base (20) with a rearwardly rising first recessed portion (26) of funnel shape, followed by a diverging second portion and a converging conical third portion (27) of length about 30-40 mm and vertex in proximity to the rear edge of said body (1).

Description

BICYCLE SADDLE

The present invention relates to a bicycle saddle.

O ne of the prob lem s encou ntered i n us i ng b icycle sadd l es , i n particular for athletic and sporting use in general, is known to consist of the considerable discomfort suffered by the cyclist in the perineal region during pedalling.

In seeking to obviate this considerable inconvenience, which arises mainly in persons using the bicycle for a prolonged time and, in particular, in ath letes practicing either professiona l or am ateur cycl i ng and in cycle enhusiasts, saddles have been created which have attempted to solve the problem by providing a through opening passing from above to below the saddle in the front part of its central zone. Examples of these known saddles are described in WO00/53483, in US 612,972 and in WO99/14103.

However the saddles described in these documents do not enable the proposed objects to be fully attained, particularly if the user is a sports cyclist.

US 574,503 and US 5, 01 1 ,222 also describe saddles which confront the problem of better accom modation of the gluteal m uscles; however in these, the ischial tubers rest on the saddle surface substantially vertically, resulting in compression of the muscle junctions (in particular of the gracilis m uscle, of the sem itendinopus m uscle and of the fem u r m uscle) . Th is precludes good blood circulation, so that after some hours of saddle use, annoying pins and needles arise in the aforesaid muscles.

These patents also provide theoretical teachings unsuitable for the practical formation of a racing bicycle saddle and they are not found to have produced any practical application. US 7,699,391 describes a saddle with an opening extending along the entire longitudinal axis of the saddle, without ensuring an adequate and widespread su pport for the gluteus muscles; this is a considerable inconvenience during lengthy road travel.

The main object of the present invention is to propose a bicycle saddle which elim inates the drawbacks encountered in sim ilar devices of known type and which is able to be effectively used in all athletic and amateur fields, and which in particular is usable both for racing bicycles and for passage bicycles, better known as city bikes.

All these and other objects which will be apparent from the ensuing description are attained, according to the invention, by a saddle with the characteristics indicated in claim 1 .

Further accessory characteristics of the sadd le accord ing to the invention are present in the dependent claims.

The sadd le of the invention is described hereinafter in detai l with reference to some embodiments thereof, with the aid of the accom panying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows the saddle of the invention in perspective view from above; Figure 2 shows its body in perspective view from above;

Figure 3 shows the lower surface of its upholstery in perspective view from below;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the saddle taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 i s a cross-section taken through its central zone, showing it supporting the pubic arch of the cyclist; Figure 6 i s a cro s s-section taken through its rear zone, showing it supporting the gluteal muscles and the ischial tubers;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of its support fork;

Figure 8 shows it in exploded perspective view from below;

Figure 9 shows the body in perspective view from below with the support fork applied;

Figure 10 is a plan view of a first alternative em bod im ent of the saddle, usable for passage bicycles;

Figure 1 1 is a plan view of a second alternative embodiment of the saddle, usable for passage bicycles;

Figure 12 is a cross-section therethrough taken on the line XI I-XI I of Figure

1 1 ;

Figure 13 is a plan view of its body taken from below;

Figure 14 is a view of the deep disection of the perineal floor structures taken from below; this figure is attached only to provide a better understanding of the anatom ical parts of the perineum which will be cited in the description, and which are indicated in this figure by the following letter references:

a) coccyx apex

b) anus

c-c) gluteal muscles

d-d) ischial tubers

e-e) perineal surface transverse muscle

f-f) pudental arteries

g) penis corpus

h-h) penis dorsal veins i) penis deep artery

l-l) penis

m-m) pubic arch

n) testicles

As can be seen from Figures 1 -9, the saddle of the invention, usable particularly but not exclusively for racing bicycles and indicated overall by the reference numeral 60, consists essentially of a body 1 , wh ich rests on a support fork 8 and is covered by upholstery 55.

The body 1 comprises a rear base 20 bounded rearward by an edge 23 and extending frontward into two extensions 9, 10 separated by an upwardly and downwardly open channel 24.

The rear edge 30 of the channel 24 is lowerly of sem icircular shape with a diameter of about 25 mm and is positioned at a level lower than the upper surface of the base 20 by about 20-25 mm.

From the edge 30 the channel 24 rises rearward towards the base 20 with a funnel shape defining a wide recessed portion 26, which substantially increases the zone for housing the perineal floor structures.

On reaching the base 20, the recessed portion 26 of the channel 24 continues rearward along the long itud inal axis 50 of the sadd le 60 as a diverging frusto-conical portion, which then connects to a converging conical portion having a length of about 30-40 mm and its vertex on the rear edge 23 of the body 1 .

The channel 24 extends towards the front zone of the saddle with gradual narrowing.

Between the edge 23 and the extensions 9, 10 the base 20 is slightly convex upwards and, as can be seen in Figure 4, is also slightly inclined upwards, starting from the extensions 9, 1 0, by about 5°-1 0° to a horizontal plane 51 . The gluteal muscles c-c indicated in Figure 1 4 rest on the saddle base 20.

The lateral portions 2, 3 of the base 20 are slightly concave upwards and are slightly inclined outwards and downward at an angle of about 30°-45°. They are covered by upholstery portions 1 1 , 1 3, which define two upwardly convex saddle portions on which the internal parts of the ischial tubers d-d rest.

These lateral portions 1 1 , 13 gradually narrow frontward towards the interior, to create two coves 12, 14 intended to house the internal thigh muscles.

Consequently that saddle portion corresponding to the base 20 of the body 1 supports the gluteal m uscles c-c and cooperates with the lateral portions 1 1 , 1 3, on wh ich the ischial tubers d-d rest lateral ly, to form a homogeneous support zone for the aforestated muscular and skeletal parts and increase the useful resting surface for the pelvis; to the advantage of greater seating comfort which, in the final analysis, enables the cyclist to confront lengthy distances.

Advantageously, the total width of the lateral portions 1 1 , 1 3, and hence of the saddle, varies between 120 mm and 140 mm in saddles usable for racing bicycles, and between 140 mm and 200 mm in saddles usable for passage bicycles.

The extensions 9, 1 0 extend towards the saddle front zone as an upwardly slightly concave shape with two portions of about 50-54 mm to reach a saddle transverse axis 53 spaced by about 198 mm from the rear edge 23 of the base 20. F ro m the re , th e exte n s io n s 9 , 1 0 p roceed w ith a fu rthe r two horizontally extending parts 18, 19 slightly sunken by about 4-6 mm from the extensions 9, 10 and intended to support the pubic arch m-m.

The front portions of the second parts 1 8, 1 9 are forwardly inclined downward by 45°-60° and extend by about 30-40 mm, to terminate with rounded ends 39, 40.

From these, the front parts 47, 49 of the support fork 8 emerge, they being connected together by a circumferential bridge element 17 pertaining to the fork 8.

The extensions 9, 10 and the parts 18, 1 9 are of inverted U cross- section, with two arms which descend laterally to form an inner wall 32 and an outer wall 34. The outer walls 34 are substantially vertical, while the inner walls 32 present an inclination of about 78° to the horizontal. The outer walls 34 have a height of about 1 0-30 mm and join rearward to the two front coves 12, 14 of the base 20.

By virtue of the vertical arrangement of the outer walls 34, during reciprocating pedalling, the cyclist's internal thigh muscles do not rub against the walls.

The inner walls 32 join to the recessed portion 26 of the base 20 and have a smooth surface such as to prevent, during reciprocating pedalling, any annoying rubbing by the skin of the genital structures which enter the interior of the channel 24.

As shown in Figure 1 , at the front end of the inner wall 32 and outer wall 34, these define two flat portions 25, 31 , of greater height, provided at their centre with two holes 7 for engagement by two through screws 28 for fixing the front of the support fork 8 to the body 1 . In practice, the function of said screws 28 is to tighten the flat portions 25, 31 of the body 1 about the fork portions 8, to clamp them together.

The body 1 of the saddle according to the invention is constructed of nylon and carbon fibre to give rigidity and strength such as to make it suitable for supporting the load exerted by the body weight of the cyclist.

The support fork 8, illustrated in Figures 7-9, is formed from a tube of steel or other strong material (for example carbon fibre) preferably with a diameter of about 7 mm.

It comprises two first parts 47, 49 which extend rearward for a length of about 30-40 mm starting from the bridge element 17, slightly withdraw from each other and finally incline by about 30°-45° to the horizontal.

These two first parts 47, 49 then prolong as two second parts 46, 48, which extend for a length of about 10-30 mm in a manner substantially parallel to the horizontal and are used to lock the front of the body 1 to the fork 8 by two pairs of flat walls 25, 31 of the outer walls 34 and inner walls 32 of the parts 18, 19 of the body 1 .

The second parts 46, 48 then prolong as two third parts 56, 57 which extend for about 20-40 mm , diverge from each other and incline downward through about 45°-60°. They then prolong as two fourth parts 38, 41 which extend for about 80-90 mm , are mutually parallel, are spaced apart by about 35 mm, and are inclined by about 5° to the horizontal.

The clamp for the head stub of the central tube of the bicycle frame is fixed to these fourth parts 38, 41 .

The fourth parts 38, 41 then prolong as two fifth parts 42, 44 inclined upwards by about 30°-45°, and slightly diverge to reach a distance apart of about 40 mm. They then prolong into two sixth parts 43, 45, bent outwards to lie horizontal and mutually coaxial; they have a length of about 1 0-20 mm and are shaped to be able to be inserted into two suitable pockets 33, 35 provided in the lower surface of the body 1 at the base 20, for the purpose of ensuring rear fixing of the body to the fork 8.

As can be seen in Figures 8 and 9, stable positioning of the sixth parts 43, 45 in the pockets 33, 35 is ach ieved by a profi led plate 5, wh ich is disposed straddling said sixth parts 43, 45 to retain them engaged in the pockets 33, 35. The plate 5 presents a hole 36 in which a suitable screw can be inserted to engage in an appendix 70 projecting from the lower surface of the body 1 .

To maintain said profiled plate 5 securely fixed to the lower surface of the body 1 , pegs 37 are provided on the upper edge of the plate to engage in corresponding cylindrical recesses 29 provided in the lower surface of the body l .

The anatom ical structure of the perineum presents substantially the same shape as the saddle body, with the exception of the concave zones 2, 3 in which the central part is 8-1 0 mm deep, and of the parts 1 8, 1 9 which are lower by 4-8 mm than the first extensions 9, 10.

The upholstery 55 can be formed of foamed polyurethane elastomer if the sad d le i s used i n raci ng b i cycl es , whe reas it ca n be of foam ed polyurethane covered with imitation leather by vacuum form ing techniques if the saddle is used in passage bicycles.

If the saddle is used in racing bicycles, the upholstery 55 presents an average thickness of 3-5 mm , with the exception of the concave zones 2, 3 of the body 1 , in which the upholstery 55 presents a total thickness of about 12- 15 mm.

Recesses 21 , 22 are provided in the upholstery lower surface on second extensions 15, 16, of the saddle to receive corresponding inserts 4, 6 of about 3-5 m m thickness, made of soft com pact polyurethane of Shore hardness 16-25. These inserts 4, 6 rest lowerly in the depressed zones defined by the parts 1 9, 1 8 provided on the body 1 . The consistency of the inserts 4, 6, added to that of the upholstery 55 below them , enables the load of the pubic arch m-m to be supported, loaded by the weight of the cyclist's entire bust, and prevents it touching the rigid surface of the underlying body 1 and causing crushing of the pubic arch bone, as generally happens in saddles of known type.

Moreover, because of the inclination of the concave zones 2, 3 of the body 1 , equal to 30°-45° downward in an outward direction, the ischial tubers d-d, loaded with the weight of the cyclist's body, do not touch the underlying very rigid plastic zones of the body 1 , so preventing their possible crushing.

The rear part of the saddle, corresponding to the base 20 of the body 1 and intended to receive the resting gluteal muscles c-c, and to the lateral portions 1 1 , 13 on which the inner part of the ischial tubers d-d rests, forms a coordinated and homogeneous support between these physiological parts, hence obtaining an increase in the useful support area for the cyclist's pelvis and great benefits during longer travel.

The saddle illustrated in Figure 1 0 is usable for passage bicycles and has a length of the upholstery 55 at the rear base 20 of between 140 and 160 mm, whereas the structure and dimensions of the body 1 are the same as in a saddle usable in racing bicycles. The saddle illustrated in Figure 1 1 is also usable for passage bicycles, in which seating comfort is desirably optim ized. In this saddle the width at the rear base 20 is about 200 mm, with the sixth parts 43, 45 of the support fork 8 being inserted in two pockets 33, 35 positioned in the immediate vicinity of the outer edge 23 of the base 20.

Advantageously, to prevent lateral movement of the fifth parts 42, 44 of the fork 8 during reciprocating pedalling, an iron plate 54 about 2 mm thick, about 5 mm wide and about 40-50 mm long is electrowelded between them.

In the saddle embodiment illustrated in Figure 12, the thickness of the upholstery 55 at the rear base 20 varies from 25 to 40 mm, whereas at the first extensions 9, 10 and at the parts 18, 19 it varies from 15 to 20 mm.

In addition, in those saddles usable in passage bicycles, the width of the recessed portion 26 is generally double that of saddles usable for racing bicycles.

From the aforegoing it is apparent that the saddle of the invention is much more advantageous than traditional saddles, and in particular:

- it substantially increases the support zone for the perineal floor structures;

- the rear part of the saddle forms a coordinated homogeneous resting zone for the gluteal muscles and for the ischial tubers by increasing the useful support surface for the cyclist's pelvis; this provides greater sitting comfort which, in the final analysis, enables the cyclist to confront lengthy travel;

- during reciprocating pedalling, it prevents rubbing against both the cyclist's internal thigh muscles and against the skin of the genital structures which enter the interior of the channel;

- it enables the load of the pubic arch m-m and of the ischial tubers d-d, loaded by the weight of the cyclist's entire bust, to be supported and prevents them touch ing the rig id surface of the underlying body and causing their possible crushing.

Claims

C L A I M S

1 . A bicycle saddle comprising a body (1 ) covered with upholstery (55) and supported by a fork (8) for securing it to the bicycle frame, characterised in that:

- the body (1 ) presents at its rear a continuous base (20) from which there forwardly extend two substantially parallel extensions (9, 1 0), separated by an upwardly and downwardly open channel (24),

- the base (20) of the body (1 ) is upwardly inclined rearward by an angle of 5°-10° and presents two upwardly concave lateral portions (2, 3), outwardly inclined downward by an angle of about 30°-45°, and housing upholstery portions ( 1 1 , 1 3) of m axi m u m th ickness about 1 0 m m , i ntended for supporting the cyclist's ischial tubers d-d,

- the channel (24) terminates rearward at the base (20) with a rearwardly rising first recessed portion (26) of funnel shape, followed by a diverging second portion and a converging conical third portion (27) of length about 30-40 mm and vertex in proximity to the rear edge of said body (1 ),

- the extensions (9, 1 0) prolong forward as two parts ( 1 8, 1 9) s l ightly depressed by about 4-6 mm relative to said extensions (9, 10) and comprise a substantially horizontal rear first portion intended to support the cyclist's pubic arch (m-m), and a front second portion inclined downward by about 45°-60°,

- the extensions (9, 1 0) and the parts (18, 19) of the body (1 ) are of inverted U cross-section, each comprising an essentially vertical outer wall (34) and a downwardly converging inner wall (32) defining with the facing inner wall an angle of about 25°, - the fork (8) comprises a rounded front end (17), two subsequent parts (47, 49) covered by the front portions (1 8, 1 9) and by the extensions (9, 10) of the body ( 1 ) , two subsequent substantial ly parallel parts (38, 41 ) for connection to the saddle support stub and two rear term inal portions (43, 45) for fixing to the body (1 ).

2. A bicycle saddle as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that said lateral portions (2, 3) of the body (1 ) converge frontward to create two coves (12, 14) for housing the cyclist's internal thigh muscles.

3. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the average thickness of the upholstery (55) is substantially between 3 and 5 mm, with the exception of the covering zones of the lateral portions (2, 3) of the body (1 ).

4. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that in the lower surface of the upholstery portions (55) relative to the parts ( 1 8, 1 9) of the body ( 1 ) , two recesses (21 , 22) are provided housing two inserts (4, 6) made of soft material and resting lowerly on the rear horizontal portion of said parts (18, 19).

5. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said inserts (4, 6) have a thickness substantially between 4 and 6 mm.

6. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, ch a racte ri sed i n th at sa i d i n se rts (4 , 6 ) a re fo rm ed of soft compact polyurethane of 16-25° Shore Hardness.

7. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the upholstery on the rear horizontal portion of said parts

(18, 19) is between 7 and 1 1 mm.

8. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the total saddle thickness at the rear horizontal portion of the parts (18, 19) of the body (1 ) is substantially between 8 and 10 mm.

9. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support fork (8) for the saddle body (1 ) is formed from a tube of rigid material of about 7 mm diameter.

10. A bicycle saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fork (8) comprises:

- two first parts (47, 49), which extend rearward of the rounded front end (17) for a length substantially between 30 and 40 mm, then slightly diverge and finally are inclined by about 30°p-45° to the horizontal;

- two second parts (46, 48) which, starting from said first parts (47, 49), extend for a length of about 1 0-30 mm in a manner substantially parallel to the horizontal;

- two third parts (56, 57) which, starting from said second parts (46, 48), extend for a length of about 20-40 mm, diverge apart and are inclined downward by about 45°-60°;

- two fourth parts (38, 41 ) which, starting from said third parts (56, 57), extend for about 80-90 mm, are substantially parallel at a distance apart of about 35 mm, are inclined downward substantially by 5° to the horizontal, and are intended to be engaged by the clam p of the saddle fixing stub, which engages on the column of the bicycle frame;

- two fifth parts (42, 44) which, starting from said fourth parts (38, 41 ), are inclined upwards by about 30°-45°, and slightly diverge to reach a distance apart of about 40 mm; - two sixth parts (43, 45) which, starting from said fifth parts (42, 44), bend outward until mutually coaxial, have as length substantially between 10 and 20 mm and are insertable into suitable pockets (33, 35) provided in the lower surface of the base of said body (1 ).

11. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that, at the front end of the inner walls (32) and outer walls (34) of its extensions (9, 10) and of the subsequent parts (18, 19), said body (1) comprises two flat portions (25, 31) of greater height provided with holes (7) for the insertion of through screws (28) for fixing said fork (8) to the front of said body (1).

12. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by comprising a profiled plate (5) embracing said sixth parts (43, 45) engaged in said pockets (33, 35) and fixable by portions of its edge to the lower surface of said body (1).

13. A saddle as claimed claim 12, characterised in that said plate (5) is provided with at least one through hole (36) traversable by a screw to be inserted into an appendix (70) projecting from the lower surface of said body (1).

14. A saddle as claimed claim 12, characterised in that said plate (5) is provided, on at least a portion of the edge in contact with the lower surface of said body (1), with a plurality of pegs (37) for engaging corresponding recesses (29) provided in said lower surface of said body (1).

15. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the base (20) of the body (1) has a maximum width between 140 and 160 mm.

16. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the base (20) of the body (1) has a maximum width of about 200 mm.

17. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said body (1) is formed of nylon and carbon fibre.

18. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said upholstery (55) is formed of expanded polyurethane elastomer.

19. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said upholstery (55) is formed of expanded polyurethane covered with imitation leather by vacuum forming techniques.

20. A saddle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said fifth parts (42, 44) of said fork (8) are securely connected together by a metal plate (54).