WO2006004379A1

WO2006004379A1 - An apparatus for adjusting a position of a saddle of a bicycle

Info

Publication number: WO2006004379A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/002166
Authority: WO
Inventors: Soong-Bok Lee
Original assignee: Soong-Bok Lee
Priority date: 2004-07-07
Filing date: 2005-07-06
Publication date: 2006-01-12
Also published as: KR20060003771A

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle. The position adjustment apparatus comprises a rotatable post and a length adjustable post, which are mounted to a saddle bracket to support the saddle. The length adjustable post has an upper end affixed to the bracket and a lower end pivotally mounted to a rear location of a bicycle frame. The rotatable post has an upper end pivotally connected to the saddle bracket and a lower end rotatably mounted to an upper location of the bicycle frame. With this configuration, the rotatable post rotates in accordance with a length variation of the length adjustable post, inducing adjustment in the position of the saddle. Thus, the rider can adjust the up-down and front-back positions of the bicycle saddle with a simple manipulation in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. Furthermore, the position adjustment apparatus of the present invention can attenuate impact applied to the saddle through the use of shock-absorbing means provided in the length adjustable post, achieving an enhancement in convenience and safety.

Description

AN APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING A POSITION OF A SADDLE

OF A BICYCLE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a saddle position adjustment apparatus capable of simply adjusting the position of a bicycle saddle, and, more particularly, to a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle, which can simply and appropriately adjust both the height and front-back position of the bicycle saddle in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. Background Art

[2] The proper up-down and front-back positions of a bicycle saddle may differ in accordance with the particular rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions, for example, high-speed cycling, coasting, ascent road cycling, downhill road cycling, etc. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust the position of the bicycle saddle in accordance with the cycling conditions. However, conventional bicycles are generally designed so that a bicycle saddle is fixed at a predetermined height from a saddle posting tube prior to cycling. Thus, the position of the saddle is unable to be promptly changed during cycling even if cycling conditions vary, causing much saddle discomfort. In view of this problem, recently, height adjustment apparatuses, which can adjust the height of a bicycle saddle along a saddle post in accordance with the particular rider's anatomy during cycling, have been developed and used.

[3] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of the conventional height adjustment apparatuses for adjusting the height of a bicycle saddle. As shown in Fig. 1, a guide tube 2 is inserted in a saddle posting tube 1 of a bicycle frame and is fastened by a clamp 9. In turn, a gas spring cylinder 3 is slidably inserted in the guide tube 2, and a bracket 4 is affixed to an upper end of the cylinder 3. A bicycle saddle 5 is mounted on the bracket 4. In operation, if an inner wire 10 of a cable 6 is pulled using a manually operable actuator, which is provided at a not shown bicycle handle, a valve pin pusher 8 is operated by a lever 7, causing the cylinder 3 to be lowered by the rider's weight applied to the saddle 5 and to be raised to its original position if the weight applied thereto is removed. In this way, the height of the saddle 5 can be adjusted.

[4] However, the height adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle as stated above has a problem in that it can adjust only the up-down position of the bicycle saddle in an axial direction of the saddle posting tube, and has no function to adjust the front-back position of the saddle. When the saddle is simply set to a lowered position without change of the front-back position thereof, distances between the saddle and pedals and between the saddle and handle become too short to allow the rider to stretch out his/her legs and arms. This causes the rider to cycle with his/her legs and arms being ex¬ cessively bent. In particular, in the case of downhill road cycling, it is necessary for the rider to push his/her hips rearward and to lower his/her posture in order to set the center of gravity of the rider at a lowered rear position for the sake of the rider's safety. In this case, although it is better to move the position of the saddle rearward for carrying the rider's weight, the conventional bicycle saddles have fixed positions and, thus, are nonadjustable in position.

[5] In view of the foregoing problems, there is the necessity of saddle position adjustment means for simply adjusting the up-down and front-back positions of a bicycle saddle in accordance with the particular rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[6] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems related to the conventional height adjustment apparatus for bicycle saddles, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle capable of safely and simply setting the saddle at the proper up-down and front- back positions in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions.

Technical Solution

[7] In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be ac¬ complished by the provision of a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle comprising a rotatable post and a length adjustable post, which are mounted to a saddle bracket to support the saddle, wherein the length adjustable post has an upper end affixed to the bracket and a lower end pivotally mounted to a rear location of a bicycle frame, wherein the rotatable post has an upper end pivotally connected to the saddle bracket and a lower end rotatably mounted to an upper location of the bicycle frame, whereby the rotatable post rotates in accordance with a length variation of the length adjustable post, inducing adjustment in the position of the saddle.

[8] Preferably, the length adjustable post may include: a shaft portion having an upper end affixed to the saddle bracket; and a guide tube configured to receive the shaft portion therein in a slidable manner and having a lower end pivotally connected to the rear location of the bicycle frame.

[9] Preferably, the shaft portion may include: a housing slidably mounted in the guide tube and adapted to attenuate impact applied to the saddle; and a cylinder elastically slidable in the housing under operation of a shock-absorbing member.

[10] Preferably, the shaft portion may be a length adjustable gas spring mounted in the guide tube. Advantageous Effects

[11] The present invention provides a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle, which can simply adjust the up-down and front-back positions of the saddle in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. For example, in the case of high-speed cycling, the saddle can be raised and displaced forward to allow the rider to sufficiently stretch his/her legs during pedaling. Also, in the case of stoppage or downhill road cycling, the saddle can be lowered and displaced rearward to allow the rider to lower the center of gravity while assuming a stable posture by suf¬ ficiently stretching his/her arms and legs. With the use of the position adjustment apparatus, therefore, the rider can continuously keep a comfortable posture during cycling regardless of the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. Furthermore, the position adjustment apparatus of the present invention acts to attenuate impact applied to the rider through the use of a spring, achieving an enhancement in convenience and safety. Brief Description of the Drawings

[12] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[13] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the structure of a height adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle according to the prior art;

[14] Fig. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a bicycle having a saddle position adjustment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[15] Fig. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating different positions of a bicycle saddle displaced by the saddle position adjustment apparatus of Fig. 2;

[16] Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view illustrating the structure of the saddle position adjustment apparatus of Fig. 2;

[17] Fig. 5 is a schematic side view illustrating a bicycle having a saddle position adjustment apparatus that uses a gas spring according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[18] Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the saddle position adjustment apparatus of Fig. 5;

[19] Fig. 7 is a schematic partial sectional view illustrating yet another embodiment of the present invention using a gas spring in which an actuator is located at an upper position, differently from Fig. 5; and

[20] Fig. 8 is a schematic rear view illustrating the bicycle having the saddle position adjustment apparatus of Fig. 2 with a bicycle handle being removed. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [21] Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[22] Fig. 2 illustrates a bicycle having a saddle position adjustment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 illustrates different positions of a bicycle saddle adjusted by the saddle position adjustment apparatus of Fig. 2.

[23] The position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle according to the present invention comprises a rotatable post 11 and a length adjustable post 15, which are mounted to a bracket 14. The bracket 14 is coupled to a saddle 21 using a clamp 20. The rotatable post 11 is pivotally connected at an upper end thereof to the bracket 14 by means of a hinge 19. A lower end of the rotatable post 11 is pivotally connected to a saddle posting tube 12 of a bicycle frame by means of a hinge 13. The length adjustable post 15 includes a shaft portion 17 to be coupled at an upper end thereof to the bracket 14, and a guide tube 18 to receive the shaft portion 17 therein in a slidable manner. The guide tube 18 is pivotally connected at a lower end thereof to a rear wheel supporting plate 16 of the bicycle frame. The shaft portion 17 is fastened to the guide tube 18 by a clamp 22 after it is adjusted to protrude out of the guide tube 18 by an ap¬ propriate length. A cap 29 is provided at the lower end of the guide tube 18 of the length adjustable post 15 so that it is pivotally connected to the supporting plate 16 via a hinge. Here, the supporting plate 16 is located at a left end of a rear wheel axle opposite to a transmission gear bundle (See Fig. 8).

[24] In the above embodiment of the present invention, the shaft portion 17 is inserted in the guide tube 18 in a telescopic manner. Thus, the length adjustable post 15 is adjustable in length by adjusting the upwardly protruded length of the shaft portion 17 out of the guide tube 18. In this case, simultaneously with the length adjustment of the post 15, the rotatable post 11 rotates about the hinge 13 that is located at the lower end thereof, thereby allowing the position of the bicycle saddle 21 to be changed along an imaginary arch path having the same radius as the length of the rotatable post 11. As a result, the saddle 21 is adjustable in height and front-back position as schematically shown in Fig. 3. If the saddle 21 reaches an appropriate position, the shaft portion 17 of the length adjustable post 15 is fastened at a fixed position by the clamp 22 to complete the length adjustment operation of the saddle 21.

[25] More specifically, as will be apparent from Fig. 3, the shorter the length of the length adjustable post 15, the vertical position of the saddle 21 is lowered and, ac¬ cordingly, the hinge 19 of the rotatable post 11 is moved rearward. This allows the front-back position of the saddle 21 to be displaced rearward relative to the bicycle frame. In this way, according to the present invention, the saddle 21 is adjustable in up- down and front-back positions thereof relative to the bicycle frame in a state of being connected to and supported by both the length adjustable post 15 and the rotatable post 11.

[26] In the adjustment of the up-down and front-back positions of the saddle 21, it is important to always ensure a cyclist to effectively operate the bicycle handle and pedals at any changed positions of the saddle 21. For this, it is preferable to previously determine the length of the guide tube 18, the maximum extension length of the length adjustable post 15, and the length of the rotatable post 11, so that the cyclist does not feel discomfort in operation of the handle and pedals in the maximally extended state of the length adjustable post 15 (i.e. when the saddle 21 is at the highest position) and in the minimally extended state of the post 15 (i.e. when the saddle 21 is at the lowest position and at the rearmost position relative to the bicycle frame).

[27] The hinge 13, which connects the lower end of the rotatable post 11 to the saddle posting tube 12, is configured so that it is inserted into and fixed in the saddle posting tube 12 of the bicycle frame in an insertion-length adjustable manner (See Fig. 6). Thereby, the hinge 13 is adjustable in height.

[28] With the embodiment of the present invention as stated above, therefore, the saddle

21 is adjustable in up-down and front-back positions thereof relative to the bicycle frame in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. This position adjustment of the saddle 21 is effective to allow the rider to assume a comfortable posture by sufficiently stretching his/her legs during pedaling. In particular, in the case of downhill road cycling, the saddle 21 can be adjusted in position to lower the center of gravity of the rider and to allow the rider to assume a stable posture by sufficiently stretching both arms and legs.

[29] Referring to Fig. 4, the shaft portion 17 of the length adjustable post 15 may be configured to attenuate impact applied to the saddle 21. For this, the shaft portion 17 includes a housing 24, a telescopic cylinder 25 slidably received in the housing 24, and a shock-absorbing spring 26 received in the housing 24 below the cylinder 25.

[30] Referring to Figs. 5 and 6 illustrating another embodiment of the present invention, the shaft portion 17 of the length adjustable post 15, which adopts the elastic spring of Fig. 4, is substituted by a length adjustable gas spring 27. In the present embodiment, a piston rod 28 is affixed at a lower end thereof to the cap 29, which is located at the lower end of the guide tube 18. A valve operating rod 30 protrudes downward from the lower end of the piston rod 28. The valve operating rod 30 is connected to a remote manipulator lever 34, which is provided at a steering handle 33, by means of a push member 31 and a cable 32. With this configuration, in a state wherein a valve of the length adjustable gas spring 27 is opened via the remote manipulation performed at the steering handle 33, a cylinder 35 of the gas spring 27 is adapted to be lowered if the weight of the rider is applied to the saddle 21, and to be raised as soon as the applied weight is removed. The valve of the gas spring 27 is closed simultaneously with the manipulation stoppage of the lever 34 and, accordingly, the cylinder 35 of the gas spring 27 is fixed at a certain position as soon as the valve is closed. Thereby, the saddle 21 is able to be located at a desired adjusted position. With the present embodiment as stated above, the up-down and front-back positions of the saddle 21 can be simply adjusted under manipulation of the remote manipulator lever 34 of the steering handle 33 even during cycling, and impact applied to the saddle 21 can be ef¬ fectively attenuated under shock-absorbing operation of the gas spring 27, resulting in an enhancement in the rider's convenience and safety.

[31] Preferably, the push member 31 takes the form of a lever, which comes into contact with the lower end of the valve operating rod 30 at a middle portion thereof. One end of the lever is pivotally mounted to the cap 29 that is located at the lower end of the guide tube 18. The other end of the lever is connected to the remote manipulator lever 34 provided at the steering handle 33 via the cable 32. Thereby, as the cable 32 is pulled by the remote manipulator lever 34, the lever 31 rotates to push the valve operating rod 30 upward, thereby opening the valve.

[32] Fig. 7 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the lever 31 of the gas spring, i.e. valve opening/closing device, is located at an upper end of the cylinder 35 rather than being located at the lower end of the piston rod as in Fig. 4, and the lower end of the piston rod 28 is affixed to the cap 29, so that the cylinder 35 of the gas spring, which has an upper end fixed to the bracket 14, is moved upward or downward in accordance with the opening/closing operations of the valve. The present embodiment is identical to the previously described embodiment as in Figs. 5 and 6 in view of the fact that the position of the saddle 21 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the cylinder 35 of the gas spring according to the opening/closing operations of the valve. Thus, the detailed description related to the operation of the present embodiment will be omitted.

[33] The configuration and operation of the gas spring 27 as stated above are identical to those of a gas spring used in a bicycle saddle height adjuster, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Nos. 2002-0054713, 2002-0063100, 2002-0086437, and 2003-0063457, which were filed by the inventor of the present invention. Thus, more detailed structure of the gas spring will be clearly understood with reference to the above patent applications. However, it should be noted that the gas spring of the present invention is not limited to the above conventional gas spring disclosed by the inventor of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[34] According to the present invention, a position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle can simply adjust the up-down and front-back positions of the saddle in accordance with the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. For example, in the case of high-speed cycling, the saddle can be raised and displaced forward to allow the rider to sufficiently stretch his/her legs during pedaling. Also, in the case of stoppage or downhill road cycling, the saddle can be lowered and displaced rearward to allow the rider to lower the center of gravity while assuming a stable posture by suf¬ ficiently stretching his/her arms and legs. With the use of the position adjustment apparatus, therefore, the rider can continuously keep a comfortable posture during cycling regardless of the rider's anatomy and various cycling conditions. Furthermore, the position adjustment apparatus of the present invention acts to attenuate impact app lied to the rider through the use of a spring, achieving an enhancement in convenience and safety.

[35] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modi¬ fications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[1] A position adjustment apparatus for a bicycle saddle comprising a rotatable post and a length adjustable post, which are mounted to a saddle bracket to support the saddle, wherein the length adjustable post has an upper end affixed to the bracket and a lower end pivotally mounted to a rear location of a bicycle frame, wherein the rotatable post has an upper end pivotally connected to the saddle bracket and a lower end rotatably mounted to an upper location of the bicycle frame, whereby the rotatable post rotates in accordance with a length variation of the length adjustable post, inducing adjustment in the position of the saddle.

[2] The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the length adjustable post includes: a shaft portion having an upper end affixed to the saddle bracket; and a guide tube configured to receive the shaft portion therein in a slidable manner and having a lower end pivotally connected to the rear location of the bicycle frame.

[3] The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the shaft portion includes: a housing slidably mounted in the guide tube and adapted to attenuate impact applied to the saddle; and a cylinder elastically slidable in the housing under operation of a shock- absorbing member.

[4] The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the shaft portion is a length adjustable gas spring mounted in the guide tube.