Assisting apparatus for changing speeds in a bicycle transmission

An assisting apparatus for using power from a rotating member to assist the operation of a bicycle transmission comprising:

• a mounting unit;
• an input transmission member coupled to the mounting unit, wherein the input transmission member moves between at least a first input position and a second input position;
• an output transmission member coupled to the mounting unit, wherein the output transmission member moves between at least a first output position and a second output position;
• a rotating member engaging member that moves between a rotating member engaging position and a rotating member disengaging position;
• a motion transmitting mechanism for transmitting motion from the rotating member engaging member to the output transmission member;
• and
• a switching mechanism that moves the rotating member engaging member to the rotating member engaging position when the input transmission member is in the second input position, and that prevents the rotating member engaging member from returning to the rotating member engaging position after the motion transmitting mechanism transmits motion from the rotating member engaging member to the output transmission member until the input transmission member moves away from the second input position.

A bicycle control device comprising:

• a mounting unit;
• an output transmission member coupled to the mounting unit, wherein the output transmission member moves between at least a first output position and a second output position;
• a position maintaining mechanism including a position maintaining member that moves between a position maintaining position and a position release position, wherein the position maintaining position maintains the output transmission in one of the first output position and the second output position, and wherein the position release position allows the output transmission member to move toward the other one of the first output position and the second output position;
• a release drive member coupled to the mounting unit, wherein the release drive member moves between at least a first release drive position and a second release drive position;
• a release control mechanism including a release member that moves from a first release member position toward a second release member position when the release drive member moves from the first release drive position toward the second release drive position, wherein the release control mechanism moves the position maintaining member to the position release position as the release member moves toward the second release member position and allows the position maintaining member to return to the position maintaining position as the release member continues to move toward the second release member position.