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US 2013/0256997 A1Published application
Bicycle damping enhancement system
AssigneeSpecialized Bicycle Components, Inc.
InventorMichael McAndrews
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bicycle shock absorber and methods for differentiating between rider-induced forces and terrain-induced forces includes a first fluid chamber having fluid contained therein, a piston for compressing the fluid within the fluid chamber, a second fluid chamber coupled to the first fluid chamber by a fluid communication hose, and an inertial valve disposed within the second fluid chamber. The inertial valve opens in response to terrain-induced forces and provides communication of fluid compressed by the piston from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber. The inertial valve does not open in response to rider-induced forces.
Claims15
A bicycle, comprising:
- a bicycle frame;
- a pedal crank assembly supported by the bicycle frame and configured to be driven by rider-induced pedaling forces;
- a wheel;
- and
- a suspension assembly interposed between the bicycle frame and the wheel, the suspension assembly comprising:
- a spring that applies a force tending to extend the suspension assembly;
- a damper comprising a damper tube and a piston rod supporting a piston in sliding engagement with the damper tube, the piston and the damper tube at least partially defining a compression chamber that decreases in volume during compression movement of the suspension assembly, the damper additionally comprising an inertia valve including an inertia mass, the inertia mass normally biased to a closed position wherein the inertia mass is adjacent an opening to the compression chamber such that fluid flow through the opening is inhibited, and the inertia mass movable to an open position wherein the inertia mass is not adjacent the opening such that fluid flow through the opening is not inhibited, wherein the inertia valve remains in the closed position in response to the rider-induced pedaling forces applied to the frame and the inertia valve moves toward the open position in response to a terrain-induced force above a predetermined threshold applied to the wheel;
- and
- a sensitivity adjuster having a first adjustment position and a second adjustment position, wherein the inertia valve has a first sensitivity in the first adjustment position and the inertia valve has a second sensitivity in the second adjustment position, wherein the second sensitivity is different from the first sensitivity.
6 more elements
A method of providing for adjustment of a bicycle shock absorber, comprising:
- providing a bicycle shock absorber comprising a spring that applies a force tending to extend the suspension assembly, a damper tube, a piston supported on a piston rod and in sliding engagement with the damper tube, the piston and the damper tube at least partially defining a compression chamber that decreases in volume during compression movement of the suspension assembly, the damper additionally comprising an inertia valve including an inertia mass, the inertia mass normally biased to a closed position wherein the inertia mass is adjacent an opening to the compression chamber such that fluid flow through the opening is inhibited, and the inertia mass movable to an open position wherein the inertia mass is not adjacent the opening such that fluid flow through the opening is not inhibited, wherein the inertia valve remains in the closed position in response to the rider-induced pedaling forces applied to the frame and the inertia valve moves toward the open position in response to a terrain-induced force above a predetermined threshold applied to the wheel;
- providing a sensitivity adjuster for the inertia valve;
- providing a first adjustment position of the sensitivity adjuster in which the inertia valve has a first sensitivity to terrain-induced forces;
- providing a second adjustment position of the sensitivity adjuster in which the inertia valve has a second sensitivity to terrain-induced forces that is different from the first sensitivity;
- allowing the sensitivity adjuster to be set to either of the first adjustment position or the second adjustment position.
2 more elements
A method of operating a bicycle shock absorber, comprising:
- operating a bicycle shock absorber with a sensitivity adjuster positioned in a first adjustment position, the bicycle shock absorber comprising a spring that applies a force tending to extend the suspension assembly, a damper tube, a piston supported on a piston rod and in sliding engagement with the damper tube, the piston and the damper tube at least partially defining a compression chamber that decreases in volume during compression movement of the suspension assembly, the damper additionally comprising an inertia valve including an inertia mass, the inertia mass normally biased to a closed position wherein the inertia mass is adjacent an opening to the compression chamber such that fluid flow through the opening is inhibited, and the inertia mass movable to an open position wherein the inertia mass is not adjacent the opening such that fluid flow through the opening is not inhibited, wherein the inertia valve remains in the closed position in response to the rider-induced pedaling forces applied to the frame and the inertia valve moves toward the open position in response to a terrain-induced force above a predetermined threshold applied to the wheel, wherein the inertia valve has a first sensitivity to terrain-induced forces in the first adjustment position of the sensitivity adjuster;
- adjusting the sensitivity adjuster to a second adjustment position in which the inertia valve has a second sensitivity to terrain-induced forces that is different from the first sensitivity;
- operating the bicycle shock absorber with the sensitivity adjuster in the second adjustment position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.