Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier that carries a toner image and that is rotatable;
• a drive mechanism that is provided at one end of the image carrier and that drives the image carrier so as to rotate the image carrier;
• a rotating member that comes into contact with the image carrier so as to be rotated by the image carrier;
• an urging member that urges the rotating member in a direction toward the image carrier;
• and
• a retracting system that retains the rotating member in a retracted state in which the rotating member is positioned so as not to be in contact with the image carrier, and cancels the retracted state of the rotating member so that a peripheral surface of the rotating member comes into contact with the image carrier when the drive mechanism starts to drive the image carrier,
• wherein the retracting system includes
• a first retracting mechanism including a first gap-maintaining member that is provided on a shaft portion of the rotating member at an end adjacent to the drive mechanism and that maintains a gap between the image carrier and the peripheral surface of the rotating member, the first retracting mechanism cancelling the retracted state of the rotating member at one end in an axial direction by moving the first gap-maintaining member in response to an operation of the drive mechanism and cancelling a gap-maintaining state established by the first gap-maintaining member, and
• a second retracting mechanism including a second gap-maintaining member that is provided on the shaft portion of the rotating member at the other end and that maintains a gap between the image carrier and the peripheral surface of the rotating member, the second retracting mechanism cancelling the retracted state of the rotating member at the other end in the axial direction by enabling the rotating member to be rotated by the image carrier after the retracted state of the rotating member is cancelled by the first retracting mechanism and after the peripheral surface of the rotating member comes into contact with the image carrier, moving the second gap-maintaining member in response to a rotation of the rotating member, and cancelling a gap-maintaining state established by the second gap-maintaining member.