Front forks for bicycles
AssigneeSram, LLC
InventorsCHARLES DUNLAP, TIMOTHY LYNCH, MICHAEL MAXWELL, ALEXANDER ROSENBERRY, JONATHAN WATT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Front forks for bicycles are described herein. An example front fork includes a leg including an upper tube and a lower tube. The upper tube and the lower tube are configured in a telescopic arrangement. The upper tube and the lower tube define an interior region that is sealed and contains a volume of air in the lower tube. The front fork also includes a valve coupled to the upper tube at or near a top end of the upper tube. A flow path is formed between the volume of air in the lower tube and the valve such that when the valve is opened, pressure in the lower tube is equalized with atmospheric pressure.
Claims22
A front fork for a bicycle, the front fork comprising:
- a leg including an upper tube and a lower tube, the upper tube and the lower tube configured in a telescopic arrangement with the upper tube fitting into an interior space of the lower tube, the upper tube and the lower tube defining an interior region that is sealed and contains a volume of air in the lower tube;
- and
- a valve disposed in a flow path at or near a top end of the upper tube, wherein the flow path is formed between the volume of air in the lower tube and the valve such that when the valve is opened, pressure in the lower tube is equalized with atmospheric pressure.
A front fork for a bicycle, the front fork comprising:
- a crown having a top side and a bottom side opposite the top side;
- a steerer tube coupled to the crown and extending outward from the top side;
- a leg coupled to the crown and extending outward from the bottom side, the leg including an upper tube and a lower tube, the upper tube coupled to the crown, the upper tube extending into a top end of the lower tube, the upper tube and second lower tube defining an interior region that is sealed and contains a volume of air in the lower tube;
- and
- a valve to equalize pressure of the volume of air in the lower tube with atmospheric pressure when the valve is opened, the valve having a manually operable portion that is above the top end of the lower tube in an orientation in which the upper tube is above the lower tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.