Bicycle steering fork bearing system
OwnerChristopher D. Kinginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In bicycles that have the front fork and handle bars attached to a steering tube that rotates within a frame mounted head tube, a bearing system wherein a compression ring slides over and about the steering tube to trap the bearing against the head tube. Lock nuts surround the tapered compression ring so that when they are threaded together they squeeze the ring against the steering tube. Threads or barbs on the inside of the ring dig into the steering tube to resist movement away from the bearing and allow the ring to be moved against the bearing and establish a proper bearing end load. Further tightening of the lock nuts holds the ring permanently in place.
Claims16
A bearing securing system for relatively rotatable concentric tubes such as used in bicycle steering structure comprising in combination:
- a head tube on the bicycle structure;
- a steering tube disposed for rotation within said head tube;
- a bearing support housing carried by said head tube;
- a bearing means carried by said support housing so as to be positioned around said steering tube and proximate to said steering tube;
- compressible ring means adapted to encircle and slide along said steering tube so as to locate said bearing means and support said steering rube relative to said bearing means, said ring means having an interior surface that contacts said steering tube and an exterior circumferential surface;
- movement resisting means on at least a portion of said interior surface, said movement resisting means operable to resist movement of the ring means away from said bearing means;
- and
- compressing means disposed about said exterior surface of said compressible ring means, operable to compress the ring means against said steering tube and thereby urge engagement of said movement resisting means with the steering tube, said compressing means further operable to compress the ring means sufficiently to prevent any movement of said ring means relative to said steering tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.