Cable guide for bicycle frames and method for increasing frame strength
AssigneeKlein Bicycle Corporation
InventorsDarrell Voss, Gary Klein, Sean O'Connor, Lonney Pauls
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bicycle frame having improved fatigue life of the frame. Cable entry/exit points for internally routed control cables are formed to produce strategically reduced stiffness zones so as to reduce peak stresses in the frame. Preferably, dimples are formed in the bicycle frame tubes with bulkhead walls deformed at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees and transverse to a line through the axial center of the tubes. Cable access holes formed in the bulkhead have a low friction plastic insert cable guide retained in the hole to provide aesthetic enhancement and weather seal for the tubing.
Claims14
In a bicycle frame having a top tube, a head tube and a down tube, said top and down tubes having tube walls with one or more entry and exit apertures for internally routed control cables;
- the improvement including one or more dimples at each said entry and exit aperture, respectively, each dimple having an end wall forming a bulkhead and wherein said cable entry/exit apertures are formed in said end walls, respectively, said dimples being integral in said tube wall without welding and brazing to provide access points for routing of cables through said tube wall.
In a bicycle frame having a top tube, a head tube and a down tube, and internally routed cables, said top and down tubes having walls and a circumference with one or more entry/exit points for said internally routed control cables, the improvement wherein said entry/exit points are comprised of a dimple having an end wall on the circumference of selected ones of said top and down tubes and an aperture in said end wall for accommodating said internally routed cables.
In a bicycle frame having top, down, and head tubes with said top and down tubes having walls and an longitudinal axis having forward ends welded to said head tube, the improvement for entry and exit point cables for routing through the walls of at least one of said top and down tube walls comprising, a bulkhead walls in said wall at each cable entry and exit point, said bulkhead wall having an angle between about 45 and 90 degrees to said longitudinal axis and an aperture in each said bulkhead wall.
In a bicycle frame having a top tube, a head tube, and a down tube, internally routed control cables with one or more entry/exit points for internally routed control cables, the improvement wherein said cable entry/exit points are in one of said top and down tubes without welding and brazing to produce a strategically reduced stiffness zone in said frame so as to reduce the peak stresses in said frame., thereby improving the fatigue life of said frame, each said tube has an axis and said cable entry/exit points are formed by a deformation in said tube to form a bulkhead wall having an angle (.alpha.) between about 45 and about 90 degrees to the axis of said tube and a cable access hole formed in said bulkhead.
A cable guideway in a tubular metal bicycle frame member constructed without welding and brazing, said tubular metal bicycle frame member having an axial center, comprising:
- at least one dimple in said tubular metal bicycle frame member, said dimple being integral with said tubular metal bicycle frame member and having a first wall, first end wall, said first end wall being sharply deformed at a angle (.alpha.) between 45 and 90 degrees and transverse of a line through the axial center of said tubular metal bicycle frame member, and
- a cable access hole formed only in said first end wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.