Parallelogram bicycle suspension system

A human powered bicycle frame with a rear suspension system comprising:

• a bicycle frame consisting of a conventional main triangle with a seat tube, top tube, head tube, down tube, and bottom bracket, arranged in such a fashion that the seat attaches to the top of the seat tube, the top tube connects the top of the seat tube to the top of the head tube, the head tube provides an anchor for the front forks, the down tube connects the bottom of the head tube to the bottom bracket, and the bottom bracket connects the bottom of the down tube to the seat tube and provides an anchor for the crankset, and;
• an upper rear suspension arm and a lower rear suspension arm, that are each located on a nearly horizontal plane, thus giving said suspension arms a forward end and a rearward end, and said suspension arms can each be a single unit or comprised of a left half and a right half, with;
• two rear dropout members, to which the rear wheel attaches to said rear suspension arms, with one dropout member on the left side of the frame and one dropout member on the right side of the frame, with;
• the rearward ends of said suspension arms being pivotally connected to said dropout members at incrementally spaced locations thereof, with these locations being exactly the same on each said dropout member, thus making the axis between the upper said suspension arm dropout connection points parallel to the axis between the lower said suspension arm dropout connection points, and;
• the forward section of said suspension arms being pivotally connected to either said seat tube or brackets attached thereto, at incrementally spaced locations thereof, with the pivots located at either the extreme forward ends of said suspension arms, or points intermediately between the forward and rearward ends of said suspension arms, with;
• the incremental distance on the upper said suspension arm from the rearward dropout pivot axis to the forward seat tube pivot axis being exactly the same as, the incremental distance on the lower said suspension arm from the rearward dropout pivot axis to the forward seat tube pivot axis, with;
• the incremental distance between the upper pivot axis and lower pivot axis on said seat tube, being exactly the same as, the incremental distance between the upper pivot axis and lower pivot axis on said dropouts, which;
• results in the locations of the four rear suspension pivot axes, two axes on the upper said suspension arm and two axes on the lower said suspension arm, thusly arranged in a polygon that comprises a parallelogram, and;
• a shock member that is pivotally attached to said rear parallelogram suspension system at one end and that is pivotally attached to the main frame of the bicycle at the other end, and;
• the said shock member could attach either directly or through a plurality of linkages at either end, and;
• a spring member that is pivotally attached to said rear parallelogram suspension system at one end and that is pivotally attached to the main frame of the bicycle on the other end, and;
• the said spring member could attach either directly or through a plurality of linkages at either end, and;
• the said shock and spring members, for any possible configuration thusly described, could attach to the rear suspension system individually or they could be combined into a sub-assembly unit, with the sub-assembly unit pivotally connecting to the rear suspension system in such a fashion as to provide shock absorption and lift to the main frame of the bicycle.

A human powered bicycle frame with a front suspension system comprising:

• a conventional rear triangle with a nearly vertical seat tube, two seat stays, two dropouts, two chain stays and a bottom bracket, arranged in such a fashion that the seat attaches to the top of the seat tube, the two seat stays each connect from the top of the seat tube to the two dropouts such that there is a seat stay and dropout on the left side of the bicycle frame and a seat stay and dropout on the right side of the bicycle frame, the two chain stays connecting from the two dropouts to the bottom bracket with one on each side of the frame, and the bottom bracket connects the bottom of the seat tube to the two chain stays and provides an anchor for the crankset, and;
• an upper front suspension tube and a lower front suspension tube, that are each located on a nearly horizontal plane, thus giving each said suspension tube a forward end and a rearward end, with;
• the forward end of said front suspension tubes being pivotally connected to a head tube of conventional design, or to brackets attached thereto, at incrementally spaced locations thereof, with;
• the rearward end of said front suspension tubes being pivotally connected to said seat tube or to brackets attached thereto, at incrementally spaced locations thereof, or, being pivotally connected to a frame assembly that is structurally connected to said seat tube, at incrementally spaced locations on a suspension anchor tube at the front of said frame assembly, with;
• the rearward pivots of said front suspension tubes being located at either the rearward end of the said suspension tubes, or points intermediately between the forward and rearward ends thereof, with;
• the incremental distance on said upper front suspension tube from the forward head tube pivot axis to the rearward pivot axis being exactly the same as the incremental distance on said lower front suspension tube from the forward head tube pivot axis to the rearward pivot axis, with;
• the incremental distance between the upper pivot axis and lower pivot axis on said head tube being exactly the same as the incremental distance between the upper pivot axis and lower pivot axis at the suspensions attachment to either the seat tube or the suspension anchor tube, which;
• results in the locations of the four front suspension pivot axes, the two axes on said upper front suspension tube, and the two axes on said lower front suspension tube, thusly arranged in a polygon that comprises a parallelogram, with;
• a shock member that is pivotally attached at both ends to said front suspension system, or that pivotally attaches to the head tube at one end and pivotally attaches to said front suspension system at the other, or that pivotally attaches to said front suspension system at one end and pivotally attaches to the main frame of the bicycle at the other, with any possible connection thusly described being either direct or through a plurality of linkages, which results in the absorption of shock from the front wheel into the main frame of the bicycle, and;
• a spring member that is pivotally attached at both ends to said front suspension system, or that pivotally attaches to the head tube at one end and pivotally attaches to said front suspension system at the other, or that pivotally attaches to said front suspension system at one end and pivotally attaches to the main frame of the bicycle at the other, with any possible connection thusly described being either direct or through a plurality of linkages, which results in an upward lift on the main frame of the bicycle and a downward force on the front wheel, and;
• the said shock and spring members could attach to the front suspension system individually, or they could be combined into a sub-assembly unit, with the sub-assembly unit pivotally connecting into the front suspension system, in any such fashion thusly described, so as to provide shock absorption and lift to the main frame of the bicycle.