Bicycle hub
AssigneeShimano Components (Malaysia) SDN. BHD.
InventorKim Hong Kuan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bicycle hub is provided that comprises a hub axle, a hub body rotatably mounted on the hub axle by a pair of bearings and at least one of the bearings having an inner tube. The bearings include an outer ring operatively coupled to the hub body, an inner ring operatively coupled to the hub axle, and a plurality of rolling components disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring. The inner tube is disposed with respect to the outer ring of at least one of the bearings such that at least a portion of the inner tube is disposed about the outer peripheral surface of the hub axle to form a small prescribed radial clearance therebetween.
Claims23
A bicycle hub comprising:
- a hub axle having a first axle end and a second axle end;
- a hub body having a first body end and a second body end with the hub body being coaxially disposed about the hub axle and rotatable with respect to the hub axle;
- a first bearing disposed between the first body end of the hub body and the first end of the hub axle;
- and
- a second bearing disposed between the second body end of the hub body and the second axle end of the hub axle;
- and
- an inner tube having a first axial end fixedly attached to the first bearing and a second axial end spaced axially from the second bearing such that the inner tube is held in a cantilever manner by the first bearing, the first axial end of the inner tube being attached to the first bearing at a radially inner location between the first bearing and the hub axle in a radial direction with respect to the hub axle and closer to the hub axle than to the hub body,
- the first bearing including a first outer cup coupled to the hub body with a first outer bearing surface facing towards the first axle end of the hub axle, a first inner cone coupled to the hub axle with an inner bearing surface facing towards the second axle end of the hub axle, and a plurality of first rolling components disposed between the first outer cup and the first inner cone, and
- the first axial end of the inner tube being attached to an inner edge of the first outer cup.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.