Bicycle suspension system
AssigneeSram, LLC
InventorEric Neeley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bicycle suspension system of the invention generally includes at least two bicycle suspensions and a hydraulic control assembly. The hydraulic control assembly includes a pair of fluid pumps, and a fluid responder and a fluid path for each of the bicycle suspensions. The fluid pumps are mountable to a bicycle handlebar and form part of the hydraulic control assembly. A fluid responder is mountable each of the bicycle suspensions. The fluid paths link the fluid pump to a respective fluid responder. Each fluid responder is operatively connected to one of the bicycle suspensions to operate the bicycle suspension system between first and second suspension settings in response to fluid displacement between each fluid pump and each of the fluid responders.
Claims21
A bicycle suspension system, comprising:
- a bicycle first suspension including a first fluid responder;
- a bicycle second suspension including a second fluid responder, the bicycle first suspension and the bicycle second suspension operable between first and second suspension settings;
- a hydraulic control assembly including:
- a control housing mountable to a bicycle handlebar;
- a first fluid pump including a first fluid cavity formed within the control housing and a first piston disposed in the first fluid cavity;
- a second fluid pump including a second fluid cavity formed within the control housing and a second piston disposed in the second fluid cavity;
- an actuator connected to one of the first and second pistons to operate both first and second fluid pumps in tandem;
- a pair of fluid paths, each of the pair of fluid paths respectively linking the first and second fluid pumps to the first and second fluid responders, each of the first and second fluid responders operating the bicycle suspensions between the first and second suspension settings in response to fluid displacement between the first and second fluid pumps and the first and second fluid responders, respectively;
- and
- a toggle mechanism operatively connected to only one of the first and second fluid pumps.
A hydraulic control assembly for operating first and second bicycle suspensions between first and second suspension settings, the hydraulic control assembly, comprising:
- a control housing mountable to a bicycle handlebar;
- a first fluid pump including a first fluid cavity formed within the control housing and a first piston disposed in the first fluid cavity;
- a second fluid pump including a second fluid cavity formed within the control housing and a second piston disposed in the second fluid cavity;
- an actuator connected to one of the first and second pistons to operate both first and second fluid pumps in tandem;
- a pair of fluid paths, each of the pair of fluid paths respectively linking the first and second fluid pumps to the first and second bicycle suspensions, each of the first and second bicycle suspensions operated between the first and second suspension settings in response to fluid displacement between the first and second fluid pumps and the first and second bicycle suspensions, respectively, and
- a toggle mechanism operatively connected to only one of the first and second fluid pumps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.