Suspension for bicycles

Abstract

A front wheel shock absorbing system for a bicycle wherein the legs of the front wheel fork include struts slidable in tubes. A cross brace bridges the front wheel and interconnects the struts to insure parallel movement of the struts. Elastomer pads between the tube ends and struts provide spring action. A cap in the tube ends provides access to the pads. A strut protruded from the cap down through a center bore in the pads maintains the pads in alignment. The strut end is flanged and removal of the cap, withdraws the strut and pads which are held onto the strut by the flange end. The flange is configured to permit the elastomer pads to be forced over the flange for replacement of the pads.

We claim: 
     
       1. In a bicycle, a front wheel fork, shock absorbing suspension system, said bicycle having front and rear wheels supporting a frame adapted to support a rider, the front wheel having an axle and the suspension system extending from the axle to handlebars pivotally mounted on the frame, and which handlebars are rider controlled for turning the front wheel and thereby the direction of the bicycle, said shock absorbing suspension system comprising; a strut on each side of the front wheel connected to the axle and extended upwardly, a tube slidably surrounding each strut, a member connecting both tubes to the handlebars, and a biasing member between the tubes and the struts whereby upward thrusting of the strut in the tube deforms the biasing member for absorbing the upward thrusting movement, said biasing member urging return downward movement of the strut in the tube, and   a rigid cross brace bridging over the front wheel, and connections fixedly connecting said cross brace to said struts, said connections provided to avoid interference with the relative movement of said tubes and to assure that the struts move in unison in a parallel attitude.   
     
     
       2. A front wheel fork, shock absorbing system as defined in claim 1 wherein a slot is provided in each tube and each of said connections extends from said cross brace to one of said struts through one of said slots, each of said connections located in one of said slots to permit relative sliding of said tubes and struts without interference as between said connections and said tubes. 
     
     
       3. In a bicycle having front and rear wheels mounted on a frame, a shock absorbing suspension system for absorbing shock applied to at least one of the bicycle wheels, the wheel having an axle and suspension system extending from the axle to the frame, said chock absorbing suspension system comprising; a tube, a strut slidable in the tube, at least one elastomer pad between the strut and the tube for resisting sliding movement of the strut into the tube and urging sliding movement of the strut out of the tube, one of said tube and strut fixed to the wheel axle and the other to the frame whereby the pads function as shock absorbers as the wheel encounters rough terrain;   one of said tube and strut having an open end for access to the pads, said pads having through bores, a skewer sized to fit through the through bore and extended through the pads, one end of said skewer being accessible at the open end of one of said tube and strut for removal of the skewer and the pads, said pads being removable from said skewer and replaceable onto said skewer whereby a rider can readily disassemble the suspension system to replace the pads and thereby modify the effective resistance of the pads.   
     
     
       4. A shock absorbing suspension system as defined in claim 3 wherein said one of the bicycle wheels is the front wheel, and the tube and strut are connected between the front wheel and a steering stem portion of the frame for steering the bicycle, said tube having an open end for access to the skewer and pads. 
     
     
       5. A shock absorbing suspension system as defined in claim 3 wherein multiple pads are provided on said skewer and one end of said skewer is adapted for sliding removal of said pads off of said one end, and a member provided on said one end that resists sliding removal of said pads whereby withdrawal of the skewer from the open end also withdraws the pads. 
     
     
       6. A shock absorbing suspension system as defined in claim 5 wherein said member is a flared end portion of the skewer having a cross sectional dimension that is larger than the through bores through the pads, said flared end configured and sized relative to the through bores of the pads to permit forced removal and placement of the pads off of and onto the skewer over the flared end portion. .Iadd. 
     
     
       7.  In a bicycle having front and rear wheels mounted on a frame, a shock absorbing suspension system for absorbing shock applied to at least one of the bicycle wheels, the wheel having an axle and suspension system extending from the axle to the frame, said shock absorbing suspension system comprising; a tube, a strut slidable in the tube, a plurality of elastomer pads between the strut and the tube for resisting sliding movement of the strut into the tube and urging sliding movement of the strut out of the tube, one of said tube and strut fixed to the wheel axle and the other to the frame whereby the pads function as shock absorbers as the wheel encounters rough terrain;   one of said tube and strut having an open end, said pads arranged in a stack and a retention structure retaining the pads in a stacked arrangement to provide a unitized assembly of pads having a top and bottom, one of said top and bottom of the stack accessible through the open end whereby the assembly of pads can be withdrawn through the open end as a unitized assembly. .Iaddend.