Bicycle Technology and Patents

I’m guessing this cool little tadpole trike is from the 1950s, judging by the stylin’ hairdo.  This photo from the site “Modern Mechanix, where “yesterday’s tomorrow is today.”

Specifically, Joules is a robotic stoker for your tandem bike, when you are riding solo on a tandem.

This project definitely has a steam punk flair, and combines some art, whimsy, and a good deal of engineering.  Joules was built by engineer Carl Morgan with his son, a former pro cycling racer.  The web page with more information on Joules is here.

Carl has a great U tube video also, linked below.

There are dozens if not hundreds of patents on lawnmowers combined with a bicycle frame and propulsion.  Some date from the 1880s!  Here is a typical one.

This morning I caught the first episode of MAKE: Television on PBS.  The first half of the episode includes a piece on Cyclecide, “an inventive band of performance artists who build outrageous bicycle contraptions straight out of the dump.”  It is beautifully entertaining piece on how creatives and “makers” are reusing what others view as trash.

Bruce went crazy with his drill press, and removed, if I read his notes correctly, about 13.7 pounds from the normally 30 pound Catrike Speed!  This is Catrike #CS754, named Holey Spokes.

Now we need to see that thing assembled, a final weigh in, and a test ride to see if it whistles.  Its just remotely possible that Bruce has too much time on his hands. One last picture:

According to USAToday.com:

Now Google Maps is expanding to biking and hiking trails. A Google employee on a tricycle rides around to snap the same wide-area views.

See: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-06-09-biking-maps-google_N.htm. Photos of the trike can be found here.

Even after bikes were built using chains, other power transmission modes were tried in early years and continue to be tried today. The chain is just so efficient its hard to beat. An early alternative to the chain and gears utilized a drive shaft. Some added gears to the drive shaft to form a transmission like the early cars were using. This one from 1897 even had a shift lever and a real transmission and a drive shaft that operated with bevel gears to the rear wheel. Having machinery and machinists capable of making bevel gears and transmissions such as this made the transmission to automobiles much smoother and faster.

Here is an early (1949) recumbent bike which is similar to many recumbents seen on the road today. An even earlier recumbent was by Jarvis, and the recumbent that set world speed records was by Charles Mochet.

In the late 19th century many bicycle industry pundits thought that drive shafts would be the bicycle power train of the future.  The patent below was a way for the bevel gear of a drive shaft bike to engage a selected gear, and to change to another gear for more gearing options.  This system might have been in use today had not derailluers been developed to allow a chain to be moved from gear to gear.

Brano Meres of Bratislava Slovakia has a site where he shows some of his creations that look very wonderful.  One that jumps out as being a little different is his bamboo framed bicycle.  He built this, and has ridden it for a year, with no problems.  It sure looks beautiful!  More great bicycle stuff at his site, BME.