TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a bicycle training aid.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Conventional bicycle training aids typically include a base and a plurality of rollers configured to be mounted on the base for receiving wheels of a bicycle rotatably thereon. A disadvantage of conventional bicycle training aids is that they may require a certain degree of skill to ride a bicycle thereon. As a general rule, only highly proficient and/or professional cyclists have the necessary skill or ability to ride a bicycle on a conventional bicycle training aid.

It is an objective of the present invention to alleviate the abovementioned disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a bicycle training aid including: - a base; a plurality of rollers configured to be mounted on the base for receiving wheels of a bicycle rotatably thereon; a stabilising member; a mounting arrangement for mounting the stabilising member on the base; and a connecting arrangement for interconnecting a free end region of the stabilising member and a handlebar of a bicycle in a substantially upright condition wherein the bicycle is stabilised sufficiently to allow a user to climb on the bicycle and commence cycling thereon.

l The base may include a front wheel receiving portion and a rear wheel receiving portion for receiving front and rear wheels of the bicycle respectively. The front and rear wheel receiving portions may include roller receiving formations defined therein for receiving the rollers rotatably therein. Side walls of the roller receiving formations may define a plurality of receiving zones for receiving and supporting opposing end regions of the rollers.

The base may further include an extension which extends between and interconnects the front and rear wheel receiving portions.

An adjustment arrangement may be provided for allowing the extension and the wheel receiving portions to be adjusted relative each other according to the characteristics and/or dimensions of a bicycle. The adjustment arrangement may be in the form of recesses defined in the front and rear wheel receiving portions and opposing end regions of the extension which are shaped, sized and configured to be received complementally by the recesses of the wheel receiving portions so as to allow displacement, preferably sliding, of the wheel receiving portions relative the extension to permit adjustment of a distance between the wheel receiving portions.

A retaining member may be provided for retaining the adjustment arrangement, and with it the wheel receiving portions and extension, in an adjusted condition. The retaining member may be in the form of a slot-and-fastening arrangement. Typically, the slot-and-fastening arrangement includes an aperture which may be defined in a wheel receiving portion and an elongate slot defined in the extension, which aperture and elongate slot allows a fastening member, typically in the form of a bolt, to be received therethrough during adjustment of the distance between the wheel receiving portions.

A pair of rollers may be mounted on each of the front and rear wheel receiving portions for respectively receiving the front and rear wheels of the bicycle rotatably therein. The opposing end regions of the rollers may be in the form of shafts which may be sized, shaped and configured to be received in the receiving zones defined in the side walls of the roller receiving formations. The rollers may have a substantially arcuate outer profile, preferably concave, for guiding a wheel toward a substantially central region of the roller during operation. Bearing assemblies may be located between the shafts of the rollers and the receiving zones for improving rotation of the rollers during operation.

A roller connecting member may be provided for interconnecting the rollers in order to facilitate rotation of the rollers according to the rotation of the rear wheel of the bicycle. The roller connecting member may be in the form of any suitable connecting member of the group including a rope, belt or chain.

A roller adjustment arrangement may be provided for allowing the roller connecting member to be adjusted according to the characteristics and/or dimensions of the bicycle. The roller adjustment arrangement may be in the form of additional links for a chain or a different length rope or belt to accommodate the distance between the front and rear pair of rollers.

The stabilising member may be in the form of an elongate arm which has a length corresponding generally to the height of the handlebar of the bicycle above the rollers in an operative mounted condition wherein the bicycle is mounted on the rollers. The arm may be sized, shaped and configured to flex, bend, twist and/or warp along its axis to allow displacement of the handlebar of the bicycle relative the rollers to permit a user to simulate, substantially, riding of a bicycle outdoors. In particular, the arm may allow displacement of the handlebar through all the degrees of freedom when riding a bicycle outdoors. In particular, the arm may allow displacement of the handlebar according to the displacement of the suspension or shocks of the bicycle during cycling thereon. The arm may be generally tapered in shape from a base region toward the free end region for allowing a progressive increase in flex, bend, twist and/or warp of the arm towards the free end region. The stabilising member may be manufactured from any one or more suitable resiliently deformable synthetic plastic material of the group including low strand glass filled polypropylene, low strand glass filled nylon, low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, styrene acrylic, thermo-plastic elastomer, polyvinyl chloride, preferably linear low-density polyethylene. The stabilising member may be manufactured from any suitable UV stabilised plastic material.

The mounting arrangement may be in the form of a threaded pin-and-socket arrangement for interconnecting the base region of the stabilising member and the front wheel receiving portion of the base. In particular, a mounting pin of the pin-and- socket arrangement may be received by a pin-receiving aperture which may be defined in the base region of the stabilising member and by a socket of the pin-and- socket arrangement which may be defined in the front wheel receiving portion. Alternatively, the mounting pin may be received by a receiving aperture which may be defined in the front wheel receiving portion and by a socket which may be defined in the base region of the arm. The pin-and-socket arrangement may be located intermediate the pair of rollers mounted on the front wheel receiving portion of the base. More particularly, the pin-and-socket arrangement may be located a distance in the range of 100mm and 150mm, preferably 120mm, from a rearward front roller and a distance in the range of 125mm and 175mm, preferably 150mm, from a frontward front roller.

The connecting arrangement may include a stabilising member engaging portion for engaging the free end region of the stabilising member and a handlebar engaging portion for engaging the handlebar of the bicycle.

The stabilising member engaging portion may include a guide member for allowing guided displacement of the stabilising member engaging portion relative to the stabilising member. The guide member may include a guide pin which may be received displaceably within a guide slot defined in the stabilising member and a pair of plates arranged on the guide pin to abut sides of the stabilising member. Alternatively, the guide member may be in the form of a sleeve-like member which may be shaped, sized and configured to receive the stabilising member displaceably therethrough.

A fastening member may be provided for releasably fastening the guide member to the stabilising member at a specified position.

The handlebar engaging portion may be in the form of a pin which is sized, shaped and configured to be received complementally a connecting aperture defined in an end region of the handlebar. An O-ring may be arranged on the pin so as to form a friction fit between the pin and inner side walls of the connecting aperture defined in the end region of the handlebar.

In an alternative form of the invention, the guide member may include a pin having a threaded outer profile which extends through a guide slot defined in the stabilising member. The guide member may further include a first and second washer which may be arranged on the pin on either side of the stabilising member. The handlebar engaging portion may include a flange arranged at a free end region of the pin and tube-like expansion member, preferably in the form of a rubber tube, arranged between the flange and the first washer, the flange and tube-like expansion member being sized to be received complementally a connecting aperture defined in the end region of the handlebar. The fastening member may be in the form of a nut which is arranged on the pin to abut against the second washer during tightening thereof for allowing a user to displace the flange of the handlebar engaging portion towards the first washer when the flange and the tube-like member are received in the connecting aperture of the handlebar, thereby causing the tube-like expansion member to expand against inner side walls of the connecting aperture to form a friction fit therebetween.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided stabilising device for a bicycle training aid including a base and a plurality of rollers configured to be mounted on the base for receiving wheels of a bicycle rotatably thereon, which stabilising device includes: - an elongate arm; a mounting arrangement for mounting the elongate arm on a base of the bicycle training aid; and a connecting arrangement for interconnecting a free end region of the elongate arm and a handlebar of a bicycle in a substantially upright condition wherein the bicycle is stabilised sufficiently to allow a user to climb on the bicycle and commence cycling thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A bicycle training aid in accordance with the invention, will now be described by way of the following, non-limiting examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings herebelow. In the drawings: -

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bicycle training in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the bicycle training aid as shown in Figure 1 with a bicycle mounted thereon; Figures 3 to 5 show side, top and front views of the bicycle training aid as shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of an underside of the bicycle training aid; Figure 7 shows a sectioned front view of the bicycle training aid; Figure 8 shows an exploded assembly view of the bicycle training aid; Figures 9 and 10 show sectioned side views of the bicycle training aid;

Figure 1 1 shows an enlarged sectioned view of a roller of the bicycle training aid; Figure 12 shows an enlarged view of a mounting arrangement for the bicycle training aid;

Figures 13 and 14 show sectioned top and front views of the mounting arrangement shown in Figure 12; Figure 15 shows an enlarged view of a connecting arrangement for the bicycle training aid; and

Figure 16 shows an enlarged sectioned top view of the connecting arrangement for the bicycle training aid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a bicycle training aid in accordance with the present invention.

The bicycle training aid 10 includes a base 12, a plurality of rollers 14 configured to be mounted on the base 12 for receiving wheels 16 of a bicycle 18 rotatably thereon, a stabilising member 20, a mounting arrangement 22 for mounting the stabilising member 20 on the base 12 and a connecting arrangement 24 for interconnecting a free end region 26 of the stabilising member 20 and a handlebar 28 of the bicycle 18 in a substantially upright condition wherein the bicycle 18 is stabilised sufficiently to allow a user to climb on the bicycle 18 and commence cycling thereon.

The base 12 includes a front wheel receiving portion 30 and a rear wheel receiving portion 32 for receiving front and rear wheels 16.1 and 16.2 of the bicycle 18 respectively. The front and rear wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 include roller receiving formations 34 defined therein for receiving the rollers 14 rotatably therein. Side walls 36 of the roller receiving formations 34 define a plurality of receiving zones 38 for receiving and supporting shafts 40 of the rollers 14. The base 12 further includes an extension 42 which extends between and interconnects the front and rear wheel receiving portions 30 and 32.

An adjustment arrangement 44 is provided for allowing the extension 42 and the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 to be adjusted relative each other according to the characteristics and/or dimensions of the bicycle 18. The adjustment arrangement 44 is in the form of recesses 45 defined in the front and rear wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 and opposing end regions 43 of the extension 42 which are shaped, sized and configure to be received complementally by the recesses 45 of the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 so as to allow displacement, preferably sliding, of the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 relative the extension 42 to permit adjustment of a distance between the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32.

A retaining member in the form of a slot-and-fastening arrangement 46 is provided for retaining the adjustment arrangement 44, and with it the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 and the extension, 42 in an adjusted condition. Typically, the slot- and-fastening arrangement includes apertures 48 which are defined in the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 and elongate slots 50 defined in the extension 42, which apertures 48 and elongate slots 50 allows a fastening member in the form of a bolt 47, to be received therethrough during adjustment of the distance between the wheel receiving portions 30 and 32.

A pair of front and rear rollers 52 and 54 are mounted on the front and rear wheel receiving portions 30 and 32 respectively, for respectively receiving the front and rear wheels 16.1 and 16.2 of the bicycle 18 rotatably therein. The shafts 40 of the rollers 14 are sized, shaped and configured to be received in the receiving zones 38 defined in the side walls 36 of the roller receiving formations 34. The rollers 14 have a substantially concave outer profile 56, for guiding a wheel 16 toward a substantially central region 58 of the roller 14 during operation. Bearing assemblies 60 are located between the shafts 40 of the rollers 14 and the receiving zones 38 for improving rotation of the rollers 14 during operation. A roller connecting member (not shown) is provided for interconnecting the rollers 14 in order to facilitate rotation of the rollers 14 according to the rotation of the rear wheel 16.2 of the bicycle 18 in operation. The roller connecting member (not shown) is in the form of a suitable connecting member of the group including a rope, belt or chain.

A roller adjustment arrangement (not shown) is provided for allowing the roller connecting member (not shown) to be adjusted according to the characteristics and/or dimensions of the bicycle 18. It is to be appreciated that the roller adjustment arrangement (not shown) is in the form of additional links for a chain or a different length rope or belt to accommodate the distance between the front and rear pair of rollers 52 and 54.

The stabilising member 20 is in the form of an elongate arm 62 which has a length corresponding generally to the height of the handlebar 28 of the bicycle 18 above the rollers 14 in an operative mounted condition wherein the bicycle 18 is mounted on the rollers 14. The arm 62 is sized, shaped and configured to flex, bend, twist and/or warp along its axis to allow displacement of the handlebar 28 of the bicycle 18 relative the rollers 14 to permit a user to simulate, substantially, riding of a bicycle 18 outdoors. In particular, the arm 62 allows substantially longitudinal displacement, lateral tilting and vertical displacement of the handlebar 28 in accordance with displacement of the shocks 64 of the bicycle 18 during cycling thereon. The arm 62 is generally tapered in shape from a base region 66 toward the free end region 26 for allowing a progressive increase in flex, bend, twist and/or warp of the arm 62 towards the free end region 26. The stabilising member 20 is manufactured from a suitable resiliently deformable synthetic plastic material such as low-density polyethylene.

The mounting arrangement 22 is in the form of a threaded pin-and-socket arrangement 68 for interconnecting the base region 66 of the stabilising member 20 and the front wheel receiving portion 30 of the base 12. In particular, a mounting pin 70 of the pin-and-socket arrangement 68 is received by a pin-receiving aperture 72 which is defined in the base region 66 of the stabilising member 20 and by a socket 74 of the pin-and-socket arrangement 68 which is defined in the front wheel receiving portion 30. A fastening member in the form of a wing nut 75 is provided for tightening the fit between the stabilising member and the front wheel receiving portion. The pin- and-socket arrangement 68 is located intermediate the front pair of rollers 52. More particularly, the pin-and-socket arrangement 68 is located a distance of 120mm from a rearward front roller 52.1 and a distance of 150mm from a frontward front roller 52.2.

The connecting arrangement 24 includes a stabilising member engaging portion 76 for engaging the free end region 26 of the stabilising member 20 and a handlebar engaging portion 78 for engaging the handlebar 28 of the bicycle 18.

The stabilising member engaging portion 76 includes a guide member 80 for allowing guided displacement of the stabilising member engaging portion 76 relative to the stabilising member 20. The guide member 80 includes a guide pin 82 which is received displaceably within a guide slot 84 defined in the stabilising member 20 and a pair of plates 86 arranged on the guide pin 82 to abut sides of the stabilising member 20.

A fastening member 88 is provided for releasably fastening the guide member 80 to the stabilising member 20 at a specified position by tightening the fit between the plates 86 and the stabilising member 20.

The handlebar engaging portion 78 in the form of a pin 90 which is sized, shaped and configured to be received complementally a connecting aperture (not shown) defined in an end region 94 of the handlebar. An O-ring 96 is arranged on the pin 90 so as to form a friction fit between the pin 90 and inner side walls (not shown) of the connecting aperture (not shown). The inventor believes the bicycle training aid in accordance with the invention to be advantageous in that it allows cyclists of all skill levels to ride a bicycle thereon as it does not require great balancing skill to do so, as is the case with conventional bicycle training aids.

It is, of course, to be appreciated that the bicycle training aid in accordance with the invention is not limited to the precise constructional and functional details as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings and which may be varied as desired.