Bicycles provided with gear transmissions typically have the drawback that they lack pddai operated brakes. This is disadvantageous! from point of traffic security firstly because it is not possible s produce the same braking force as in brakes operated by the feet and secondly because persons familiar with the single gear type of bicycles often face big difficulties when they have to use the hand brakes instead of the foot brakes. Especially in panic situations such persons often act in reflex and the result is frequently that no braking at all takes place. A fur- ther disadvantage is that only one hand is available for the braking operation when the bicycle driver is using one hand to indicate a change of direction.

These and other reasons have resulted in maryy attempts to provide a brake which permits pedal operated braking also in connection with multi-geared bicycles.

The suggested soMtions however have been too complicated resepctively necessitated such changes in the construction of the bicycle that they have not reached a more extensive use.

The accompanying drawing illustrates some exemplary embodiments of the invention, wherein

Fig. 1 is a partial section through a free wheel and a friction coup¬ ling, connected to the crank portion of a bicycle according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the device shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section through a second embodiment of a free wheel and friction coupling device connected to the crank portion of a bicycle.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through a first embodiment of a relea- sable free wheel device connected to the rear hub of a bicycle.

Fig. 5 is a section through a second embodiment of a releasable free wheel device incorporated in the rear hub of a bicycle. »" -"

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Fig. 6 schematically shows a rim brake while

Fig. 7 in perspective shows a brake element of the rim brake of fig. 6 and

Fig. 8 finally is a modification of the element of fig. 7. The device shown in fig. 1-3 has as a main object to constitute a free wheel construction as well as a friction coupling.

According to the embodiment of fig. 1 a sleeve 1 is non-rotatably connected to the crank shaft 2 of a bicycle. Rotatably mounted over the sleeve 1 is a rotational member 3, preferably designed as a part of a ball bearing ring, said member 3 being formed as or connected to a sprocket wheel 4.

Rotatably mounted over the rotational member 3 via balls 5 is a ring 6 provided with Dne or several catches 7, intended to cooperate with the sprocket wheel 4. This latter has the teeth thereof so directed that the catch or the catches will slide over the teeth when the pedals are actuated for moving the bicycle in a forward direction. When however the pedals are actuated in the opposite direction the catch or the catches engage the teeth of the sprocket wheel and the sprocket wheel carries with it the ring 6 in said anti-clockwise direction. An arm or a disc 8 is securedly fixed to the ring 6 and the former thus will be moved as described. It has been presumed that the rotational member 3 and consequently also the sprocket wheel 4 is rotatable with the crank shaft and this is usually also the case by the action of a compression spring 9 having one end thereof resting against an annular washer 10 supported by for instance one of the crank arms and the opposite end thereof resting against one end surface of the rotational member 3. The arm or disc 8 operates as will be explained mor.e in detail later on one or several brakes as well as a device to render the free wheel of the bicycle in-active. The brake force which can be exerted by means of the foot is considerably greater that the force that can be obtained from a hand operated brake. This means that a heavy braking action will impose a considerable tension upon the transmission means such as cables, which are intended to transmit the power from the pedals to the brakes and to the dis-connecting device and there is thus a pronounced risk that such a sudden force can

cause a rupture of the cable. When such a heavy braking takes place in the illustrated embodiment the rotational member 3 slips in relation to the sleeve 1 and the transmitted power is thus reduced to a value which the transmission can withstand. A certain advantage when parking a bicycle provided with the device now described is that the rear wheel will lock itself when attempts are made to move a parked bicycle backwards which renders very rapid stealings impossible. In order to enable the owner of the bicycle to handle his bicycle also after parking it is possible to arrange according to fig. 2 a preferably lockable release device in connection with the saddle.

For this purpose an outer ring 11 is turnably mounted over the ring 6 and said outer ring is provided with one or severeal recesses 12 the surrounding walls of which cause the catch or the catches 7 to disengage the teeth of the sprocket wheel when the outer ring is turned in relation to the ring 6 in the direction of the arrow. It is understood that the free wheel 4,7 thereby has been in-active which in turn makes the pedals free to move in both directions. The relative movement between the outer ring 11 and the ring 6 is in the illustrated embodiment accomplished thereby that the wire 15 of a cable 14 acts upon the arm 8, which latter is normally held at a distance from an arm 16, securedly connected to the outer ring 11 by means of an inter- imposed compression spring 17. The cable housing 14 is connected to the arm 16 and in the opposite end thereof the cable is connected to a lever 18, which is pivotally mounted to the attachment for the saddle. The release of the free wheel is accomplished by moving the lever upwards and it is of course possible to make this lever lockable when it is desired to prevent unauthorized people to move the bicycle backwards.

Fig 3 shows, partly in section, a more compact design of a device having the same function as the device shown in fig. 1, with the exception of the manual disengaging device, which is mainly shown in fig. 2.

According to this embodiment one pedal arm 19 of the bicycle is provided with a center part 20, to which a number of catches 21 are pivotally connected. These catches cooperate in a manner just described with a sprocket 22 of a runner 23, which is rotatably mounted about the center part 20 and which has a flange 24 towards which acts a friction lining 25, acting against one side of the arm or disc 8. A second friction lining 26 rests against the opposite side of the arm or disc and a

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compression spring 27 having one end thereof resting against the friction lining and the opposite end thereof resting against a ring 28 secured to the runner 23 keeps the parts 24,25,8 and 26 pressed against each other. The device shown in fig. 3 has as mentioned the same function as the device described in fig. 1, i.e. it leaves the arm or disc 8 uninfluenced when pedalling occurs forwards but carries the arm or disc when pedalling occurs backwards and additionally the arm or disc 8 slips in case the transmitted power exceeds a predetermined value. It is of course possible also by this embodiment to add the manual release of the free wheel 21,22 which in principle is illustrated in fig. 2. In fig. 329-- and 30 denote packings and 31 denote balls for the mounting of the runner 23.

The devices connected to the pedal portion of the bicycle now described give as a result that the arm or disc 8 is-, made active when braking with the foot takes place and thereby via transmission means such as cables brings forth a braking as well as a release of the free wheel provided in the rear hub of the bicycle.

In fig. 4-5 is shown how the catch action of the free wheel provided in the rear wheel of. ^' the bicycle can be released. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4 the arm 8 is connected via a wire or the like 32 to the rear wheel of the bicycle in a manner to be described more in detail. The wire 32 is In this case connected to a projection 33 of a disc 34 which by means of a screw threading 35 is connected to the stationary shaft 36 of the rear hub. It is evident that actuation of the wire 32 will impart to the disc 34 a turning movement which in turn causes an axial displacement of the disc owing to the screw thread engagement.

A number of chain wheels 37 of various diameters are in a manner known per se threaded upon a runner 38, which in a manner known per se by means of balls or the like 39 with minor friction is rotatably mounted over the shaft 36. Through a number of longitudinal grooves 40 in the runner are inserted a number of actuating means 41 abutting with one end thereof a side surface of the disc 34 and having in the opposite end thereof obliquely cut surfaces for a purpose to be described. A spring means 42 tends to move the actuating means into contact with the disc. The free wheel of the rear wheel hub, which in the drawing has been given the general designation 43, consists in a manner knwon per se by balls 44, which however according to the invention can be brought out of

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respectively in catching position by means of a disc 46 provided with axially projecting fingers 45 said disc having a number of openings 47 which are elongated in peripheral direction and which are penetrated by the actuating means, which have their corresponding ends obliquely cut to give to the disc a limited turning movement when the actuating means 4 are axially displaced. During this turning movement the fingers 45 of the disc bring the balls out of their active catching positions, which render the catch in-active.

When the wire 32 is actuated the actuating means will as mentioned be displaced in the length direction thereof and owing to this displacement the catches 44 are brought out of catching position, which releases the free wheel.

It is also possible to let the actuating means 41 act directly upon the balls 44. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 5 the catching elements consist of pawls 48, which are pivotally mounted and intended to cooperate with a toothing 49 of a first sleeve 50 to which chain wheels 51 of various diameters are secured. The pawls are pivoted to a second sleeve 52, which supports the spokes 53 of the wheel and which is rotatably mounted about a hollow shaft 54, which constitutes the stationary shaft of the rear hub. In said hollow tube a plunger 56 is displaceably mounted and movable against the action of a spring 55, said plunger being displaced by means of a wire 57. A sleeve 58 having the end thereof which is to the left in the drawing bevelled is displaceably mounted relative to the hollow shaft 54 and said sleeve is by means of a pin or the like

59, which protrudes through a slot 60 ^: .provided in the hollow shaft, in carrying connection with the plunger 56. A pull in the wire brings forth a displacement of the plunger-56 and thereby also of the sleeve 58. During this displacement the respectively pawls 48 are swung away so that they leave the engagement with the sprocket wheel and in this manner the one way blocking between the first and the second sleeves 50 respec¬ tively 52 ceases.

The device now described works in the following manner:

During forward pedalling the arm 8 stands still and is in an in-operative position. When however the pedals for braking purposes are moved backwards the arm will follow this movement which causes the brakes of the bicycle to be activated and also causes the blocking action of the free whe^— _{τr r} ,

of the rear hub to cease.

If the free wheel of the rear hub had not been influenced the free wheel should have locked the pedals during a heavy braking which had made it impossible to continue pedalling until said locking action in one way or another had been suppressed.

In fig. 6 is illustrated the construction of a rim brake, generally designated as 61. An actuating means 62 simultaneously actuates two braking elements 63a,63b pivoted to shafts 64a and 64b and provided to act with brake blocks 65a,65b against two opposite sides of a rim 66. According to the invention each brake block 67 (See fig. 7) is rockably provided about a center 69. By this arrangement the blocks will first act with a first surface 68' and thereupon with a second surface 68'' . Owing to the fact that the blocks are not rigidly mounted (theycan also be arranged in cradles) an improved contact with the rim and consequently also an improved braking effect is achieved. As appears from fig. 8 the brake blocks 70 can have their active parts 70' and 70" in the form of spaced apart portions.