Background Art As well known, conventional exercise bikes are configured so that a weight wheel, which is connected to a belt driving wheel via a belt, is driven according to forward pedalling by a rider, thereby giving rise to the same exercise effect as that obtainable from actual cycling.

In case of such conventional exercise bikes, when a pedal shaft is pedalled in reverse, no driving force is transmitted to the belt driving wheel due to a one-way clutch bearing, in the same manner as usual bikes.

However, since the conventional exercise bikes are designed to induce exercise effect only when the rider pedals forward as if he/she rides a usual bike, they tend to bore the rider due to monotonous forward pedalling, and result in inconsistant development of only partial muscles used to pedal forward. Therefore, there is a limit to reinforce the rider's lower body by using the conventional exercise bikes.

Disclosure of the Invention Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike, which can ensure a resultant driving force, produced when a rider optionally pedals in reverse as well as forward directions, to be transmitted to a

weight wheel so as to induce uniform muscular development of the rider's lower body, resulting in improvement of exercise effect.

In order to effectively accomplish the above and other objects, according to the present invention, a pair of one-way clutch bearings are installed to a pedal driving shaft in forward and reverse directions, respectively, and in addition, an one- way clutch bearing is installed to a weight wheel, thereby enabling the weight wheel to be driven so as to achieve constant exercise effect when the rider pedals in reverse as well as forward directions.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining operation of the forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike in accordance with the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an important portion of the exercise bike. Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining the operation of the exercise bike.

The forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike (S) of the present invention, similarly to conventional exercise bikes, basically comprises: a base 1 rested on the ground in a length adjustable manner; a housing 2 fixed at an upper side of the base 1; a handle unit 3 mounted at a front region of the housing 2 in a height

adjustable manner, and centrally provided with a monitor 31 ; a saddle 4 mounted at a rear region of the housing 2 in a height adjustable manner; a pedal 5 protruding outward from opposite sides of the housing 2; and a driving mechanism incorporated inside the housing 2 and adapted to provide resistibility during the driving of the pedal 5.

Considering now features of the present invention, the forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike (S) comprises: a cylindrical holder 6 fixed to a boss member 21 within the housing 2; a casing 9 installed to cover an outer surface of the holder 6 and externally coupled with a driving pulley 8 for a belt 7; a disc-shaped reverse bevel gear 11 rotatably supported by an inner surface of the holder 6; a disc-shaped forward bevel gear 10 fixed to an inner surface of the casing 9; four idle bevel gears 12 engaged between the forward and reverse bevel gears 10 and 11; a pair of forward and reverse one-way clutch bearings 13 and 14 installed between the respective forward and reverse bevel gears 10 and 11 and a pedal shaft 51; a weight wheel 16 supported by means of a driving shaft 15 within the housing 2 so as to turn in front of the driving pulley 8; a forward bearing 17 for driving the weight wheel 16 in a forward direction; a driven pulley 18 fitted around the driving shaft 15 so as to receive a driving force of the driving pulley 8 via the belt 7; and a tension adjustment pulley 19 used to maintain constant tension of the belt 7.

In Fig. 2, not explained reference numeral 20 designates a sliding guider.

The forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike (S) of the present invention, configured as stated above, can achieve the same exercise effect regardless of whether the pedal 5 is driven in reverse or forward directions.

Now, the operation of the exercise bike in accordance with the present invention will be explained by being classified into a forward pedalled mode, a reverse pedalled mode, and a temporary stop mode.

Forward Pedalled Mode If the pedal 5 is driven to turn the pedal shaft 51 in a forward direction, the forward one-way clutch bearing 13, fitted around the pedal shaft 51, transmits a driving force of the pedal 5 to the forward bevel gear 10. Thereby, the casing 9 fixed to the forward bevel gear 10 is turned in a forward direction.

Then, the idle bevel gears 12, engaged with the forward bevel gear 10, transmit a rotating force of the forward bevel gear 10 to the reverse bevel gear 11.

In this case, the reverse one-way clutch bearing 14, installed between the pedal shaft 51 and the reverse bevel gear 11, is idle.

Meanwhile, when the driving pulley 8 turns clockwise in a forward direction as shown in Fig. 3, its driving force is transmitted to the driven pulley 18 via the belt 7, and in turn, the driven pulley 18 turns the weight wheel 16 in a forward direction by means of the forward bearing 17.

Therefore, the rider can achieve the same exercise effect as that obtainable from usual exercise bikes.

Reverse Pedalled Mode If the pedal 5 is driven to turn the pedal shaft 51 in reverse, the reverse one- way clutch bearing 14, fitted around the pedal shaft 51, transmits a driving force of the pedal 5 to the reverse bevel gear 11. Thereby, the reverse bevel gear 11 turns the idle bevel gears 12 so as to consequently drive the forward bevel gear 10 in a forward direction. In this case, the forward one-way clutch bearing 13 is idle.

Therefore, the forward bevel gear 10 turns the weight wheel 16 in a forward direction via the casing 9, the driving pulley 8, and the belt 7.

In conclusion, whenever the rider drives the pedal 5 in reverse as well as forward directions, the driving pulley 8 and the weight wheel 16 are driven in a forward direction, resulting in their having identical exercise effects.

Stop Mode If the pedal 5 is stopped for the temporary rest of the rider or for the conversion of its driving direction, the forward and reverse bevel gears 10 and 11, the idle bevel gears 12, the casing 9, and the driving pulley 8 are concurrently stopped, and also the belt 7 and the driven pulley 18 are stopped.

However, the weight wheel 16 constantly turns by using inertial force thereof since the forward bearing 17 is installed between the driving shaft 15 and the driven pulley 18. In this case, the forward bearing 17 is idle.

Industrial Applicability As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a forward/reverse pedalled exercise bike, which is designed to secure one-way rotation of a weight wheel regardless of whether a rider pedals in reverse or forward directions, thereby being capable of constantly provide resistivity to the rider, and of achieving uniform muscular development of the rider's lower body, resulting in maximization of exercise effects. Further, the present invention can allow the rider to enjoy exercise without boredom since the rider can freely pedal in reverse as well as forward directions as desired, resulting in considerable improvement in reliability and interest of products. Furthermore, by virtue of its simple configuration, the present invention enables mass production and reduction in manufacturing costs, and can minimize a risk of failure, resulting in ease of management.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.