This appears to be a front suspension bike, patented in 1891. The seat and cranks are attached solidly to the rear wheel, but if the front wheel hit a bump it would be allowed to raise up against the spring located near the crank. Interesting. Many other early suspension designs are in the Bicycle Technology section of the Patent Pending blog. In the top version of this bike, steering is by handles by the saddle, which is connected to the front wheel by cables. There is no traditional handlebar. I think the inventor was trying to allow the rider to sit upright and not have to lean forward to steer the front wheel. That might really relieve some back strain.
What seems to be a front suspension is actually a full suspension!!
1st Version [Fig.1]: Note that the weight of the rider is transfered through the saddle to the rear wheel frame which compressess the spring (assuming that the front wheel is on the ground).However if the front wheel runs over a bump the vibration would shock the riders arms...therefore the steering equipement are transfered under the saddle.
2nd Version [Fig.2]: Now the bike has normal steering bar, but there is the addition of an extra front suspension. Now the bike is real full suspension bike but the design is working in a different way. Despite the fact that there is a dedicated front suspension, the rear (middle) suspension will also absorb some vibrations of the front wheel (causing some vibrations to the driver's arms).
Posted by: George P. | February 23, 2006 at 03:17 AM