JPH0248312Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

This invention relates to a support structure for a bicycle saddle, and more particularly, to a structure that allows the height of the saddle to be easily adjusted and improves the appearance of the saddle support portion.

[Conventional technology]

A bicycle saddle is a seat on which a rider sits when driving the bicycle, and is supported by a vertical pipe of a bicycle frame via a seat post.
The saddle is usually attached to the bicycle frame in a height-adjustable manner so that the rider can take an appropriate riding posture depending on his/her physique.
The general support structure of the saddle is as follows:
There are the following: That is, the upper end of the vertical pipe is provided with an axial cut and a pair of clip walls protruding from the ends of the cut with the cut interposed therebetween. After inserting a seat post with a saddle supported and fixed at the top into the vertical pipe, the clip bolts are tightened to the pair of clip walls to force the inner diameter of the vertical pipe where the cut is formed. The diameter of the seat post is reduced, and the inner surface of the vertical pipe tightens the outer surface of the seat post, thereby fixing the seat post or saddle to the bicycle frame. Also,
Adjustment of the height position of the saddle is performed by loosening the clip bolt to release the fastening of the upright pipe to the seat post, and then adjusting the insertion amount of the seat post into the upright pipe. and,
Once the height of the saddle is determined, tighten the clip bolt again to secure the seat post to the vertical pipe.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in the above-mentioned general saddle support structure, adjusting the height of the saddle requires loosening and re-tightening the clip bolts, which is extremely troublesome.
In particular, in the case of general-use vehicles such as minicycles, a single vehicle is often used by multiple people, and as a result, the saddle height must be adjusted frequently. was strongly requested. For this reason, the height of the saddle has been easily adjusted by attaching a dowel to the head of the clip bolt, or by using a quick release tightening bolt instead of the clip bolt. A support structure for a saddle has been proposed that is configured to allow water to flow through the saddle. However, such a saddle support structure also has the following problems. In the support structure of the saddle mentioned above, the dowels and the quick lever of the quick release tightening bolt are
Inadvertent contact with the passenger's body or foreign objects may occur, and in such cases, the bolts connected to the dowel and the quick lever may rotate in the direction of loosening.
The fixation of the bicycle frame to the saddle becomes unstable. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a strong tendency to increase the commercial value of bicycles by improving their styling in parallel with improving their running performance. However, in the saddle support structure described above, the clip walls and bolts are exposed, and the dowels and quick levers protrude from the bicycle frame, resulting in a very poor appearance at the saddle support part. Therefore, no matter how much the appearance is improved in other parts, the effect is diminished by the unsightly appearance of the saddle support. The present invention was devised under the above-mentioned circumstances, and it not only makes it easy to attach and detach the saddle and adjust its height, but also improves the appearance of the saddle support part, and improves the state of support for the saddle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a support structure for a bicycle saddle configured to solve the conventional problem of inadvertently destabilizing a bicycle saddle.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problem, the bicycle saddle support structure of the present invention has a hollow pipe-shaped seat post that supports the saddle at the upper end and is inserted and fixed into the vertical pipe of the bicycle frame so that its position can be adjusted in the vertical direction. The support structure for the saddle includes an eccentric camshaft having a tool engaging portion at one or both ends in an upper portion of the seatpost, the rotational axis of which is perpendicular to the axis of the seatpost in side view, and the above-mentioned tool The engaging portion is rotatably supported so as to be exposed on the outer surface of the seat post, while the upper end engages with the eccentric camshaft inside the seatpost and is forcibly moved by rotation of the eccentric camshaft. A tension rod is provided that can be moved up and down in the axial direction, and a lock member is provided at the lower end of the tension rod for forcibly pressing the outer surface of the lower end of the seat post against the inner surface of the vertical pipe by the upward movement of the tension rod. It is installed.

[Effect]

Now, in the saddle support structure of the present invention,
To fix the saddle to the bicycle frame, insert the seat post with the saddle supported on the top into the vertical pipe, determine the insertion amount of the seat post, that is, the height direction of the saddle, and then Simply apply the tool to the lock position and rotate it to the desired lock position. Then, the tension rod whose upper end is engaged with the eccentric camshaft is moved upward in the axial direction, and as a result, the locking member attached to the lower end of the tension rod locks the outer surface of the seat post into the vertical pipe. Forcibly press against the sides. In other words, the outer surface of the seat post is stretched against the inner surface of the upright pipe, and the seat post is fixed to the upright pipe, completing the attachment of the saddle to the bicycle frame. Further, when the eccentric camshaft is rotated to a predetermined unlocking position, the tension rod and the locking member are moved downward in the axial direction of the seat post, and the forcibly pressed state of the seat post against the upright pipe is released. In this case, the height position of the saddle can be freely adjusted by removing the saddle and seat post from the bicycle frame, or by adjusting the amount of insertion of the seat post into the upright pipe.

【effect】

In this way, with the saddle support structure of the present invention, the saddle can be attached to the bicycle frame, removed and the height position of the saddle can be adjusted by simply rotating the eccentric camshaft. It becomes wet. Moreover, in the present invention, a tool engaging portion is provided at the end of the eccentric camshaft, and the eccentric camshaft can be rotated by applying a tool to the tool engaging portion. Therefore, the rotation of the eccentric camshaft can be performed with a single touch, and as a result, the work of attaching/detaching the saddle and adjusting the height position is facilitated. Furthermore, the following effects can be expected by facilitating the rotational operation of the eccentric camshaft without providing an operating lever on the eccentric camshaft. In other words, when an operating lever is provided, the mounting position of the eccentric camshaft is limited in order to avoid interference between the control lever and the frame or saddle, but with the present invention, this problem is avoided and the eccentric camshaft can be mounted. There is a high degree of freedom in the mounting position. Further, unlike the conventional example, there is no fear that the fixed state of the saddle will become unstable due to inadvertent contact between the operating lever and the rider. Furthermore, since the eccentric camshaft, the tension rod connected thereto, and the locking member, which constitute the support structure of the saddle of the present invention, are installed inside the seat post or the upright pipe, the saddle fixing member is not required as in the conventional example. The problem of deterioration in appearance due to exposure of the operating levers and the like is also completely solved. In this case, taking advantage of the high degree of freedom in the mounting position of the eccentric camshaft as described above, and taking into account that the bicycle is usually viewed from the side, for example, the eccentric camshaft can be mounted on the seat post. If you attach it to the front and rear of the bicycle, it may seem obvious at first glance.
Since the end of the eccentric camshaft is not visible, the aesthetic appearance of the seat post or saddle support is greatly enhanced.

[Explanation of Examples]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the saddle support structure of this example, a hollow pipe-shaped seat post 3, which supports a saddle 2 on its upper part, is inserted and fixed into a vertical pipe 1 of a bicycle frame to attach the saddle 2 to the bicycle frame. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat post 3 has an eccentric camshaft 6 in its upper part, which is provided with a tool engaging part 7 at one end. The seat post 3 is perpendicular to the axis of the seat post 3, and is rotatably supported so that the tool engaging portion 7 is exposed on the outer surface of the seat post 3. That is,
The seat post 3 has a pair of large and small through holes 4 and 5 formed in its upper peripheral wall and diametrically opposed to each other. Then, the eccentric camshaft 6 has a large diameter shaft portion 8 at the base end and a small diameter shaft portion 9 at the tip end supported by the through holes 4 and 5, and a large diameter shaft portion 8 at the base end and a small diameter shaft portion at the tip end. A camshaft 10 is provided eccentrically with respect to the rotational axis between the camshaft 9 and the camshaft 9, and is inserted into the seatpost 3 and rotatably supported by the seatpost 3. In this example, the outer ends of the through holes 4 and 5 are provided with a counterbore 4a into which the flange 8a of the proximal large-diameter shaft support 8 is fitted, and a flange 9a of the small-diameter tip 9. A counterbore portion 5a is provided for the seat post 3 or the saddle support portion so that the eccentric cam shaft 6 attached to the seat post 3 does not protrude from its outer surface at all. It enhances the aesthetic appearance. The eccentric camshaft 6 can be mounted on the seat post 3 by interposing a retaining ring 11 between the flange portion 9a of the small diameter shaft portion 9 and the bottom wall of the counterbore portion 5a.
is prevented from escaping. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the eccentric camshaft 6 has a tension rod 12 inside the seat post 3, which has a cam connection part 13 at its upper end. It is supported and connected to the camshaft portion 10 which is rotatably inserted therethrough. A locking member 15 is attached to the lower end of the tension rod 12 for forcibly pressing the outer surface of the seat post 3 against the inner surface of the vertical pipe 1 by the upward movement of the tension rod 12. In this example, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, the lock member 15 has a shape formed by cutting a cylindrical member obliquely with respect to the axial direction, and has an opening at the upper end. An inclined slide surface 15a is cut at an angle of inclination corresponding to the inclined slide surface 3a formed at the lower end of the seat post 3. Further, the lock member 15 is provided with a through hole 15c in its bottom wall portion 15b, and the cylindrical nut portion 1 of the lock nut member 16 is inserted into the through hole 15c from below.
The lock member 15 is fixed to the tension rod 12 by screwing the male threaded portion 14 provided at the lower end of the tension rod 12 into the screw hole 17a of No. 7. In addition, in this example, the lock nut member 1
The flange portion 18 that extends over the bottom wall portion 15b of No. 6
A bushing hole 18a is provided in communication with the threaded hole 17a of the cylindrical nut portion 17, and a nylon bushing in which a guide hole having a diameter smaller than the nominal diameter of the male threaded portion 14 is formed in advance is provided in the bushing hole 18a. The bush 19 is press-fitted. Then, when the male threaded portion 14 of the tension rod 12 is screwed into the lock nut member 16, it is forcibly screwed into the guide hole from the screw hole 17a. As a result, the tension rod 12 is firmly held in the nylon bushing 19 by virtue of the viscoelasticity that is a characteristic of resin, so that loosening that occurs between the male threaded portion 14 and the threaded hole 17a due to vibration or the like is prevented. This ensures that the lock member 15 is securely fixed to the pull rod 12. The material of the bush 19 may be any resin as long as it has a certain degree of flexibility. In the support structure for the saddle 2 of this example configured as above, in order to fix the saddle 2 to the bicycle frame, after inserting the seat post 3 with the saddle 2 supported and fixed on the upper part into the vertical pipe 1, As shown in FIG.
Rotate to the lock rotation position where the 0 axis is located above the rotation axis. Then, the camshaft 10
The locking member 15 is forcibly moved upward while being slid and guided by the inclined sliding surface 3a of the seat post 3 which is in contact with the inclined sliding surface 15a of the locking member 15.
As a result, the outer surface of the lock member 15 is pushed against the inner surface of the vertical pipe 1, and the lock member 15
The inclined slide surface 3 of the inclined slide surface 15a of
The outer surface of the seat post 3 is stretched against the inner surface of the vertical pipe 1 due to the pressing force in the surface pressure direction against a, so that the seat post 3 is fixed to the vertical pipe 1. On the other hand, when removing the saddle 2 from the bicycle frame or adjusting the height position of the saddle 2, move the eccentric camshaft 6 from the above-mentioned locked rotation position so that the camshaft portion 10 is positioned below the rotation axis. It is only necessary to rotate the lock from the above-mentioned lock rotation position in the unlocking direction. As a result, the locking member 15 moves downward and the locking state of the seat post 3 to the vertical pipe 1 is released, and the seat post 3 can be removed from the vertical pipe 1 and the insertion amount can be freely adjusted. be. By the way, as mentioned above, the eccentric camshaft 6 has
Since the tool engaging portion 7 is provided, the eccentric camshaft 6 can be rotated very easily.
That is, in this example, the tool engaging portion 7 is
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 2, a hexagonal hole is provided by carving a hexagonal hole on the outer surface of the flange 8a of the proximal large diameter shaft portion 8, and a tool such as an Allen key is inserted into this tool engaging portion 7. Since the eccentric camshaft 6 can be rotated by pushing it in, the operation can be performed very easily. In this example, a hexagonal socket bolt 2 is used to fix the saddle fixture 21 to the pillar pedestal 20 that is integrally formed at the upper end of the seat post 3.
2, and the diameters of the hexagonal hole (not shown) of the hexagonal socket bolt 22 and the hexagonal hole of the tool engaging portion 7 are fixed to be equal. This makes it possible to attach the seat post 3 to the bicycle frame and adjust its height, as well as fix the saddle 2 to the seat post 3 and adjust its seat position using a single tool. This increases the simplicity of the entire work. In addition, in the support structure of the saddle 2 of this example, not only the tension rod 12 and the locking member 15 installed inside the seat post 3 and the vertical pipe 1, but also the eccentric camshaft 6 are attached to the seat post 3 as described above. These are installed in a buried state to prevent them from being exposed to the outside. Therefore,
Compared to the conventional example, the saddle support part is very sleek, and the appearance is greatly improved.Furthermore, the rider and the eccentric camshaft 6 come into contact, and the rotational position of the eccentric camshaft 6 is changed. There will be no inconvenience caused by inadvertent changes. Next, FIG. 5 shows a modification of the above embodiment. In this example, a thin member is used as the lock member 15. On the other hand, seat post 3
An appropriate number of axial cuts 23 are provided on the peripheral wall of the lower end. Then, by rotating the eccentric camshaft 6 and moving upwardly the locking member 15 connected to the eccentric camshaft 6 via the tension rod 12, the diameter of the portion of the seat post 3 where the above-mentioned cuts 23 are provided is adjusted. However, the lock member 1 presses against the inner surface of this part.
The diameter is forcibly expanded due to the wedge effect of 5,
The outer surface of the seat post 3 is firmly fixed to the inner surface of the vertical pipe 1. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, a hexagonal shaft part may be formed at the end of the eccentric camshaft and this may be used as a tool engagement part, and further,
If a tool engaging portion having a different shape is formed at the other end, the ease of the saddle mounting work can be further improved. In addition, various design changes can be made to the engagement structure between the eccentric camshaft and the tension rod, and the connection structure between the tension rod and the lock member other than those of the above-described embodiments.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Figure 2, Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of section A in Figure 4, and Figure 3 is a - line sectional view in Figure 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a bicycle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vertical pipe, 2... Saddle, 3... Seat post, 6... Eccentric camshaft, 7... Tool engaging portion, 12... Tension rod, 15... Lock member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A bicycle saddle support structure comprising a hollow pipe-shaped seat post that supports a saddle at its upper end and is inserted and fixed into an upright pipe of a bicycle frame so that its position can be adjusted in the vertical direction, the above-mentioned seat In the upper part of the post, an eccentric camshaft having a tool engaging part at one end or both ends is arranged so that its rotational axis is perpendicular to the axis of the seat post in side view, and the tool engaging part is on the outer surface of the seat post. A tension rod is rotatably supported in an exposed manner, and inside the seat post, the upper end of which engages with the eccentric camshaft and is forcibly moved up and down in the axial direction by the rotation of the eccentric camshaft. and a locking member is attached to the lower end of the tension rod for forcibly pressing the outer surface of the lower end of the seat post against the inner surface of the vertical pipe by the upward movement of the tension rod. Saddle support structure.