A new type of mechanism for human powered and electric-assist bicycles, provided within its rear wheel hub, that transfers drive motion from the drive-train to the wheel, while allowing non ratcheting freewheeling when coasting.

The mechanism uses of a pair of face gears, with the first gear fixed within the hubshell, while the second gear is rotary fixed but allowed to move axially within the freehub. The second gear is attached to prismatic sliding joints with springs, coiled over a shaft fixed to the hubshell.

Rotating the freehub in the forward direction by the drive-train, rotates the second gear, sliding on the prismatic joints to axially dispose it towards the first gear until they couple and transfer drive. When the freehub rotates in the opposite direction relative to the hubshell, the second gear moves away from the first gear, transferring an unwinding motion to the coiled springs that start to slip on the rotating shaft, allowing freewheeling.

A driving mechanism of a bicycle free-coaster hub includes a driving assembly, a clutch assembly, an epicyclic gear assembly, a resisting member, and forward drag and reverse drag members. The clutch assembly includes an output clutch unit disposed inner the hub and an input clutch unit disposed with the driving assembly to form a clutching or engaging state with the output clutch unit. The epicyclic gear assembly includes a sun gear coupled with the input clutch unit, a ring gear mounted on the hub, a planet gear carrier having a plurality of planet gears engaged with the ring gear and the gear portion of the sun gear. The resisting member is disposed between the sun gear and the hub axle. The forward drag member is disposed between the ring gear and the sun gear. The reverse drag member is disposed between the planet gear carrier and the hub axel.

A driving mechanism of a bicycle free-coaster hub includes a driving assembly, a clutch assembly, an epicyclic gear assembly, a resisting member, and forward drag and reverse drag members. The clutch assembly includes an output clutch unit disposed inner the hub and an input clutch unit disposed with the driving assembly to form a clutching or engaging state with the output clutch unit. The epicyclic gear assembly includes a sun gear coupled with the input clutch unit, a ring gear mounted on the hub, a planet gear carrier having a plurality of planet gears engaged with the ring gear and the gear portion of the sun gear. The resisting member is disposed between the sun gear and the hub axle. The forward drag member is disposed between the ring gear and the sun gear. The reverse drag member is disposed between the planet gear carrier and the hub axel.

A hub assembly is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The hub assembly includes a hub axle, a hub body, a pawl support body, at least one pawl, a sprocket support body, at least one sprocket support bearing, a ratchet body and a plurality of ratchet teeth. The hub body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle. The pawl support body is connected to the hub body. The pawl is movable between a driving position and a non-driving position. The at sprocket support bearing rotatably supports the sprocket support body on the hub axle. The ratchet body is connected to the sprocket support body. The ratchet teeth engage the pawl to transmit a driving force from the sprocket support body to the hub body while rotating in a driving rotational direction. The sprocket support bearing is disposed opposite to the hub body with respect to the ratchet teeth.

A hub assembly is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The hub assembly includes a hub axle, a hub body, a pawl support body, at least one pawl, a sprocket support body, at least one sprocket support bearing, a ratchet body and a plurality of ratchet teeth. The hub body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle. The pawl support body is connected to the hub body. The pawl is movable between a driving position and a non-driving position. The at sprocket support bearing rotatably supports the sprocket support body on the hub axle. The ratchet body is connected to the sprocket support body. The ratchet teeth engage the pawl to transmit a driving force from the sprocket support body to the hub body while rotating in a driving rotational direction. The sprocket support bearing is disposed opposite to the hub body with respect to the ratchet teeth.

In a drive unit attached to a vehicle-body frame of an electric-motor-assisted bicycle including a one-way clutch including an outer member, an inner member, a plurality of clutch lugs, a plurality of springs, and a plurality of pins. Clutch teeth are located on one of an inner peripheral portion of the outer member and an outer peripheral portion of the inner member. The clutch lugs and the springs are located on the other of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion. A number of the clutch lugs is an even number not smaller than four. A number of the clutch teeth is an even number that is not a multiple of the number of the clutch lugs. A number of the springs is half the number of clutch lugs. Each spring exerts a biasing force on two of the clutch lugs that are circumferentially adjacent. Each pin is in contact with one of the springs.

In a drive unit attached to a vehicle-body frame of an electric-motor-assisted bicycle including a one-way clutch including an outer member, an inner member, a plurality of clutch lugs, a plurality of springs, and a plurality of pins. Clutch teeth are located on one of an inner peripheral portion of the outer member and an outer peripheral portion of the inner member. The clutch lugs and the springs are located on the other of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion. A number of the clutch lugs is an even number not smaller than four. A number of the clutch teeth is an even number that is not a multiple of the number of the clutch lugs. A number of the springs is half the number of clutch lugs. Each spring exerts a biasing force on two of the clutch lugs that are circumferentially adjacent. Each pin is in contact with one of the springs.

A pedaled drivetrain includes a drive mechanism, a wheel, a freewheel hub, and a locking mechanism. The wheel has a rotational axis. The freewheel hub connects the drive mechanism to the wheel, and the freewheel hub transmits torque from the drive mechanism to the wheel in a first rotational direction around the rotational axis. The locking mechanism has a locked state and an unlocked state. The locked state rotationally fixes a component of the drive mechanism to the wheel relative to the rotational axis.

A pedaled drivetrain includes a drive mechanism, a wheel, a freewheel hub, and a locking mechanism. The wheel has a rotational axis. The freewheel hub connects the drive mechanism to the wheel, and the freewheel hub transmits torque from the drive mechanism to the wheel in a first rotational direction around the rotational axis. The locking mechanism has a locked state and an unlocked state. The locked state rotationally fixes a component of the drive mechanism to the wheel relative to the rotational axis.

A bicycle transmission includes an axle, an input component, a power transmission mechanism, a shift mechanism and an output component. The input component receives manually applied rotational force. The output component is rotatably supported by the axle. The power transmission mechanism transmits the rotational force of the input component to the output component through one of a plurality of power transmission paths. The shift mechanism includes a shift input member, a shift control member, a first saver spring and a second saver spring. The shift input member is settable in a plurality of rotational positions. The shift control member rotates in conjunction with movement of the shift input member to select one of the power transmission paths. In the shift mechanism, as the shift input member rotates in the first direction, the shift control member receives the rotational force applied in a first direction through the first saver spring.