Wheel and spoke, in particular for a bicycle

Abstract

A bicycle spoke has a spoke body having two remote ends, a rim end, and a hub end. The elongated body includes a longitudinally flattened cross-section. The body includes a first end portion thickness at the hub end transverse to a longitudinal plane. The body includes a second end portion thickness at the rim-side end transverse to the longitudinal plane. The body includes in a first center region disposed closer to the first end portion than to the second end portion, a first center region thickness transverse to the longitudinal plane that is less than the first end portion thickness. In a second center region disposed closer to the second end portion than to the first end portion, the body has the flattened cross-section wherein the second center region includes a second center region thickness transverse to the longitudinal plane that is less than the first center region thickness.

Claims

1. A spoke including a spoke body for a wheel of an at least partially muscle-powered bicycle, comprising: the spoke body comprises a hub-side first end and a rim-side second end wherein the two ends are remote from one another; the spoke body is configured elongated and comprises over at least one longitudinal region in a longitudinal direction of the spoke body at least one flattened cross-section substantially accommodated in a longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises a first end portion thickness in a first end portion at the hub-side first end transverse to the longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises a second end portion thickness in a second end portion at the rim-side second end transverse to the longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises in a first center region disposed closer to the first end portion than to the second end portion, transverse to the longitudinal plane a first center region thickness that is less than the first end portion thickness; and the spoke body comprises in a second center region disposed closer to the second end portion than to the first end portion the flattened cross-section comprising a second center region thickness transverse to the longitudinal plane that is less than the first center region thickness.

2. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke body includes over at least a longitudinal section a constant cross-section wherein the longitudinal section is taken from a group of longitudinal sections comprising the first end portion and the second end portion and the first center region and the second center region.

3. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke body includes between at least two longitudinal sections a transition region, wherein the transition region is configured continuously and/or stepped.

4. The spoke according to claim 3, wherein at least one transition region is shorter than 10% of a length of the first center region.

5. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke body has transverse to its longitudinal direction and within the longitudinal plane in the first center region a first center region width which is less than the second center region width in the second center region.

6. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the second center region width is larger than a first end portion width in the first end portion and/or larger than a second end portion width in the second end portion.

7. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the first end portion and the second end portion and the first center region comprise cross-sections similar in configuration.

8. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the first end portion and the second end portion comprise similar cross-sections.

9. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sections in the first end region and the second end region are configured round.

10. The spoke according claim 1, wherein the cross-section in the first center region is configured round.

11. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the flattened cross-section in the second center region is configured oval and/or angular and/or elliptic and/or wing-shaped with rounded corners.

12. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the second center region extends over a length between ⅓ and ⅔ of a length of the spoke body.

13. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke body has an external thread at the rim-side end.

14. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke body comprises a spoke head at the hub-side end.

15. The spoke according to claim 1, wherein the spoke head is configured T-shaped.

16. A wheel of an at least partially muscle-powered bicycle, comprising: a hub and a rim; the hub is connected with the rim through a plurality of spokes wherein at least one of the spokes comprises a spoke body having two ends remote from one another, namely a hub-side, first end and a rim-side, second end; the hub-side end is connected with the hub and wherein the rim-side end is connected with the rim; the spoke body is configured elongated and comprises over at least a longitudinal region in a longitudinal direction of the spoke body at least one flattened cross section substantially accommodated in a longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises a first end portion thickness in a first end portion at the hub-side first end transverse to the longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises a second end portion thickness in a second end portion at the rim-side second end transverse to the longitudinal plane; the spoke body comprises in a first center region disposed closer to the first end portion than to the second end portion, transverse to the longitudinal plane a first center region thickness that is less than the first end portion thickness; and the spoke body comprises in a second center region disposed closer to the second end portion than to the first end portion the flattened cross-section comprising a second center region thickness transverse to the longitudinal plane that is less than the first center region thickness.

17. The wheel according to claim 16, wherein the flattened cross-section of each of the spoke bodies is aligned substantially parallel to a plane opened up by the rim.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and features of the present invention can be taken from the exemplary embodiments which will be described below with reference to the enclosed figures.

(2) The figures show in:

(3) FIG. 1 a schematic side view of a mountain bike;

(4) FIG. 2 a schematic side view of a racing bicycle or a roadster;

(5) FIG. 3 a schematic side view of a spoke according to the invention along the longitudinal plane;

(6) FIG. 4 a schematic transverse view of the spoke from FIG. 3;

(7) FIG. 5 a schematic illustration of a spoke in the longitudinal direction;

(8) FIG. 6 the spoke according to FIG. 5 in a side view; and

(9) FIG. 7 a few schematic cross sections of the spoke according to FIGS. 5 and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a mountain bike as the bicycle or two-wheeled vehicle 100. The bicycle comprises two wheels 101, 102, a front wheel 101 and a rear wheel 102. Furthermore, a frame 103, a suspension fork 104, a rear wheel damper 105, a handlebar 106, and a saddle 107 are provided. The drive 112 is provided by means of pedals and in this case, a derailleur. The front wheel 101 and the rear wheel 102 are each fastened to dropouts 113 on the fork 104 or the frame 103.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a simplistic side view of a racing bicycle or roadster as the two-wheeled vehicle 100, the bicycle having an inventive front wheel 101 and an inventive rear wheel 102 as the wheels. The wheels are fastened to the dropouts 113. Both the front wheel and the rear wheel 101, 102 comprise a rim 110 and spokes 1 according to the invention. Due to the scale of the drawings the spokes 1 are illustrated schematically only and they will be discussed in depth below with reference to the further figures.

(12) The wheels 101 and 102 in FIGS. 1 and 2 each comprise spokes 1. Each spoke 1 comprises a hub-side first end 3 and a rim-side second end 4.

(13) FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a spoke 1 according to the invention in a longitudinal view and in a side view.

(14) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view, which is not true to scale in particular in the longitudinal direction 5, of a spoke 1 in the traveling direction. Transverse to the plane of the drawing the longitudinal plane 6 extends, along which a bicycle 100 equipped with such a spoke moves.

(15) The spoke 1 is provided at the hub-side end 3 with a spoke head 10 and at the rim-side end 4 with an external thread 9 which serves for a screw-connection with a spoke nipple not illustrated in FIG. 3.

(16) The first respectively hub-side end 3 of the spoke body 2 is attached to the hub 108 and the spoke body 2 extends outwardly from the hub 108 to the second respectively rim-side end 4 where the external thread 9 is then attached to the rim 110 by means of a spoke nipple (not shown).

(17) The spoke body 2 comprises a first end portion 11 adjacent to the first respectively hub-side end 3, a first center region 12, a second center region 13, and a second end portion 14. A transition region 51 is provided between the first end portion 11 and the first center region 12 and a transition region 52 is provided between the first center region 12 and the second center region 13. A transition region 53 is disposed between the second center region 13 and the second end portion 14.

(18) It is also possible to equip the spoke 1 with attachment means other than spoke heads and threads at the end portions 11 and 14 or to attach the spoke to the hub and the rim by means of other suitable attachment means. Preferably, however, the spoke 1 has a spoke head at the hub-side end and an external thread at the rim-side end.

(19) The first end portion 11, the second end portion 14 and the first center region 12 each comprise round cross-sections 41, 42 and 44. These cross-sections 41 and 44 are preferably configured identical. This means that the first end portion thickness 21 in the first end portion 11 substantially coincides with the second end portion thickness 24 at the second end portion 14.

(20) In comparison the first center region thickness 22 at the first center region 12 is noticeably thinner. In a concrete example the first end portion thickness 21 is 2.0 mm, and so is the second end portion thickness 24 at the second end portion 14. The first center region thickness 22 in the first center region 12 is, however, only 1.5 mm.

(21) In the second center region 13, which is disposed closer to the second end portion 14 than the first center region 12, the second center region 13 comprises a second center region thickness 23 which is noticeably thinner than the first center region thickness 22 of the first center region 12. In this case the second center region thickness 23 is only approximately 0.9 mm and it is thus less than half the thickness of the first end portion thickness 21 or the second end portion thickness 24, so as to achieve a quite considerable aerodynamic drag reduction.

(22) The respective cross-sectional shapes in the respective portions or regions are additionally inserted cross-hatched in FIG. 3. It can be clearly seen that the first end portion 11 is substantially round in cross-section 41. Likewise, the first center region 12 is substantially round in cross-section 42. The cross-section 44 in the second end portion 14 is also substantially round.

(23) Unlike thereto, the cross-section 43 in the second center region 13 is configured flattened, as can be taken from the cross-section 43 inserted in dash and dot lines.

(24) FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the spoke 1 from FIG. 3, which shows a substantially identical view due to the round end portions 11 and 14 and the round first center region 12.

(25) The view of the second center region 13, where the flattened cross-section 43 of the second center region 13 is shown from the side, is considerably different. While due to the round configurations in the first end portion 11 the first end portion thickness 21 corresponds to the first end portion width 31 and in the second end portion 14 the second end portion thickness 24 corresponds to the second end portion width 34 and in the first center region 12 the first center region thickness 22 corresponds to the first center region width 32, the second center region width 33 considerably differs from the second center region thickness 23. In the exemplary embodiment the center region width 33 is approximately 2.3 mm and thus it is more than twice the second center region thickness 23 which is approximately 0.9 mm.

(26) The transition regions 51, 52, 53 show gradual transitions between the respective portions and regions.

(27) In the longitudinal direction 5 of the spoke body 2 the transition regions 51, 52 and 53 are considerably shorter than the center regions 12 and 13 and presently they are shorter than the end portions 11 and 14. The transition region 52 shows a length of between approximately 5 mm and 10 mm. The transition regions 51 and 53 are configured somewhat longer than is the transition region 52. An axial length of the transition regions 51 and 53 along the spoke body 2 is preferably between 5 mm and 15 mm.

(28) FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal view and FIG. 6 shows a side view of another spoke 1 approximately true to scale wherein part of the length is cut away. The length 15 of the second center region 13 with the flattened cross-section 43 is preferably between about ⅔ and about ⅓ of the length 8 of a spoke body 2. In a concrete exemplary embodiment, the second center region 15 is somewhat less than half in length than is the entire spoke body 2.

(29) A length 8 of the entire spoke 1, i.e. from end portion 11 to end portion 14, depends on the application and the installed situation. In a concrete case the length 8 of the spoke body is 290 mm although it may be shorter or longer by e.g. up to 10% or 20%, depending on the rim and installation position etc. A length 15 of the second center region 13 including the transition regions 51 and 52 may be 152 mm in a specific case. The length of the transition regions 51 and 52 is preferably less than 15 mm and it may be 10 mm or less so that a length of the second center region may be approximately 130 mm±10 mm.

(30) FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-section of the spoke 1 from FIGS. 5 and 6 with the cross-section 43 shown cross-hatched in the second center region 13. In addition, the round cross-section 42 in the first center region 12 is inserted in a solid line. The second center region 13 is obtained by press-forming or otherwise reshaping a region that was originally round in cross-section 42. Press-forming converts the round material to the flattened shape shown. A flattened shape is manufactured which may for example be approximately oval, elliptic, or square or wing-shaped.

(31) The cross-section 41 from the first end portion 11 is additionally inserted in a dashed line. A body is manufactured from the body that was originally homogeneous in the longitudinal direction by machining or e.g. by drawing, the body is reduced in cross-section in the center regions 12 and 13 while the original diameter is maintained in the first end portion 11 and the second end portion 14. Thereafter the spoke body 12 is press-formed in the second center region 13 so as to obtain the flattened cross-section 43.

(32) Due to the flattened cross-section of the second center region that is provided in the wheels 101 and 102 radially further outwardly than the first center region 12, having a cross-section 42 reduced in diameter, a noticeable reduction of aerodynamic drag is achieved while simultaneously, compared to a wheel having spokes of consistent thicknesses, the sensitivity to lateral wind can even be reduced or remains the same.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(33) 1 spoke

(34) 2 spoke body

(35) 3 hub-side first end

(36) 4 rim-side second end

(37) 5 longitudinal direction

(38) 6 longitudinal plane

(39) 7 longitudinal section

(40) 8 length of 2

(41) 9 thread

(42) 10 spoke head

(43) 11 first end portion

(44) 12 first center region

(45) 13 second center region

(46) 14 second end portion

(47) 15 length of 13

(48) 21 first end portion thickness

(49) 22 first center region thickness

(50) 23 second center region thickness

(51) 24 second end portion thickness

(52) 31 first end portion width

(53) 32 first center region width

(54) 33 second center region width

(55) 34 second end portion width

(56) 41 cross section

(57) 42 cross section

(58) 43 cross section

(59) 44 cross section

(60) 51 transition region

(61) 52 transition region

(62) 53 transition region

(63) 100 two-wheeled vehicle, bicycle

(64) 101 wheel, front wheel

(65) 102 wheel, rear wheel

(66) 103 frame

(67) 104 fork

(68) 105 damper

(69) 106 handlebar

(70) 107 saddle

(71) 108 hub

(72) 109 spoke

(73) 110 rim

(74) 111 brake disk

(75) 112 drive

(76) 113 dropout