Wheel with a tire retaining device for a racing bicycle

Abstract

A wheel for a racing bicycle including a rim with a rim body having a rim well and lateral rim flanks provided with rim flanges, the rim flanges showing bulges protruding inwardly, each defining an undercut at the pertaining rim flange. A tire with two circumferential tire beads is accommodated on the rim body between the rim flanges, the tire beads bearing against the inside of the rim flanges and entering the undercut at the bulges of the rim flanges. A tire retaining device is included which is disposed in the internal space between the tire and the rim well. The tire retaining device includes an insert member having a hollow space that extends between the tire beads and contains a radially outwardly peripheral wall and a radially inwardly peripheral wall, wherein at least the radially inwardly peripheral wall extends continuously across an inner axial width of the insert member.

Claims

1. A wheel for an at least partially muscle-powered bicycle comprising: a rim with a rim body, said rim body includes a rim well having shoulders, and lateral rim flanks provided with rim flanges, the rim flanges showing bulges protruding inwardly, each of said rim flanges defining an undercut to the pertaining rim flange, wherein a tire having two circumferential tire beads is accommodated on said shoulders of said rim well of the rim body between the rim flanges, wherein the tire beads, when operational, bear against the inside of the rim flanges and enter the undercut at the bulges of the rim flanges; wherein a tire retaining device is comprised and disposed in an internal space between the tire and the rim well; and the tire retaining device comprises an insert member configured with at least one hollow space that extends between the tire beads and comprises a radially outwardly peripheral wall and a radially inwardly peripheral wall, said radially inwardly peripheral wall being at a radial height that is equal to a radial height of said shoulders of said rim well, wherein at least the radially inwardly peripheral wall extends continuously over an inner axial width of the insert member, wherein at least one of the insert member and the hollow space, has a cross-section with a transverse extension in a radially central region that is larger than in a radially inner and a radially outer region, and wherein said insert member comprises a resilient material that compresses under pressure.

2. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member bears against at least one of the tire beads at least in spots.

3. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member extends radially outwardly beyond the rim flanges and wherein the insert member, when properly installed, extends radially outwardly by less than one fourth of its radial height beyond the rim flanges.

4. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member, when properly installed, radially protrudes less than 2 mm beyond the rim flanges.

5. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the hollow space in the insert member, when the insert member is properly installed, radially protrudes less than 1 mm beyond the rim flanges.

6. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member comprises side walls which are oriented at angles at least in sections.

7. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the radially outwardly peripheral wall of the insert member is substantially cylindrical.

8. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the hollow space in the insert member comprises at least one-third of the insert member body volume and wherein at least a substantial part of the walls of the insert member shows a wall thickness of less than 2 mm.

9. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member cross-section profile is substantially rectangular.

10. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the hollow space shows multiple outwardly openings.

11. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member comprises at least two hollow spaces.

12. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member comprises at least one support section toward the rim well.

13. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member shows a T-shaped cross-section at least in portions.

14. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the tire is a tubeless tire and the rim is configured as a hollow rim, and wherein a width between the bulges is between 15 mm and 25 mm and a height of the rim flanges above the rim well is between 4 and 10 mm.

15. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein the insert member comprises a number of segments provided to be distributed over the circumference of a rim.

16. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein evenly spaced punched holes or cuts are configured in the insert member from radially outwardly or radially inwardly.

17. The wheel according to claim 1, wherein said radially inwardly peripheral wall of said insert member extends between and is directly adjacent to the tire beads of the tire.

18. The wheel according to claim 12, wherein said at least one support section is configured for centering by a circumferential groove in the rim well or by the rim well.

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 discussed below with reference to the enclosed figures.

(2) The figures show in:

(3) FIG. 1 a schematic side view of a racing bicycle;

(4) FIG. 2 a cross-section of a wheel according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 3a a cross-section of another wheel according to the invention of a racing bicycle;

(6) FIG. 3b an enlarged detail of FIG. 3a;

(7) FIG. 4 a sectional side view of the area of the valve of the embodiment according to FIG. 2 or FIGS. 3a and 3b;

(8) FIG. 5 two cross-sections of further wheels according to the invention;

(9) FIG. 6 a sectional plan view of conceivable wheel configurations according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) FIG. 1 illustrates a racing bicycle 100 equipped with inventive wheels or racing bicycle wheels 101 and 102. The racing bicycle 100 comprises a frame 103, a front wheel fork 104, a handlebar 106 and a saddle 107 and a drive 112. The wheels 101, 102 may be provided with disk brakes 111. The wheels 101, 102 each comprise a hub 108, a rim 110 and spokes 109. A tire 114 is mounted on the rim 110. In proper operation the front wheel and rear wheel tires 114 each contact the ground across a contact area 119. The contact area 119 is in particular shorter than ten times or four times the width of the rim of a wheel 101, 102.

(11) The wheels 101, 102 of the racing bicycle 100 are provided for operation with tubeless tires with tire beads 118. The rims 110 each show a rim flange 116 as can be seen for example in FIG. 2.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a first embodiment of an inventive wheel 101, 102 with a tire retaining device 1.

(13) The rim 110 comprises a rim body 110a with a hollow space 110b and a rim well 115 and left and right rim flanges 116. A tire 114 is mounted and bears against the rim flanges 116 with its tire beads 118. The interior of the tire bead 118 may be provided with a ring formed by a wire ring or for example carbon fibers or the like.

(14) In the normal operating state with the tire inflated the tire 114 is pushed outwardly due to the air pressure in the tire interior as is indicated by the arrows for the acting force 124.

(15) In the interior of the tire 114 an insert member 2 of a tire retaining device 1 is disposed or attached preferably to the rim well 115. The insert member 1 may be provided with an adhesive layer at the rim-side end on the radial support section 10 for attaching while for example another adhesive layer is applied on the circumferential groove 115b of the rim well 115 to at least adhere the insert member 2 to the rim well. These kinds of adhesive layers do not need to extend over the entire circumference of the rim well 115 and the rim-side end of the radial support section 10 but they may be provided in a few spots only. It is also possible to apply some adhesive layer on the rim-side end of the radial support section 10 to provide for a sufficiently reliable adhesion to the rim well 115. The adhesive layer may be configured such that the insert member 2 may be detached from the rim well 115 using some force without causing damage.

(16) Alternately, it is possible for the insert member 2 to not be provided with an adhesive layer but to remain in the radial vicinity of the rim well 115 for example by way of elastic forces. Alternately, it is possible for the insert member 2 to be positioned during mounting. The insert member may for example show a body length which when not mounted is slightly shorter than the inner periphery of the rim well. Then the insert member 2 is elastically tensioned and retained on the rim well as the ring is closed or its ends are connected.

(17) In this configuration, the insert member 2 comprises a body that is roughly box-shaped or rectangular, showing on its inner radial side a support section 10.

(18) The body of the insert member 2 comprises a radially inwardly peripheral wall 3 and a radially outwardly peripheral wall 4 and on both axial sides, side walls or side wall sections 11, 12 disposed at angles relative to one another. This results in an overall hexagonal cross-section where the inwardly peripheral wall 3 and the outwardly peripheral wall 4 extend in parallel. The largest axial width shows in the intersection point or joint of the side walls 11 and 12.

(19) On the radially inwardly peripheral wall 3 the insert member shows an inner axial width 122 in the axial direction 6 while a clear axial distance 121 between the bulges 117 is dimensioned larger at the rim flanges.

(20) In the exemplary embodiment, the rim beads 118 are accommodated at the undercut 127 and the insert member 2 is form-fittingly disposed between the inner side faces of the tire beads 118. It is also possible to provide (minimal or larger) distances between one tire bead (or both tire beads) and the insert member 2.

(21) The support section 10 is supported on the circumferential depression 115b of the rim well 115. The tire beads 118 each rest on the tire shoulders 115a.

(22) The rim body 110a of the rim 110 is configured as a hollow rim and comprises lateral rim flanks 126 with brake flanks 128 configured in the region of the rim flanges 116.

(23) The interior of the insert member 2 shows a hollow space 13 whose cross-sectional area is larger than ⅓ of the cross-sectional area of the entire insert member 2. The proportion of the cross-sectional area of the hollow space 13 relative to the entire cross-sectional area of the insert member 2 can in particular be more than 50%.

(24) FIG. 3a shows a cross-section of another inventive wheel with the rim body 110a of the rim 110 basically showing the same construction as the rim body 110a in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2. The insert member 2 of the tire retaining device 1 is again basically the same in construction as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, although unlike the configuration of FIG. 2 it shows a broader radial support section 10 which comprises an additional hollow space 10a in its interior. The broader configuration of the support section 10 allows the support section 10 to rest on the lateral corners for example in regions of the circumferential depression 115b of the rim well 115. The additional hollow space 10a saves considerable weight.

(25) FIG. 3b shows an enlarged cross-section of the insert member 2 of the tire retaining device 1. The largest extension 30 in the axial direction 6 shows in a radially central region 21. The maximal axial width 30 is only slightly larger (in particular <10%) than the inner axial width 122 of the insert member in the region of the inwardly peripheral wall 3. The axial width of the insert member 2 in the axial direction 6 is in particular at least 50% larger than the maximal radial extension 24 or 25 of the insert member 2.

(26) The insert member 2 shows an inwardly peripheral wall 3 and an outwardly peripheral wall 4 each showing wall thicknesses which are preferably less than 2 mm and in particular less than 1.5 mm. In preferred configurations, the wall thickness of the radial peripheral wall 3 and the radial peripheral wall 4 is about 1 mm (+/−20%). Preferably, the wall thicknesses of all the walls of the insert member 2 are substantially the same and/or differ from one another preferably by less than 50%.

(27) In all the configurations, a sealant may be provided in the interior between the tire 114 and the rim well 115 and the rim flanges 116 for sealing small and minute tears and defects. The sealant may in particular be a sealing milk and preferably also seals any leaks occurring between the tire beads 118 and the rim flanges 116 so as to largely prevent pressure loss in the tire interior.

(28) FIG. 4 shows the area of the valve 123 in which a recess 33 is configured in the insert member 2. Optionally, a valve opening 34 may be configured in the insert member 2 to ensure uniform air distribution in the tire.

(29) All the configurations may use rim cross-sections other than those shown in FIG. 2.

(30) FIG. 5 shows two similar cross-sections of further inventive wheels showing only minor differences. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5 the rim 110 may basically show the same rim body 110a as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3a. Also tire 114 may be the same as or similar to that used in the preceding exemplary embodiments.

(31) The insert member 2 of the tire retaining device 1 differs from the insert member 2 of the tire retaining device 1 from FIG. 2 by way of providing, not one radially inwardly protruding support section 10 but two support sections 10. The support sections are each configured as circumferential lugs or the like and may optionally only be provided in portions of the circumference to save still more weight.

(32) In the illustration on the left in FIG. 5 the lugs or support sections 10 of the insert member 2 bear against regions of the circumferential depression 115b. In contrast thereto, the right half of FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration showing slight gaps between the support sections 10 or the lugs and the pertaining regions of the rim well 115. Although these gaps may be structurally planned, they may only ensue in assembly.

(33) As the FIG. 6 shows, the insert member 2 may be provided with regular cuts 18 so as to create individual segments connected for example by a circumferential band. It is possible for evenly spaced apertures 16 to be configured for example in the outwardly peripheral wall 4 through which air may escape from the hollow space 13 in the interior of the insert member 2. Alternately, lateral additional blocks 19 and 20 may be provided.

(34) On the whole, the invention provides advantageous wheels 101, 102 for sporty and also professional racing bicycles the rims 110 of which are equipped with rim flanges 116 and which are provided for use with tubeless tires or tires with tire beads. If considerable air pressure loss occurs in a wheel according to any of the exemplary embodiments according to FIG. 2, 3a or 5, then the tire compresses in the region of the contact area 119 so that the tire interior radially presses against the radially outwardly peripheral wall 4 of the insert member 2. This results in the fact that due to the angled structure of the side walls 11, 12 the side walls press against the tire beads 118.

(35) If, due to the low internal pressure, a tire bead 118 begins to give way axially inwardly then the radially inwardly peripheral wall 3 exerts counterpressure against such axial displacement of a tire bead 118. This exerts considerable resistance to axial displacement of a tire bead 118 so as to enable sufficient traction for a cyclist on the racing bicycle during racing, so that he can (cautiously) continue riding until the service vehicle arrives for changing wheels or exchanging the entire bicycle. This achieves high reliability and high safety although the wall thickness 22 of the radially inwardly peripheral wall and the radially outwardly peripheral wall are thin, measuring less than ¼ or ⅙ or even less than ⅛ of the radial height of the insert member 2.

(36) This is why racing bicycles for sports and in particular for semiprofessional and professional uses can be equipped with wheels 101, 102 according to the invention. Even in case of sudden pressure loss, the cyclist can continue riding for a certain distance of a few 100 or a few 1000 m and need not immediately stop and wait for the service truck.

(37) The tire retaining device 1 according to the invention on the whole provides an advantageous option for equipping wheels 101, 102, having rims 110 with rim flanges 116 with so-called tubeless tires while still providing reliable emergency running properties. These emergency running properties make sense for example if considerable pressure loss occurs in the tire and the tire is to be prevented from detaching from the rim 110. A racing bicycle equipped with these wheels may be ridden even with a flat tire until the service truck arrives so as to minimize downtime in a cycling race.

(38) While a particular embodiment of the present wheel with a tire retaining device for a racing bicycle has been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(39) 1 tire retaining device 2 insert member 3 inwardly peripheral wall 4 outwardly peripheral wall 5 radial direction 6 axial direction 10 support section 10a hollow space 11 wall 12 wall 13 hollow space 16 opening 18 cut 19 additional block 20 additional block 21 center region 22 wall thickness 24 total height of 2 25 height of 2 30 width of 21 33 recess 34 valve opening 100 two-wheeled vehicle, 101 wheel, front wheel 102 wheel, rear wheel 103 frame 104 fork 106 handlebar 107 saddle 108 hub 109 spoke 110 rim 110a rim body 110b hollow space 111 brake disk 112 drive 114 tubeless tire 115 rim well 115a ring area, rim shoulder 115b circumferential depression 116 rim flange 117 outward bulge 118 tire bead 119 contact area 121 rim width 122 inner axial width 123 valve 124 air pressure force 125 height of rim flange bicycle 126 rim flank 127 undercut 128 brake flank