Spring-suspended bicycle hand grip

Abstract

A bicycle grip, comprising a grip element that has a support part, a holding element and a spring element, wherein the spring element and the holding element can be arranged inside a steering tube of a bicycle handlebar, wherein the spring element can be non-rotatably connected to the holding element and the grip element such that, when the support part exerts force against a spring force of the spring element, a rotational movement of the grip element can be performed around the tube central axis of the steering tube.

Claims

1. A bicycle handlebar grip, comprising: a grip element having a tubular hollow; a substantially tubular body; a mount fixedly connected to said tubular body; and a torsional spring, wherein said torsional spring is fixed to said mount, said tubular body extends into said tubular hollow, said torsional spring extends along a central longitudinal axis of said tubular body, said grip element is asymmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of said tubular hollow, said grip element is interconnected to said tubular body via said torsional spring such that a rotational displacement of said grip element relative to said tubular body effects a torsion of said torsional spring.

2. The handlebar grip of claim 1, wherein: said grip element is wooden.

3. The handlebar grip of claim 1, comprising: a spring adjustment element, slidably situated within said tubular body, for adjusting a stiffness of said torsional spring.

4. The handlebar grip of claim 3, wherein: said spring adjustment element is slidable in an axial direction of said torsional spring to adjust said stiffness of said torsional spring by adjusting a length of said torsional spring.

5. The handlebar grip of claim 3, comprising: a screw that adjusts a position of said spring adjustment element in an axial direction of said torsional spring, wherein a longitudinal axis of said screw is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said torsional spring.

6. The handlebar grip of claim 1, wherein: said rotational displacement of said grip element relative to said tubular body effects said torsion of said torsional spring between a first portion of said torsional spring that is connected to and rotates with said grip element and a second portion of said torsional spring that is connected to and rotates with said tubular body.

7. The handlebar grip of claim 1, wherein: an asymmetric wing portion of said grip element provides thenar support.

8. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 1, wherein: said torsional spring is a torsion rod having a square cross-section.

9. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 1, comprising: a gap between an outer circumference of said tubular body and an inner circumference of said tubular hollow.

10. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 1, wherein: said torsional spring protrudes out of an end of said tubular body that extends most deeply into said tubular hollow.

11. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 1, comprising: a toothed connector that connects said torsional spring to said grip element.

12. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 1, comprising: a connector, situated outside said tubular body, that connects said torsional spring to said grip element.

13. A bicycle handlebar grip, comprising: a grip element having a tubular hollow; a substantially tubular body; a torsional spring; a screw, a longitudinal axis of said screw being substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said torsional spring; and a spring adjustment element for adjusting a stiffness of said torsional spring, wherein said tubular body extends into said tubular hollow, said torsional spring is a torsion rod that extends along a central longitudinal axis of said tubular body, said grip element is asymmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of said tubular hollow, said grip element is interconnected to said tubular body via said torsional spring such that a rotational displacement of said grip element relative to said tubular body effects a torsion of said torsional spring, said spring adjustment element is slidably situated within said tubular body, and a rotation of said screw effecting a sliding of said spring adjustment element, which sliding effects an adjustment of said stiffness of said torsional spring.

14. The handlebar grip of claim 13, wherein: an asymmetric wing portion of said grip element provides thenar support.

15. A bicycle handlebar grip, comprising: a grip element having a tubular hollow; a substantially tubular body; a torsional spring; a mount; and a block slidably situated in said tubular body, wherein said torsional spring is fixedly connected to said tubular body via said mount, said tubular body extends into said tubular hollow, said torsional spring is a torsion rod that extends along a central longitudinal axis of said tubular body, said grip element is asymmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of said tubular hollow, said grip element is interconnected to said tubular body via said torsional spring such that a rotational displacement of said grip element relative to said tubular body effects a torsion of said torsional spring, and a sliding of said block relative to said tubular body alters a stiffness of said torsional spring by altering a free length of said torsional spring.

16. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 15, comprising: a gap between an outer circumference of said tubular body and an inner circumference of said tubular hollow.

17. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 15, wherein: said torsional spring protrudes out of an end of said tubular body that extends most deeply into said tubular hollow.

18. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 15, comprising: a toothed connector that connects said torsional spring to said grip element.

19. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 15, comprising: a connector, situated outside said tubular body, that connects said torsional spring to said grip element.

20. The bicycle handlebar grip of claim 15, wherein: in all operating states of said bicycle handlebar grip, said block contacts an inner surface of said tubular body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing. Shown are highly schematic

(2) FIG. 1A an exploded schematic drawing of a bicycle grip,

(3) FIG. 1B an alternative, schematic exploded depiction of the bicycle grip of FIG. 1A,

(4) FIG. 2A a schematic drawing of the bicycle grip of FIG. 1A, and

(5) FIG. 2B a schematic drawing of the bicycle grip of FIG. 2A in a rotationally displaced state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(6) Each of FIGS. 1A and 1B shows in an exploded schematic drawing a curved grip element 1 in form of a bicycle wing grip including a support part 3 for an improvement of the thenar rest. As depicted, grip element 1 comprises a tubular hollow 16. To mount the grip element 1 resilient at a steering tube, a holding element 4, which is fixable in the steering tube, for example, bonded or screwed, or formed as a part of the steering tube, and a torsion rod 5 as a spring element, which extends the steering tube and is secured on a mount 6 that is permanently connected with the holding element 4, are provided.

(7) Within the holding element 4 a block 7 is movably positioned. The block 7 influences the resilience of the torsion rod 5 in a known way by increasing or reducing the spring length. The influence is caused by enlargement or reduction of the free length of the torsion rod 5. The free length can be adjusted frontal with screw 8. The torsion rod 5 has a profile that enables the positive connection with the clutch shaft 9. The profile is preferably a square profile. The clutch shaft 9 is designed such that the wing shaped grip element 1 can be secured at various rotation angles. This is enabled, for example, by providing the grip element 1 on the outside with a fine gearing 14 and by providing the inside the grip positioned clutch bearing 10 with a corresponding inner gearing.

(8) Further possible is a helical formed torsion rod that enables fine tuning the grip angle with a minimal axial displacement of the grip for a couple of millimeters.

(9) The final fixation of the grip element 1 on the steering tube is carried out by sliding the grip element 1 on the steering tube until the gearing 14 grips and by a following clamping utilizing a set screw or similar.

(10) The rotatably mounted wing-shaped support part 3 as part of the grip element 1 receives its suspension from the torsion rod 5 that is fixed to the steering tube by means of the holding element 4 and mount 6. The torsion rod 5 is on the grip side connected with the clutch shaft 9 and the clutch bearing 10. Through this suspension, road impact while riding the bicycle will not anymore be directly transferred to the arms of the driver or a sudden bending of the upper body is cushioned by a yielding of the torsion rod. The torsional stiffness can be controlled by a sliding of the block 7 and can be set by using a screw 8. The exact position of the wing of the grip or its support part 3 can be set by sliding the grip element 1 onto the gearing of the clutch shaft 9 and the clutch bearing 10 at different radial positions.

(11) As reflected in FIG. 1A, a first portion 21 of torsion rod 5 may be connected on the grip side with the clutch shaft 9 and the clutch bearing 10, and a second portion 22 of the torsion rod 5 may be fixed to the steering tube by means of the holding element 4 and mount 6.

(12) FIG. 2A schematically depicts the bicycle grip of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B schematically depicts bicycle grip of FIG. 2A in a rotationally displaced state, a rotational displacement of grip element 1 relative to the tubular holding element 4 effecting a torsion of torsional spring 5.

(13) FIG. 2A depicts a gap 30 between an outer circumference of holding element 4 (which is fixable in a steering tube) and an inner circumference of a tubular hollow in grip element 1 (which can be fixed on the steering tube). In FIG. 2A, reference sign 32 generally designates an end of holding element 4 that extends most deeply into the tubular hollow in grip element 1.

(14) It should be noted that the term comprise does not exclude further elements or method steps, as well as the term a or an does not exclude several element or steps.

(15) The used reference numbers only serve for increasing the comprehensibility and should not be viewed as limiting in any case, while the scope of the invention is represented by the claims.