Patent Application
20110284302
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle frame, a bicycle and an electric bicycle having the bicycle frame.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed in TW 399600, a conventional bicycle frame for electronic bicycle is designed to have a collapsible tube and a battery installed in that collapsible tube. It is noted that a collapsible tube is usually weak in mechanical strength, and the cost thereof is high.
The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above mentioned disadvantages.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a non-collapsible bicycle frame adapted for a battery to install therein.
To achieve the above and other objects, the bicycle frame of the present invention has a front and a rear, and further includes a transversal tube, a front tube, a seat tube, a bottom bracket assembly and a chain stay assembly. The transversal tube extends from the front to the rear of the bicycle frame, and the transversal tube has a front portion, an angle portion, a connecting portion and an extension portion. The front portion has a front end and a rear end. The angle portion is curved and connects the rear end of the front portion and the connecting portion so that the front portion is not parallel to the connecting portion. The extension portion is extended rearward from the connecting portion. A receiving space is defined in the connecting portion and the extension portion, and the receiving space is longitudinal. A joint position is defined between the connecting portion and the extension portion. The front tube is disposed on the front end of the front portion. The seat tube is disposed on the joint position of the transversal tube. The bottom bracket assembly is disposed on the transversal tube and is located beneath the connecting portion. The chain stay assembly is disposed on the transversal tube.
Thereby, the receiving space is adapted to receive a battery therein, and thus the bicycle frame is adapted for an electric bicycle.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.
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The transversal tube 11 extends from the front to the rear of the bicycle frame, and the transversal tube 11 includes a front portion 111, an angle portion 112, a connecting portion 113 and an extension portion 114. Further, the transversal tube 11 is hollow. The front portion 111 has a front end and a rear end. The angle portion 112 is curved and connects the rear end of the front portion 111 and the connecting portion 113 so that the front portion 111 is not parallel to the connecting portion 113. The extension portion 114 is extended rearward from the connecting portion 113. The outer surfaces of the connecting portion 113 and extension portion 114 can flush to each other. Yet in other possible embodiments of the present invention, the outer surfaces thereof may also be wavy, curve or have grooves thereon. A receiving space is defined in the connecting portion 113 and the extension portion 114, and the receiving space is longitudinal and has an open end at the distal end of the extension portion 114. More specifically, the distal end of the extension portion 114 defines an opening communicating the receiving space. Such receiving space comes in very useful when the rider needs to carry elongated objects, such as an umbrella, a baseball bat or bicycle repair kits. Preferably, the extension portion 114 is slanted, and the distal end thereof is the highest position. The end cap 16 is adapted to cap on the distal end of the extension portion 114 so as to enclose the receiving space. Further, the end cap 16 has an outer surface facing rearward, and a reflector and/or a brake light can disposed on the outer surface of the end cap 16.
The front tube 12 is disposed on the front end of the front portion 111. Specifically, the front tube 12 defines an axis, which is vertical or slightly slanted to the vertical direction. The seat tube 13 is disposed on the joint position, which is defined between the connecting portion 113 and the extension portion 114, of the transversal tube. More specifically, the seat tube 13 has a lower end fixedly disposed on the joint position, and the rest part of the scat tube 13 substantially extends upward. In the present embodiment, the bottom bracket assembly 14 includes a bottom bracket 141 and two connecting tubes 142, each of which connects between the bracket 141 and the transversal tube. Thus the bottom bracket assembly 14 locates beneath the connecting portion 113. In other possible embodiments of the present invention, the bottom bracket assembly may consist of the bottom bracket 141 only, and the bottom bracket is directly disposed a bottom of the transversal tube 11. The chain stay assembly 15 may consists of several tubes 151, which connect to the transversal tube 11 and the scat tube 13 respectively. In other possible embodiments of the present invention, the tubes 151 may connect to the seat tube 13 and the bottom bracket assembly 14 but not directly connect to the transversal tube 11. Since the transversal tube is the critical component to bear the rider's weight, it is designed to have the largest outer diameter. That is, the outer diameter of the transversal tube 11 is larger than that of any of the front tube, the seat tube and the chain stay assembly.
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