Patent Application
20070241608
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bicycle hub, more particularly to a bicycle hub which is adapted to be connected to a wheel rim by a plurality of spokes, and an assembly of the bicycle hub and the spokes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
In use, the head portions 221 and the bent portions 233 are liable to contact an obstacle 10 to thereby result in wearing and breakage, especially when the hub 1 is used to rest on a step or a corner of a platform in an acrobatics performance.
The object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle hub which is connected to a plurality of spokes and which can protect the spokes from coming into contact with an obstacle.
According to this invention, the bicycle hub is adapted to be connected to a wheel rim by a plurality of spokes. Each spoke has an anchoring end, an enlarged head portion opposite to the anchoring end, an insert portion extending from the head portion, and a bent portion extending from and bent relative to the insert portion to permit connection of the anchoring end to the wheel rim when the insert portion extends in an axial direction. The wheel hub includes a hub shell having an inner cylindrical wall surface rotatably surrounding an axis in the axial direction, and an outer cylindrical wall surface disposed opposite to the inner cylindrical wall surface in radial directions relative to the axis. An annular spoke mounting flange extends from an annular end region of the outer cylindrical wall surface in radial directions, and terminates at an outer peripheral surface. The spoke mounting flange has inner and outer radial surfaces opposite to each other in the axial direction, a plurality of recesses which are angularly displaced from one another about the axis, and each of which extends from the outer radial surface towards the inner radial surface to form a recess side surface and to terminate at a recess base surface, and further extends from the recess side surface outwardly and in a radial direction such that the recess base surface is communicated with the outer peripheral surface, and a plurality of mounting holes which are angularly displaced from one another about the axis, and each of which extends from the inner radial surface to be communicated with the recess base surface in a respective one of the recesses. Once the anchoring end is led through the respective mounting hole to have the head portion abutting against one of the inner radial surface and the recess base surface to thereby dispose the insert portion in the respective one of the mounting holes, one of the bent and head portions is confined in the respective recess without extending beyond the outer radial surface in the axial direction.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The wheel hub 3 includes a hub shell 31 and annular first and second spoke mounting flanges 32,33. In this embodiment, the wheel hub 3 is applied to a rear wheel of a bicycle (not shown) and is therefore used in combination with a sprocket 5 and a ratchet mechanism 6. The hub shell 31 has an inner cylindrical wall surface 313 which surrounds a bicycle wheel axle 41 to be rotatable about an axis (I) in the axial direction, and an outer cylindrical wall surface 314 which is disposed opposite to the inner cylindrical wall surface 313 in radial directions relative to the axis (I), and which has first and second annular end regions 311,312 that are disposed opposite to each other along the axis (I).
The first spoke mounting flange 32 extends from the first annular end region 311 in radial directions, and terminates at a first outer peripheral surface 323 that surrounds the axis (I). The first spoke mounting flange 32 has inner and outer radial surfaces 322,321 opposite to each other in the axial direction. The outer radial surface 321 extends in radial directions to interconnect the first annular end region 311 and the first outer peripheral surface 323. A plurality of recesses 324 are angularly displaced from one another about the axis (I). Each of the recesses 324 extends from the outer radial surface 321 towards the inner radial surface 322 to form a recess side surface 326 and to terminate at a recess base surface 325, and further extends from the recess side surfaces 326 outwardly and in a radial direction such that the recess base surface 325 is communicated with the first outer peripheral surface 323. A plurality of mounting holes 327 are angularly displaced from one another about the axis (I). Each of the mounting holes 327 extends from the inner radial surface 322 to be communicated with the recess base surface 325 in a respective one of the recesses 324. Thus, once the anchoring end 424,434 of the respective spoke 42,43 has been led through the respective mounting holes 327 to have the head portion 421,431 abutting against one of the recess base surface 325 and the inner radial surface 322 and to thereby locate the insert portion 422,432 in the respective mounting hole 327, one of the bent and head portions 421,433 is confined in the corresponding recess 324 without extending beyond the outer radial surface 321 in the axial direction.
In this embodiment, each of the recesses 324 is arranged to correspond to two adjacent mounting holes 327 such that a pair of the spokes 42,43 are mounted in the two adjacent mounting holes 327. Specifically, one spoke 43 has the head portion 431 abutting against the inner radial surface 322 and the insert portion 432 located in one of the mounting holes 327, while the other spoke 42 has the head portion 421 abutting against the recess base surface 325 and the insert portion 422 located in the other one of the mounting holes 327.
The second spoke mounting flange 33 extends from the second annular end region 312 in radial directions, and is spaced apart from the first spoke mounting flange 32 in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the second spoke mounting flange 33 has a construction similar to that of the conventional bicycle hub 1 shown in
As illustrated, since the head portions 421 and the bent portions 433 which are disposed laterally and outwardly of the first spoke mounting flange 32 can be received in the corresponding recesses 324 without extending beyond the outer radial surface 321, contact of these portions 421,433 with an obstacle 100 (see
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
