AXLE ASSEMBLY

摘要

An axle assembly for a bicycle is disclosed. The axle assembly is configured to be installed at a mounting structure on the bicycle to mount a rotating hub of a wheel on the bicycle. The axle is secured to the mounting structure by a bolt; the bolt is nested in a retainer secured to the mounting structure. The axle has at least one non-circular section engaging a corresponding non-circular section of the mounting structure. The retainer is installed in a threaded section of the mounting structure. At initial installation of the axle assembly the retainer and the bolt of the axle assembly are installed on the mounting structure; subsequent installation and removal of the wheel/hub is accomplished by installation and removal of the axle performed by rotation of the bolt (using a tool or a tool-free feature) nested in the retainer. The axle assembly can be installed in the front fork (such as a front suspension fork) or the rear frame of the bicycle or other wheeled vehicle. The axle assembly comprises one or more of the inventive concepts and features shown and described in the specification and FIGURES.

主权项

1. An axle assembly for a hub of a wheel for installation on a mounting structure providing a first end with an opening having a non-circular section and a second end with an opening having a non-circular section comprising:
an axle member comprising:
(a) a cylindrical section for the hub;(b) a first end with an adjacent non-circular section configured to engage the non-circular section of the opening in the first end of the mounting structure;(c) a second end with an adjacent non-circular section configured to engage the non-circular section of the opening in the second end of the mounting structure;(d) an opening at the first end; and(e) a feature adjacent the second end; so that the axle member provides structural rigidity when installed in the mounting structure; a bolt comprising:
(a) a first end configured to be installed into the opening of the axle member,(b) a second end with a feature configured to be engaged to install the bolt onto the axle member; a retainer configured to be installed within the opening of the first end of the mounting structure to retain the bolt within the first end of the mounting structure.