Unitary crown fork assembly and method of fabrication

摘要

A bicycle is provided having a unitary steering tube-crown member and a unitary crank arm-spindle member. A multistage aluminum 3D forging process is used to form the unitary members. This may allow the fabrication of components with substantially hollow interior areas to reduce weight, reduce part count while maintaining high strength and ductility. The multistage 3D forging process provided also allows the combination of multiple components into a single unitary part.

主权项

1. A bicycle assembly comprising:
a wheel; a head tube; a unitary fork operably coupled to said wheel and said head tube, said unitary fork having: a steerer tube operably coupled to said head tube, said steerer tube including a first bore having a first axis; a crown contiguously extending from one end of said steerer tube opposite that of said head tube, wherein said crown comprises a first projection having a first opening, said first opening having a second axis, wherein said second axis is substantially parallel with said first axis, wherein said crown further comprises a second bore extending between and through said first opening and said first bore; wherein said unitary fork is made from a continuous non-segmented form of three-dimensional (3D) forged metal material.