IMPROVED HIGH SPEED CYCLE

摘要

A cycle, such as a bicycle, includes reciprocating pedal levers (32) for applying power to the rear wheel (22) through a pair of chains (54). The pedal lever (32) includes a forwardly extending section for receiving a person's foot and a rearwardly extending portion for receiving a slider which is connected to one end of the chain (54) which applies the power to the sprocket. The rearwardly extending portion of the pedal lever (32) includes notches (68) with perpendicular sides to engage a pawl (84) on the slider (52). A release member (70) extends longitudinally along the rearward portion of the pedal lever and also includes a series of notches (72) generally co-extensive with those on the pedal lever, but having slanted surfaces, and being spaced differently from the spacing of the notches (68) in the pedal lever, so that only one of the notches (72) on the elongated release member (70) lines up with a corresponding notch (68) on the pedal lever. A pawl (66) on the slider has control elements or fingers (82, 84) extending into notches both on the pedal lever and also on the release member, so that, when the release member (70) is shifted in position to change gear ratios, the pawl (66) is forced up out of locking engagement with the notch (68) in the pedal lever and moves to a new location, where the two notches (68, 72) are lined up, relative to the pawl (66). The end of the chain (54) which is not connected to the slider (52), is held under tension by spring arrangements (58) connected to the forwardly extending portion of the pedal lever (32), to substantially automatically take up the slack and maintain substantially constant tension in the chain (54) as it moves back and forth delivering power to the sprocket.