Bicycle rear suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11738823-B2
Application number	US-202017099543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2020
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A bicycle comprises a front wheel; a rear wheel; a frame comprising a main frame portion and an articulating frame portion, the articulating frame portion comprising: a lower arm pivotally supported at a first axis by the main frame portion; an upper frame link pivotally supported at a second axis by the main frame portion; an upper arm pivotally coupled to the upper frame link at a third axis; an upper shock link pivotally coupled to the upper frame link and the upper arm at the third axis; and a lower shock link pivotally coupled to the main frame portion and the lower arm at the first axis; and a shock absorber having a first end pivotally supported at a fourth axis by the main frame portion, and a second end pivotally supported at a fifth axis by the upper shock link and the lower shock link.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bicycle, comprising:
a front wheel;
a rear wheel;
a frame comprising a main frame portion and an articulating frame portion, said articulating frame portion carrying said rear wheel, said articulating frame portion having a relaxed configuration and a compressed configuration;
the articulating frame portion comprising:
a lower arm pivotally supported at a first axis by the main frame portion;
an upper frame link pivotally supported at a second axis by the main frame portion;
an upper arm pivotally coupled to the upper frame link and the lower arm;
an upper shock link pivotally supported at a third axis by one or both of the upper frame link and the upper arm; and
a lower shock link pivotally coupled to the main frame portion; and

a shock absorber having a first end and a second end, the first end pivotally supported at a fourth axis by the main frame portion, the second end pivotally supported at a fifth axis by the upper shock link and the lower shock link, the shock absorber configured to bias the articulating frame portion to the relaxed configuration;
wherein the first axis is positioned forward of the second axis when the bicycle is positioned on a horizontal surface with the articulating frame portion in the relaxed configuration; and
wherein the fourth axis is positioned above the fifth axis when the bicycle is positioned on a horizontal surface with the articulating frame portion in the relaxed configuration, such that the shock absorber is positioned sloping downward from front to back.

2. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the first axis is positioned at least 0.50 inches forward of the second axis when the bicycle is positioned on a horizontal surface with the articulating frame portion in the relaxed configuration.

3. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the upper shock link is pivotally supported at the third axis by both of the upper frame link and the upper arm.

4. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the rear wheel is rotatably coupled to the upper arm.

5. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the lower shock link is pivotally coupled to the main frame portion at a sixth axis, and
the upper and lower shock links are positioned such that the third axis, fifth axis, and sixth axis are never coplanar throughout a range of motion of the articulating frame portion from the relaxed configuration to the compressed configuration.

6. The bicycle of claim 5 , wherein the sixth axis is collinear with the first axis.

7. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the second axis is collinear with the fourth axis.

8. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the fourth axis is positioned above the fifth axis in all positions between the compressed configuration and the relaxed configuration when the bicycle is positioned on a horizontal surface.

9. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the fourth axis is positioned below the second axis.

10. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the fourth axis and the fifth axis are both positioned below the second axis throughout a range of motion of the articulating frame portion from the relaxed configuration to the compressed configuration.

11. The bicycle of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the shock absorber comprises a shock extension pivotally supported at the fifth axis by the upper shock link and the lower shock link.

Assignees

• Specialized Bicycle Components Inc

Inventors

• Chamberlain Jason Loy
• Robinson Brian Daniel
• Warnery Etienne
• Bowers Jeffrey Keith

Classifications

• B62K25/30

  pivoted on pedal crank shelf (B62K25/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K3/02

  Frames (tandem frames B62K3/14) · CPC title

• B62K25/26 Primary

  for rear wheel · CPC title

• B62K25/286 Primary

  the shock absorber being connected to the chain-stay via a linkage mechanism · CPC title

• B62K2201/08

  Fluid springs · CPC title