Shimano Inc.

Masahiro Yamanaka

Tetsu Nonoshita

Shingo Shiraishi

Yusuke Nishimoto

Eigo Kuroiwa

Toshio Tetsuka

Atsuhiro Emura

Takanori Kanehisa

Akinobu Sugimoto

Koshi Tabe

Yoshiaki Nanko

Hideya Inoue

Etsuyoshi Watarai

Tadashi Ichida

Toru Iwai

Takashi Furuya

Yuki Watanabe

Takuji Tatsumi

Yoko Terasawa

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Fujihisa Tatsumi

Takahiro Nakano

Sota Hamada

Takashi Ishihara

Toshiaki Tatsumi

Tetsuka Toshio

A crank arm comprises an arm body, an axle fastener, and a biasing element. The arm body includes a crank-axle receiving opening and an axle-fastener receiving opening. The axle-fastener receiving opening has a second opening axis. The axle-fastener receiving opening is partly in communication with the crank-axle receiving opening by a connection opening. The axle fastener includes a fastener body having a splined portion. The splined portion is configured to engage with the splined end of the crank axle in a mounted state where the crank arm is mounted to the crank axle. The biasing element is configured to bias the axle fastener in a biasing direction parallel to the second opening axis.

Crank arm for crank assembly of human powered vehicle

A bicycle crank assembly includes a fixing member for fixing a sprocket to a crank arm. The fixing member includes a radially-extending projection, to prevent the sprocket from moving relative to the crank axle in an axial direction, and an axially-extending base portion, which is secured to the crank arm. A contact part is provided on an inner periphery of the base portion and contacts the crank axle or is provided on the crank axle and contacts the base portion. The contact part permits force to be transmitted between the crank axle and the fixing member to limit flexing of the crank axle assembly.

Bicycle crank assembly

A bicycle crank axle assembly has first and second crank arms that are attached to opposite ends of a crank axle. The ends of the crank axle are non-rotatably disposed in axle mounting openings of the first and second crank arms. A first end of the crank axle has at least one axially extending first spline that protrudes radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of its middle body portion. The at least one axially extending first spline non-rotatably couples the crank axle to the first crank arm and prevents outward axial movement of the first crank arm away from the second crank arm. The second end portion of the crank axle has at least one recess that extend radially inward with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the middle body portion to form at least one axially extending second spline.

Bicycle crank axle assembly

A bicycle crank arm includes a first member and a second member. The first member has a crank axle interacting portion and a first recessed part around the crank axle interacting portion. The second member is attached to the first member. The first member has a first side facing the second member and a second side opposite to the first side. The first recessed part is recessed from the second side toward the first side such that the first recessed part includes an attachment area attached to the second member on the first side.

Bicycle crank arm and bicycle crank assembly

A composite bicycle component comprises a first member, a second member, a bonding member, and an inner holding member. The first member is made of metallic material. The second member is made of non-metallic material. The first and second members are configured to form an interior cavity therebetween in a state where the first and second members are attached to each other. The bonding member is configured to attach the first and second members to each other. The inner holding member is configured to be disposed within the interior cavity so as to prevent the first and second members from being separated from each other until completion of attaching the first and second members to each other.

Composite bicycle component, composite bicycle crank arm, and method for manufacturing composite bicycle component

A bicycle crank assembly is provided with a crank arm that includes a first outer shell, a second outer shell, and a pedal attachment structure. The first outer shell is a one-piece, pressed sheet metal member with the projecting part being a bent portion that defines the first pedal axle opening. The first outer shell has a projecting part projecting from the first outer shell in an axial direction. The first and second outer shells are adhesively attached together to form an interior cavity. The pedal attachment structure includes an abutment face with a recess formed in the abutment face such that the abutment face contacts the first outer shell adjacent the first pedal axle opening and the projecting part of the first outer shell is disposed in the recess of the pedal attachment structure.

A bicycle crank assembly is basically provided with a crank axle, a first outer shell member, a second outer shell member, a first crank axle supporting member and a second crank axle supporting member. The crank axle has an end portion with an external mounting surface and an internal mounting surface. The first and second outer shell members are arranged relative to each other with a space being formed between the first and second outer shell members. The first crank axle supporting member is disposed on the first outer shell member and supports the external mounting surface of the crank axle. The second crank axle supporting member is disposed on the first outer shell member and supports the internal mounting surface of the crank axle.

A bicycle axle assembly is provided with an axle including a rotational axis, a bearing, a bearing adapter and a conical element. The bearing includes a cone disposed on the axle, a cup and a plurality of roller elements disposed between the cone and the cup such that the cup rotates relative to the cone about the rotational axis. The bearing adapter includes a tubular mounting section for mounting to a tubular member and a bearing housing section housing the bearing therein. The bearing housing section has a tapered abutment angled relative to the rotational axis at a first abutment angle and contacting a tapered contact surface of the cup. The conical element is disposed on the axle. The conical element has a tapered abutment angled relative to the rotational axis at a second abutment angle and contacting a tapered contact surface of the first cone. The second abutment angle of the tapered abutment of the conical element is smaller than the first abutment angle of the bearing housing section.

Bicycle axle assembly

A bicycle crank assembly is provided that basically provided with a crank arm that includes a first outer shell, a second outer shell, a first axle supporting member and a second axle supporting member. The first and second outer shells are adhesively attached together to form an interior cavity. The first axle supporting member is disposed at the first axle attachment end of the first outer shell. The first axle supporting member has a first bore with a first splined inner surface at least partially disposed in the interior cavity. The second axle supporting member is disposed at the second axle attachment end of the second outer shell. The second axle supporting member has a second bore with a second splined inner surface aligned with the first splined inner surface of the first bore and at least partially disposed in the interior cavity.

A bicycle crank arm has a body member and a cover member that at least partially overlies a peripheral surface of the body member. The body member includes a crank axle attachment portion that has a crank axle receiving opening. A slit extends from the peripheral surface of the body member to the crank axle receiving opening. A fastener bore extends transversely through the slit for adjusting the crank axle receiving opening in size. The peripheral surface of the body member has abutments located on opposite sides of the slit. The abutments are arranged relative to the slit such that the abutments move closer together as the crank axle attachment portion is squeezed to decrease the crank axle receiving opening in size. The cover member contacts the abutments and moves with the abutments as the crank axle attachment portion is squeezed to decrease the crank axle receiving opening in size.

Bicycle crank arm

A bicycle crank assembly is provided with a crank arm including a front side surface and a back side surface. The crank arm has a crank axle mounting portion with a crank axle receiving opening defined by an axle coupling structure. The axle coupling structure at least includes a plurality of full length splines and at least one short spline. The full length splines extends completely in an axial direction of the crank axle receiving opening from a first axial end edge to a second axial end edge. The short spline extends in the axial direction with a truncated end positioned adjacent one of the first and second axial end edges such that the at least one short spline does not extend completely from the other of the first and second axial end edges to the one of the first and second axial end edges.

A bicycle bottom bracket assembly is at least provided with a first support member and a first bearing unit. The first support member includes a first hanger mounting part and a first bearing mounting part. The first bearing unit is coupled to the first bearing mounting part. The first hanger mounting part has a first outer circumferential surface that is configured and arranged to be press-fitted into a first open end of a hanger part of a bicycle frame. The first hanger mounting part has a first slit extending in an axial direction relative to a rotational axis of the first bearing unit from an open axial innermost end of the first slit at least up to a region that is located radially outwardly from the first bearing unit in a radial direction relative to the rotational axis of the first bearing unit.

Bicycle bottom bracket assembly

A bicycle crank assembly is provided with a crank arm and an axial gap adjustment device. The crank arm has a crank axle mounting part, an extension part extending from the crank axle mounting part, a pedal attachment part provided on a radial outer end of the extension part and a sprocket attachment part. The axial gap adjustment device includes an adjustment adapter and an adjustment member. The adjustment adapter has a crank arm engagement structure that non-rotatably engages the crank arm, a first crank axle opening, and a first screw part. The adjustment member has a second crank axle opening, and a second screw part threadedly engaged with the first screw part to selectively position the adjustment member relative to the adjustment adapter.

A bicycle crank axle comprises an axle body having first and second end portions, a plurality of first splines disposed at the first end portion of the axle body, a plurality of second splines disposed at the second end portion of the axle body, and a projection extending radially outwardly from the first end portion of the axle body, wherein the projection is structured to abut against a lateral outer surface of a bicycle crank arm to prevent the bicycle crank arm from moving axially outward. A separate projecting member is mounted to the first end of the axle body to form the projection. The plurality of first splines extend radially outwardly from an outer peripheral surface of the axle body for engaging a splined surface of the bicycle crank arm, but the plurality of second splines do not extend radially outwardly relative to the outer peripheral surface of the axle body.

Growing community of inventors

Izumisano, Japan

Masahiro Yamanaka