Shimano Inc.

Yoshiaki Ando

Etsuyoshi Watarai

Tadashi Ichida

Tatsuya Matsushita

Kenji Ose

Takashi Furuya

Shingo Shiraishi

Kanji Kirimoto

Masahiro Nakakura

Toshio Tetsuka

Takafumi Nishino

Osamu Kariyama

Takeshi Takachi

Nobuyoshi Fujii

Takashi Adachi

Satoru Kojima

Toshio Tezuka

Lim Puat Thiam

A rotor cover is provided that includes different portions and is configured to meet requirements of each portion. The rotor cover includes a positioning portion that is positioned relative to a bicycle frame or a disc brake rotor and a cover portion that is coupled to the positioning portion to cover the disc brake rotor. The cover portion and the positioning portion include different materials with respect to one another.

Rotor cover

A bicycle bottom bracket assembly having a rotational central axis includes a support member, a bearing unit and a radially inward force reducing structure. The support member includes a hanger mounting portion and a bearing mounting portion. The bearing mounting portion is configured to be at least partly positioned within a hanger part of a bicycle frame. The bearing unit includes an outer race, an inner race and at least one roller element disposed between the outer and inner races in a radial direction with respect to the rotational central axis. The outer race is fixed to the bearing mounting portion of the support member. The radially inward force reducing structure reduces a radially inward force being transmitted to the bearing unit.

Bicycle bottom bracket assembly

A generator hub is basically provided with a hub shaft, a generator mechanism, a connector and a positioning device. The generator mechanism is provided on the hub shaft. The connector is disposed on the hub shaft and electrically connected to the generator mechanism. The positioning device is disposed on the hub shaft, the positioning device being configured and arranged to position the connector with respect to a frame of a bicycle in a rotational direction about the hub shaft.

Bicycle generator hub

A bicycle disc brake is provided in which a support member movably couples the brake caliper to the frame of the bicycle. The bicycle disc brake caliper has a caliper housing with a single piston unit. The piston unit is movably coupled to the housing between a release position, in which the piston unit is spaced from a disc brake mounted to a wheel of a bicycle, and a braking position, in which the piston unit engages the disc brake of the bicycle wheel. The piston unit has a first friction member movably coupled between a release position and a braking position and a second friction member arranged substantially parallel to the first friction member to form a disc brake receiving space between the first and second friction members. In one embodiment, the caliper housing is movably coupled to the support member by a pivot pin. In another embodiment, the caliper housing is movably coupled to the support member by a linkage assembly.

Bicycle disc brake

A bicycle rear derailleur is basically provided with a base member, a link mechanism, outer and inner plate members, a guide pulley and a tension pulley. At least one of the outer and inner plate members includes a bent portion integrally formed with the at least one of the outer and inner plate members to prevent a chain from disengaging from at least one of the tension pulley and the guide pulley. The bent portion is formed by bending an inner section of the at least one of outer and inner plate members in a direction towards the other of the at least one of the outer and inner plate members. The inner section is spaced inwardly from an external peripheral edge of the at least one of the outer and inner plate members.

Bicycle rear derailleur

A guide is provided to adjustably support a bicycle control element on a cable stopper of a bicycle. The guide basically includes a mounting member and a guide member. The mounting member is adapted to be coupled to a portion of a bicycle and has a first mating surface. The guide member is pivotally coupled to the mounting member about a pivot axis. The guide member has a guiding portion with a guide surface offset from the pivot axis and a second mating surface engageable with the first mating surface to adjustably maintain the guide member in a predetermined rotational position relative to the mounting member. One of the guide member and the mounting member has a threaded bore substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis. A bolt is threadedly coupled within the threaded bore and is adapted to engage a surface of the bicycle in a substantially perpendicular relationship. A washer is arranged between the guide member and the bolt. The guide surface is configured to receive the inner wire of a control cable. In an alternate embodiment, the guide surface is configured to receive the outer casing of a control cable. In an alternate embodiment, the guide surface is configured to receive a hose for a fluid actuated component. In an alternate embodiment, the washer is provided with a protrusion and the protrusion is arranged between an end of the bolt and a surface of the bicycle.

Guide for bicycle control element

A rear derailleur includes a transformable linkage mechanism including a base member, two linkage members and a movable member. A chain guide is supported to the movable member and is provided with a guide pulley for guiding the chain among the plurality of sprockets. The linkage members are connected to the base member and to the movable member through connecting pins, wherein the connecting pins are slanted with respect to a plane perpendicular to an axis of the plurality of sprockets so that, when the linkage mechanism is transformed, the chain guide moves axially and radially of the plurality of sprockets. A return spring is provided for biasing the chain guide laterally inwardly with respect to the bicycle. A first horizontal shaft swingably supports the base member to a fixing member of the bicycle, and a second horizontal shaft swingably supports the chain guide to the movable member. A first spring is disposed at the base member for biasing the linkage mechanism in a direction of the guide pulley moving away from the axis of the sprocket assembly, and a second spring is disposed between the chain guide and the movable member for applying tension to the chain. The transformable linkage mechanism and first and second springs cooperate together such that the position of the chain guide is forcibly shifted axially and radially of the sprockets by the transformable linkage mechanism, and the shifted position of the chain guide set by the linkage mechanism is radially adjusted with respect to the plurality of sprockets by the balancing of the first and second springs.

Rear derailleur for a bicycle

A cable support member includes a base member having an opening for receiving a fastener for fastening the base member to the bicycle. First and second spaced apart cable guides are integrally formed with and extend from the base member. The first and/or second cable guides may be formed as panels, each of which may have an opening for receiving a derailleur cable therethrough A rib may be provided which extends from the first cable guide toward the second cable guide to help reinforce the first and second cable guides.

Cable support for a derailleur

A rear derailleur for a bicycle having a bracket connected to a bicycle frame, a guide wheel for shifting a chain, a support member for supporting the guide wheel, a base member pivotably attached to the bracket, a tension spring for biasing the base member in a predetermined pivoting direction, and a parallelogram link mechanism for linking the support member and the base member. The bracket has a mounting section formed in a region thereof adjacent the bicycle frame and opposed to the bicycle frame. The tension spring is attached to the mounting section so as to lie between the bicycle frame and the mounting section. The tension spring is a coil spring having one end thereof fixed to the mounting section, and the other end fixed to the base member. An axis extends through a middle tubular space of the coil spring for pivotally connecting the base member to the bracket. The link mechanism includes an inner pivotal link, and an outer pivotal link disposed farther from the bicycle frame than the inner pivotal link is. The inner pivotal link is connected at one end thereof to the base member by a first pivot pin. The first pivot pin is disposed closer to the bicycle frame than the mounting section is.

A bicycle derailleur operable by a control cable to shift a chain between a large gear and a small gear, includes a parallelogram link mechanism having a base member connectable to a bicycle frame, a support member, and a pair of pivotal links extending between the support member and the base member, and a return spring for biasing the support member in one direction. A shift control member connectable to the control cable is supported by the parallelogram link mechanism to be displaceable relative thereto between a first position for contacting the parallelogram link mechanism and a second position separated therefrom. The return spring is a tension coil type spring connected at one end thereof to the shift control member and at the other end to the parallelogram link mechanism. The return spring biases the support member in one direction through the shift control member. The shift control member is operable, by an operating force applied through the control cable, to displace the support member through the return spring in a direction opposite to the direction in which the support member is biased by the return spring.

Bicycle derailleur

A rear derailleur bracket for connecting a rear derailleur to a bicycle frame, utilizing a coupling device formed on a derailleur mounting extension of a rear fork end of the bicycle frame. The rear derailleur bracket includes a bracket body, a first bolt bore provided adjacent one end of the bracket body for connecting the rear derailleur to the bracket body, a second bolt bore provided adjacent the other end of the bracket body for connecting the bracket body to the coupling device of the bicycle frame, and a projection acting as a position setting device for contacting the derailleur mounting extension to place the rear derailleur in a predetermined posture relative to the rear fork end. The projection extends substantially vertically from a surface of the bracket body.

Rear derailleur bracket

A rear derailleur for a bicycle comprises a hub axis, a mounting member, a bracket body supported by the mounting member to be pivotal about a first axis extending substantially parallel to the hub axis, and a support member disposed forwardly of the bracket member for supporting a chain guide wheel and a chain tension wheel to be pivotal about a second axis extending substantially parallel to the first axis. The derailleur further comprises a pair of pivot links interconnecting the bracket member and the support member and arranged substantially parallel to a first phantom line extending through the first axis and the second axis as seen in a direction along the hub axis, and first and second tension springs for biasing the bracket member to pivot relative to the bicycle frame and for biasing the chain guide wheel and the chain tension wheel to pivot relative to the support member, respectively, to thereby apply a tension to a chain. The guide wheel is disposed close to a position under the gears such that, with a vertical pivotal movement about the first axis of the support member, the guide wheel is movable toward or away from the gears by a long distance for a pivoting angle of the support member. Further, the guide wheel is pivotal downward about the second axis away from the gears by a long distance for a pivoting angle of the guide wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Yoshiaki Ando