Shimano Inc.

Yusuke Nishimoto

Atsuhiro Emura

Toshinari Oishi

Sota Yamaguchi

Kohei Obuchi

Masahiro Yamanaka

Akinobu Sugimoto

Kento Mitsuyasu

Shingo Shiraishi

Toshio Tetsuka

Kazuki Koshiyama

Tsuyoshi Fukumori

Tetsu Nonoshita

Koshi Tabe

Yuki Watanabe

Eigo Kuroiwa

Hideya Inoue

Mitsuru Kamiya

A bicycle tensioner apparatus comprises a first base member, a second base member, and a tensioner. The second base member is movably coupled to the first base member. The tensioner is configured to contact a driving-force transmitting member to apply tension to the driving-force transmitting member. The tensioner is coupled to both the first base member and the second base member. The tensioner is movable relative to at least one of the first base member and the second base member in response to a relative movement between the first base member and the second base member.

Bicycle tensioner apparatus and bicycle tensioner

A bicycle drive unit comprises a housing configured to be mounted to a first base member. The housing includes a first wall at least partly defining an internal space to at least partly accommodate a bicycle crank having a crank rotational axis. The first wall includes a first transmitting surface disposed to at least partly face upward in a bicycle upright state where the crank rotational axis horizontally extends and the housing is mounted on the first base member. The first transmitting surface is configured to face a first receiving surface of the first base member to transmit an upward force from the housing to the first base member. The first transmitting surface being at least partly disposed below the crank rotational axis in the bicycle upright state.

Bicycle drive unit

A bicycle transmission apparatus comprises a base member, a first transmission member, a second transmission member, a first coupling member, a first guide structure, a switching device, and a transmission controller. The switching device is configured to switch a position of the first transmission member relative to the base member in an axial direction between a first axial position and a second axial position. The transmission controller is configured to control the switching device and the first guide structure so as not to change a first engagement state of the first coupling member from one cogwheel to another adjacent cogwheel among first cogwheels when the first transmission member moves relative to the base member in association with a movement of the first guide structure relative to the base member to change a second engagement state of the first coupling member from one cogwheel to another adjacent cogwheel among second cogwheels.

Bicycle transmission apparatus and bicycle drive unit

An inner link plate for a bicycle chain is provided. The inner link plate may have a longitudinal centerline defining a longitudinal direction and comprising a first inner-link end portion including a first inner-link opening having a first inner-link center axis, a second inner-link end portion including a second inner-link opening having a second inner-link center axis parallel to the first inner-link center axis, and an inner-link intermediate portion interconnecting the first inner-link end portion and the second inner-link end portion. The first inner-link end portion may have an extended edge portion extending to be away from the second inner-link end portion in the longitudinal direction.

Bicycle chain

A sprocket is engageable with a chain having rollers. The sprocket includes a body and a tooth portion. The tooth portion has front and rear surfaces, a drive side surface and a non-drive side surface. The rear and front surfaces face in opposite axial directions. The drive side surface axially connects the front and rear surfaces on a downstream side. The non-drive side surface axially connects the front and rear surfaces on an upstream side. One of the front and rear surfaces has a first chamfered portion, which is formed in a radially outer portion of at least one tooth portion and tapered radially outward in the axial direction. The drive side surface has a first protrusion, which protrudes downstream in the drive rotation direction and is located radially outwardly from a contact position where the drive side surface contacts each of the rollers when the chain is driven.

Bicycle sprocket

A bicycle hub assembly comprises a hub axle, a hub shell, a sprocket support body, and a clutch. The sprocket support body is rotatably mounted on the hub axle to rotate about a rotational axis. The sprocket support body is rotatable relative to the hub axle and the hub shell about the rotational axis. The clutch has a first coupling state where a pedaling rotational force is transmitted from the sprocket support body to the hub shell in a first rotational direction during pedaling, a first release state where the hub shell is rotatable relative to the sprocket support body in the first rotational direction during coasting, and a second coupling state where a coasting rotational force is transmitted from the hub shell to the sprocket support body in the first rotational direction during coasting.

Bicycle hub assembly and bicycle transmission system

A bicycle transmission apparatus comprises a base member, a first transmission member, a second transmission member, and a first coupling member. The first transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a first rotational axis and is movable relative to the base member in an axial direction parallel to the first rotational axis. The second transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a second rotational axis and is stationary relative to the base member in the axial direction. The first coupling member is configured to couple the first transmission member to the second transmission member to transmit rotation of the first transmission member to the second transmission member at a variable speed stage which is variable in accordance with at least one positional relationship among the first transmission member, the second transmission member, and the first coupling member in the axial direction.

Bicycle transmission apparatus

A bicycle crank assembly is provided with a first sprocket, a second sprocket, a crank arm, a sprocket fixing structure and an alignment tube. The first sprocket includes a plurality of first teeth and at least one first mounting portion having a first mounting opening. The second sprocket includes a plurality of second teeth and at least one second mounting portion having a second mounting opening. The crank arm includes at least one sprocket attachment portion having a third mounting opening. The sprocket fixing structure secures the first and second sprockets to the crank arm via the first, second and third mounting openings. The alignment tube extends through at least two of the first, second and third mounting openings.

Bicycle crank assembly

A bicycle transmission apparatus comprises a base member, an input shaft, a first transmission member, a second transmission member, and a first coupling member. The base member is configured to be attached to a bicycle frame as a separate member from the bicycle frame. The first transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a first rotational axis different from the input rotational axis. The second transmission member is rotatable relative to the base member about a second rotational axis different from each of the input rotational axis and the first rotational axis. The first coupling member is configured to couple the first transmission member to the second transmission member to transmit rotation of the first transmission member to the second transmission member at a variable speed stage.

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 bicycle sprocket comprises sprocket teeth. The sprocket teeth include a first tooth and a second tooth. The first tooth has a chain-engaging axial width which is larger than a first distance defined between opposed inner link plates of a bicycle chain and which is smaller than a second distance defined between opposed outer link plates of the bicycle chain. The second tooth has a chain-engaging axial width which is larger than the first distance and which is smaller than the second distance. The first tooth and the second tooth are spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the bicycle sprocket to define a space which is free of a tooth configured to engage with the bicycle chain.

An outer chain plate is configured to aid in downshifting such that a chain moves more smoothly from an outer chain ring (sprocket) to an inner chain ring (sprocket) with either no downshifting recess being provided on the outer chain ring or at least a shallower than normal downshifting recess being provided on the outer chain ring. At least a bottom part of the outer chain plate that faces a center axis of a sprocket when in use has a portion removed to minimize contact with outer chain ring when downshifting. Preferably, the bottom part of the outer chain plate has a chamfered outer edge portion along a cutout portion that defines a reduced area portion.

Bicycle outer chain link

A bicycle chainring is formed from a first member and an second member. The first member includes a center rotational axis, a crank attachment portion with a plurality of chainring attachment openings and an annular tooth portion with a plurality of chain engaging gear teeth. The second member disposed around the center rotational axis and is fixedly attached to overlie at least one of the crank attachment portion and the annular tooth portion to reinforce the first member without obstructing access to the chainring attachment openings.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Yusuke Nishimoto