Shaft driven bicycle and transmission therefor

Abstract

A two-wheel drive bicycle includes a main frame having a steering head, a seat tube, a cross bar and a hollow downtube. A main drive mechanism includes a housing, a driving spindle, at least one driven ring gear, a first driven shaft and a second driven shaft. The first driven shaft is rotatably connected to the housing and operably coupled to the at least one driven ring gear. The second driven shaft is, likewise, rotatably connected to the housing and operably coupled to the at least one driven ring gear. Front and rear wheel drive mechanisms include a series of shafts that are themselves coupled to and between the first and second driven shafts and the front and rear wheels. The main drive mechanism preferably includes a plurality of driven gears comprising a series of concentrically spaced ring gears. Each ring gear of the plurality of driven ring gears has an inner diametrical surface and an outer diametrical surface. Each outer diametrical surface is configured to slidingly engage the inner diametrical surface of an adjacent ring gear. Further, the main drive mechanism preferably includes a biasing means for biasing each ring gear away from the first driven shaft and the second driven shaft and a selective engagement means for selectively engaging one ring gear of the plurality of ring gears with the first driven shaft and the second driven shaft.

1 - 26 . (canceled)  
   
   
       27 - 34 . (canceled)  
   
   
       35 . A transmission for a vehicle having a frame and at least one rotating drive element, comprising: a housing secured to the frame, a driving spindle rotatably secured to the housing and having a longitudinal axis, a driven shaft rotatably secured to the housing and having a plurality of longitudinal teeth, and a first driven ring gear slidably disposed on the driving spindle coaxial with the longitudinal axis, the first driven ring gear having a first side-surface and a second side-surface, the first side-surface having a plurality of teeth spaced and configured to operably engage the longitudinal teeth of the driven shaft, a biasing member disposed between a first surface of the housing and the first side-surface of the first driven ring gear and urging the teeth of the first driven ring gear away from operable engagement with the longitudinal teeth of the driven shaft, and an engagement member disposed between a second surface of the housing and the second side-surface of the first driven ring gear and selectively urging the teeth of the first driven ring gear into operable engagement with the longitudinal teeth of the driven shaft.