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EP-4393803-B1 - BICYCLE HANDLEBAR STEM ASSEMBLY

EP4393803B1EP 4393803 B1EP4393803 B1EP 4393803B1EP-4393803-B1

Inventors

  • FENG, PIN-CHIEH
  • LIN, YU-AN
  • HSIAO, HSUEH-CHIEN
  • CHEN, CHUN-HO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20231211

Claims (7)

  1. A bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4' 4") for mounting to a front fork stem (2) and for installation of a handlebar (3), the bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4', 4") comprising: a connecting base (5) including a tightening portion (51), a pivot portion (52) connected to the tightening portion (51), and a pressure-receiving portion (53) connected to the pivot portion (52), the tightening portion (51) having a stem hole (54) for connecting the front fork stem (2); a handlebar base (6) pivoted to the pivot portion (52) of the connecting base (5), the handlebar base (6) including an opening (68), a handlebar hole (61) communicating with the opening (68) for penetration of the handlebar (3), and an accommodation space (655) communicating with the opening (68); an elastic member (7, 7') disposed in the accommodation space (655) and contacting the pressure-receiving portion (53) and the handlebar base (6), so that when the handlebar base (6) is pivoted with respect to the connecting base (5), the elastic member (7, 7') is compressed between the pressure-receiving portion (53) and the handlebar base (6); and an adjustment component (8) having one end pressing the elastic member (7, 7') to adjust a pre-pressure state of the elastic member (7, 7') and change an elastic coefficient of the elastic member (7, 7') when the elastic member (7, 7') is compressed between the pressure-receiving portion (53) and the handlebar base (6), and characterized in that the other end provided with an axial direction (85) staggered from the handlebar hole (61) and passing through the opening (68).
  2. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4', 4") as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment component (8) includes a pressing block (81, 81') pressing against the elastic member (7, 7'), and an adjusting bolt (82) passing through the pressing block (81, 81'), so that a pressing force of the pressing block (81, 81') applied to the elastic member (7, 7') is adjusted by rotating the adjusting bolt (82); an axial direction (85) of the adjusting bolt (82) is staggered from the handlebar hole (61) and passes through the opening (68).
  3. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4', 4") as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the handlebar base (6) further includes a stem (65) and an end cap (67) detachably mounted to the stem (65); the stem (65) has a first top through groove (652) and a first transverse through hole (653) communicating with the first top through groove (652); the end cap (67) has a second top through groove (671) and a second transverse through hole (672) communicating with the second top through groove (671); the opening (68) is formed by the first and second top through grooves (652, 671), and the handlebar hole (61) is formed by the first and second transverse through holes (653, 672).
  4. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4') as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the stem (65) has a through hole (654) communicating with the accommodating space (655) and the opening (68); the adjusting bolt (82) has a head portion (83) and a screw rod (84) connected to the head portion (83); the adjusting bolt (82) passes through the through hole (654) along the axial direction (85) in a way that the head portion (83) is exposed in the opening (68), and the screw rod (84) is screwed to the pressing block (81), so that the pressing block (81) is moved relative to the elastic member (7) to change the pressing force by rotating the adjusting bolt (82).
  5. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4') as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that adjustment component (8) further comprises a driving member (9) and a sheath (12) sleeved on the driving member (9) and covering the opening (68); the driving member (9) has a knob portion (10) exposed outside the sheath (12) and a connecting rod (11) connected to the knob portion (10) and the head portion (83) of the adjusting bolt (82).
  6. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4") as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the pressure-receiving portion (53) of the connecting base (5) further has a threaded hole (531); the adjusting bolt (82) has a head portion (83) pressing against the pressing block (81'), and a screw rod (84) connected to the head portion (83) and threaded with the threaded hole (531).
  7. The bicycle handlebar stem assembly (4, 4', 4") as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a block (13) is abutted between the pressure-receiving portion (53) and the handlebar base (6).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to bicycle components and more particularly, to a bicycle handlebar stem assembly that can enhance riding comfort and conveniently adjust the degree of shock absorption. 2. Description of the Related Art As bicycles become more and more popular, the comfort of riding bicycles has gradually attracted more and more attention from consumers. In the past, the conventional handlebar stem only has the function of connecting the handlebar and the front fork stem. However, when encountering rough roads, the vibrations experienced by the front wheel are easily transmitted to the handlebars through the front fork stem, which not only causes the rider's hands to feel numb and uncomfortable, but also makes the rider's hands unable to maintain stable contact with the handlebars, and will also increase the grip load and burden on the rider's hands. In order to solve the aforesaid problems, the current practice is to install the shock-absorbing unit in the handlebar stem, and use the shock-absorbing element to buffer the vibration transmitted from the front wheel. However, when it is necessary to adjust the shock absorption strength, the handlebar must be removed first, and a tool is used to adjust the tightening member of the shock-absorbing unit to compress the shock-absorbing element, thereby the shock absorption strength. For example, U.S. Patent No. 10167040 discloses a bicycle stem assembly with a shock-absorbing unit, which mainly uses a tool to adjust the position of the wedge, so that the wedge further adjusts the preload applied to the shock-absorbing element, thereby achieving the effect of adjusting the shock absorption strength. However, when it is necessary to adjust the shock absorption strength, the handlebar and the end cap need to be removed, so that the tool is allowed to be inserted into the handlebar base to adjust the position of the wedge. Because disassembly is cumbersome and cannot be adjusted at any time, it causes great inconvenience to users. In addition, TW M568812 discloses a bicycle handlebar shock-absorbing device that provides an opening under the handlebar base, so that the tool can be inserted into the handlebar base through the opening to adjust the strain of the shock-absorbing element without disassembling the handlebar. However, although this prior art solves the problem of cumbersome disassembly and inconvenient adjustment of shock-absorbing element, the strength of the handlebar base is actually weakened due to the opening, which will create huge safety concerns. Document TW M 586 230 U discloses another known bicycle handlebar stem assembly and shows all the features of the preamble of independent claim 1. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is one objective of the present invention to provide a bicycle handlebar stem assembly, which conveniently adjusts the degree of shock absorption and maintains good structural strength. To attain the above objective, the bicycle handlebar stem assembly comprises a connecting base, a handlebar base, an elastic member, and an adjustment component. The connecting base includes a tightening portion having a stem hole for connecting a front fork stem, a pivot portion connected to the tightening portion, and a pressure-receiving portion connected to the pivot portion. The handlebar base is pivoted to the pivot portion of the connecting base and includes an opening, a handlebar hole communicating with the opening for penetration of a handlebar, and an accommodation space communicating with the opening. The elastic member is disposed in the accommodation space and in contact with the pressure-receiving portion and the handlebar base, so that when the handlebar base is pivoted with respect to the connecting base, the elastic member is compressed between the pressure-receiving portion and the handlebar base. One end of the adjustment component presses against the elastic member to adjust the pre-pressure state of the elastic member and change the elastic coefficient of the elastic member when the elastic member is compressed between the pressure-receiving portion and the handlebar base, and the other end of the adjustment component has an axial direction staggered from the handlebar hole and passing through the opening. It can be seen from the above that the bicycle handlebar stem assembly of the present invention allows the user to use a tool to adjust the adjustment component through the opening. By adjusting the adjustment component, the strain degree of the elastic element under pressure can be changed. The aforesaid adjustment process can be performed without disassembling any bicycle components (such as the handlebar), thereby achieving the effect of conveniently adjusting the shock-absorbing function. In addition, the location of the opening will not have a great impact on the structural strength of the handlebar base, so that the handlebar base still has good stability a