Bicycle

Claim 1

A bicycle comprising two pedals mounted on the free ends of two control levers arranged on either side of a frame, each lever pivoting about a substantially horizontal first sHaft attached to the rear bicycle fork in parallel relationship with and adjacent to the driving wheel axle, each lever being hung from one free end of a drive chain cooperating with two free-wheeling pinions mounted on a second shaft on the bicycle frame above the control levers, said second shaft carrying a pinion driving the sprocketwheel of the bicycle driving wheel, reversing means to allow said chain to cooperate with both said free-wheeling pinions, each end of said chain being attached to one control lever and being divided in two runs, an active run and a passive run, by means of at least one reversing gear which is idly mounted on a shaft and located between the two free-wheeling pinions, said runs passing in the same direction over both pinions, said free-wheeling pinions being mounted on said second shaft in such a way that when a control lever is driven downwards and pulls the chain, said chain rotates both free-wheeling pinions in opposite directions and the other control lever is driven upwardly by the chain passive run, the active run movement causing rotation of the second shaft during the lowering of the control lever which cooperates with the active run, the pinion rotating direction being reversed when the control lever which is connected to the passive run has reached the highest position thereof and begins to go down to drive the second shaft along that same direction it was driven along by the lowering of the other control lever, the pinion driving the bicycle driving wheel sprocket-wheel being driven by the second shaft rotation, means to prevent the bicycle moving backwards, said means comprising a free-wheeling pinion mounted on the second shaft, said pinion cooperating with a projection on said housing so as to enter between two teeth of said pinion, said pinion being so mounted on said second shaft as to be free relative thereto when said shaft is driven by either of said free-wheeling pinions and to be locked to said shaft and to prevent rotating thereof by cooperating with said housing projection when said shaft tries to rotate in the opposite direction.