Locking threadless bicycle headset
View Patent ↗The set of bicycle headsets that are threadless and/or have pressed frame cups/races can be locked to prohibit the nominal rotation of the headset and bicycle handlebars about the bicycle's steer tube by this invention. This invention uses standard threadless headset components in addition to three newly invented components: The upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves, the external ring lock, and the headset spacer with spin-lock grooves. The locking configuration is achieved by mating male pins on the interior surface of the external ring lock with female spin-lock grooves that are on the exterior surfaces of the upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves and headset spacer with spin-lock grooves. There are a sets of spin-lock grooves that, when the male pins are mated accordingly, provide the locked and unlocked configurations of the headset.
1. A bicycle headset comprising; an upper head tube race with a continuous horizontal and vertical pattern cut into an exterior of the upper head tube race, forming spin-lock grooves; a headset spacer with spin-lock grooves that sits on top of the upper head tube race, and; an external ring lock that seals around the upper head tube race and headset spacer that has two internal radially-pointing male pins that are horizontally and vertically offset, allowing the pins to slide between the spin-lock grooves of the head tube race and headset spacer.
2. The bicycle headset according to claim 1 , wherein the upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves comprises two horizontal female grooves that are offset vertically and horizontally with one vertical female groove in between that connects the horizontal grooves, forming a step, and two additional vertical female grooves that extend from the outer ends of the horizontal grooves, the vertical and horizontal grooves are carved into the exterior of the upper head tube race.
3. The upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves according to claim 2 , wherein the vertical female grooves get narrower from bottom to top and wherein the vertical female groove that extends from the outer end of the higher horizontal female groove extends both below and above said higher horizontal female groove and up through the top of the upper head tube race.
4. The bicycle headset according to claim 1 , wherein the external ring lock comprises:
a. a first contact surface, being the ring's internal cylindrical walls, which seals around exterior cylindrical surfaces of the upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves and headset spacer with spin-lock grooves, and;
b. the internal radially-pointing male pins protrude inward from the first contact surface and fit tightly and slide with high friction within the horizontal grooves of the upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves and headset spacer with spin-lock grooves, and that slide with less friction as they are slid into the bottom ends of the vertical spin-lock grooves.
5. The external ring lock according to claim 4 , wherein the two male pins are offset horizontally and vertically such that both pins fit into the bottom ends of any two neighboring vertical grooves that exist on the upper head tube race with spin-lock grooves and headset spacer with spin-lock grooves.
6. The bicycle headset according to claim 1 , wherein the headset spacer with spin-lock grooves comprises one horizontal groove with left and right ends, that has two vertical grooves that extend from said left and right ends of the horizontal groove, wherein each groove is carved into the exterior surface of the spacer.
7. The headset spacer with spin-lock grooves according to claim 6 , wherein the vertical grooves get narrower from bottom to top and wherein the vertical groove that extends from the left end of the horizontal groove extends down and through a bottom end of the spacer.