Bicycle dropout assembly

1. A bicycle wheel support assembly comprising:

a chain stay and a seat stay each having an axle mount opening;

an axle mount assembly having a first portion that engages the chain stay from a first direction and a second portion that engages the seat stay from a second direction that is opposite the first direction such that the axle mount assembly secures the chain stay to the seat stay when the axle mount assembly is engaged therewith and so that the chain stay and the seat stay are separable when the axle mount assembly is removed therefrom; and

an axle engaged with a peripheral location of the axle mount assembly so that the axle mount assembly offsets the axle in a radial direction from the chain stay and the seat stay and so that rotation of the axle mount assembly alters a position of the axle relative to the axle mount opening independent of engagement of the axle with the axle mount assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one fastener that secures the first and the second portions of the axle mount assembly together.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the axle removably engages both of the first and second portions of the axle mount assembly.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the axle can be removed from the axle mount assembly without altering a position of the axle mount assembly relative to the chain stay and seat stay.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the axle one of passes slidably through the axle mount assembly and threadingly engages at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the axle mount assembly.

6. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising another chain stay, another seat stay, and another axle mount assembly engaged with an opposite end of the axle in a configuration that mirrors the first axle mount assembly.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first portion and the second portion of the axle mount assembly have a first section that passes through a respective axle mount opening and a second section that has a larger diameter than a diameter of the respective axle mount opening.

8. A bicycle wheel support assembly comprising:

a chain stay;

a seat stay;

a support opening formed at an overlapping portion of the chain stay and the seat stay, the support opening having an axis that is oriented in a crossing direction relative to a longitudinal axis of a respective chain stay and seat stay;

a first support and a second support rotatably and removably engaged with the support opening from generally opposite directions along the axis and selectively securing together the overlapping portions of the chain stay and the seat stay; and

an axle opening formed in at least one of the first support and second support at a position that is offset in a radial direction from the axis of the support opening and configured to cooperate with a wheel axle so that the wheel axle can be removed from the opening without interfering with an orientation of the axle opening and a position of the first support and second support relative to the chain stay and the seat stay.

9. The assembly of claim 8 further comprising another chain stay, another seat stay, and a third support and a fourth support that cooperate with another support opening formed at an overlapping portion of the another chain stay and another seat stay.

10. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising another axle opening formed in at least one of the third support and the fourth support and positioned to be aligned with the axle opening formed in at least one of the first support and second support.

11. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising an axle that slidably cooperates with one of the axle openings and threadingly cooperates with the other axle opening.

12. The assembly of claim 9 wherein each support includes a first portion having a diameter that generally corresponds to a diameter of the support opening and a second portion having a diameter that is larger than the support opening.

13. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the support opening and another support opening are fully bound by the respective chain stay and seat stay and a portion of the support opening in a respective seat stay is about the same size as a portion of the support opening in a corresponding chain stay.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein each support opening and each support has a complimentary circular cross-section.

15. The assembly of claim 8 further comprising a wheel assembly having a hub that is slidably engageable with an axle engaged with the axle opening.

16. A method of mounting a bicycle wheel comprising:

forming at least a driven side of a rear wheel assembly with a chain stay and a seat stay that have separable rear end portions;

providing an axle mount that connects the rear end portions of the chain stay and the seat stay and has an axle opening and that allows independent positioning of the axle opening relative to the chain stay and seat stay and separation of the rear end portions;

engaging an axle with the axle opening of the axle mount; and

rotating the axle mount relative to the rear end portions of the chain stay and the seat stay to define an operating position of the axle.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising passing a drive member between the separable rear end portions of the chain stay and the seat stay.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising forming the drive member as one of a chain and a belt.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming a non-driven side of the rear wheel assembly as a mirror image of the driven side.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising offsetting an axis of the axle relative to an axis of rotation of the axle mount so that rotation of the axle mount relative to the rear end portions alters a linear distance between the axis of the axle and an axis of rotation of a pedal.