It is all right, except that it would seem cruel to have such legs as the draughtsman has given the rider, and only use them for steering purposes.
E. S. Burbank, of Iowa. Velocipede. No. 352,989. Patented November 23, 1886.
BURBANK SPECIFICATION.
“By thus providing the bicycle with a circular track engaging the driving-wheel the said track forms virtually the driving-wheel of the bicycle or velocipede, and as it is of very greatly increased diameter as compared with the driving-wheel of the velocipede, it enables the machine to be driven over rough and uneven roads without violent bumping and jolting, and without discomfort to the rider. It also prevents the velocipede from being overturned when it encounters an obstruction, and prevents the rider from ‘taking a header.’
“When the machine encounters a stone or other obstruction, the frame M is moved rearwardly against the pressure of the spring L′, and thus causing the wheel B and the rider to be moved forwardly past the centre of the circular track for a corresponding distance, thus enabling the weight of the rider to be utilized in causing the circular track to pass over the obstruction.”
This patent is a fair sample of the big-wheel idea; it has some good features, such as the spring L′, which allows the inside machine, together with the rider, to swing forward when the outer wheel strikes an obstacle, thus acting as an anti-vibrator or momentum spring. The small inner wheel with cranks would make the machine run slow, but the appearance of the thing would be, I think, rather unique.
C. A. Williamson. Seat for bicycles. No. 364,075. Patented May 31, 1887.