WO1993004906A1

WO1993004906A1 - A cycle or a similar vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO1993004906A1
Application number: PCT/DK1992/000259
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jacob Gindin Dragsted
Original assignee: Jacob Gindin Dragsted
Priority date: 1991-08-29
Filing date: 1992-08-31
Publication date: 1993-03-18
Also published as: DK152891D0; AU2560692A

Abstract

A cycle or a similar vehicle is provided with at least one support member (15), such as a roller or wheel, which is mounted moveably in relation to the frame (10) of the cycle between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with the ground or floor surface (22) at a position (21) or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point (23) between the rear wheel (12) and the ground or floor surface (22). Means (19), such as one or more springs, are provided for biassing the support member towards its extended position so as to facilitate lifting of the front wheel (11) from the ground or floor surface (22).

Description

A CYCLE OR A SIMILAR VEHICLE

The present invention relates to a cycle, such as a pedal cycle, a motor cycle, or a similar vehicle comprising a frame and front and rear wheels mounted rotatably on the frame about front and rear axes, respectively, for rolling on a ground or floor surface.

When a person rides a pedal cycle or motor cycle the front and rear wheels are usually constantly in contact with the ground or floor surface. However, during riding it is possible to lift the front wheel from the ground or floor surface so that only the driven rear wheel supports the cycle. When using a conventional cycle this trick may be made only by persons who have trained for a long time, such as circus performers. The present invention provides a cycle or a similar vehicle of the above type which may not only be used for usual transportation purposes, but also for playing and amusement purposes.

The cycle according to the present invention is charac¬ terized in at least one support member, which is mounted movably in relation to the frame between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with the ground or floor surface at a position or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point between the rear wheel and the ground or floor surface, and in means for biassing the support member towards its extended position.

A person riding a cycle according to the invention may rather quickly learn to lift the front wheel of the cycle out of contact with the ground or floor surface and to ride the bicycle while only the rear wheel and the adjacent support member or members are in contact with the ground or floor surface. The bias of the bias means on the support member may be sufficiently forceful to facilitate lifting of the front wheel, and as the bicycle is supported not only by the rear wheel but also by the support member or members, the balancing of the cycle in the upright position is also facilitated. Despite of that the rider will get the feeling that he is doing a trick which can be done only after rather long training, for example by circus perfor- mers. Furthermore, the risk that the cycle overturns when it is returned from its upright position is diminished by the biassed support^•member or members moderating the impact of the front wheel when hitting the ground surface.

The cycle according to the invention may comprise one, two or more support members, which may comprise a slide member having a low friction floor or ground contact surface. In the preferred embodiment, however, the support member or members comprise at least one wheel or roller, such as a pair of wheels or rollers arranged on either side of the plane of the rear wheel of the cycle. As the support member or members should preferably not substantially counteract a rotational movement of the cycle about a vertical axis through the contact point between the rear wheel and the ground or floor surface, when the cycle has been lifted to its upright position, each wheel or roller is preferably a castor wheel or a ball roller.

The support member or members may be in contact with the ground or floor surface also when the cycle according to the invention is used as a conventional cycle for transpor- tation purposes. However, means may be provided for moving the support member or members out of engagement with the ground or floor surface and for locking the support member or members in such a position. The support member or mem¬ bers may then be released and biassed into contact with the ground or floor surface when the cycle is to be used for playing or amusement purposes. Alternatively or addi¬ tionally, the support member or members may be mounted on the cycle so as to allow for quick mounting and demounting of the support member or members. The biassing means for biassing the at least one support member towards its extended position - which means the position in which the cycle is lifted to an upright posi¬ tion - may be of any type. As an example, the support member may be biassed exclusively under the influence of gravity. As an example, the support member or members may be mounted at the end of a telescopic mounting member which may be releasably locked in its extended position, to which the support member may be moved by its own weight. However, the biassing means may also comprise resilient biassing means, such as spring means comprising for example a coil spring, a leaf spring and/or a gas spring.

In order to further facilitate lifting of the cycle from its usual horizontal position to its upright position and the return movement back to the horizontal position, such lifting and return movements are preferably moderated or damped. Consequently, the cycle may further comprise means for damping the movement of the support member or members between the extended and retracted positions. Such damping means may, for example, comprise a piston/cylinder assem¬ bly, which may be combined with a gas spring and/or another type of springs.

The damping effect of the damping means is preferably higher when the support member is moved from its extended to its retracted position than when moved from its retrac¬ ted to its extended position. This means that the impact of the front wheel hitting the ground when the cycle is moved from its upright to its normal horizontal position should be moderated to a much greater extent than the lifting movement of the front wheel when the cycle is moved to its upright position.

The damping means may comprise a cylinder containing a hydraulic fluid and a piston displaceably arranged therein, the piston and/or the adjacent inner cylinder wall defining one or more through-going restricted passages through which the hydraulic fluid is forced, when the piston is displaced within the cylinder. The restricted passages may at least partly be formed by channel-like grooves having a varying cross-sectional area, whereby the damping characteristics may be varied along the length of the piston stroke.

One or more of the restricted passages may be controlled by a one-way valve member whereby different damping effects may be obtained depending on the direction in which the piston is moved in relation to the cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment the piston comprises a first piston part having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a first space having a first cross-sectional area and one or more through-going axial openings or bores defined in the first piston part, and a second piston part having a peripheral surface defi¬ ning with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a second space having a second cross-sectional area exceeding the first cross-sectional area, said first and second piston parts being axially moveable in relation to each other between a first position in which the piston parts are in mutually abutting engagement and in which at least part of the axial opening or bores in the first piston part is closed by the second piston part, and a second position in which the openings or bores are uncovered. In this embodi¬ ment the restricted passages are the said first space and the through-going axial openings or bores defined in the first piston part, and the second piston part cooperates with the first piston part so as to function as a one-way valve. It is understood that the damping of the movement of the piston in relation to the cylinder is increased when the first and second piston parts are moved into abutting engagement with each other. Therefore, the arrangement should be such that the piston parts are automatically moved into mutually abutting engagement with each other when a high damping is desired.

One of the piston parts may be a radially extending collar or flange formed on the piston rod, and the other piston part may be a ring member encircling the piston rod and being displaceable between axially spaced radial abutment surfaces defined by the collar-shaped piston part and formed at the inner free end of the piston rod, respective¬ ly. As an example, the ring member may be said first" piston part in which the through-going openings or bores are formed.

The support member or members may be mounted movably on the frame in any suitable manner. As an example, the support member or each of the support members may be movable along a rectilinear path extending transversely to the ground surface. Alternatively or additionally, the support member or members may be rotatably mounted in relation to the frame. In the preferred embodiment the support member is mounted on the frame so as to be rotatable about the axis of the rear wheel. In that case the distance between the contact points of each of the support members and the rear wheel, respectively, and the ground or floor surface re¬ mains unchanged when the cycle is lifted from its horizon¬ tal to its upright position. The support members or each support member may, for example, be mounted at a free end of an arm, which is arranged pivotably about the axis of the rear wheel. The cycle may, for example, have a pair of support members or support wheels arranged on either side of the rear wheel, or a single support member or support wheel arranged in front of the rear wheel.

The invention also relates to a support arrangement for a cycle or a similar vehicle as described above, and the support arrangement according to the invention is charac¬ terized in at least one support member adapted to be moun- ted moveably in relation to the frame of the cycle between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with a ground or floor surface at a position or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point between the rear wheel of the cycle and the ground or floor surface, and in means for biassing the support member towards its extended position.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an embodiment of the cycle according to the invention in its normal horizontal position,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cycle shown in Fig. 1 moved to an upright position in which the front wheel is lifted from the ground surface,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinally sectional view of a combined gas spring and movement damper shown in an enlarged scale, Figs. 4 and 5 are longitudinally sectional views of the upper part of another damping cylinder, in which the piston is moved towards the extended and retracted position, respectively, and

Fig. 6 illustrates how an arm for supporting a support roller or support rollers may be pivotally mounted about the axis of the rear wheel of the cycle.

The pedal cycle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a frame 10, which is supported by a steerable front wheel 11 and a rear wheel 12, which may be driven by pedals 13 via a usual chain drive, not shown. The cycle also has a saddle 14. As far as described up till now the bicycle shown in the drawings is conventional.

The cycle further comprises a support or auxiliary wheel or roller 15, which is preferable of the castor type. Thus, the wheel or roller 15 is not only rotatable about a hori¬ zontal axis 16, but is also mounted at a free end of a support arm 17 so as to be rotatable also about a vertical axis. The support arm 17 is mounted on the frame 10 so as to be swingable or pivotal about the rotational axis 18 of the rear wheel 12. A piston/cylinder arrangement 19 extends between the free end of the support arm 17 and an upper frame part 20 and is pivotally connected thereto. As de¬ scribed in more detail below the cylinder arrangement 19 comprises a spring resiliently biassing the support wheel or roller 15 from its retracted position shown in Fig. 1 towards an extended position shown in Fig. 2.

The support wheel or roller 15 is positioned in such a manner in relation to the rear wheel 12 that the contact point 21 between the support wheel 15 and a ground or floor surface 22 is always located in front of the contact point 23 between the rear wheel 12 and the ground surface 22. It is understood that even when the support roller or wheel 15 is constantly kept into contact with the ground surface 22 it allows the cycle shown in Fig. 1 to be used for normal cycling. However, means (not shown) may be provided for lifting the support wheel or roller 15 from the ground surface and for locking the support wheel 15 in such a lifted, inactive position, when the cycle is to be used for normal cycling. Such locking means may then be released when the cycle is to be used for playing or amusement purposes as described below.

The piston/cylinder arrangement 19 serving as a spring and damper device will now be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 3. The device 19 comprises a cylinder 24 having a piston 25 with a piston rod 26 displaceably ar- ranged therein. The piston rod 26 extends out from one end of the cylinder 24 and is in sealing engagement with a surrounding sealing member 27, and an eye 28 formed at the free end of the piston rod 26 may form part of the pivotal connection of the piston rod to the upper frame part 20. The inner space of the cylinder 24 is divided into a gas chamber 29 and a liquid chamber 30 by means of an axially moveable partition wall or piston 31, which is sealingly engaging with the inner wall of the cylinder 24. The piston 25, which is moveable within the liquid chamber 30 is provided with axially extending, restricted passages, which may be controlled by one-way valve members 32 and 33, respectively. The end of the device 19 opposite to the piston rod 26 may be provided with an eye 34 for pivotally connecting the device 19 to the support arm 17. The device 19 may, for example, be of the ype marketed by Suspa Compart AG.

The device 19 may function as a combined spring and damper device. When an axially inwardly directed pressure is applied to the piston rod 26, the valve member 33 will open while the valve member 32 will close, and the piston 25 may be moved downwardly into abutting engagement with the partition wall 31 while liquid is flowing through the passage associated with the valve member 33, and when the device 19 is in its fully retracted position the gas in the gas chamber 29 will function as a gas spring.

When a cyclist 35 riding on the cycle shown in Fig. 1 wants to ride in an upright position as illustrated in Fig. 2, he has to lift the front wheel 11 until the centre of gravity 36 of the^"cycle and the cyclist 35 is positioned such that its vertical projection 37 unto the floor or ground surface 22 is located between the contact point 21 of the support wheel 15 and the contact point 23 of the rear wheel 12. At least the first part of this lifting movement is facilita¬ ted by the spring bias of the device 19, while the same device may to some extent damp or moderate the last part of the tilting movement so as to reduce the risk of turning over. As the support wheel 15 is in contact with the ground surface 22 also in the upright position of the cycle, the projection 37 of the centre of gravity 36 need not exactly coincide with the contact point 23 of the rear wheel 12, but may also be located in front of the this contact point and adjacent thereto. Thus, the cyclist 35 may balance the cycle in its upright position more easily than if the cycle had been of the conventional type without a support wheel or auxiliary wheel 15.

When the cycle is in the upright position shown in Fig. 2, the piston/cylinder device 19 is in its extended position. When the cyclist 35 decides to return the cycle to the horizontal position the rate of- the downward movement of the front wheel 11 is damped, because liquid in the liquid chamber 30 has to flow through the restricted passage associated with the valve member 33. Furthermore, the impact of the front wheel 11 unto the ground is further reduced by the spring effect of the gas included in the gas chamber 29. Consequently, the cyclist 35 may more easily control the downward movement of the front wheel 11 so that the risk of overturning is substantially reduced.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the piston/cylinder arrangement 19 shown in Fig. 3. In Figs. 4 and 5 the piston 25, which is mounted at the inner free end of the piston rod 26 by means of a nut, is moveable within the cylinder 24 containing a damping liquid 39 and a small gas volume 40 at the upper end of the cylinder. The piston 25 comprises a sleeve-like piston part 41, which is fixed to the piston rod 26 by means of the nut 38, and which comprises a radially extending collar or flange 42. The piston 25 also comprises an annular piston part 43, which is axially displaceable between a lower position shown in Fig. 4, in which it engages with a washer 44 at the inner end of the piston rod 26, and an upper position shown in Fig. 5, in which the piston part 43 engages with a lower abutment surface defined by the collar or flange 42. The annular piston part 43 defines a plurality of through- going, axial bores, the upper ends of which are covered and closed by the collar or flange 42 when the piston part 43 is engaging therewith as shown in Fig. 5. The annular space 46 defined between the peripheral surface of the collar or flange 42 and the adjacent inner wall of the cylinder 25 has a radial width substantially exceeding the radial width of the annular space 47 defined between the peripheral surface of the piston part 43 and the inner cylinder wall.

When the wheel or roller 15 is being moved to its extended position the piston rod 26 is moved upwardly in relation to the cylinder 24 as illustrated in Fig. 4, and the annular piston part 43 is in its lower position in which it is supported by the washer 44. The damping liquid 39 may then pass the piston 25 through a relatively wide space 46 and through the space 47 as well as through the bores 45. This means that the damping of the relative movement of the cylinder 24 and the piston 25 will be relatively small. However, when the wheel or roller 15 is moved upwardly towards its retracted position the piston rod 26 and the piston 25 mounted thereon are moved downwardly in relation to the cylinder 24 as illustrated in Fig. 5. This means that the annular piston part 43 is moved upwardly into abutting engagement with the collar or flange 42 whereby the axial bores 45 are covered. This means that all of the damping liquid 39 has to pass the piston 25 through the annular narrow space 47 defined between the peripheral surface of the piston part 43 and the inner wall of the cylinder 24, whereby the damping of the downward movement of the piston 25 within the cylinder 24 will be relatively high.

Fig. 6 illustrates how the support arm 17 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 may be mounted about the axis 18 of the rear wheal 12. A shaft 48 on which the rear wheel is mounted has a threaded free end 49. The threads of the free end 49 may engage with a threaded bore 50 of a screw member 51 having a screw head with a recess 52 for engaging with a wrench or spanner. The shank of the screw member 51 has a cylindrical outer surface which is surrounded by a sleeve member 53 having a radially extending lug or flap 54 having an axial¬ ly extending bore 55. When the screw member 51 has been screwed on the free threaded end 49 of the shaft 48 the sleeve member 53 is mounted pivotally about the axis of the shaft 48. One end of the support arm 17 may then be detachably mounted to the lug or flap 54, for example by means of a screw extending through the bore 55. The pi¬ ston/cylinder arrangement 19 may also be removeably con- nected to the frame of the cycle so that the support struc¬ ture may quickly be mounted on the cycle and removed there¬ from.

It should be understood that various amendments and modifi¬ cations of the cycle shown in the drawings and described above could be made within the scope of the present inven¬ tion. As an example, a pair of support wheels or support members 15 arranged on either side of the rear wheel 12 could be provided, and the support wheel or wheels could be mounted movably in relation to the frame 10 in any suitable manner, for example along a rectilinear path. The cycle need not necessarily be a pedal bike but could also be a motor. bike. Furthermore, the combined spring and damper device 19 could be replaced by any other biassing means comprising for example one or more coil springs or leaf springs.

Claims

1. A cycle or a similar vehicle comprising a frame (10) and front and rear wheels (11, 12) mounted rotatably on the frame about front and rear axes, respectively, for rolling on a ground or floor surface (22) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in at least one support member (15) , which is mounted moveably in relation to the frame (10) between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with the ground or floor surface (22) at a position (21) or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point

(23) between the rear wheel (12) and the ground or floor surface (22) , and in means (19) for biassing the support member towards its extended position so as to facilitate lifting of the front wheel (11) from the ground or floor surface (22) .

2. A cycle according to claim 1, wherein the support member comprises a wheel or roller (15) .

3. A cycle according to claim 2, wherein the wheel or roller is a castor wheel (15) or a ball roller.

4. A cycle according to any of the claims 1-3, wherein the biassing means comprise spring means (29, 31) .

5. A cycle according to any of the claims 1-4, further comprising means (24, 25) for damping the movement of the support member (15) between its extended and retracted positions.

6. A cycle according to claim 5, wherein the damping effect of the damping means (24, 25) is higher when the support member (15) is moved from its extended to its retracted position than when moved from its retracted to its extended position.

7. A cycle according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the damping means comprise a cylinder (24) containing a hydraulic fluid and a piston (25) displaceably arranged therein, the piston and/or the adjacent inner cylinder wall defining one or more through-going restricted passages through which the hydraulic fluid is forced when the piston is displaced within the cylinder. '

8. A cycle according to claim 7, wherein at least one of said restricted passages is controlled by a one-way valve member (32, 33; 43).

9. A cycle according to claim 8, wherein the piston (25) comprises a first piston part (43) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a first space (47) having a first cross-sectional area and one or more through-going axial openings or bores (45) defined in the first piston part, and a second piston part (42) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a second space (46) having a second cross-sectional area exceeding the first cross-sectional area, said first and second piston parts (42, 43) being axially moveable in relation to each other between a first position in which the piston parts are in mutually abutting engagement and in which at least part of the axial opening or bores in the first piston part is closed by the second piston part, and a second position in which the openings or bores are unco¬ vered.

10. A cycle according to claim 9, wherein one of the piston parts is a radially extending collar or flange (42) formed on a piston rod, and the other piston part is a ring member (43) encircling the piston rod and being displaceable between axially spaced radial abutment surfaces defined by the collar-shaped piston part (42) and formed at the inner free end of the piston rod (26) , respectively.

11. A cycle according to any of the claims 1-10, wherein the support member (15) is mounted on the frame (10) so as to be rotatable about the axis (18) of the rear wheel (12) .

12. A cycle according to claim 11, wherein the support member (15) is mounted at a free end of an arm (17) which is arranged pivotably about the .axis of the rear wheel.

13. A support arrangement for a cycle or similar vehicle according to any of the claims 1-12, characterized in at least one support member (15) adapted to be mounted movably in relation to the frame (10) of the cycle between extended and retracted positions, for enga¬ ging with a ground or floor surface (22) at a position (21) or at positions adjacent to and in front of the con¬ tact point (23) between the rear wheel (12) of the cycle and the ground or floor surface (22) , and in means (19) for biassing the support member towards its extended position.

14. An arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the support member comprises a wheel or roller (15) .

15. An arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the wheel or roller is a castor wheel (15) or a ball roller.

16. An arrangement according to any of the claims 13-15, wherein the biassing means comprise spring means (29, 31).

17. An arrangement according to any of the claims 13-16 further comprising means (24, 25) for damping the movement of the support member (15) between its extended and retrac¬ ted positions.

18. An arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the damping effect of the damping means (24, 25) is higher when the support member (15) is moved from its extended to its retracted position than when moved from its retracted to its extended position.

19. An arrangement according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the damping means comprise a cylinder (24) containing a hydrau¬ lic fluid and a piston (25) displaceably arranged therein, the piston and/or the adjacent inner cylinder wall defining one or more through-going restricted passages through which the hydraulic fluid is forced when the piston is displaced within the cylinder.

20. An arrangement according to claim 19, wherein at least one of said restricted passages is controlled by a one-way valve member (32, 33; 43).

21. An arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the piston (25) comprises a first piston part (43) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a first space (47) having a first cross-sectional area and one or more through-going axial openings or bores (45) defined in the first piston part, and a second piston part (42) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a second space (46) having a second cross-sectional area exceeding the first cross-sectional area, said first and second piston parts (42, 43) being axially moveable in relation to each other between a first position in which the piston parts are in mutually abutting engagement and in which at least part of the axial opening or bores (45) in the first piston part (43) is closed by the second piston part (42) , and a second position in which the openings or bores are uncovered.

22. An arrangement according to claim 21, wherein one of the piston parts is a radially extending collar or flange (42) formed on a piston rod (26) , and the other piston part is a ring member (43) encircling the piston rod and being displaceable between axially spaced radial abutment sur¬ faces defined by the collar-shaped piston part (42) and formed at the inner free end of the piston rod (26) , re¬ spectively.

23. An arrangement according to any of the claims 13-22, wherein the support member (15) is adapted to be mounted on the frame (10) of the cycle so as to be rotatable about the axis (18) of the rear wheel (12) of the cycle.

24. An arrangement according to claim 23, wherein the support member (15) is mounted at a free end of an arm (17) which is adapted to be arranged pivotally about the axis of the rear wheel of the cycle.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 8 January 1993(8.01.93); original claims 1-24 replaced by amended claims 1-22 (5 pages)]

1. A cycle or a similar vehicle comprising a frame (10) and front and rear wheels (11, 12) mounted rotatably on the frame about front and rear axes, respectively, for rolling on a ground or floor surface (22) , and at least one support member (15) , which is mounted moveably in relation to the frame (10) between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with the ground or floor surface (22) at a position (21) or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point (23) between the rear wheel (12) and the ground or floor surface (22) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in spring means (19) for biassing the support member towards its extended position so as to facilitate lifting of the front wheel (11) from the ground or floor surface (22) .

4. A cycle according to any of the claims 1-3, further comprising means (24, 25) for damping the movement of the support member (15) between its extended and retracted positions.

5. A cycle according to claim 4, wherein the damping effect of the damping means (24, 25) is higher when the support member (15) is moved from its extended to its retracted position than when moved from its retracted to its extended position.

6. A cycle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the damping means comprise a cylinder (24) containing a hydraulic fluid and a piston (25) displaceably arranged therein, the piston and/or the adjacent inner cylinder wall defining one or more through-going restricted passages through which the hydraulic fluid is forced when the piston is displaced within the cylinder.

7. A cycle according to claim 6, wherein at least one of said restricted passages is controlled by a one-way valve member (32, 33; 43).

8. A cycle according to claim 7, wherein the piston (25) comprises a first piston part (43) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a first space (47) having a first cross-sectional area and one or more through-going axial openings or bores (45) defined in the first piston part, and a second piston part (42) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a second space (46) having a second cross-sectional area exceeding the first cross-sectional area, said first and second piston parts (42, 43) being axially moveable in relation to each other between a first position in which the piston parts are in mutually abutting engagement and in which at leas part of the axial opening or bores in the first piston part is closed by the second piston part, and a second position in which the openings or bores are unco¬ vered.

9. A cycle according to claim 8, wherein one of the piston parts is a radially extending collar or flange (42) formed on a piston rod, and the other piston part is a ring member (43) encircling the piston rod and being displaceable between axially spaced radial abutment surfaces defined by the collar-shaped piston part (42) and formed at the inner free end of the piston rod (26) , respectively.

10. A cycle according to any of the claims 1-9, wherein the support member (15) is mounted on the frame (10) so as to be rotatable about the axis (18) of the rear wheel (12) .

11. A cycle according to claim 10, wherein the support member (15) is mounted at a free end of an arm (17) which is arranged pivotably about the axis of the rear wheel.

12. A support arrangement for a cycle or similar vehicle according to any of the claims 1-11 and comprising at least one support member (15) adapted to be mounted ovably in relation to the frame (10) of the cycle between extended and retracted positions, for engaging with a ground or floor surface (22) at a position (21) or at positions adjacent to and in front of the contact point (23) between the rear wheel (12) of the cycle and the ground or floor surface (22) , c h a r a c t e r >i z e d in spring means (19) for biassing the support member towards its extended position.

13. An arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the support member comprises a wheel or roller (15) .

14. An arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the wheel or roller is a castor wheel (15) or a ball roller.

15. An arrangement according to any of the claims 12-14 further comprising means (24, 25) for damping the movement of the support member (15) between its extended and retrac¬ ted positions.

16. An arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the damping effect of the damping means (24, 25) is higher when the support member (15) is moved from its extended to its retracted position than when moved from its retracted to its extended position.

17. An arrangement according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the damping means comprise a cylinder (24) containing a hydrau- lie fluid and a piston (25) displaceably arranged therein, the piston and/or the adjacent inner cylinder wall defining one or more through-going restricted passages through which the hydraulic fluid is forced when the piston is displaced within the cylinder.

18. An arrangement according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said restricted passages is controlled by a one-way valve member (32, 33; 43).

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the piston (25) comprises a first piston part (43) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a first space (47) having a first cross-sectional area and one or more through-going axial openings or bores (45) defined in the first piston part, and a second piston part (42) having a peripheral surface defining with the adjacent inner cylinder surface a second space (46) having a second cross-sectional area exceeding the first cross-sectional area, said first and second piston parts (42, 43) being axially moveable in relation to each other between a first position in which the piston parts are in mutually abutting engagement and in which at least part of the axial opening or bores (45) in the first piston part (43) is closed by the second piston part (42) , and a second position in which the openings or bores are uncovered.

20. An arrangement according to claim 19, wherein one of the piston parts is a radially extending collar or flange (42) formed on a piston rod (26) , and the other piston part is a ring member (43) encircling the piston rod and being displaceable between axially spaced radial abutment sur¬ faces defined, by the collar-shaped piston part (42) and formed at the inner free end of the piston rod (26) , re¬ spectively. 21. An arrangement according to any of the claims 12-20, wherein the support member (15) is adapted to be mounted on the frame (10) of the cycle so as to be rotatable about the axis (18) of the rear wheel (12) of the cycle.

22. An arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the support member (15) is mounted at a free end of an arm (17) which is adapted to be arranged pivotally about the axis of the rear wheel of the cycle.