FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention uniquely attaches a removable and adjustable surrogate horizontal top rail to a bicycle seat post or the seat post tube on the frame (identified as Part1and Part24respectively inFIGS. 1 through 8and not a Part of the invention) as shown and described herein to a bicycle which does not incorporate a level horizontal top rail in its frame configuration to be carried safely on a typical bicycle hang rack. A level horizontal top rail as used herein is defined as a permanent bicycle frame member which is parallel to a plane bisecting both the front and rear axles of the bicycle if they are the same size and parallel to the plane upon which the bottom point of the front and rear wheels of the bicycle rest is level with the ground. If there is a difference in the wheel diameters of the bicycle, only the wheel with the larger diameter should be considered. This invention will allow any bicycle to be hung level and carried safely on a bicycle hang rack as defined above.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical bicycle hang rack is a common means of transporting bicycles by motor vehicles of various configurations, and are attached to the carry vehicle either by an adapter which utilizes the vehicle's trailer hitch, a bumper mounted adapter, or by cables and clips that attach the hang rack to either a rear hatch or trunk lid. These racks usually employ a pair of parallel arms which extend beyond a vertical member of the hang rack and the rear of the vehicle and perpendicular to the rear of the carry vehicle from the basic geometry of the rack design to allow up to 4 bicycles to hang behind the vehicle. To ensure safe transport, the hang rack must be properly installed on the transport vehicle so that the arms which extend beyond and perpendicular to the rear of the transport vehicle are both in the same horizontal and level plane across the parallel arms of the hang rack. This plane should be parallel to a plane on the carrying vehicle such as a plane bisecting the vehicle bumper brackets, floor pan, truck bed, vehicle load compartment including cargo area of an SUV or automobile, etc., which is typically level to the ground when the vehicle is in a level position.

Many bicycles do not have a frame design which allows the bicycle to hang centered or level on the vehicle, and many hang with wheels below the rear bumper on the carry vehicle hang rack creating a potential safety hazard by contact with street debris, roadway irregularities and/or curbing. This invention allows any bicycle including what are known as “girl's or women's” bicycles, children's bicycles, unisex bicycles, and any other frame configuration without an incorporated and level horizontal top frame member between the seat post tube and the head tube through which the front fork mounts to be carried properly centered and above the bottom of the rear bumper of the carry vehicle. Historically, men's and boy's bicycles have generally been designed with the level, horizontal top frame member there are many examples of these bicycles with non-level top frame members because bicycle design has evolved and many more models now incorporate non-level top frame members (if they have them at all) which leaves the hang rack incapable of keeping the transported bicycles level and safe as they are being transported. The Bicycle Leveler can solve this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With all the bicycle hang racks in use, safety has been the primary motivation in the development of the Bicycle Leveler. The present invention is particularly directed to a device which adapts any bicycle as shown, discussed and described herein which does not incorporate a true horizontal top rail in its frame configuration to be carried safely on a typical bicycle hang rack whether mounted to a trunk lid, a station wagon lift gate, an automobile or SUV with a hatch back, a bumper mount or a trailer hitch mounted hang rack. With this design, bicycles with a true horizontal top rail can also benefit by using the Bicycle Leveler.

Safety is hanging and carrying the bicycle level, and centered on the vehicle, and carried so that a plane upon which the bottom points of both the front and rear wheels of the bicycle rest when that plane is level with the ground. When both wheels on the bicycle are the same diameter, (the normal configuration) a plane bisecting both the front and rear axles of the bicycle will also be parallel to the ground and to various planes on the carrying vehicle when properly mounted. If there is a difference in the wheel diameters of the bicycle, only the wheel with the larger diameter should be considered. Such planes are those which bisect the vehicle bumper brackets, floor pan, truck bed, vehicle load compartment including cargo area of an SUV or automobile, etc., which are typically level when the vehicle is level to the ground. Placement options of this invention, when attached to the bicycle, allow the lowest arc of the wheels (where the wheels meet the ground) to be carried above the lowest non-suspension components of the carrying vehicle such as the bottom of the rear bumper or above the top of the hitch receiver, the safe carry.

The centered/level carry insures the safety of the bicycle being carried, and of the safety of the adjacent pedestrians and motorists in the event the bicycle becomes a flying object by colliding with road debris, rigid roadside objects or other vehicles. This can happen if one or both wheels of the bicycle hang below the rear bumper, or if one of the wheels extends beyond the side of the carry vehicle because the bicycle in not centered on the vehicle, and impacts some other vehicle or stationary object during the carry. Many times, the frame design or size of the bicycle precludes horizontal centering, and a hang height above the lowest horizontal structure of the vehicle excluding the suspension components typically below the bottom of the rear vehicle bumper. The level carry also helps insure there is minimal or no visual obstruction out the rear window view of the carry vehicle.

Many bicycles are now manufactured without the true horizontal top rail including women's bicycles, so called unisex bicycles, mountain/trail bicycles and many children's bicycles. In addition, many of the new designs for the so called man's and boy's bicycle, the style which became the norm for rack design, have moved away from strictly level horizontal top rails configuration. This invention can also be used by virtually any bicycle style, even those with the traditional level horizontal top rail configuration which allows the bicycle so equipped to actually mount the bicycle higher on the hang rack by installing the Bicycle Leveler below the existing horizontal top rail allowing the bottom of the bicycle wheels to be safely above the bottom of the vehicle frame. This is especially important for very tall riders whose actual frame dimensions put the bicycle wheels in harms way because the distance from the factory designed level horizontal top rail to the plane upon which the bottom point of the front and rear wheels of the bicycle rest is level with the ground but is greater than the distance from the top of the parallel bars which actually hold the bicycle on the hang rack to the bottom of the transport vehicle's bumper. Without this invention, bicycles lacking a level horizontal frame member typically hang on the transport rack with the front wheel of the bicycle below the rear bumper where it could contact various road hazards and the rear wheel and part of the frame are so high that they could obstruct the vision through the rear window of the vehicle or the bicycle itself mounts so high on the hang rack that the whole frame of the bicycle obstructs the rear vision of the driver.

