The Bicycle

Bicycle Parts

A bicycle is very simple in its design. It is very easy to understand the different bicycle parts and quickly realize how these parts work in conjunction with each other to produce a beautiful and very useful vehicle. Except in the case of some advanced high-end bicycles, it is often true that almost all the bicycle parts are so that they are directly visible to the eyes. This simplicity of the bicycle is what attracts innovators, resulting in various frequent design changes and improvements.

The most basic bicycle parts would be a frame, the wheels, the pedals, the handle-bar and of course a chain and sprocket arrangement to transmit power from the pedal shaft to the rear-wheel shaft.

• The frame: The frame just consists of an arrangement of metallic tubes to form the backbone of the bicycle. To this frame are attached every other component of the bicycle. Thus the frame is central to the whole bicycle and performs the function of holding together all the parts together and keeping the whole vehicle steady.

• The pedals: The pedals are where the human effort is applied. This effort is transmitted through respective crank bars onto a shaft. This shaft revolves within a hollow in the frame of the bicycle.

• The sprocket and chain system: Now, on the revolving shaft is mounted a sprocket. The use of the sprocket and chain system is to transmit the rotary motion from this revolving shaft onto another shaft. Thus, this other shaft too rotates. Consequentially, the rear wheel mounted on this shaft now starts rotating. So the pedals, the crank arms, the shafts and the sprockets-chain system work together to convert the pedaling effort into revolutions of the rear wheel.

• Wheels: The wheels, obviously, are most important for the linear motion of the bicycle. We have already seen how the rear wheel is caused to rotate. The front wheel is attached, again via a shaft, to a front fork attached to the frame (the picture shows the fork clearly), and so, is designed to be free to rotate. Thus, being completely free from constraints, the front wheel too revolves as soon as the rear wheel does so. And in the process, the whole bicycle moves forward. Thus, like any other wheel, these wheels too convert the rotary motion of the shafts into linear motion of the whole bicycle.

• The handle-bar: The function of the handle bar is too enable the rider to control the direction of movement of the bicycle. For this, the handle-bar is connected, through the frame, to the front fork that holds the front wheel. Thus, whenever the handle-bar is turned, the front wheel too changes its direction linear movement, thus leading the whole vehicle towards the intended direction.