Abstract: A fishing reel provided with a spool, a drive mechanism for driving the spool, a clutch mechanism for allowing the spool to freely rotate with respect to the drive mechanism, and a clutch operating mechanism, so that an angler, when pushing an operating portion of a clutch lever provided at the clutch operating mechanism to disconnect the clutch mechanism, may put the tip of his finger operating the operating portion in close proximity to the outermost layer of a fishing line wound onto the spool, thereby making it possible to stop free rotation of the spool, by use of the aforesaid finger, in continuation of its pushing the operating portion.

Abstract: A drag mechanism or a spinning reel which is provided at one of a stationary said member stationary with respect to a spool with a reference portion for the optimum braking force and at the other with a position setting portion corresponding to said reference portion, thereby indicating the position of an adjuster corresponding to the optimum braking force.

Abstract: A spinning reel is provided with a drag mechanism which includes an adjuster and a braking force measuring mechanism for measuring the braking force set by the drag mechanism. The reel also includes a reference position setting mechanism which specifies the position of the adjuster corresponding to the reference position at which an optimum force is set by the drag mechanism is obtained.

Abstract: A spinning reel having a simple and lightweight construction and yet allowing selection of an amount of pivotal movement of a bail corresponding to movement of a control member is formed of a pair of support arms attached to a rotatable member supported to be rotatable on a first axis of a reel body, a bail extending between the support arms to be pivotable on a second axis to switch between a windup position for winding a fishing line onto a spool and a release positon for unwinding the fishing line from the spool, and a control member movable toward and away from the first axis. The reel has an eccentric element which is operable by the control member to pivot on a third axis extending parallel to the second axis, and a contact/transmission mechanism including a pair of contact elements contactable with each other to transmit torque from the eccentric element to the bail.

Abstract: A bicycle speed control apparatus according to this invention comprises a wind-up control device including a take-up element for winding a speed control cable, and a position maintaining mechanism for maintaining the take-up element in position. The control device is operable to effect change speed by rotating the take-up element for winding the cable.The present invention is characterized in that the position maintaining mechanism is operable to maintain the take-up element in a plurality of change speed positions and in overshift positions displaced from the change speed positions in a cable winding direction, respectively.

Abstract: A multi-stage sprocket assembly for a bicycle having a larger and a smaller sprockets attached adjacent to each other. The smaller sprocket has a concave portion defined in a side face thereof opposite to the larger sprocket. The concave portion is disposed at a position of the smaller sprocket which last interfers with a plate portion of a shifting chain segment extending between and engaging both the smaller and larger sprockets when the drive chain is shifted from the smaller sprocket to the larger sprocket.

Abstract: A multi-stage sprocket assembly for a bicycle, having a larger sprocket and a smaller sprocket attached adjacent to each other. The larger sprocket has a concave portion defined in a side face thereof opposite to the smaller sprocket. The concave portion is configurated along a moving path of an intefering plate portion of a drive chain shifting from the smaller sprocket to the larger sprocket, the interfering plate portion being positioned forwardly in a drive rotation direction of the sprocket assembly relative to an engagement-leading plate portion of the chain which first engages a tooth of the larger sprocket.

Abstract: A multi-gear cluster for a bicycle having at least two gears of different diameters. The larger gear includes at a peripheral part thereof a disengagement-facilitating portion for facilitating a disengaging motion of a drive chain from the teeth of the larger gear and also a subsequent shifting motion of the chain toward the smaller gear adjacent the larger gear. The teeth of the smaller gear are provided with a phase arrangement relative to the disengagement-facilitating portion such that the chain comes into engagement with the teeth of the smaller gear where a portion of the chain is displaced by the disengagement-facilitating portion toward the smaller gear from a center of thickness of the larger gear.