Owner’s Manual for multi-speed bicycles 7th Edition, 2004 IMPORTANT: This manual contains important safety, performance, and service information. Read it before you take the first ride on your new bicycle, and keep it for reference. Additional safety, performance and service information for specific components such as suspension or pedals on your bicycle, or for accessories such as helmets or lights that you purchase, may also be available.
GENERAL WARNING: Like any sport, bicycling involves risk of injury and damage. By choosing to ride a bicycle, you assume the responsibility for that risk, so you need to know — and to practice — the rules of safe and responsible riding and of proper use and maintenance. Proper use and maintenance of your bicycle reduces risk of injury.
Contents GENERAL WARNING A special note to parents p. 1 p. 4 4. Tech 1. First A. B. C. D. Bike Fit Safety First Mechanical Safety Check First ride A. Wheels 1. Wheel Quick Release 2. Removing And Installing Quick Release Wheels 3. Removing And Installing Bolt-on Wheels B. Seatpost Quick Release C. Brakes D. Shifting Gears E. Pedals F. Bicycle Suspension G. Tires and Tubes p. 5 p. 5 p. 5 p. 6 2. Safety A. B. C. D. E. F. G. 3. Fit A. B. C. D. E.
A special note for parents: As a parent or guardian, you are responsible for the activities and safety of your minor child, and that includes making sure that the bicycle is properly fitted to the child; that it is in good repair and safe operating condition; that you and your child have learned and understand the safe operation of the bicycle; and that you and your child have learned, understand and obey not only the applicable local motor vehicle, bicycle and traffic laws, but also the common sense rules
1. First B. Safety First 1. Always wear an approved helmet when riding your bike, and follow the helmet manufacturer’s instructions for fit, use and care. 2. Do you have all the other required and recommended safety equipment? See Section 2. It’s your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the laws of the areas where you ride, and to comply with all applicable laws. 3. Do you know how to correctly operate your wheel quick releases? Check Section 4.A.1 to make sure.
every ride. Nuts, bolts & straps: Make sure nothing is loose. Lift the front wheel off the ground by two or three inches, then let it bounce on the ground. Anything sound, feel or look loose? Do a visual and tactile inspection of the whole bike. Any loose parts or accessories? If so, secure them. If you’re not sure, ask someone with experience to check. Tires & Wheels: Make sure tires are correctly inflated (see Section 4.G.1).
a controlled environment, away from cars, other cyclists, obstacles or other hazards. Ride to become familiar with the controls, features and performance of your new bike. Familiarize yourself with the braking action of the bike (see Section 4.C). Test the brakes at slow speed, putting your weight toward the rear and gently applying the brakes, rear brake first. Sudden or excessive application of the front brake could pitch you over the handlebars.
bicycle: brakes (Section 4.C.); pedals (Section 4.E.); shifting (Section 4.D.) 4. Be careful to keep body parts and other objects away from the sharp teeth of chainrings, the moving chain, the turning pedals and cranks, and the spinning wheels of your bicycle. 5. Always wear: • Shoes that will stay on your feet and will grip the pedals. Never ride barefoot or in sandals.
to do stunts, wheelies, jumps or go racing with your bike despite our advice not to, read Section 2.F, Downhill, Stunt or Competition Biking, now. Think carefully about your skills before deciding to take the large risks that go with this kind of riding. 12. Don’t weave through traffic or make any moves that may surprise people with whom you are sharing the road. 13. Observe and yield the right of way. 14. Never ride your bicycle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 15.
straight, unbroken and securely mounted. Have your dealer replace damaged reflectors and straighten or tighten any that are bent or loose. The mounting brackets of front and rear reflectors are often designed as brake straddle cable safety catches which prevent the straddle cable from catching on the tire tread if the cable jumps out of its yoke or breaks. the road) is dramatically reduced and your tires don’t grip nearly as well. This makes it harder to control speed and easier to lose control.
and other traffic. • Make sure your clothing or anything you may be carrying on the bicycle does not obstruct a reflector or light. • Make sure that your bicycle is equipped with correctly positioned and securely mounted reflectors. While riding at dawn, at dusk or at night: • Ride slowly. • Avoid dark areas and areas of heavy or fastmoving traffic. • Avoid road hazards. • If possible, ride on familiar routes. If riding in traffic: • Be predictable.
install, operate and maintain any component or accessory can result in serious injury or death. • Do stunts, jumping, racing or fast downhill riding only in areas designated for this type of riding • Wear a full face helmet, safety pads and other safety gear • Understand and recognize that the stresses imposed on your bike by this kind of activity may break or damage parts of the bicycle and void the warranty • Take your bicycle to your dealer if anything breaks or bends.
big for you. Don’t even ride the bike around the block. A bike which you ride only on paved surfaces and never take off-road should give you a minimum standover height clearance of two inches (5cm). A bike that you’ll ride on unpaved surfaces should give you a minimum of three inches (7.5cm) of standover height clearance. And a bike that you’ll use off road should give you four inches (10cm) or more of clearance. to reach the pedal, the saddle is too high.
position on the bike. Ask your dealer to set the saddle for your optimal riding position and to show you how to make this adjustment. 3. Saddle angle adjustment. Most people prefer a horizontal saddle; but some riders like the saddle nose angled up or down just a little. Your dealer can adjust saddle angle or teach you how to do it.
slack which can make the front brake inoperable. If the front brake pads move in towards the wheel rim or out away from the wheel rim when the stem or stem height is changed, the brakes must be correctly adjusted before you ride the bicycle. E. Brake reach Many bikes have brake levers which can be adjusted for reach. If you have small hands or find it difficult to squeeze the brake levers, your dealer can either adjust the reach or fit shorter reach brake levers.
A. Wheels need to apply to secure the wheel. ! WARNING: The full force of the cam action is needed to clamp the wheel securely. Holding the nut with one hand and turning the lever like a wing nut with the other hand until everything is as tight as you can get it will not clamp the wheel safely in the dropouts.
the outer faces of the front fork dropouts. Ask your dealer to explain the particular secondary retention device on your bike. the wheel; then go to the next step. (5) Raise the front wheel a few inches off the ground and tap the top of the wheel with the palm of your hand to knock the wheel out of the front fork. ! WARNING: Do not remove or disable the secondary retention device. As its name implies, it serves as a backup for a critical adjustment.
the wheel rim in the fork, move the quick-release lever upwards and swing it into the CLOSED position (fig. 6 & 7a). The lever should now be parallel to the fork blade and curved toward the wheel. To apply enough clamping force, you should have to wrap your fingers around the fork blade for leverage, and the lever should leave a clear imprint in the palm of your hand. 4.C, figs. 11 through 15). (3) Pull the derailleur body back with your right hand.
tube for leverage, and the lever should leave a clear imprint in the palm of your hand. a. Removing A Bolt-on Front Wheel (1) If your bike has rim brakes, disengage the brake’s quick-release mechanism to open the clearance between the tire and the brake pads (see Section 4.C, figs. 11 through 15). (2) Using a correct size wrench, loosen the two axle nuts. (3) If your front fork has a clip-on type secondary retention device, disengage it and go to he next step.
to restore correct brake pad-to-rim clearance; spin the wheel to make sure that it is centered in the frame and clears the brake pads; then squeeze the brake lever and make sure that the brakes are operating correctly. (3) Using the correct size wrench, tighten the axle nuts enough so that the wheel stays in place; then use a wrench on each nut simultaneously to tighten the nuts to 240 - 300 inch pounds. (4) Push the rear derailleur back into position.
3. Before you ride the bike, first check that the seatpost is securely clamped. brake pads is dangerous and can result in serious injury or death. 2. Applying brakes too hard or too suddenly can lock up a wheel, which could cause you to lose control and fall. Sudden or excessive application of the front brake may pitch the rider over the handlebars, which may result in serious injury or death. 3. Some bicycle brakes, such as disc brakes (fig. 11) and linear-pull brakes (fig.12), are extremely powerful.
inoperative. Ask your dealer to make sure that you understand the way the brake quick release works on your bike (see figs. 11. 12, 13. 14 & 15) and check each time to make sure both brakes work correctly before you get on the bike. force. If you feel the wheel begin to lock up, release pressure just a little to keep the wheel rotating just short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the amount of brake lever pressure required for each wheel at different speeds and on different surfaces.
have less cornering and braking traction and can lock up with less brake force. Moisture or dirt on the brake pads reduces their ability to grip. The way to maintain control on loose or wet surfaces is to go more slowly to begin with. or “faster”, harder to pedal gear. What’s confusing is that what’s happening at the front derailleur is the opposite of what’s happening at the rear derailleur (for details, read the instructions on Shifting the Rear Derailleur and Shifting the Front Derailleur below).
produce lower gear ratios. Using them requires less pedaling effort, but takes you a shorter distance with each pedal crank revolution. Moving the chain from a smaller sprocket of the gear cluster to a larger sprocket results in a downshift. Moving the chain from a larger sprocket to a smaller sprocket results in an upshift. In order for the derailleur to move the chain from one sprocket to another, the rider must be pedaling forward. other traffic, until you’ve built up your confidence.
harder, “faster” gear (like 2 or 3) is called an upshift. Shifting from a harder, “faster” gear to an easier, “slower” gear is called a downshift. It is not necessary to shift gears in sequence. Instead, find the “starting gear” for the conditions — a gear which is hard enough for quick acceleration but easy enough to let you start from a stop without wobbling — and experiment with upshifting and downshifting to get a feel for the different gears.
If you do not have the manufacturer’s instructions, see your dealer or contact the manufacturer. 4. Clipless pedals (sometimes called “step-in pedals”) are another means to keep feet securely in the correct position for maximum pedaling efficiency. They have a plate, called a “cleat,” on the sole of the shoe, which clicks into a mating spring-loaded fixture on the pedal. They only engage or disengage with a very specific motion which must be practiced until it becomes instinctive.
characteristics of the bicycle after a suspension adjustment by taking a careful test ride in a hazard-free area. Pressure. ! WARNING: Never inflate a tire beyond the maximum pressure marked on the tire’s sidewall. Exceeding the recommended maximum pressure may blow the tire off the rim, which could cause damage to the bike and injury to the rider and bystanders. Suspension can increase control and comfort by allowing the wheels to better follow the terrain.
Tire pressure that is too low for your weight and the riding conditions can cause a puncture of the tube by allowing the tire to deform sufficiently to pinch the inner tube between the rim and the riding surface. of the valve stem with the end of a key or other appropriate object. The Presta valve (fig. 18) has a narrower diameter and is only found on bicycle tires.
provide all the information required to properly repair and/or maintain your bicycle. In order to help minimize the chances of an accident and possible injury, it is critical that you have any repair or maintenance which is not specifically described in this manual performed by your dealer. Equally important is that your individual maintenance requirements will be determined by everything from your riding style to geographic location.
Clean the bike and lightly oil the chain. Wipe off excess oil. Lubrication is a function of climate. Talk to your dealer about the best lubricants and the recommended lubrication frequency for your area. 4. After every long or hard ride or after every 10 to 20 hours of riding: • Squeeze the front brake and rock the bike forward and back. Everything feel solid? If you feel a clunk with each forward or backward movement of the bike, you probably have a loose headset. Have your dealer check it.
First, check yourself for injuries, and take care of them as best you can. Seek medical help if necessary. Next, check your bike for damage. If you see any damage, don’t ride the bike until it has been repaired. After any crash, take your bike to your dealer for a thorough check. ! WARNING: A crash or other impact can put extraordinary stress on bicycle components, causing them to fatigue prematurely.
DIAMONDBACK bicycles are distributed by Raleigh America, Inc. Raleigh America, Inc. Bicycle Limited Warranty It is the owner’s responsibility to thoroughly read and understand the owner’s manual and regularly examine the product to determine the need for professional, authorized service or replacement. Please consult an authorized Raleigh America, Inc. bicycle dealership with any questions on use and maintenance. Regardless of the length of the warranty, Raleigh America, Inc.
