Owner’s Manual Multi-Speed Bicycles
Owner’s Manual for multi-speed bicycles 6th Edition 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.
Contents page page GENERAL WARNING .................................................... 2 D. Control Position Adjustments................................................ 13 A special note to parents............................................................ 3 E. Brake reach............................................................................. 13 1. First 4. Tech A. Bike fit.................................................................................... 4 B. Safety first ..........
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.
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 6. Do you fully understand how to operate your new bicycle? If not, before your first ride, have your dealer explain any functions or features which you do not understand. NOTE: We strongly urge you to read this Manual in its entiretybefore your first ride; but at the very least, read and make sure that you understand each point in this section, and refer to the cited sections on any issue which you don’t completely understand. B. Safety first 1.
! CAUTION: Wheels must be true for the brakes to work effectively. Wheel truing is a skill which requires special tools and experience. Do not attempt to true a wheel unless you have the knowledge, experience and tools needed to do the job correctly. 6. Do you have “toe overlap”? On smaller framed bicycles your toe or toeclip may be able to contact the front wheel when a pedal is all the way forward and the wheel is turned. See section 4.E. Brakes: Check the brakes for proper operation (see Sections 4.
2. Safety D. First ride When you buckle on your helmet and go for your first familiarization ride on your new bicycle, be sure to pick 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.
• Protective eyewear, to protect against airborne dirt, dust and bugs — tinted when the sun is bright, clear when it’s not. • Pedestrians stepping out. • Children or pets playing near the road. • Pot holes, sewer grating, railroad tracks, expansion joints, road or sidewalk construction, debris and other obstructions that could cause you to swerve into traffic, catch your wheel or otherwise cause you to lose control and have an accident.
carrying trailer’s manufacturer’s recommendations regarding weight limits. control and falling. Get to know how to handle your bike safely before trying increased speed or more difficult terrain. 10. Never carry anything which obstructs your vision or your complete control of the bicycle, or which could become entangled in the moving parts of the bicycle. to do. 2. Wear safety gear appropriate to the kind of riding you plan 3. Don’t ride alone in remote areas.
9. Be prepared. If something goes wrong while you’re riding offroad, help may not be close. lights and car lights in a way that may help you to be seen and recognized as a moving bicyclist. ! D. Wet Weather Riding ! WARNING: Wet weather impairs traction, braking and visibility, both for the bicyclist and for other vehicles sharing the road. The risk of an accident is dramatically increased in wet conditions.
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to have proper equipment and to be familiar with course conditions. • Purchase and install battery or generator powered head and tail lights which meet all regulatory requirements and provide adequate visibility. • Wear light colored, reflective clothing and accessories, such as a reflective vest, reflective arm and leg bands, reflective stripes on your helmet, flashing lights ...
riding, and bounce vigorously on your heels. If your crotch touches the frame, the bike is too 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 five centimeters. A bike that you’ll ride on unpaved surfaces should give you a minimum of seven and a half centimeters of standover height clearance.
with your heel on the pedal, the saddle is too low. Once the saddle is at the correct height, make sure that the seatpost does not project from the frame beyond its “Minimum Insertion” or “Maximum Extension” mark Fig. 4 (fig. 4).
! WARNING: An insufficiently tightened stem binder bolt, handlebar binder bolt or bar end extension clamping bolt may compromise steering action, which could cause you to lose control and fall. Place the front wheel of the bicycle between your legs and attempt to twist the handlebar/stem assembly. If you can twist the stem in relation to the front wheel, turn the handlebars in relation to the stem, or turn the bar end extensions in relation to the handlebar, the bolts are insufficiently tightened.
! 4. Tech 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. It is important to your safety, performance and enjoyment to understand how things work on your bicycle. If you have even the slightest doubt as to whether you understand something in this section of the Manual, talk to your dealer.
! WARNING: Removing or disabling the secondary retention device is extremely dangerous and may lead to serious injury or death. It also may void the warranty. b. Installing a Quick Release Front Wheel ! CAUTION: If your bike is equipped with disk brakes (fig. 10), be careful not to damage the disk, caliper or brake pads when re-inserting the disk into the caliper. Never activate a disk brake’s control lever unless the disk is correctly inserted in the caliper. See also Section 4.C. 2.
! WARNING: Securely clamping the wheel takes considerable force. If you can fully close the quick release without wrapping your fingers around the fork blade for leverage, and the lever does not leave a clear imprint in the palm of your hand, the tension is insufficient. Open the lever; turn the tension adjusting nut clockwise a quarter turn; then try again. (3) Pull the derailleur body back with your right hand. (4) Move the quick-release lever to the OPEN position (fig. 7b).
of the bike until it is parallel to the frame’s chainstay or seatstay and is curved toward the wheel (fig. 7b). To apply enough clamping force, you should have to wrap your fingers around a frame tube for leverage, and the lever should leave a clear imprint in the palm of your hand. (1) If your bike has rim brakes, disengage the brake’s quickrelease mechanism to open the clearance between the wheel rim and the brake pads (see Section 4.C, figs. 11 through 14).
(3) Re-engage the brake quick-release mechanism 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. d. Installing a Bolt-On Rear Wheel (1) Shift the rear derailleur to its outermost position and pull the derailleur body back with your right hand. (2) Put the chain on to the smallest sprocket.
! ! WARNING: Riding with an improperly tightened seatpost can allow the saddle to turn or move and cause you to lose control and fall. Therefore: WARNING: If you can fully close the quick release without wrapping your fingers around a frame tube for leverage, and the lever does not leave a clear imprint in the palm of your hand, the tension is insufficient. Open the lever; turn the tension adjusting nut clockwise a quarter turn; then try again. 1.
wheel rim. To make sure that you have maximum friction available, keep your wheel rims and brake pads clean and free of lubricants, waxes or polishes. Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze the brake levers comfortably. If your hands are too small to operate the levers comfortably, consult your dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach may be adjustable; or you may need a different brake lever design.
front braking force. This is even more important on descents, because descents shift weight forward. Two keys to effective speed control and safe stopping are controlling wheel lockup and weight transfer. This weight transfer is even more pronounced if your bike has a front suspension fork. Front suspension “dips” under braking, increasing the weight transfer (see also Section 4.F). Practice braking and weight transfer techniques where there is no traffic or other hazards and distractions.
at the front, or up the gear “steps” to a larger gear at the rear. So, at the rear gear cluster, what is called a downshift looks like an upshift. The way to keep things straight is to remember that shifting the chain in towards the centerline of the bike is for accelerating and climbing and is called a downshift. Moving the chain out or away from the centerline of the bike is for speed and is called an upshift.
! WARNING: Never shift a derailleur onto the largest or the smallest sprocket if the derailleur is not shifting smoothly. The derailleur may be out of adjustment and the chain could jam, causing you to lose control and fall. experiment with upshifting and downshifting to get a feel for the different gears. At first, practice shifting where there are no obstacles, hazards or other traffic, until you’ve built up your confidence.
! WARNING: Clipless pedals are intended for use with shoes specifically made to fit them and are designed to firmly keep the foot engaged with the pedal. Using shoes which do not engage the pedals correctly is dangerous. Practice is required to learn to engage and disengage the foot safely. Until engaging and disengaging the foot becomes a reflex action, the technique requires concentration which can distract the rider’s attention, causing the rider to lose control and fall.
! WARNING: Changing suspension adjustment can change the handling and braking characteristics of your bicycle. Never change suspension adjustment unless you are thoroughly familiar with the suspension system manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations, and always check for changes in the handling and braking characteristics of the bicycle after a suspension adjustment by taking a careful test ride in a hazard-free area. select the most appropriate design.
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. The Schraeder valve (fig. 23) is like the valve on a car tire. To inflate a Schraeder valve tube, remove the valve cap and clamp the pump fitting onto the end of the valve stem.
5. Service you ask your dealer to check the quality of your work the first time you work on something and before you ride the bike, just to make sure that you did everything correctly. Since that will require the time of a mechanic, there may be a modest charge for this ! WARNING: Technological advances have made bicycles and bicycle components more complex, and the pace of innovation is increasing.
2. Before every ride: Mechanical Safety Check (see Section rust? Kinks? Fraying? If so, have your dealer replace them. 1.C) • Squeeze each adjoining pair of spokes on either side of each wheel between your thumb and index finger. Do they all feel about the same? If any feel loose, have your dealer check the wheel for tension and trueness. 3. After every long or hard ride: if the bike has been exposed to water or grit; or at least every 100 miles: Clean the bike and lightly oil the chain.
5. As required: If either brake lever fails the Mechanical Safety Check (Section 1.C), don’t ride the bike . Have your dealer check the brakes. If the chain won’t shift smoothly and quietly from gear to gear, the derailleur is out of adjustment. See your dealer. 6. Every 25 (hard off-road) to 50 (on-road) hours of riding: Take your bike to your dealer for a complete checkup. B. If your bicycle sustains an impact First, check yourself for injuries, and take care of them as best you can.
Motobecane USA is Distributed by Motobecane USA, Inc. Motobecane USA, 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 Motobecane USA America, Inc. bicycle dealership with any questions on use and maintenance. Regardless of the length of the warranty, Motobecane USA America, Inc.
