Gazelle Bicycle User Manual Download

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epairs

Repairing a puncture

If your tyre is losing air, first check to see if the valve is broken.
You do this by moistening the valve opening. If bubbles form,
the valve is leaking. The cause of this can be that some dirt has
accumulated beneath the valve. If the valve is still leaking after
cleaning, it must be replaced. If the valve is functioning properly
but the tyre still loses air, then unfortunately you have a puncture.
With the proper repair tools, such as the Gazelle puncture repair
kit (fig. 74), this can be fixed swiftly in nine steps.

Check the tyre. Maybe you’ll notice a nail or a piece of glass, for
instance. If so, then you know where the puncture is located.
Turn the bicycle upside down. Make sure not to damage the
handlebar and seat when you do this. Then remove the valve and
the rim nut.

Press the edge of the tyre towards the middle of the rim (fig. 75)
and insert the first tyre lever between the tyre and the rim (fig.
76). Be careful not to catch the tube between the lever and the
tyre or you will have another puncture. Insert the second tyre
lever between the tyre and the rim about a hand’s breadth away
from the first lever. A hand’s breadth away from the second lever,
you insert the third tyre lever. Then the second lever will usually
fall out. By placing this lever next to the third one, you can free
the tyre from the rim.

Now push out the valve holder and remove the tube from within
the tyre (fig. 77). Then place the valve back in the tube and inflate
the tube. If the leak in the tube is a big one, you will immediately
hear air escaping. A small leak can be detected by placing the
tube in a bucket of water (fig. 78).

If you have located the puncture, mark the spot on the tube
using a ballpoint pen. Now you can empty the tube completely
and dry it. Clean the puncture area well with a piece of emery
cloth. Then smear on a not-too-thick layer of rubber solution
and let it dry for a few minutes, following to the manufacturer’s
instructions. Subsequently you can stick a patch on it, which you
should press firmly onto the tube (fig. 79).

To check if the puncture has been repaired, inflate the tube and
hold it under water. If the leaking has stopped, put the tube back
on the rim. Be sure to check that the rim tape is properly located
in the middle of the rim, because it protects the tube from the
spokes. Push the valve holder back through the hole, screw the
valve nut back on and give the tube a few pumps of air. Now
carefully check the inside of the tyre for sharp objects that might
cause leakage. If you slowly keep moving the wheel around it’s
easy to place the tube around the wheel and inside the tyre.

Subsequently you can push the tyre back over the rim, starting at
the valve. Push the valve holder in as far as possible, thus ensuring
that the tube will be positioned correctly. This way you can push
the entire tyre back over the rim while making a tilting movement
with the wrist area of your palms. You might need to apply quite
a lot of force, but don’t be tempted to use a tyre lever for the last
section. There is every chance that you will poke a hole in the tube
by doing so, meaning that you would have to start the process all
over again. Also check that no part of the tube is caught between
the tyre and the rim. If this is not the case, firmly tighten the valve
nut and inflate the tyre. Finally, you just have to screw the dust cap
back onto the valve and you are ready to ride off.

Removing the front wheel

The more sporty bicycles are often fitted with so-called drop-outs
or quick release hubs. It makes it very easy to remove the wheels
from the bike. If you pull up the lever of the tensioner and remove
the front hub drop-out protection, the wheel drops out by itself.
V-brakes (fig. 80) must be opened when demounting the front
and rear wheel. If you want to put the wheel back in, make sure
that the tension nut is providing enough tension. By doing so
you avoid the possibility of the wheel coming loose from the fork.
You can read more about this in the chapter “Maintenance and
inspection”, on pages 27 and 28.