Maintenance routine
70
HP
Velotechnik
In contrast to a widespread belief particularly
the "non-rusting" aluminium is dramatically
affected by grit! This kind of damage may not
be visible in the beginning but it leads to a
serious danger when the part breaks. Clean
and conserve your bicycle diligently!
The best things to clean your bicycle with are
warm water and a soft cloth. If your bicycle is
very dirty first take a wet sponge to soften
the dirt and then remove it. In case of bad
grease or oil stains you should use a special
cleansing agent for bicycles in addition.
Attention!
Do not use any cleansing
agents that scrub or are chemically aggres-
sive since they affect the paintwork. Before
using any cleansing agent please test it at a
part of your bicycle that is not immediately
visible.
While cleaning your bicycle check it for any
cracks, scratches, deformations, damaged
parts, loose spokes etc. If you are in doubt
please consult your local bike shop.
Attention!
Do not use any high-
pressure cleaner. The strong jet of water
goes through the seals of the bearings,
blows away the lube and causes corrosion
of the bearing parts and the chain. In addi-
tion to this it may damage stickers.
Attention!
Any damage of the
paintwork has to be cleaned from rust and
repaired immediately, else the damaged
part in the frame gives way to corrosion
that nests in the surrounding paintwork.
This can result in damage of the frame.
In case of small scratches at the surface of the
powder coating of the frame or the surface of
the seat you can simply polish them away. You
can buy a special polishing agent for epoxy
resins at a specialist dealer for boat building.
Do not use a polish for metal!
After cleaning the bicycle, dry it and treat the
paintwork and the metal surfaces with wax.
You can purchase this wax from your local
bike dealer as a convenient spray.
The wax passes moisture and flows into tiny
gaps and pores. After some minutes the sol-
vent evaporates and leaves a dull and gluti-
nous film. Now polish the waxed parts of
your bicycle with a soft cloth to make it real
shiny.
Do not only wax the frame but also the
spokes, hubs, screws and nuts etc. You can
also conserve the chain with wax spray after
lubricating it, see also the chapter on "Chain",
page 42.
The frame has small holes for ventilation that
prevent condensation in the frame. These
holes must not be sealed. However, moisture
may enter the frame through the holes.
Therefor protect the inside of your frame by
applying wax spray through the holes.
Protect the parts where cables or chain tubes
may scratch the frame. You can buy special
stickers at your bike dealer or extra strong
transparent tape at your do-it-yourself-store.
That way you avoid scratches in the powder
coating and coating coming off.
Attention!
Take care that after fold-
ing the Grasshopper fx there are no parts
rubbing against the frame. This may dam-
age the paintwork.
Storing the bicycle
Before storing your bicycle over a longer
period of time, e.g. during winter, please take
care of the following steps:
•
Clean your bicycle and protect it from
corrosion as described in the chapter on
"Cleaning".