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You should never go for a bike ride without
the following emergency equipment and
knowledge:
• Allen wrenches (4, 5 and 6mm), used to
tighten various clamping bolts that may
loosen
• Patch kit and a spare inner tube
• Tyre levers
• Tyre pump or cartridge inflator with correct
head to fit your tyre valves
• Identification (address, phone number,
insurance company, emergency contact,
blood type, medical allergies and
conditions)
1. If you get a flat tyre: let all the air out of the
innertube (Section 7.11). Remove one side of
the tyre from the rim by inserting a tyre lever
in between the rim and base of the tyre’s
sidewall (“bead”). Pry the bead away from the
rim by pushing down on the tyre lever. Take
another tyre lever and pry the bead off the rim
approximately 10 to 15 centimetres away
from where you started. A third lever may be
needed, but at this point you should be able
to begin levering the bead off the rim so that
the entire circumference of one side of the
tyre bead comes off the rim.
Remove the innertube by first removing the
air valve from the rim’s valve hole, then
removing the innertube. Carefully check the
outside and inside of the tyre for the cause of
the puncture (thorn, glass shard, nail, etc.)
and remove the object if it is still there. If the
tyre is cut, line the inside of the tyre in the
area of the cut with something that will resist
the innertube forcing its way out of the cut
once inflated-a spare patch, a piece of inner
tube, a dollar bill, an energy bar wrapper, a
piece of plastic milk carton, etc.
Either patch the tube (follow the instructions
in your patch kit), or use a new innertube. (It
is always a good idea to have a new
innertube as well as a patch kit in case the
innertube cannot be patched.) In case a new
tire needs to be applied, the wheel needs to
be disassembled.
Before replacing the new/repaired innertube,
put just enough air in to give it some shape.
Starting with the air valve, install the
innertube into the tyre. Then, starting at the
valve, slip the exposed tyre bead into the rim
using downward pressure. Make sure the
bead seats down below the valve’s thick
rubber base. Next, push the tyre’s bead
down into the rim with your thumbs along
either side of the circumference of the rim,
not just one side. Make sure the innertube is
not being pinched by the bead. If you have
trouble getting the last few inches of bead
over the edge of the rim with thumb
pressure, use a tyre lever and be careful not
to pinch the tube.
CAUTION: Do not use a screwdriver or any
tool other than a tyre lever, as you are likely to
pinch and puncture the innertube.
Check to make sure the tyre is evenly seated
around both sides of the rim and that the
innertube is inside the tyre beads. Push the
valve stem into the tyre to make sure that its
base is seated within the tyre’s beads. Inflate
the tube slowly to the optimum pressure, all
the while checking to make sure that the tyre
beads stay seated in the rim. Replace the
valve cap. Replace the wheel in the bike (see
Section 7.7).
WARNING: Riding your Lafree with a
flat or under-inflated tyre can seriously
damage the rim, tyre, tube and bicycle,
and can cause you to lose control and
fall.
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PRECAUTIONS AND PROCEDURES
0288 Opm Binnenwerk 11-02-2000 10:46 Pagina 31
