MERIDA USERS MANUAL
Page 17
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.
The best and safest way to inflate a bicycle tire to the cor-
rect pressure is with a bicycle pump that has a built-in pres-
sure gauge.
WARNING: There is a safety risk in using gas station
air hoses or other air compressors. They are not made
for bicycle tires. They move a large volume of air very
rapidly, and will raise the pressure in your tire very
rapidly, which could cause the tube to explode.
Tire pressure is given either as maximum pressure or as a
pressure range. How a tire performs under different ter-
rain or weather conditions depends largely on tire pres-
sure. Inflating the tire to near its maximum recommended
pressure gives the lowest rolling resistance; but also pro-
duces the harshest ride. High pressures work best on
smooth, dry pavement.
Very low pressures, at the bottom of the recommended
pressure range, give the best performance on smooth, slick
terrain such as hard-packed clay, and on deep, loose sur-
faces such as deep, dry sand.
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 be-
tween the rim and the riding surface.
CAUTION: Pencil type automotive tire gauges can be
inaccurate and should not be relied upon for consistent,
accurate pressure readings. Instead, use a high quality
dial gauge.
Ask your dealer to recommend the best tire pressure for
the kind of riding you will most often do, and have the
dealer inflate your tires to that pressure. Then, check infla-
tion as described in Section 1.C so you’ll know how cor-
rectly inflated tires should look and feel. Some tires may
need to be brought up to pressure every week or two. Some
special high-performance tires have unidirectional treads:
their tread pattern is designed to work better in one direc-
tion than in the other. The sidewall marking of a unidirec-
tional tire will have an arrow showing the correct rotation
direction. If your bike has unidirectional tires, be sure that
they are mounted to rotate in the correct direction.
Tire valves
There are primarily two kinds of bicycle tube valves: The
Schraeder Valve and the Presta Valve. The bicycle pump you
use must have the fitting appropriate to the valve stems
on your bicycle. Your bike uses Schraeder valves.
The Schraeder valve
(figure 24A) 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. To
let air out of a Schraeder valve, depress the pin in the end
of the valve stem with the end of a key or other appropri-
ate object.
The Presta valve (fig. 24B) has a narrower diameter and is
only found on bicycle tires. To inflate a Presta valve tube
using a Presta headed bicycle pump, remove the valve cap;
unscrew (counterclockwise) the valve stem lock nut; and
push down on the valve stem to free it up. Then push the
pump head on to the valve head, and inflate. To inflate a
Presta valve with a Schraeder pump fitting, you’ll need a
Presta adapter (available at your bike shop) which screws
on to the valve stem once you’ve freed up the valve. The
adapter fits into the Schraeder pump fitting. Close the valve
after inflation. To let air out of a Presta valve, open up the
valve stem lock nut and depress the valve stem.
WARNING: Patching a tube is an emergency repair. If
you do not apply the patch correctly or apply several
patches, the tube can fail, resulting in possible tube
failure, which could cause you to loose control and fall.
Replace a patched tube as soon as possible.
5j. LIGHTING SYSTEM
Your PowerCycle™ comes equipped with a generator-pow-
ered headlight and taillight. To use the lighting system press
down on the bull’s eye (figure
25A) molded into the top of
the generator’s housing. The
generator will flip into the
wheel and contact the
sidewall of the tire (figure
26A). As the wheel rotates, the
dynamo spins, generating
power for the lights. When
done riding pull the housing
away from the wheel until it
Figure 24
Figure 25
A
B
A
B
Summary of Contents for PowerCycle
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