Recumbent Bicycle
User’s Manual
Page 1: ...Recumbent Bicycle User s Manual ...
Page 2: ... Biesemans Mark Scherpenzeel and countless other Optima customers whose many photos helped to decorate the pages of this manual Zen and the art of Recumbent Maintenance First published 2002 All Rights reserved 2002 All images and text Optima V O F ...
Page 3: ...iding a low slung recumbent bicycle for the first time Do not overestimate your skills and potential Riding an unknown bike can lead to dangerous situations Optima strongly discourages riding your bicycle before reading the entire manual Caution Whenever you see a grey box be sure to read it carefully These boxes hold warnings and tips some crucial to the function or safety of your bicycle Warning...
Page 4: ...sure your child is educated in the laws of the road common sense and traffic awareness and wears sufficient protective apparel We strongly advise you read this manual if it is the manual of your child s bicycle GENERAL SAFETY APPAREL 1 HELMETS 1 EYEWEAR 1 REFLECTORS 2 LIGHTS 2 MIRRORS 2 SUPPORT AND UPGRADING 3 RESPONSIBLE CYCLING 4 GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES 4 WET WEATHER AND NIGHT TIME CYCLING 4 YOU...
Page 5: ... authorities whilst cycling whether the law requires it or not Many serious and fatal bicycle injuries could have been either reduced or avoided had the cyclist been wearing a properly certified helmet Your local bike store should have a range of or at least be able to order helmets which suit your needs For more information on helmets please contact your dealer or a local bike store they will be ...
Page 6: ...uthority Failure to follow this guideline may result in dangerous and fatal traffic situations Caution Be sure to install a WHITE front light and a RED rear light on your bicycle Failure to do so may violate local traffic laws and will definitely compromise your safety 2 Support and upgrading Although we strive to build ever higher quality products your recumbent is not indestructible and at some ...
Page 7: ...his is not the case Do not jump whilst riding your bicycle Wear highly visible clothing Low swung recumbents above all should be ridden wearing bright and visible colors to increase your chances of other road users seeing you Ride as if you were invisible Keep an eye on what is going on in the traffic around you The best way to avoid a collision is obviously to see it coming beforehand Never overt...
Page 8: ...rwise ask the sales representative or a local bicycle store for assistance Warning An improperly fastened quick release lever could lead to the dislodging of the wheel during braking leading to serious injury and damage to your bicycle 6 3x7 derailleur and hub gear system Installation and removal To install or remove the rear 3x7 wheel first put the left handlebar shifter to the lowest gear positi...
Page 9: ...or jumping off the cogs resulting in frame and spoke damage and potentially dangerous traffic situations 8 Once you have done this feed the unit onto the protruding hub axle stub on the right derailleur hand side of the bike Once you cannot push the unit any further reach your finger underneath the unit and push the shaft back up as seen in figure 7 6 If the shaft will not move remove and flip ove...
Page 10: ...orks allign the wheel with the master block If the slave block or fork points to the right when the master block is straight figure 10 2 you will need to shorten the linkage bar If the steering block points to the left figure 10 3 you will need to lengthen the linkage bar Do this by loosening the locknut fig 11 2 G then loosening the head socket of the linkage fig 11 2 F from it s plate and screwi...
Page 11: ... method of setting up the Rider brake is to adjust the reach of the brake lever Please refer to the enclosed Magura info package for information on how to do this 12 A Hub inner shell B Hub flange C Bike Wheel fixture block D Brake actuation lever E Hydraulic slave unit F Slave unit adjustment holes G Steering arm base bolt H Braking torque bolts I Braking torque and Steering arm J Steering linkag...
Page 12: ...5 This requires a special tool a chain breaker or pin pusher Go to your local bike store if you don t know how to use one or are not confident in adjusting your chain as a badly connected chain will break 7 Installing the Pedals Now get the Pedals and slightly grease the thread on them Feed the pedal thread into the cranks manually remembering that the left hand pedal has an inverted thread To tig...
Page 13: ...e next paragraph for baron instructions Once the tiller is slid onto the steerer tube lean it forwards and insert the top clamping screw into the hole at the top of the stem Tighten this screw Untill all paly is gone from the bearing races Then swing the stem back and align it with the front wheel Now tighten the collar around the stems base to lock the stems angle Both tillers can be adjusted in ...
Page 14: ...erlink To release the superlink squeeze the two plates together and slide their pins together 18 Fig 18 1 Baron Cobra and Stinger chainline Standard chainline Fig 18 2 Chain length setup 19 14 Brakes The brakes may need slight adjustment out of the box bus should be working properly Optima sets up its bikes so that the right hand brake lever is for the rear brake and the left hand lever is for the...
Page 15: ...re high you will wish you had followed these guidelines after working if you don t 20 Fig 20 2 Fig 20 1 Jig saw tin cutter Be sure to find one of these a composite fibre glass saw blade Once you have found a comfortable position find someone to help you here if possible mark the position that the hole for the bolt is against the underside of the fairing using a sharp implement or paint marker fig ...
Page 16: ... section 6 page 14 fitting seat and rack for more details 7 Please contact your bicycle dealer for an appropriate pressure gauge or pump 22 23 Operating the gear changing systems Optima bicycles are supplied with three main types of gear shifting systems Shimano trigger shifters SRAM twist shifters and Shimano bar end shifters Each of these systems has it s own merits and the choice for either com...
Page 17: ...econd power stroke C It may take a few tries to build up the courage to do this but soon we will be able to say Congratulations You are now riding your Optima 24 Fig 24 1 2 5 Travelling on your recumbent Never thought of yourself as one to go on a bicycle holiday Or maybe you have always dreamed of a bicycle holiday Optima bicycles are more than suited to travel on almost all Optima recumbents can...
Page 18: ...y periodic control and maintenance We strongly advise you order the parts listed in the Accessories section of this manual from Optima or one of Optima s dealers only This is for your own safety to ensure you get the right parts Keeping your recumbent bicycle properly maintained is very important Use the following outline as a guide for repair and maintenance intervals Many of these tasks are easy...
Page 19: ...nt crash 28 29 Tires and inner tubes Check tire pressure Low tires will require more effort to keep rolling and may be dangerous in emergency maneuvers Inspect tire tread and sidewalls for wear splits and general integrity Replace the tire immediately if you can see the tire carcass or have any doubts on the state of the tire Replace inner tubes with more than about 5 patches these will generally ...
Page 20: ... cogs and freewheel assembly Hubs must be lubricated with grease on the bearings with the area around the seals kept free of grease as this will attract dust and grit Do not oil the bearings as this will slowly erode the grease lubrication Headset and front forks Due to the considerable stresses this area of your bicycle can undergo correct adjustment is important Check that the headset in which t...
Page 21: ...k stansions or pivot points may be dirty or require cleaning If this does not hepl go to a bike store for assistance The syuspension fork legs are covered in oil or oil is dripping out of them You have probably just burst a seal in the oil damping system Take your bicy cle to a good bike store to have the seal or cartrige replaced There is sideward play in the rear swingarm Check that all bolts on...
Page 22: ...sening the spring adjustment bolts at the base of the brakes If your bike has Magura Rim Brakes check whether the pads retract fully into the slave cylinders If they do not remove the brake pads and clean out the slave blocks and brake blocks with a toothbrush If the problem persisits please take your bike to a qualified mechanic If your bike has Disks brakes you may need to adjust the balance of ...
Page 23: ...acement If you have just replaced the rear casette or front chainrings keep in mind that a drivetrain as a whole wears together and a new set of cogs may well not intermesh with the old chain properly Ask your dealer or local bike store It has become incresingly difficult to change gears over time You may need to clean your cables or even replace them Remove the inner cables wipe them down and dro...
Page 24: ...in the frame Miscellaneous The seat creaks wob bles or moves Remove the seat cushion and check that all bolts are tight Next check that all bolts holding the seat frames to the frame are tightened Do not overtighten the bolts on the seat as this will over stress it and lead to long term damage The tiller stem swings forward and backward too easily Try tightening the bolt at the base of the tiller ...
Page 25: ...rtain parts on your bicycle are only available from Optima whereas other parts can be bought at most bike stores Mudguards Baggage Racks Optima bikes can only be equipped with Optima baggage racks Failure to use Optima racks will result in suspension malfunction and worse Bike luggage bags See page 24 Travelling with your recumbent Lighting systems generator powered Seats S M L Seat cushions pleas...
Page 26: ...mal wear and usage including fatigue c After 5 years for steel frames and 3 years for aluminium frames a limited warranty shall apply d In the event of replacement when the model or model version which is under scrutiny is no longer in production Optima will at its sole disgression replace the frame with the most similar product available e replacement of parts or upgrading of componentry which th...
Page 27: ... repairs or reparation duration e When necessary Optima or a representative will contact the end user to negotiate 10 If sufficient reparations such that make the bicycle roadworthy again in accordance with Optima s specification for correct function as deemed by Optima or Optima s representative cannot be carried out in situ the extra transport costs shall be billed to the end user Article 3 appl...
Page 28: ...er than 12 months or 6000 km 4000 mi from the time of purchase Dealers Stamp Comments and exchanged parts 47 Service 6 This service is to be carried out no longer than 2 years or 12 000 km 7500 mi from the time of purchase Dealers Stamp Comments and exchanged parts Service 5 This service is to be carried out no longer than 1 5 years or 9000km 5500 mi from the time of purchase Dealers Stamp Comment...
Page 29: ...intervals to ensure your bicycle is kept in an optimal state Dealers Stamp Comments and exchanged parts Service 7 This service is to be carried out no longer than2 5 years or 15 000km 9000mi from the time of purchase Dealers Stamp Comments and exchanged parts This is your own copy of the warranty data Please fill this page in fully Model name Frame Number Date of purchase dd mm yyyy Purchased from...
Page 30: ...d it to Optima Cycles to activate your guarantee See reverse side for address WARRANTY FORM Model name Frame Number Date of purchase dd mm yyyy 20 Purchased from Name of bicycle owner Street name and house number City Town Post code Province state Country Telephone Send this warranty form to Warranties department Optima Cycles V O F Industriestraat 3a 1976 CS IJmuiden The Netherlands 51 ...
