SHINOLA bicycle, Owner'S Manual

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4. TEcH
It’s important to your safety, performance and enjoyment to understand how things
work on your bicycle. If you have even the slightest doubt as to whether you understand
something in this section of the manual, talk to your dealer or consult with SHINOLA
Customer Service.
A. WHEELs
Bicycle wheels are designed to be removable for easier transportation and for repair of
a tire puncture. To make that process easier, the wheels are fixed to slotted ends in the
frame and fork of the bicycle, called “dropouts.” Be sure that you view and understand
the wheel removal and installation video at SHINOLA.com before attempting to remove
or install a wheel on your SHINOLA bicycle.
Note: it is very important that you understand the wheel securing method
on your bicycle, that you know how to secure the wheels correctly, and
that you know how to apply the correct clamping force that safely secures
the wheel. if you have any doubt at all that you understand and are able
to execute the procedures described in the instructional video, consult a
qualified bicycle mechanic.
i
WarNiNg: ridiNg WiTh aN imProPerly secUred
Wheel caN alloW The Wheel To Wobble or fall off
The bicycle, Which caN caUse serioUs iNjUry or deaTh.
Therefore, iT is esseNTial ThaT yoU: make sUre yoU
kNoW hoW To iNsTall aNd remove yoUr Wheels safely.
UNdersTaNd aNd aPPly The correcT TechNiqUe for
clamPiNg yoUr Wheel iN Place. each Time, before
yoU ride The bicycle, check ThaT The Wheel is
secUrely clamPed.
Note: The clamping action of a correctly secured wheel must emboss the
surfaces of the dropouts.
B. BrAkEs
Your SHINOLA bicycle will have one of two types of brakes: rim brakes, which operate
by squeezing the wheel rim between two brake pads; or disc brakes, which operate by
squeezing a hub-mounted disc between two brake pads.
i
WarNiNg: ridiNg WiTh imProPerly adjUsTed brakes,
WorN brake Pads, or Wheels oN Which The rim Wear
mark is visible is daNgeroUs aNd caN resUlT iN serioUs
iNjUry or deaTh. aPPlyiNg brakes Too hard or Too
sUddeNly caN lock UP a Wheel, Which coUld caUse
yoU To lose coNTrol aNd fall. sUddeN or excessive
aPPlicaTioN of The froNT brake may PiTch yoU over
The haNdlebars, Which may resUlT iN serioUs iNjUry
or deaTh. bicycle brakes are exTremely PoWerfUl.
Take greaT care iN becomiNg familiar WiTh The brakes
aNd exercise ParTicUlar care WheN UsiNg Them. disc
brakes caN geT exTremely hoT WiTh exTeNded Use.
be carefUl NoT To ToUch a disc brake UNTil iT has
had PleNTy of Time To cool. ProPer maiNTeNaNce
aNd serviciNg of brakes reqUires skill, exPerieNce
aNd sPecial Tools. eNTrUsT The maiNTeNaNce of yoUr
bicycle’s brakes oNly To a qUalified bicycle mechaNic.
if rePlaciNg WorN or damaged ParTs, Use oNly
maNUfacTUrer-aPProved geNUiNe rePlacemeNT ParTs.
4. Brake Controls and Features: It’s very important to your safety that you learn and
remember which brake lever controls which brake on your bicycle. Traditionally, the right
brake lever controls the rear brake and the left brake lever controls the front brake; but,
to make sure your bicycle’s brakes are set up this way, squeeze one brake lever and look
to see which brake, front or rear, engages. Now do the same with the other brake lever.
Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze the brake levers comfortably. If
your hands are too small to operate the levers comfortably, consult a qualified bicycle
mechanic or SHINOLA Customer Service before riding the bicycle.
If your SHINOLA bicycle has rim brakes, they will have a quick-release mechanism to
allow the brake pads to clear the tire when a wheel is removed or reinstalled. When the
brake quick release is in the open position, the brakes are inoperative. Ask a qualified
bicycle mechanic or SHINOLA Customer Support to make sure that you understand the
way the brake quick release works on your bicycle, and check each time to make sure
both brakes work correctly before you get on the bicycle.
5. How Brakes Work: The braking action of a bicycle is a function of the friction between
the braking surfaces. To make sure that you have maximum friction available, keep your
wheel rims and brake pads or the disk rotor and caliper clean and free of dirt, lubricants,
waxes or polishes.
Brakes are designed to control your speed, not just to stop the bicycle. Maximum
braking force for each wheel occurs at the point just before the wheel “locks up” (stops
rotating) and starts to skid. Once the tire skids, you actually lose most of your stopping
force and all directional control. You need to practice slowing and stopping smoothly
without locking up a wheel. The technique is called progressive brake modulation.
Instead of jerking the brake lever to the position where you think you’ll generate
appropriate braking force, squeeze the lever, progressively increasing the braking force.
If you feel the wheel begin to lock up, release pressure just a little to keep the wheel
rotating just short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the amount of brake
lever pressure required for each wheel at different speeds and on different surfaces. To
better understand this, experiment a little by walking your bicycle and applying different
amounts of pressure to each brake lever, until the wheel locks.
When you apply one or both brakes, the bicycle begins to slow, but your body wants to
continue at the speed at which it was going. This causes a transfer of weight to the front
wheel (or, under heavy braking, around the front wheel hub, which could send you flying
over the handlebars).
A wheel with more weight on it will accept greater brake pressure before lockup; a
wheel with less weight will lock up with less brake pressure. So, as you apply brakes
and your weight is transferred forward, you need to shift your body toward the rear of the
bicycle, to transfer weight back on to the rear wheel; and at the same time, you need to
both decrease rear braking and increase front braking force. This is even more important
on descents, because descents shift weight forward.
Two keys to effective speed control and safe stopping are controlling wheel lockup and
weight transfer. Practice braking and weight transfer techniques where there is no traffic
or other hazards and distractions.