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It’s the law; obey it
: Obey all traffic laws. Always ride on the right (that’s
RIGHT as opposed to LEFT – but it’s also RIGHT as in CORRECT) side, with,
not against, traffic. The STOP sign and light means you too. Bike riders always,
always, always lose when a bike and a car collide –no matter who was “in the
right”. (We call this being “dead” right.)
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Look out!
Unfortunately, a motorist that has successfully parallel parked his/her
car is not always thinking about the cyclist fast approaching from behind. An
impact with a car door suddenly opened into your path will ruin your day.
•
Weather
: Bikes brakes don’t work well when they’re wet. Don’t ride in the rain
or snow if you can avoid it. If you forgot to watch the Weather Channel before
leaving home, and you get caught in the rain, please be aware that distance to stop
your bike may double or triple over the distance that it takes under dry conditions.
Ride more slowly, and anticipate your stops by applying the brakes MUCH
earlier. Also don’t forget that the roads are a lot slipperier when they’re wet.
Those skinny little bike tires don’t grip wet pavement as well as dry pavement.
So take the corners carefully.
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Night time
: Motorists have a hard time seeing you when the sun goes down. We
make the bike easier to see with lights and reflectors, but you’re still not as visible
as in the daytime. If you must ride at night, wear light-colored clothing,
preferably with reflective strips. Buy a flashing LED light and use it. Make sure
that the reflectors on your bike are properly positioned and clean. Use the
headlight so that you can see the obstacles in your path. Ride more slowly. Be
wary of cars and assume that they do not see you.
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Maintenance
: It worked fine when we put it in the box: Please maintain your
bike. There are instructions here in the manual. We’re smart guys, but we haven’t
figured out how to make a bike that takes care of itself. Check the brakes and the
tires and the tightness of all those important fasteners before each and every ride.
Pretend that you’re a pilot doing a walk-around of his airplane before taking-off.
The pilot knows that his life depends on the airworthiness of his plane; your life
depends on the roadworthiness of your bike. Please have your bike checked by a
qualified bike mechanic AT LEAST once a year. It’s a small investment in your
well-being.
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Battery
: We have equipped your Ultra Motor electric bike with a state-of-the-art
lithium ion battery. This is the same battery chemistry that powers your cell
phone and laptop, but on a bigger scale to drive your bike. Lithium ion batteries
feature the highest gravimetric energy density available. (How’s that for
engineering techno-speak? What it means is that you get more power per pound
of battery than on any other e-bike.) We have built in a sophisticated battery
management system (BMS) that helps control all that energy. But the battery
requires care and maintenance to insure that it will perform safely and reliably for
many miles of riding. We have devoted an entire chapter of this manual to the
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