14
15
Figure 29
Figure 27
Figure 28
Figure 26
A
WHEEL AND TIRE MAINTENANCE
Before every ride
make sure the front wheel
is securely clamped in the fork. Lift the bike
up a few inches and punch down hard on the
front tire with the side of your fi st. Do this even
if you rode the Buddy Bike the day before. You
never know when someone has tampered
with, or accidentally turned, the quick release
lever to the OPEN position that could let the
wheel fall out.
Front Wheel Maintenance/Quick Release
To Remove the Front Wheel:
On Buddy Bike
Family models the brake must be released to
remove the tire. Hold brake shoes against the wheel
rim while you pull the cable carrier up and out of the
slot in the crossbar (A in
Figure 26
). Open the brake
shoes far enough apart so you can remove the front
wheel (
Figure 27
). Turn the quick release lever to the
OPEN position (
Figure 25
) which is when the lever is
pointed toward the front of the Buddy Bike. Remove
the front wheel. Punch down on the tire if necessary.
To Install the Front Wheel:
Replace the front wheel
in the fork dropouts. Be sure the tire is centered be-
tween the fork blades (
Figure 28
). Hold the wheel in
place while you tighten the quick release lever all the
way to the closed position (
Figure 25
). Check quick release
tightness. As you move the quick release lever toward the
rear of the bike, past the 12 o’clock position you should feel
increasing pressure. You should have a red pressure mark on
the palm of your hand from the force needed to close this lever
all the way. If you do not feel this pressure, readjust the quick
release mechanism as follows:
Adjust the Quick Release:
Open the quick release lever past
the 12 o’clock position to around the 4 o’clock more open posi-
tion. Hold the adjuster nut with one hand and turn the quick
release lever counter clockwise as far as possible. Do not use
any tool on this adjuster nut. Use only your fi ngers! Turn the
quick release lever all the way to the closed position (
Figure
25
). Again, you must feel considerable turning resistance as
the lever moves past the
12 o’clock position to the
closed position.
Check Quick Release Tightness:
See that the red mark
from tightening pressure is on the palm of your hand.
Punch down hard on the tire with the fl at of your clenched
fi st. The wheel should not fall out. Open the quick re-
lease, remove the wheel and inspect the fork dropouts.
You should see “bite” marks on the fork dropout made
by the sawtooth edges of the quick release (
Figure 29
).
Repeat these quick release adjustments and tightening
steps until you can see these “indents.” Replace the cable in the crossbar (
Figure 26
) as you
hold the brake shoes against the wheel rim.
Make sure the brake cable is correctly back in the crossbar slot. Squeeze the brake
lever as tightly as possible. If the lever drops to the handlebars, the cable has popped
out of the slot. Replace it and check again for correct placement.
CAUTION:
The brake spring may also have popped off the brake arm (A in
Figure 20
). If
so, replace it behind the tab on the brake arm, as shown in
Figure 20
, where arrow A is the
brake spring, arrow B shows the brake arm with brake tab. This caution also applies to the
rear wheel.
Rear Wheel Maintenance/No Quick Release
If the rear wheel of your Buddy Bike does not have a quick release device. You will need a
15-mm wrench to remove the axle bolts and should carry one with you on long rides in for
emergency tire repair.
Buddy Bike Family (BB102-AL-7.14C and 7.14E)
Remove the Rear Wheel:
Shift the chain to the small freewheel cog. Spread brake shoes as
explained above for front wheel removal (
Figure 27
). Use a 15 mm wrench and loosen both
axle bolts. Lift the chain off the small cog as you remove the wheel.
Install the Rear Wheel:
Make sure the axle is all the way into the dropout slots, and that
the wheel is evenly spaced in the bike frame, similar to
Figure 28
. Tighten the axle bolts to
300—320 inch/pounds.
Buddy Bike Sport (BB104-AL-27.14 and BB104-AL-NU.14)
Remove the Rear Wheel:
Removal and installation of the rear wheel has a few extra steps
because of the gear cluster. Just like the front wheel, you’ll need to defl ate the tire. If you do
not wish to defl ate the tire, it will be necessary to loosen the fi x bolt (A in
Figure 18
). Next,
adjust your rear shifter until the chain is on the smallest sprocket. Then loosen the quick
release lever and carefully removed the wheel.
Install the Rear Wheel:
To re-install the rear wheel, fi rst place the chain back onto the
smallest sprocket, and then slide the axle evenly up into the rear dropouts. Tighten the quick
release lever the same way as the front wheel, with the lever on the left side of the bike. Make
sure the lever is safely tucked in between both of the left chain stays. Infl ate the tire AFTER
it has been installed. Make sure the pads are lined up correctly with the rim and tighten the
fi x bolt (A in Figure 18) if you removed it earlier.
Wheel Alignment
Wobbly wheels cut braking power.
So keep both wheels running true. Wheels can lose
alignment over time as spokes stretch. Wheel alignment takes special tools and know-how
so have this done by a bike shop.
About Your Tires
Keep tires infl ated to the pressure marked on the outer wall of the tire. Lower pressures can
cause a fl at and will cause more rolling resistance. Higher pressures can cause a tube to
blow out. Correct pressure assures longest tire life. Repair tube punctures with a self-adher-
ing patch, follow instructions that came with them. Check inside the tire as well as outside to
fi nd and remove what caused the fl at.
