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5. Service
WARNING: Technological advances have made bicycles and bicycle components
more complex, and the pace of innovation is increasing. It is impossible for this
manual to provide all the information required to properly repair and/or maintain your
bicycle. In order to help minimize the chances of an accident and possible injury, it is
critical that you have any repair or maintenance which is not specifically described in
this manual performed by your dealer. Equally important is that your individual
maintenance requirements will be determined by everything from your riding style to
geographic location. Consult your dealer for help in determining your maintenance
requirements.
WARNING: Many bicycle service and repair tasks require special knowledge and
tools. Do not begin any adjustments or service on your bicycle until you have
learned from your dealer how to properly complete them. Improper adjustment or
service may result in damage to the bicycle or in an accident which can cause serious
injury or death.
If you want to learn to do major service and repair work on your bike:
1. Ask your dealer for copies of the manufacturer’s installation and service instructions
for the components on your bike, or contact the component manufacturer.
2. Ask your dealer to recommend a book on bicycle repair.
3. Ask your dealer about the availability of bicycle repair courses in your area.
We recommend that you ask your dealer to check the quality of your work the first
time you work on something and before you ride the bike, just to make sure that you
did everything correctly. Since that will require the time of a mechanic, there may be a
modest charge for this service.
We also recommend that you ask your dealer for guidance on what spare parts, such
as inner tubes, light bulbs, etc. it would be appropriate for you to have once you have
learned how to replace such parts when they require replacement.
A. Service Intervals
Some service and maintenance can and should be performed by the owner, and require
no special tools or knowledge beyond what is presented in this manual.
The following are examples of the type of service you should perform yourself. All
other service, maintenance and repair should be performed in a properly equipped facility
by a qualified bicycle mechanic using the correct tools and procedures specified by the
manufacturer.
1. Break-in Period: Your bike will last longer and work better if you break it in before
riding it hard. Control cables and wheel spokes may stretch or “seat” when a new bike
is first used and may require readjustment by your dealer. Your Mechanical Safety Check
(Section 1.C) will help you identify some things that need readjustment. But even if
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
surfaces 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
between 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 inflation as described in Section 1.C so you’ll know how correctly inflated tires
should look and feel when you don’t have access to a gauge. Some tires may need
to be brought up to pressure every week or two, so it is important to check your tire
pressures before every ride.
Some special high-performance tires have unidirectional treads: their tread pattern
is designed to work better in one direction than in the other. The sidewall marking of a
unidirectional 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.
2. 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.
The Schraeder valve (fig. 18a) 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 appropriate object.
The Presta valve (fig. 18b) 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: We highly recommend that you carry a spare inner tube when you
ride your bike. 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.
