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EBCC Technical and Customer Service: +1 800-377-4532
4. First.indd
Last Modifi ed June 23, 2014 5:19 PM
First
Mechanical safety check
gage from the bicycle, and cause serious
injury or death.
If your bike has toeclips and straps or
clipless (“step-in”) pedals, make sure
you know how they work (see “Pedals”
on page 36). These pedals require
special techniques and skills. Follow
the pedal manufacturer’s instructions
for use, adjustment and care.
Do you have “toe overlap”? On smaller
framed bicycles your toe or toeclip may
be able to contact the front wheel when
a pedal is all the way forward and the
wheel is turned. Read “Pedals” on page
36 to check whether you have toeclip
overlap.
Does your bike have suspension? If so,
check “Bicycle suspension” on page
37. Suspension can change the way
a bicycle performs. Follow the suspen-
sion manufacturer’s instructions for use,
adjustment and care.
Because electric bicycles are so differ-
ent from regular bikes, additional steps
are needed to ride them safely. Please
be sure to read “Riding an electric bike”
on page 48.
Mechanical safety check
Routinely check the condition of your
bicycle before every ride.
Nuts, bolts screws & other
fasteners
Because manufacturers use a wide vari-
ety of fastener sizes and shapes made in
a variety of materials, often differing by
model and component, the correct tighten-
ing force or torque cannot be generalized.
To make sure that the many fasteners on
your bicycle are correctly tightened, refer to
“Fastener Torque Specifi cations” on page
70 of this manual or to the torque speci-
fi cations in the instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the component in question.
Correctly tightening a fastener requires a
calibrated torque wrench. A professional
bicycle mechanic with a torque wrench
should torque the fasteners on you bicycle.
If you choose to work on your own bicycle,
you must use a torque wrench and the cor-
rect tightening torque specifi cations from
the bicycle or component manufacturer
or from your dealer. If you need to make
an adjustment at home or in the fi eld, we
urge you to exercise care, and to have the
fasteners you worked on checked by your
dealer as soon as possible.
Correct tightening force on fasteners –
nuts, bolts, screws– on your bicycle is
important. Too little force, and the fas-
tener may not hold securely. Too much
force, and the fastener can strip threads,
stretch, deform or break. Either way,
incorrect tightening force can result in
component failure, which can cause you
to lose control and fall.
Make sure nothing is loose. Lift the front
wheel off the ground by two or three
inches, then let it bounce on the ground.
Anything sound, feel or look loose? Do a
visual and tactile inspection of the whole
bike. Any loose parts or accessories? If
so, secure them. If you’re not sure, ask
someone with experience to check.
