SilverBack SCALERA 1, Руководство пользователя

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1. Brake controls and features
It’s very important to your safety that you learn and remember which
brake lever controls which brake on your bike. Traditionally, the right
brake lever controls the rear brake and the left brake lever controls
the front brake; but, to make sure your bike’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 com-
fortably, consult your dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach
may be adjustable; or you may need a different brake lever design.
Most rim brakes have some form of quick-release mechanism to al-
low 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 your dealer to make sure that you under-
stand the way the brake quick release works on your bike (see figs.
11, 12. 13 & 14) and check each time to make sure both brakes work
correctly before you get on the bike.
2. 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 bike.
Maximum braking force for each wheel occurs at the point just be-
fore the wheel “locks up” (stops rotating) and starts to skid. Once the
tire skids, you actually lose most of your stopping force and all direc-
tional 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 le-
ver, progressively increasing the braking force. If you feel the wheel
begin to lock up, release pressure just a little to keep the wheel ro-
tating 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, experi-
ment a little by walking your bike and applying different amounts of
pressure to each brake lever, until the wheel locks.