Bike Friday Service - Bike Friday Silk User Manual

Bike Friday Service

New Bike Maintenance
Like all bikes, your Bike Friday travel bike will go through a break-
in period. After the first few weeks of riding you might find that
your drive train doesn't shift as crisply as it did when new, or
perhaps the brakes are slightly loose. This happens as new cables
stretch, housing compresses and parts wear in.
After the initial break-in period, but before a significant tour, it is
important to have your Bike Friday bicycle professionally serviced
at your local favorite bike shop. A new bike tune-up takes very
little time and the small cost for the work is minor considering the
improved performance and reliability it provides. Then, at least
once a year and before any major tour, take your bike back to your
local shop for another tune-up to be sure that it runs smoothly.
After a few years of use and a few thousand miles of riding, you
might notice that the decals on your bike are starting to look
worn and the paint has some scratches. Perhaps your bike doesn't
ride as smoothly as it used to, and the local bike shop can't get
it to function as well as you would like. We offer factory service
programs including tune-ups, overhauls, and other repair work by
our expert mechanics. A month or two before your next big ride,
you may wish to send the bike back for a complete overhaul.
Visit our web site for repair packages, costs, and details at www.
bikefriday.com/Service/. For those who plan ahead, we can gen-
erally offer the quickest repair turn-around during the winter
months.
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www.bikefriday.com 800-777-0258 • +1-541-687-0487
Bike Friday Maintenance
New Bicycle Tips and Maintenance Recommendations
Unlike other new bicycles purchased from a shop, your Bike
Friday Silk has been folded or disassembled partly and placed in
a suitcase or box. Then it was shipped across town, the country
or the world.
As with any new bicycle, your Bike Friday will need several
minor adjustments as it "settles in." Knowing how to use barrel
adjusters on brakes and derailleurs and adjust spring tension on
brakes will help you through this settling in period. These skills
are also handy for when you travel with your bike.
Your local bike shop can help, or, check out the excellent
adjustment and repair guides at Park Tool Company's website:
http://www.parktool.com/repair.
The Initial Break-in Period
It is reasonable to expect that a new bicycle will have an initial
break-in period where adjustments will need to be made after
a hundred-ish miles. The following items may occur or need at-
tention during this break in period:
• Brake and derailleur cables may stretch. You can perceive
this as you squeeze the brake lever and you have to squeeze
farther than previously OR you have to squeeze so far be-
fore the pads contact the rims that there is not sufficient
braking force.
• Some bearing surfaces, notably some headsets, might settle
in after some use. If they are properly adjusted after this
initial break in period, they tend to then hold that adjust-
ment for a much longer period of time.
• For square taper bottom bracket (and the correspond-
ing crankset), it is a good idea to use an 8mm hex / Allen
wrench to ensure the crank bolt is tight.
800-777-0258 • +1-541-687-0487
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