Section 5 - How Things Work; Right Hand Controls - Merida PowerCycle User Manual

F
D - Front Brake Lever
E- Bell
D
F - Bell Thumb Hammer
Figure 2
5. HOW THINGS WORK
5a. RIGHT HAND CONTROLS
Rear brake
Squeezing the right brake lever (figure 2A) actuates the rear
brake. See the braking section of this manual for impor-
tant information on brake usage before riding your bike.
Twist grip gear selector
The PowerCycle™ uses a Shimano Nexus twist grip (figure
2B & 3B) to shift gears. The 4 speed gears are part of the
rear internal gear hub. The indicator on the shifter body
(figure 2C & 3C) points to the selected gear.
How an internal gear hub drivetrain works:
Your bicycle has an internal gear hub drivetrain, the gear
changing mechanism will consist of:
• 4 speed internal gear hub
• One twist grip shifter
• One control cable
• One front chainring
• A drive chain
• A rear cog
Shifting internal gear hub gears
Shifting with an internal gear hub drivetrain is simply a mat-
ter of moving the shifter to the indicated position for the
desired gear. After you have moved the shifter to the gear
position of your choice, ease the pressure on the pedals for
an instant to allow the hub to complete the shift.
Which gear should I be in?
The numerically lowest gear (1) is for the steepest hills.
The numerically largest gear (4) is for the greatest speed.
Shifting from an easier, "slower" gear (like 1) to a harder,
"faster" gear (like 2 or 3) is called an upshift. Shifting from
a harder, "faster" gear to an easier, "slower" gear is called a
MERIDA USERS MANUAL
E
B
C
Figure 3
C
A - Rear Brake Lever
B - Twist Grip Shifter
C - Gear Selector
downshift. It is not necessary to shift gears in sequence.
Instead, find the "starting gear" for the conditions — a gear
which is hard enough for quick acceleration but easy
enough to let you start from a stop without wobbling —
and experiment with upshifting and downshifting to get
a feel for the different gears. At first, practice shifting where
there are no obstacles, hazards or other traffic, until you've
built up your confidence. If you have difficulties with shift-
ing, the problem could be mechanical adjustment. See
your dealer for help.
To shift to a higher gear, twist the shifter rearward (coun-
terclockwise when viewed from the right side). To shift to
a lower gear, twist the shifter forward (clockwise when
viewed from the right side.) For example, you can down-
shift to a lower gear to make pedaling easier on a hill.
On the other hand, you may up shift to a higher gear
when you wish to go faster. When downshifting,
stop pedaling, operate the shifter to select the
desired gear, and then resume pedaling. The Nexus
system on your PowerCycle™ downshifts only if you are
not pedaling.
When you are going uphill you will need to stop pedaling
and pause 2-3 seconds (allowing the motor to cut out) be-
fore shifting the gears. In general, on flat ground, use 2nd
or 3rd gear when starting from a complete stop. Shift to
3rd or 4th gear to increase your speed on flat ground. Use
th
4 gear when going downhill. When starting uphill, shift
the bike into 1 st gear to avoid undue stress on the motor.
For more information on the shift mechanism, please study
the Shimano brochure that came with your bike, contact
your PowerCycle™ dealer or call Shimano American Cor-
poration @ 949-951-5003 (M-F, 8:00 am– 5:00 pm).
CAUTION: Starting uphill in any gear other then 1
gear will put tremendous stress on the motor and battery
causing excessive battery drain and potential damage.
Recommended gear usage:
• 1st gear – for starting uphill and climbing hills
B
A
st
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