Precautions And Procedures; If You Get A Flat Tyre - Giant TwisT LaFree Twist 2002 Motorized Bicycle Owner's Manual

PRECAUTIONS AND PROCEDURES

9.1 Emergency equipment and
knowledge
You should never go for a bike ride without
the following emergency equipment and
knowledge:
• Allen wrenches 4 mm., 5 mm. and 6 mm.,
used to tighten various clamping bolts that
may loosen
• Patch kit and a spare inner tube
• Tyre levers
• Tyre pump or cartridge inflator with correct
head to fit your tyre valves
• Identification (address, phone number,
insurance company, emergency contact,
blood type, medical allergies and
conditions)

9.2 If you get a flat tyre

a Let all the air out of the inner tube (see
section 6.6.2).
Remove one side of the tyre from the rim
by inserting a tyre lever in between the rim
and base of the tyre's side wall ("bead").
Pry the bead away from the rim by pushing
down on the tyre lever.
Take another tyre lever and pry the bead
off the rim approximately 10-15 cm. (four
to six inches) away from where you
started. A third lever may be needed, but
at this point you should be able to begin
levering the bead off the rim so that the
entire circumference of one side of the tyre
bead comes off the rim.
b Remove the inner tube. First remove the
nut that fixes the air valve to the rim. After
that, remove the valve from the rim's valve
hole, then remove the inner tube.
Carefully check the outside and inside of
the tyre for the cause of the puncture
(thorn, glass shard, nail, etc.) and remove
the object if it is still there.
If the tyre is cut, line the inside of the tyre in
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the area of the cut with something that will
resist the inner tube forcing its way out of
the cut once inflated: a spare patch, a piece
of inner tube, a bank note, an energy bar
wrapper, a piece of plastic milk carton, etc.
c Either patch the tube (follow the instructions
in your patch kit), or use a new inner tube.
(It is always a good idea to have a patch kit
as well as a new inner tube in case the old
inner tube cannot be patched).
In case a new inner tube needs to be
applied, the wheel needs to be
disassembled.
d Before replacing the new/repaired inner
tube, put just enough air in to give it some
shape.
Starting with the air valve, install the inner
tube into the tyre.
Then, starting at the valve, slip the exposed
tyre bead into the rim using downward
pressure. Make sure the bead seats down
below the valve's thick rubber base.
Next, push the tyre's bead down into the
rim with your thumbs along either side of
the circumference of the rim, not just one
side. Make sure the inner tube is not being
pinched by the bead. If you have trouble
getting the last few cm./inches of bead
over the edge of the rim with thumb
pressure, use a tyre lever and be careful
not to pinch the tube.
CAUTION:
Do not use a screwdriver or any tool other
than a tyre lever, as you are likely to pinch and
puncture the inner tube.
e Check to make sure the tyre is evenly
seated around both sides of the rim and
that the inner tube is inside the tyre beads.
Push the valve stem into the tyre to make
sure that its base is seated within the tyre's
beads.
Inflate the tube slowly to the recommended
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