Service - Specialized BICYCLE Owner's Manual

Ask your dealer to recommend the best tire pressure for the kind of riding you
will most often do, and have the dealer inflate your tires to that pressure. Then,
check inflation as described in Section 1.C so you'll know how correctly inflated
tires should look and feel when you don't have access to a gauge. Some tires
may need to be brought up to pressure every week or two, so it is important to
check your tire pressures before every ride.
Some special high-performance tires have unidirectional treads: their tread
pattern is designed to work better in one direction than in the other. The sidewall
marking of a unidirectional tire will have an arrow showing the correct rotation
direction. If your bike has unidirectional tires, be sure that they are mounted to
rotate in the correct direction.
2. Tire Valves
There are primarily two kinds of bicycle tube valves: The Schraeder Valve and
the Presta Valve. The bicycle pump you use must have the fitting appropriate to
the valve stems on your bicycle.
The Schraeder valve (fig. 18a) is like the valve on a car tire. To
inflate a Schraeder valve tube, remove the valve cap and clamp
the pump fitting onto the end of the valve stem. To let air out of a
Schraeder valve, depress the pin in the end of the valve stem with the
end of a key or other appropriate object.
The Presta valve (fig. 18b) has a narrower diameter and is
only found on bicycle tires. To inflate a Presta valve tube using
a Presta headed bicycle pump, remove the valve cap; unscrew
(counterclockwise) the valve stem lock nut; and push down on the valve
stem to free it up. Then push the pump head on to the valve head, and
inflate. To inflate a Presta valve with a Schraeder pump fitting, you'll
need a Presta adapter (available at your bike shop) which screws
on to the valve stem once you've freed up the valve. The adapter fits into the
Schraeder pump fitting. Close the valve after inflation. To let air out of a Presta
valve, open up the valve stem lock nut and depress the valve stem.
WARNING: We highly recommend that you carry a spare inner tube
when you ride your bike. Patching a tube is an emergency repair. If
you do not apply the patch correctly or apply several patches, the
tube can fail, resulting in possible tube failure, which could cause you to
loose control and fall. Replace a patched tube as soon as possible.

5. Service

WARNING: Technological advances have made bicycles and bicycle
components more complex, and the pace of innovation is increasing.
It is impossible for this manual to provide all the information required
to properly repair and/or maintain your bicycle. In order to help minimize
the chances of an accident and possible injury, it is critical that you have
any repair or maintenance which is not specifically described in this
manual performed by your dealer. Equally important is that your individual
maintenance requirements will be determined by everything from your
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