Kona bicycle Owner's Manual page 25

Whether upshifting or downshifting, the bicycle derail-
leur system design requires that the drive chain be
moving forward and be under at least some tension.
A derailleur will shift only if you are pedaling forward.
CAUTION: Never move the shifter while
pedaling backward, nor pedal backwards after
having moved the shifter. This could jam the chain
and cause serious damage to the bicycle.
B) Shifting the Rear Derailleur
The rear derailleur is controlled by the right shifter.
The function of the rear derailleur is to move the drive
chain from one gear sprocket to another. The smaller
sprockets on the gear cluster produce higher gear
ratios. Pedaling in the higher gears requires greater
pedaling effort, but takes you a greater distance
with each revolution of the
pedal cranks. The larger
sprockets produce lower
gear ratios. Using them
requires less pedaling effort,
but takes you a shorter
distance with each pedal
crank revolution. Moving
the chain from a smaller
sprocket of the gear cluster
to a larger sprocket results
in a downshift. Moving the
chain from a larger sprocket
to a smaller sprocket results
in an upshift. In order for
the derailleur to move the
chain from one sprocket to
another, the rider must be
pedaling forward.
C) Shifting the Front Derailleur
The front derailleur, which is controlled by the left
shifter, shifts the chain between the larger and smaller
chainrings. Shifting the chain onto a smaller chainring
makes pedaling easier (a downshift). Shifting to a
larger chainring makes pedaling harder (an upshift).
D) Which gear should I be in?
The combination of largest rear and smallest front
gears [Fig. 16] is for the steepest hills. The smallest
rear and largest front combination [Fig. 16] is for the
greatest speed. It is not necessary to shift gears in se-
quence. Instead, find the "starting gear" which is right
for your level of ability — 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 differ-
ent gear combinations. 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 shifting, the problem could be mechanical adjust-
ment. See your dealer for help.
WARNING: Never shift a derailleur onto the
largest or the smallest sprocket if the derailleur is
not shifting smoothly. The derailleur may be out of
adjustment and the chain could jam, causing you to
lose control and fall.
E) What if it won't shift gears?
If moving the shift control one click repeatedly fails to
result in a smooth shift to the next gear chances are
that the mechanism is out of adjustment. Take the
bike to your dealer to have it adjusted.
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