Service - Kona bicycle Owner's Manual

different terrain or weather conditions depends largely
on tire pressure. Inflating the tire to near its maximum
recommended pressure gives the lowest rolling
resistance; but also produces the harshest ride.
High pressures work best on smooth, dry pavement.
Very low pressures, at the bottom of the recommended
pressure range, give the best performance on smooth,
slick terrain such as hard-packed clay, and on deep, loose
surfaces such as deep, dry sand.
Tire pressure that is too low for your weight and the
riding conditions can cause a puncture of the tube by
allowing the tire to deform sufficiently to pinch the inner
tube between the rim and the riding surface.
CAUTION: Pencil type automotive tire gauges
can be inaccurate and should not be relied upon for
consistent, accurate pressure readings. Instead, use a
high quality dial gauge.
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 unidi-
rectional 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: 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.
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