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Before You Ride
2
Hill Technique
– Gear down before a climb and continue gearing down as required to maintain pedaling speed.
– If you reach the lowest gear and are struggling, stand up on your pedals. You will then obtain more power from each pedal
revolution.
– On the descent, use the high gears to avoid rapid pedaling.
– Do not exceed a comfortable speed, maintain control and take additional care.
Cornering Technique
Brake slightly before cornering and prepare to lean your body into the corner. Maintain the inside pedal at the 12 o'clock position and
slightly point the inside knee in the direction you are turning. Keep the other leg straight, don't pedal through fast or tight corners.
Rules for Children
To avoid accidents, teach children good riding skills with an emphasis on safety from an early age.
1. Always wear a properly fitted helmet.
2. Do not play in driveways or the road.
3. Do not ride on busy streets.
4. Do not ride at night.
5. Obey all the traffic laws, especially stop signs and red lights.
6. Be aware of other road vehicles behind and nearby.
7. Before entering a street: Stop, look right, left, and right again for traffic. IF there's no traffic, proceed into the roadway.
2
8. If riding downhill, be extra careful. Slow down using the brakes and maintain control of the steering.
9. Never take your hands off the handlebars, or your feet off the pedals when riding downhill.
The Consumer Protection Safety Commission advises that the riding of small wheel diameter bicycles at excessive
speeds can lead to instability and is not recommended.
Children should be made aware of all possible riding hazards and correct riding behavior before they take to the streets
- Do not leave it up to trial and error
18
GEARS - HOW TO OPERATE
Derailleur Control
Cable
Freewheel
Front Derailleur
Cogs
Derailleur Gears
Most multy-speed bicycles today are equipped with what are known as
derailleur gears. They operate using a system of levers and mechanisms
to move the drive chain between different sized driving gears or cogs.
The purpose of gears is to let you maintain a constant, steady pedaling
pace under varying conditions. This means your riding will be less tiring
without unnecessary straining up hills or fast pedaling downhill. Bicycles
come with a variety of gear configurations from 5 to 24 speeds. A 5-6
Front Chainwheels
speed bicycle will have a single front chainwheel, a rear derailleur, and 5
Guide Pulley
or 6 cogs on the rear hub. Bicycles with more gears will also have a front
Crank Arm
derailleur, a front chainwheel with 2-3 cogs, and up to 8 cogs on the rear
Rear Derailleur
Pedal
hub.
Operating Principles
No matter how many gears, the operating principles are the same. The
front deraileur is operated by the left shift lever and the rear derailleur
by the right. To operate you must be pedaling forward. You can not shift
derailleur gears when you are stopped or when pedaling backwards.
Before shifting ease up on your pedalinhg pressure. On approaching
a hill, shift to a lower gear before your pedaling speed slows down too
much for a smooth shift. When coming to a stop, shift to a lower gear
first so it will be easier when you start riding again. If, after selecting a
new gear position, you hear a slight rubbing noise from the front or rear
gears, gently adjust the appropriate shifter until the noise goes away. For
optimal performance and extended chain life, it is recommended that you
avoid using the extreme combinations of gear positions (diagram p. 14) for
extended periods.
Before You Ride
2
2
19
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