Diamondback Single-Speed Bicycle manual

1 Owner’s Manual for Single-speed bicycles 3 rd Edition, 2003 This manual contains important safety, per formance and service infor mation. Read it before you take the rst ride on your new bicycle , and keep it for reference. AN IMPORT ANT MESSAGE TO P ARENTS: This Manual contains important safety information. For your child's safety, it [...]

2 A special note for parents: As a p ar en t o r gu ar di an , yo u ar e r es po ns ib le f or th e activities and safety of your minor child, and that includes making sure that the bicycle is properly tted to the child; that it is in good repair and safe operating condition; that you and your child have lear ned and understand the safe operatio[...]

3 Contents GENERAL W ARNING p. 2 A special note for parents p. 2 1. First A. Bike Fit p. 4 B. Safety First p. 4 C. Mechanical Safety Check p. 4 D. First Ride p. 5 2. Safety A. The Basics p. 6 B. Riding Safety p. 6 C. Off Road Safety p. 7 D. W et W eather Riding p. 8 E. Night Riding p. 7  F .BicyclinginTrafc p.9  G.?[...]

4 1. First NOTE: All operators must read and understand all sections of this owner ’s man ual be fore their initia l oper ation of th e bicy cle. If after reading this manual in its entirety you have any ques - tions, please contact your authorized dealer for clarication or an explanation of specic topics that you are unsure about. Please n[...]

5 ask someone with experience to check. Tires & Wheels: Makesure tiresarecorrectly inated(see Sectio n 4.G.1). Check by put ting one hand on the saddle, one on the inte rsecti on of the hand lebars and stem, then boun cing your weight on the bike while looking at tire deflection. Compare what you see with how it looks[...]

6 Most serious bicycle injuries involve head injuries which might have been avoided if the rider had worn an appropriate helmet. ! W ARNI NG: Failu re to wear a he lmet when ridi ng may resul t in serious injury or death. 2. Always do the Mechanical Safety Check (Section 1.C) before you get on a bike. 3. Be thoroughly familiar with the controls of [...]

7 lawsand specialbicycle trafclaws.It’s yourresponsibility to know and obey the laws. 2. Y ou are sharing the road or the path with others — motorists, pedestrians and other cyclists. Respect their rights. 3. Ride defensively. Always assume that others do not see you. 4. Look ahead, and be ready to avoid: • V [...]

8 This makes it harder to control speed and easier to lose control. T o make sure that you can slow down and stop safely in wet conditions, ride more slowly and apply your brakes earlier and more gradually than you would under nor mal, dry conditions. See also Section 4.A. E. Night Riding Riding a bicycle at night is many times more dangerous tha n[...]

9 the cable jumps out of its yoke or breaks. ! W ARNING: Do not remove the front or rear reectors or reector brackets from your bicycle. They are an integral part of the bicycle’s safety system. Remov ing the re ector s may redu ce your visib ility to other s using the roadway. Being struck by other vehicles may result in serious injury [...]

10 We recommend against this type of riding because of the increased risks; but if you ignore this recommendation, at least:  •T akelessonsfromacompetentinstructorrst • Do stu nts, racin g o r fast down hill riding o nly in areas designated for this type of riding • Start with easy learnin[...]

11 ! W ARNING: If your bicycle does not t properly, you may los e con trol and fal l. If your new bike doe sn’t t, ask your deale r to exchange it before you ride it. A. Standover height  Sta ndover  heigh t is th e basi c eleme nt of bike  t (see g. 2) . It is the distance from the ground to the[...]

12 NOTE: If your bicycle is equipped with a suspension seat post, periodically ask your dealer to check it. ! W A RNING: After any s addle a djustm ent, b e sure t hat the saddle adjusting mechanism is properly tightened before riding. A loose saddle clamp or seat post binder can cause damage to the seat post, or can cause you to lose control and f[...]

13 bet ween your legs and attem pt to twis t the handl ebar/s tem ass embl y. If you can twist the stem in r elat ion t o the fro nt wh eel, tur n th e ha ndle bars in rel atio n to the ste m, o r tu rn th e ba r en d ex ten sio ns in rel at ion t o the h and leb ar, t he bol ts ar e in suf ci ent ly tig hten ed. D. Control position adjustments [...]

14 wit h t he right b rake lev er contr ollin g t he rea r b rake, an d the left le ver contr ollin g the fron t brak e. NOTE: If your bicycle is equipped with both front and rear brakes, most ef fective braking is achieved by using both brakes and apply them sim ultane ously . (See als o pa r . 3. Braki ng technique, below). ! W ARNING: Sudden or [...]

15 wheel is removed or reinstalled. When the brake quick release is in the relea sed position, the brakes are inoperati ve . Ask your dealer whether you have a quick release on your brakes; and if you do, make sure that you understand the way the brake quick release works, and check each time to make sure both brake[...]

16 it s c lamp ing mech anis m i s inco rrec tly adjusted. Secondary retention devices are not a substitute for correct wheel clamping. Secon dary retenti on devi ces fa ll into threebasic categories (see gs. 12a, b & c): a. T he c li p- on t yp e i s a pa r t which the manufacturer adds to the  f ront wh eel hu b?[...]

17 b. With a correctly sized socket, box, open-end or adjustable wrench, loosen the two axle nuts. c. If your front fork has a clip‑on type secondary retention device, disengage it and go to step (4). If your front fork has an integral or a washer type secondary r etention device, loosen the axle nuts enough to allow removal of thewheel;the[...]

18 and squeeze the brake lever to make sure the brake is functioning correctly. 6. Removing a Bolt-On Rear Wheel with Coaster Brake a. Disengage the coas ter brake ar m from its frame bracket (seeg.15). b. With a co rrect ly si zed socke t, box, open end or adjustable wrench, loosen the two axle nuts. c. Push the wheel forward to slacken t[...]

19 ask your dealer to show you how to make this adjustment. Use the easiest setting until engaging and disengaging becomes a reflex action, but always make sure that there is sufficient tension to prevent unintended release of your foot from the pedal. ! W ARNING: Cliple ss pedals are intended for use with shoes specically made to t them and [...]

20 to make sure that what you want to do is compatible with the bicycle’s design. E. Tires and T ubes 1. Tires B i c y c l e t i r e s a r e a v a i l a b l e i n m a n y d e s i g n s a n d specications, ranging fromgeneral-purpose designs to tires designed to per form best under very specic weathe[...]

21 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 V alves There are primarily two kinds of bicycle tube valves: The Schraeder V alve and the Presta V alve. The bicycle pump you use must have the[...]

22 3. A fte r eve ry l ong o r ha rd rid e if the b ike has b een exp ose d to wate r or gr it, or at leas t ev ery 100 miles : C lean the bike and lig htly oi l the cha in. Wipe off exce ss oil. Lubric ation i s a funct ion of clima te. T alk to you r d ealer abo ut the bes t l ubric ants and th e rec ommen ded lu brica tion f reque ncy f or you r[...]

23 of stress-caused fatigue and indicate that a part is at the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. • Check to make sure that all parts and accessories are still secure, and tighten any which are not. ! W ARNING: Like any mechanical device, a bicycle and its compo nents are subjec t to wear and stre ss. Different mater ials and mechan[...]

24 Appendix A T eaching your Child the Rules In addition to The Basics (page 6), Riding Safely (page 7), Of f Road Safety (page 8), W et W eather Riding (page 9), Night Riding  (page 9), Bicycling in Trafc (page 10 and Appendix B) and Downhill, Stunt and Competition Biking (page 10), kids need to be taught ... and to have frequ[...]

25 do they signal. The key factor here is neglecting to look to the rear . If the cyclist had looked, he/she would have seen the danger coming up from behind. Wha t ca n yo u do ? Of course , yo u ou ght to teach you r chi ld not to ride across busy str eets - at least until the child has had some advanced training and is old enough to understand t[...]

26 Appendix B Bicycling in T rafc[...]

27[...]

28 Appendix C Wheel and Seat Post Quick Release Mechanisms A. Quick Release Wheels 1. How a Wheel Quick Release W orks ! W ARNI NG: Rid ing with an impr ope rly adjus ted wheel qu ick release can allow the wheel to wobble or disengage from the bicycle, causing serious injury or death to the rider. Therefore, it is essential that you: 1. Ask your de[...]

29 amatchingholeinthefrontforkdropout(g.12c). A sk yo u r d e al e r t o e x pl a in t he pa r ti c u la r s e co n da r y retention device on your bike. ! W ARNING : Removi ng or dis abling the seconda ry r etentio n device is extremely dangerous and may lead to serious injury or death. It also may void the warranty. [...]

30 (5) If the lever cannot be pushed all the way to a position parallel to the fork blade, return the lever to the OPEN position. Then turn the tension adjusting nut counterclockwise one- quarter turn and try tightening the lever again. (6) Re-engage the brake quick-release mechanism to restore correct brake pad-to-rim clearance; spi[...]

31 ! W ARNING: The full force of the cam action is needed to clamp the seatpost securely. Holding the nut with one hand and turning the lever like a wing nut with the other hand until everything is as tight as you can get it will not clamp the seatpost safely. ! W ARNING: If you can fully close the quick release without wrapping your ngers ar ou[...]

32 DIAMONDBACK bicycles are distributed by Raleigh America, Inc. Raleigh America, Inc. Bicycle Limited Warranty It is the owner’s responsibility to thoroughly read and understand the owner ’s manual and regularly examine the product to determine the need for professional, authorized service or replacement. Please consult an authorized Raleigh A[...]