secure them. If you’re not sure, ask someone with experience to check.
□Tires & Wheels: Make sure tires are correctly inflated (see Section 4.G.1). Check by putting one hand on the saddle, one on
the intersection of the handlebars and stem, then bouncing your weight on the bike while looking at tire deflection. Compare what
you see with how it looks when you know the tires are correctly inflated; and adjust if necessary.
□Tires in good shape? Spin each wheel slowly and look for cuts in the tread and sidewall. Replace damaged tires before riding
the bike.
□Wheels true? Spin each wheel and check for brake clearance and side-to- side wobble. If a wheel wobbles side to side even
slightly, or ru
bs against or hits the brake pads, take the bike to a qualified bike shop to have the wheel trued.
CAUTION: Wheels must be true for rim brakes to wo
rk effectively. Wheel trueing is a skill which requires special
tools and experien ce. Do n ot attemp t to tru e a wheel u nless you have th e kn owledge, exp erience an d tools
d to do the job correctly. neede
side o
□Wheel rims clean a nd undamaged? Make sure the ri ms are cl ean and un
damaged at the tire be ad and, if you have rim
brakes, along the braking surface. Check to make sure that any rim wear indicator marking is not visible at any point on the wheel
rim.
WARNING: Bicycle wheel rims are subject to wear. Ask your dealer about wheel rim wear. Some wheel rims have
a rim wear
indicator which becomes visible as the rim’s braking surface wears. A visible rim wear indicator on the
f the wheel rim is an indication that the wheel rim has reached its maximum usable life. Riding a wheel that is at
the end of its usable life can result in wheel failure, which can cause you to loose control and fall.
□Brakes: Check the brake
s for proper operation (see Sections 4.C). Squeeze the brake levers. Are the brake quick-releases
closed? All c ontrol cab les se ated a nd sec urely engaged? If y ou hav e ri m brakes, do t he brak e p ads cont act the wheel rim
squarely and make full cont act with the rim? Do the brake s begin to eng age within an inch of brake le ver movement? Can you
apply full braking force at the levers without having them touch the handlebar? If not, your brakes need adjustment. Do not ride
the bike until the brakes are properly adjusted by a professional bicycle mechanic.
□Wheel retention system: Make sure the front and rea
r wheels are correctly secured. See Section 4.A
□Seat post: If your s eat post has an over-center cam action fastener f or eas
y height adjustment, c heck that it is properly
adjusted and in the locked position. See Section 4.B.
□Handlebar a nd s addle alignment: Make sure the sadd le an d han dlebar stem are p arallel to the bike ’s center line an d
clamped tight enough so that you can’t twist them out of alignment. See Sections 3.B and 3.C.
□Handlebar ends: Make sure
the handlebar grips are secure and in goo d condition. If not, have your dealer replace them.
Make sure the handlebar ends and extensions are plugged. If not, have your dealer plug them before you ride. If the handlebars
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