Electra Bicycle - Removing and Installing Wheels

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show you a number of options and make suitable recommendations.
3. Toeclips and straps are a means to keep feet correctly positioned and
engaged with the pedals. The toeclip positions the ball of the foot over the pedal
spindle, which gives maximum pedaling power. The toe strap, when tightened,
keeps the foot engaged throughout the rotation cycle of the pedal. While toeclips
and straps give some benet with any kind of shoe, they work most effectively
with cycling shoes designed for use with toeclips. Your dealer can explain how
toeclips and straps work. Shoes with deep treaded soles or welts which might
make it more difcult for you to insert or remove your foot should not be used
with toeclips and straps.
WARNING: Getting into and out of pedals with toeclips and straps
requires skill which can only be acquired with practice. Until it
becomes a reex action, the technique requires concentration which
can distract your attention and cause you to lose control and fall. Practice
the use of toeclips and straps where there are no obstacles, hazards or
trafc. Keep the straps loose, and don’t tighten them until your technique
and condence in getting in and out of the pedals warrants it. Never ride in
trafc with your toe straps tight.
4. Clipless pedals (sometimes called “step-in pedals”) are another means to
keep feet securely in the correct position for maximum pedaling efciency. They
have a plate, called a “cleat,” on the sole of the shoe, which clicks into a mating
spring-loaded xture on the pedal. They only engage or disengage with a very
specic motion which must be practiced until it becomes instinctive. Clipless
pedals require shoes and cleats which are compatible with the make and model
pedal being used.
Many clipless pedals are designed to allow the rider to adjust the amount of
force needed to engage or disengage the foot. Follow the pedal manufacturer’s
instructions, or ask your dealer to show you how to make this adjustment. Use
the easiest setting until engaging and disengaging becomes a reex action, but
always make sure that there is sufcient tension to prevent unintended release of
your foot from the pedal.
WARNING: Clipless pedals are intended for use with shoes
specically made to t them and are designed to rmly keep the foot
engaged with the pedal. Do not use shoes which do not engage the
pedals correctly.
Practice is required to learn to engage and disengage the foot safely. Until
engaging and disengaging the foot becomes a reex action, the technique
requires concentration which can distract your attention and cause you to lose
control and fall. Practice engaging and disengaging clipless pedals in a place
where there are no obstacles, hazards or trafc; and be sure to follow the
pedal manufacturer’s setup and service instructions. If you do not have the
manufacturer’s instructions, see your dealer or contact the manufacturer.
• one front sprocket called a chainring
• a drive chain
a. Shifting internal gear hub gears
Shifting with an internal gear hub drivetrain is simply a matter of moving the
shifter to the indicated position for the desired gear ratio. After you have moved
the shifter to the gear position of your choice, ease the pressure on the pedals for
an instant to allow the hub to complete the shift.
b. Which gear should I be in?
The numerically lowest gear (1) is for the steepest hills. The numerically
largest gear is for the greatest speed.
Shifting from an easier, “slower” gear (like 1) to a harder, “faster” gear (like 2 or
3) is called an upshift. Shifting from a harder, “faster” gear to an easier, “slower”
gear is called a downshift. It is not necessary to shift gears in sequence. Instead,
nd the “starting gear” for the conditions — 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 different gears.
At rst, practice shifting where there are no obstacles, hazards or other trafc,
until you’ve built up your condence. Learn to anticipate the need to shift, and
shift to a lower gear before the hill gets too steep. If you have difculties with
shifting, the problem could be mechanical adjustment. See your dealer for help.
c. 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.
E. Pedals
1. Toe Overlap is when your toe can touch the front wheel when you turn the
handlebars to steer while a pedal is in the forwardmost position. This is common
on small-framed bicycles, and is avoided by keeping the inside pedal up and the
outside pedal down when making sharp turns. On any bicycle, this technique will
also prevent the inside pedal from striking the ground in a turn.
WARNING: Toe Overlap could cause you to lose control and fall. Ask
your dealer to help you determine if the combination of frame size,
crank arm length, pedal design and shoes you will use results in
pedal overlap. Whether you have overlap or not, you must keep the inside
pedal up and the outside pedal down when making sharp turns.
2. Some bicycles come equipped with pedals that have sharp and potentially
dangerous surfaces. These surfaces are designed to add safety by increasing
grip between the rider’s shoe and the pedal. If your bicycle has this type of high-
performance pedal, you must take extra care to avoid serious injury from the
pedals’ sharp surfaces. Based on your riding style or skill level, you may prefer
a less aggressive pedal design, or chose to ride with shin pads. Your dealer can