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The functionality and rm attachment
of the spring elements is essential for
your safety! Clean and check your
full suspension bicycle on a regular basis!
Warm water with a little washing up liquid or
light cleaning agents are suitable for cleaning
this part of the bicycle.
Tighten all screws to the recom-
mended torque. Otherwise the
screws could break and parts could
fall off (see page 34).
Full suspension bicycles are not suit-
able for use with trailers and child
bike trailers!
The bearings and attachments are not de-
signed to withstand this sort of force. This
could result in strong wear and breaks with
serious consequences.
If you have a full suspension frame
with a short seat tube which is open
at the bottom, the seat post can only
be lowered to the point that it does not touch
the spring element when it uses its full travel.
Please have your bicycle checked by
a specialist retailer on a regular ba-
sis. These experts can identify dam-
aged and worn parts and are able to advise
you in selecting replacements. Refrain from
repairing key parts yourself (frame, fork, han-
dlebars, stem, headset, brakes, lights).
Maintenance/upkeep
As is the case for all mechanical
parts, bikes take on wear, tear and
heavy use. Because of heavy use,
different materials and components can react
to wear and tear in different ways. If a com-
ponent is used for longer than it is designed
for, it may suddenly stop working and possi-
bly lead to injury or cause additional damage.
Any kind of rip, puncture or colour change
seen in an overused area indicates that the
component’s use has reached its limit; the
component should in this case be replaced.
Screws and torque spanners
When working on the bicycle, please
ensure that all screws are tightened
to the correct torque. The required torque is
printed on many parts with a screwed con-
nection.
Measurements are given in Newton metres
(Nm) and applied with a torque wrench. It is
best to use a torque wrench that displays the
tightening torque as it is in use. Otherwise
screws can snap or break. If you don’t own a
torque wrench then you should always leave
this work up to a specialist retailer!
A table listing the most important torques for
bolted connections is provided on page 34.
Torque spanners
Chain
To ensure that it can work effectively, the chain
has to be cleaned and greased regularly (see
page 33). Dirt can be removed when washing the
rest of the bicycle. Otherwise you can clean the
chain by rubbing it with an oily cloth. When the
chain is clean, it should be greased at the joints
with suitable lubricant. After being left to soak,
the excess lubricant should then be removed.
Chain tension
To ensure that the chain and gears
can work safely, the chain has to
have a certain level of tension. De-
railleur gear systems tense the chain au-
tomatically. For hub transmissions that are
mounted without a chain tensioner, the chain
must be tightened if it is found sagging. Oth-
erwise they can come off and lead to a fall.
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