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— 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 first, practice shifting where there are no obstacles, hazards or
other traffic, until you’ve built up your confidence. Learn to anticipate the need to shift, and
shift to a lower gear before the hill gets too steep. If you have difficulties 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 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 benefit 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 difficult
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