Xtracycle 2016 EdgeRunner - Page 20

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handlebars, which may result in serious injury or death.
3. Disc brakes are extremely powerful. Take extra care in becoming familiar with these brakes
and exercise particular care when using them.
4. Disc brakes can get extremely hot with extended use. Be careful not to touch a disc brake
until it has had plenty of time to cool.
5. Seethebrakemanufacturer’sinstructionsforoperationandcareofyourbrakes,andforwhen
brakepadsmustbereplaced.Ifyoudonothavethemanufacturer’sinstructions,seeyourdealer
or contact the brake manufacturer.
6. If replacing worn or damaged parts, use only manufacturer-approved genuine replacement
parts.
7. Do not use drum, roller, or coaster brakes. They are not suited to hilly riding or heavy loads
and can fail.
1. Brake controls and features
It’s very important to your safety that you learn and remember which brake lever controls which brake on
yourbike.Squeezeonebrakeleverandlooktoseewhichbrake,frontorrear,engages.Nowdothesame
with the other brake lever.
  Makesurethatyourhandscanreachandsqueezethebrakeleverscomfortably.Ifyourhandsaretoo
small to operate the levers comfortably, consult your dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach may be
adjustable;oryoumayneedadifferentbrakeleverdesign.
2. How brakes work
The braking action of a bicycle is a function of the friction between the braking surfaces. To make sure
that you have maximum friction available, keep your wheel rims and brake pads or the disk rotor and caliper
clean and free of dirt, lubricants, waxes or polishes.
Brakes are designed to control your speed, not just to stop the bike. Maximum braking force for each
wheeloccursatthepointjustbeforethewheel“locksup”(stopsrotating)andstartstoskid.Oncethetire
skids, you actually lose most of your stopping force and all directional control. You need to practice slowing
andstoppingsmoothlywithoutlockingupawheel.Thetechniqueiscalledprogressivebrakemodulation.
Instead of jerking the brake lever to the position where you think you’ll generate appropriate braking force,
squeezethelever,progressivelyincreasingthebrakingforce.Ifyoufeelthewheelbegintolockup,release
pressure just a little to keep the wheel rotating just short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the
amountofbrakeleverpressurerequiredforeachwheelatdifferentspeedsandondifferentsurfaces.To
better understand this, experiment a little by walking your bike and applying different amounts of pressure to
each brake lever, until the wheel locks.
When you apply one or both brakes, the bike begins to slow, but your body wants to continue at the
speedatwhichitwasgoing.Thiscausesatransferofweighttothefrontwheel(or,underheavybraking,
aroundthefrontwheelhub,whichcouldsendyouyingoverthehandlebars).
  Awheelwithmoreweightonitwillacceptgreaterbrakepressurebeforelockup;awheelwithlessweight
will lock up with less brake pressure. So, as you apply brakes and your weight is transferred forward, you
needtoshiftyourbodytowardtherearofthebike,totransferweightbackontotherearwheel;andatthe
same time, you need to both decrease rear braking and increase front braking force. This is even more