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3.4.3 Helmet
Our advice is to wear a good quality helmet
at all times whilst riding your bike.
3.5 Mechanical safety checks
3.5.1 Nuts & bolts
Inspect the bike closely from front to rear for
any obvious signs of worn or broken
components. Grasp the handlebar with both
hands and lift the front wheel off the ground
5-10 cm. (two or three inches), then let it drop
firmly on the ground while still holding the
handlebar. If anything sounds, feels or looks
loose, do a quick visual and tactile inspection
of the whole bike. Try to find the source of
noise or any obvious loose components, and
secure them. If you’re not sure, ask someone
with experience to check, or take your Lafree
Twist to your authorised Lafree dealer.
3.5.2 Tyres & wheels
Check proper tyre inflation by placing your
hand directly on top of each tyre individually.
With a straight arm and direct downward
pressure, push on the tyre with downward
body weight and watch the spot where the
tyre is contacting the ground. There should
be very little tyre compression. If your tyres
need inflating, use a standard bicycle floor
pump (see section 6.6.1: “Tyres”). If you must
use a high-volume compressor like those
found at automotive service stations, add air
in small amounts as these compressors are
designed to fill auto tyres which have much
larger volumes than bicycle tyres. Adding too
much pressure all at once could cause the
inner tube to explode, which can cause
severe damage to the tyre and serious injury.
Spin each wheel slowly and look for cuts in
the tyre’s tread and side wall. Replace
damaged tyres before riding the bike.
Spin each wheel and check for brake
clearance and side-to-side wobble of the rim.
If a wheel wobbles side to side or contacts
the brake shoes, take the bike to a qualified
bike shop to have the wheel aligned.
CAUTION:
Wheels must be “true” (aligned) for the brakes
to work effectively. Wheel truing is a skill
which requires special tools and experience.
Do not attempt to true a wheel unless you
have the knowledge and tools needed to do
the job correctly.
3.5.3 Brakes
Squeeze the brake levers. Brake levers
should engage brake shoes at approximately
half way through their arc, or within about
2.5 cm. (an inch) of handlebar grip. To check
proper brake lever travel, encircle the hand
grip with your thumb and forefinger, then
squeeze the brake lever with the remaining
three fingers of each hand. If you can
squeeze the levers so that they touch your
forefinger, you should have a qualified service
centre adjust your brakes.
Make sure that the brake’s brake shoes are
contacting the rim’s braking surface fully
(see fig. 15). Also check that the shoes are
not coming into contact with the tyre’s side
wall whilst applying the brake. Riding the bike
with brake shoes contacting the side wall can
cause the tyre to be damaged and the inner
tube to puncture, which may cause you to
lose control and fall. Do not ride the bike until
the brakes are properly adjusted. See section
6.4: “Brakes” for details.
WARNING:
Riding with improperly adjusted brakes or
worn brake shoes is dangerous and can result
in serious injury.