Ice Sprint Owner's Manual

Ice Sprint Owner's Manual Manual pdf 14 page image

14check the front brakes. MAKE SURE YOU CAN STOP! You should do this before each ride, as well aschecking your brakes for damage and wear.Steering is very easy and natural and you will soon become unaware of the movements required.Gear changing - As with any derailleur system you can only change gear when you are pedalling and movingforward. It is easier to change if you are not putting a lot of force on the pedals, particularly when changingfrom a high to a low gear. The rear derailleur is operated by the right shifter, and the front using the left shifter.You should not try to change into the lowest gear (largest rear sprocket) unless you are on the middle orlowest (smallest) chain wheel, because the chain will put strain on the rear derailleur.TIP - Try to get into the habit of not crossing over the gears atthe extremes – don’t run on the biggest chain ring and thebiggest rear sprocket or the smallest chain ring and the smallestrear sprocket. This will help prolong the life of the transmission.Also try to anticipate hills and change to a lower (easier) gearbefore you get onto the steep part of the hill hence avoidingchanging gear under pressure.Do not change gear when the trike is rolling backwards, as the chain will jam in the rear derailleur and likelydamage it. When you are riding, you can make minor adjustments to the indexing of the gears using theadjusters located where the cables exit the shifters.4.3 Stopping in a low gearAs with an ordinary bicycle it is best to get into the habit of finishing your journey in an easy gear so that youcan pull away easily when you start again.4.4 RelaxWhilst riding sit back and relax. DO NOT PULL ON THE HANDLEBARS; just hold them lightly. The trike willtend to steer itself in a straight line depending on the road surface and camber.TIP – The steering of the trike runs on ball bearings so it is verysmooth and requires minimal effort to steer. The gear cables runforward and backwards and the spring effect in these cablestend to make the trike slowly turn to the left if you let go of thehandlebars completely. This is normal and we do not recommendriding without holding at least one of the handle bars or you willnot have proper control of the trike.4.5 CorneringYour trike is inherently very stable under normal riding conditions. Cornering at high speed can cause yourtrike to lift a wheel, or in worse cases, roll over. Leaning into the corner can help this, and is a fun techniquethat all trike riders learn.Take care on corners which have a ‘reverse camber.’ Reverse camber is where the outside of the corner islower than the inside. On a corner with reverse camber, the trike will try to move to the outside of the curve,which could take you off the edge of the road, or into the oncoming lane.We recommend that you find a quiet smooth surfaced area (such as a car park or firm grassy field), and get afeel for handling your trike. Try turning at various speeds to find the point where your trike starts to lift awheel. It is better to learn this in a quiet park than a busy street.When you are negotiating a corner at speed, remember that your weight shifts away from the inside wheel.You must remember that it is very easy to skid or lock the lightly loaded inside wheel, and that wheel iscontributing less to your ability to brake and steer.