20
GAZELLE MANUAL
20
Bicycle Owner’s Manual
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 for you to insert or remove your foot should
not be used with toeclips and straps.
WARNING: Getting into and out of pedals with
toeclips and straps requires skill which can only be
acquired with practice. Until it becomes a reflex
action, the technique requires concentration which can
distract your attention and cause you to lose control and
fall. Practice the use of toeclips and straps where there
are no obstacles, hazards or traffic. Keep the straps loose,
and don’t tighten them until your technique and
confidence in getting in and out of the pedals warrants it.
Never ride in traffic with your toe straps tight.
4. Clipless pedals (sometimes called “step-in pedals”)
are another means to keep feet securely in the correct
position for maximum pedaling efficiency. They have
a plate, called a “cleat,” on the sole of the shoe, which
clicks into a mating spring-loaded fixture on the pedal.
They only engage or disengage with a very specific motion
which must be practiced until it becomes instinctive.
Clipless pedals require shoes and cleats which are
compatible with the make and model pedal being used.
Many clipless pedals are designed to allow the rider to
adjust the amount of force needed to engage or disengage
the foot. Follow the pedal manufacturer’s instructions, or
ask your dealer to show you how to make this adjustment.
Use the easiest setting until engaging and disengaging
becomes a reflex action, but always make sure that there
is sufficient tension to prevent unintended release of your
foot from the pedal.
WARNING: Clipless pedals are intended for use with
shoes specifically made to fit them and are designed
to firmly keep the foot engaged with the pedal. Do
not use shoes which do not engage the pedals correctly.
matter of moving the shifter to the indicated position for
the desired gear ratio. After you have moved the shifter
to the gear position of your choice, ease the pressure on
the pedals for an instant to allow the hub to complete the
shift.
b. Which gear should I be in?
The numerically lowest gear (1) is for the steepest hills.
The numerically largest gear is for the greatest speed.
Shifting from an easier, “slower” gear (like 1) to a
harder, “faster” gear (like 2 or 3) is called an upshift.
Shifting from a harder, “faster” gear to an easier, “slower”
gear is called a downshift. It is not necessary to shift
gears in sequence. Instead, find the “starting gear” for
the conditions — 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.
NOTE: Changing tire size or pedal crank arm length affects
toe overlap.
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
