Cannondale Easy Rider User Manual

CANNONDALECANNONDALE®®EASYEASY

RIDERRIDER

TMTM

RECUMBENTRECUMBENT

BICYCLE OWNER’S MANUALBICYCLE OWNER’S MANUAL

SUPPLEMENTSUPPLEMENT

READ THIS MANUAL

CAREFULLY!

It contains important

safety information.

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

EASY RIDER CABLE ROUTING..................2

SOME RECUMBENT-SPECIFIC RIDING

CHARACTERISTICS................4-7

SET UP AND ADJUSTMENT..................8-10

Frame Size 8
The Seat 8
The Handlebars and Stem 10

MECHANICAL ADJUSTMENTS............11-21

Holding the Bike in a Work Stand 11
Suspension Set Up 11
Easy Rider Fork 12
Preload Adjustment 13
HeadShok Scheduled Maintenance 16
HeadShok Warranty 18
Fox Rear Shock Service and Warranty 18
Tire Choice and Pressure 18

Shifter Choice and Positioning 19
Mid-Drive / Mid-Drive Bearing 19
Front Chain Tensioner 20
Chainring Bolts 21
Front Derailleur Adjustment 21
Brake Set Up 21

CARRYING STUFF.....................................21

ACCESSORIES...........................................22

TRANSPORTATION....................................23

REFERENCES.............................................23

CANNONDALE WARRANTY ....................24

CONTACT INFORMATION.........................24

CANNONDALE EASY RIDERCABLE ROUTING

Thanks for purchasing the most sophisticated, comfortable and well crafted Mid
Wheelbase (MWB) recumbent.

Front

Derailleur

Cable

Rear Brake

Cable

Front Brake

Cable

Front Brake

Housing must

(29cm) long!

Derailleur

Front

Derailleur

Cable

Cable.

be 11-3/8”

Rear

Cable

Rear

Derailleur

Cable

Rear Brake

Cable

Please take the time to read and understand this Owners Manual supplement,
the Cannondale Bicycle Owners Manual and any other literature included with
the bike. All contain important safety warnings and performance tips. If you
have any questions about your bicycle or the content of any of this literature
please contact Cannondale.

Your Easy Rider should have included both a standard owner’s manual and this
supplement. If you did not receive both of these documents, please download
and print one from the Cannondale website Tech Center or call our customer
service line at 1-800-BIKE-USA in the U.S. or Canada to have one sent to you.
See the back page for other phone numbers and e-mail contacts.

WARNING: WARNING: A Recumbent bicycle is different from a
conventional bicycle. To help avoid serious or fatal injury and
to minimize risk you must learn and practice new skills. Before
riding, read this Recumbent Owners Manual Supplement, and
learn and practice the skills described below.

Note that a manual alone cannot teach you how to ride, and
a manual the size of an encyclopedia could not cover every
combination of bicycle, rider and conditions. Thus, as a
reasonable person would expect, our manuals focus on the
bicycle and important cautions and warnings, not on
teaching you how to ride.

Front

Derailleur

Cable

Rear

Derailleur

Cable

2 3

Rear Brake

Cable

Many hazards are described in
the warnings, and we have
attempted to explain how to
avoid or minimize the hazards.
Because any fall or crash can
result in serious injury or even
death we do not repeat the
warning of these potential
consequences every time we call
attention to a hazard. The reality
is that the exact nature of the
consequences is not predictable.

SOME RECUMBENT-SPECIFIC RIDING CHARACTERISTICS

Handling: Recumbents have handling characteristics that are different from
conventional bicycles, and the Cannondale Easy Rider may handle differently than
other recumbents you may have ridden. Take time to become familiar and
comfortable by doing practice rides in safe, open, level areas with little or no traffic.

Starting off: Getting your recumbent started is a basic skill you must master.
Make sure you are in a moderate gear (with the chain on the middle chainring
and the middle of the cassette). Position the pedal under your stronger or
favored leg with the crank arm straight up (at 12 o’clock). Be sure your path is
clear. Relax your arms and lean against the seat back. Give a strong push with
this leg and promptly get your other foot off the ground and then patiently
position the other foot on the other pedal. It is very helpful to learn this skill with
the seat further forward than you may ultimately place it. Err on the side of a
closer seat until starting off is second nature. This shorter pedal-to-seat back
position and more upright seat back will allow you to use your legs in a more
controlled, knees bent position and minimize the tendency that most people
have to hunch forward towards the handlebars.

Slow speed maneuvering: You will find that as you practice tight turns and
small circles at walking speeds, the handlebars can come close to your knees,
your inside hand grip will get closer to your body and your outside hand grip will
move away from your body. Recumbent enthusiasts call this the “tiller effect”.
Make adjustments (See the SET UP AND ADJUSTMENT section below) and
get used to these characteristics. Remember that these characteristics are not
significant once you start to ride even a little faster but are significant when
maneuvering slowly.

Coming to a stop: This is easier than on a conventional bicycle, but you will
want to practice. As you brake to a stop (see important braking section below)
take one foot off the pedal, and then the other. As your feet come close to
touching the ground be sure you are going very slowly –slower than walking –
and that you heel is down and your toe is up. If you are going too fast, or try to
use your feet as brakes, you may catch the ground with your foot and injure
your foot or leg.

Braking: This recumbent has great braking power, and it is easier to use this
power than it is on a conventional bicycle. Braking characteristics have a lot to
do with weight distribution and weight transfer. When you apply brakes, weight

shifts forward. On a conventional bicycle you have long been taught respect for
the power of front brakes and the need to modulate their use to avoid pitching
yourself over the handlebars (See section 4 C of the Cannondale Owners
Manual). You also have been taught that applying a lot of rear brake will result
in a skid, with little effect on reducing speed.

On this recumbent your weight is relatively lower and much more to the rear.
This means you can use much more rear brake power without skidding the rear
tire. You can brake harder without the hazard of pitching yourself over the
handlebars. In a panic braking situation think, “rear brake hard!”

The front tire of this recumbent is lightly loaded. If you use the front brake too
hard for the circumstances you can cause a skid, lose control, and crash. In
particular, do not apply too much front braking force when the front wheel is
turned or on a loose or slippery surface. Do not over-inflate the front tire (see
Front Tire Pressure section below) as over-inflation will minimize the tire contact
patch and decrease potential braking power.

Maintaining a course: The front wheel is relatively small. It is also relatively
light. These characteristics mean that it has less gyroscopic effect than the
larger front wheel on a conventional bicycle. The gyroscopic effect of a front
wheel adds stability to a bicycle, particularly at speed. The smaller gyroscopic
effect of the front wheel of this recumbent means that you should ride with both
hands on the hand grips and pay attention to your course.

Choice of pedals: Assuming you have prior experience and second nature
familiarity with clipless pedals, we highly recommend the use of clipless pedals.
The forward, relatively high position of the pedals on a recumbent bicycle
maximizes the benefits of their use.

However, if you are not experienced and very familiar with clipless pedals, do
not attempt to learn recumbent riding and clipless pedal use at the same time.
(See section 4 F of the Cannondale Owners Manual and the instructions from
the manufacturer of your clipless pedal system).

The same advice is given for use of pedals with toe clips and straps: Do not
attempt to learn recumbent riding and toe clip & strap use at the same time
(See section 4 E of the Cannondale Owners Manual).

Do not use flat, slippery plastic pedals or wear slippery-soled shoes. You do not

4 5

want your foot to slide off, strike or catch the ground and cause injury to your
foot or leg.

Use care “sticking” the front wheel out into a roadway, particularly when you
enter an intersection.

Passengers: Do not carry any passengers, including children, on this
recumbent bicycle. The extra weight of passengers could compromise steering
or braking performance. A passenger could also compromise control.

Off-road riding: These are not mountain bikes. The Easy Rider is similar to a
conventional hybrid in terms of off-road capability. (See section C of the
Cannondale Owners Manual) These bikes work well on roads or bike paths that
are relatively smooth and hard packed, such as cinders, good dirt roads and
“rails to trails” paths. These bikes are not intended or designed for off-road use,
such as trails, “single track” with logs, rocks, roots, or loose dirt.

Recumbents are further limited in the complex and ever changing terrain of off­road riding because the recumbent rider has very little ability to use two
techniques that are fundamental to mountain biking: shifting weight and use of
the legs to absorb shock. For these reasons do not jump a recumbent, on or off
the road.

Recumbents also have a lightly loaded front tire that will be more likely to slide
out or slip than the tire of a conventional bicycle.

Riding in traffic: See Fig. 1 for a generalized look at your eye height relative
to a conventional bicycle and a typical passenger car. On the Easy Rider, you
may sit slightly lower than on a traditional bicycle, but still high enough to make
eye contact with automobile drivers. You will need to use caution, adapt and
practice this new position, just as you would when driving a sports car one day
and a tall four wheel
drive the next.

Rearward vision: On a conventional bicycle, a rider can stand up on the
pedals and swivel the upper torso around to look to the rear. This swiveling
motion is more limited on a recumbent. We recommend your practice riding
include learning to both turn your head and use a rear view mirror. We have
included a rear view mirror as original equipment. Adjusted for the rider and
used properly this mirror can reduce risk but not eliminate risk.

Pedaling technique: On the Easy Rider, you will be able to use more leg
power than on a traditional bicycle, because you can push against the seat
back, much like using a leg press machine at a gym. Be careful not to
overpower and injure your knees, particularly before your body becomes used
to the new riding position. Our advice? Use lower gears, and spin, spin, spin.

On a conventional bike you can briefly use a gear that is too high by getting out
of the saddle for a few strokes, using gravity and body weight. We often do this
after temporarily slowing the bike, or when climbing a hill. On a recumbent you
cannot get out of the saddle. Our advice? Anticipate changes in speed and
terrain, and shift to lower gears early.

On a conventional bike you will also pull against the handlebars as you push on
the pedals. On a recumbent you can push against the seat back. Learn to relax
your upper body and not to pull on the handlebars. This is the key to the
comfort and pleasure of recumbent riding. This upper body relaxation will also
minimize the small inadvertent steering corrections that often affect new
recumbent riders.

Note that the front
wheel of this
recumbent sticks out
further than the front
wheel of a
conventional bicycle.
You are sitting further
back on the
recumbent bicycle.

Different muscles: The different riding position of the Easy Rider will use
different muscles and different motions. You will need to train your whole body.
As with any fitness program involving a new sport or new equipment, consult
with your doctor regarding your fitness, start slowly, work up progressively,
cross train, stretch, and listen to your body. If you feel pain, work with your
retailer on adjustments and see your doctor.

Fig. 1Fig. 1 5

6 7