OWNER'S MANUAL HALFWHEELERTM TRAILER CYCLE Before you go riding with your new Halfwheeler trailer cycle for the first time all of us at GIANT strongly encourage you to read this manual. In return for the time spent reading this manual and learning about your new GIANT Halfwheeler you will be rewarded with many hours of safe bicycling. IMPORTANT! If a minor will be riding a bicycle with this trailer attached, it is essential that a responsible adult/parent read and explain this owner's manual to the minor. Like anything else in life - and particularly in sporting activities, bicycling involves risk. The risk is that riding a bicycle may lead to injury or death. By choosing to ride a bicycle, with or without a trailer, you assume the responsibility for that risk. Not the people who sold you the trailer. Not the people that made it. Not the people who distribute it. It's all about you! If you have questions that are not answered by this manual, or cannot be answered by your GIANT Dealer, please contact GIANT directly: Toll free ­ 1.800. US.GIANT Or- www.giantbicycle.com GENERAL WARNING: Bicycling is a hazardous activity! Proper maintenance of your bicycle and trailer is your responsibility, as it will reduce the risk of injury. This manual contains many "Warnings" and "Cautions" concerning the consequences of failing to maintain or inspect your trailer. Be sure to read and understand all of the Warnings and Cautions. Many refer to circumstances that may cause you to lose your balance and fall, which may result in personal injury or death, to you and/or your passenger. TRAILER USE: Use of a trailer changes the handling characteristics of your bicycle, and entails its own unique risks. Be sure to carefully read and understand the "Trailer Use" section in this manual. Failure to be aware of and responsive to the special characteristics of riding with a trailer may lead to serious personal injury or death, to you and/or your passenger. 2 3 TRAILER USE · Extra caution must be exercised when riding with your trailer. Your bicycle will perform much differently when pulling your trailer. The additional weight of the trailer, passenger and cargo will make your bike less responsive. You will need to ride slower than you normally would without a trailer. Also, be aware that your bicycle with the trailer attached will be much longer than it is without the trailer. Use extra caution in all situations. · It will be more difficult and slower to get started and up to speed because of the extra weight. · It will take longer to cross streets and paths because of the extra length. · A greater distance and increased effort will be required to stop because of the extra weight. · While riding down hills with a trailer you will accelerate more quickly and will reach higher speeds if unchecked by the rider. While riding down hills you will need to use your brakes sooner and more frequently to keep your speed under control. Remember to apply your rear brake before using the front brake. · Negotiating corners should be done slowly and with caution. Your bicycle will handle corners differently with the trailer attached than it does without the trailer. · Do not ride your bicycle over curbs, potholes or other obstacles with the trailer attached. It is highly recommended that you ride your bicycle and trailer in an open area without traffic to get used to how your bicycle rides with the trailer attached before riding elsewhere. · The Halfwheeler was design for use on smooth roads. The trailer could be damaged and your passenger injured if the trailer is used off-road. · Using the safety flag ­ included ­ will help make others aware that you are towing a trailer. Always use the safety flag when using the trailer, and avoid riding at night. DANGEROUS RIDING CONDITIONS Riding a bicycle ­ with or without a trailer attached ­ in wet conditions requires earlier braking, greater stopping distances, and slower riding speeds. WET RIDING CONDITIONS Stopping a bicycle ­ with or without a trailer attached ­ in wet conditions is a potentially dangerous situation. It will require a much greater distance to come to a safe stop, and even more with a trailer attached. There is always the chance that you could be caught in a rainstorm while riding, and you will be surprised by how much it affects your brake performance! We recommend that you ride more slowly, allow more time and distance for stopping, and feather the force used while applying the front and rear brakes together to prevent skidding. NIGHT RIDING Riding at night with a trailer is strongly discouraged due to reduced visibility. It is both harder to be seen as a cyclist at night, and harder to see at dusk and at night. LIGHTS If you must ride at night, the best way to improve your visibility and your vision is to use a high quality front headlight and a bright blinking red rear light. Do not ride at night without front and rear lights, as well a rear light for the trailer. REFLECTORS Federal regulations require every bicycle (except children's "sidewalk" bikes) to be equipped with front, rear, wheel and pedal reflectors. The size, performance and location of each reflector are defined by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (the CPSC). The GIANT Halfwheeler comes equipped with reflectors in accordance with CPSC guidelines. The purpose of these reflectors is to protect you from accidentally being hit by a car or other road user, as well as to warn others of your presence. The reflectors are designed to reflect light from cars, streetlights and other ambient sources in order to identify you as a moving cyclist. Removing the reflectors will reduce your visibility to others using the roadway and put you and your passenger in great jeopardy. Be forewarned that reflectors are not a substitute for front and rear lights. Failure to be aware of and respond to the special characteristics of riding your bicycle with a trailer may lead to serious personal injury and death, to you and/or your passenger. Be sure to practice riding your bike with the trailer in an open area without traffic until you are comfortable and familiar with the handling characteristics. 4 5 If you must ride at night: Be sure to check that an operating front headlight and flashing red taillight are installed on the bicycle and trailer before riding. Inspect the bicycle and trailer to ensure that the front, rear, wheel and pedal reflectors are installed, clean and in their proper positions. Have your GIANT Authorized Retailer replace any damaged reflectors, or secure any that may have loosened. Reflectors are not substitutes for lights ­ use a front headlight and flashing red taillight for both your bike and trailer. Wear reflective clothing and be sure those accessories such as: racks, bags, etc. ­ have reflectors. State or local authorities may require that you equip your bicycle and trailer with a lighting system in addition to the reflectors. Contact your local authorities for the bicycle codes in your area. Always wear a CPSC approved helmet! UNFOLDING THE TRAILER 1. Un-fold the tow arm and screw the quick release lever in the full open position into the threaded hold by turning the lever clockwise. 2. Tighten the quick release lever until the lever can be easily moved 90 degrees, but requires a significant force to close any further. Then close the quick release lever fully until the lever is parallel to the tow tube and the word "closed" is showing on the top of the lever. In the closed position, the quick release lever should not be able to move without significant effort to open it. 3. Insert the safety flag. ATTACHING THE TRAILER TO THE BIKE The Q-LinkTM hitch mechanism is designed to adjust to fit a wide range of seat post sizes. There is a quick release cam lever that locks the Q-Link clamp to the seat post. The Q-link needs to be adjusted to fit your specific bicycle during the initial set-up using a 5mm Allen (hex) wrench ­ it must be re-adjusted each time it is fitted to a different bike. Initial Q-LinkTM Set-up 1. Inspect the seat post for any cracks, dents or scratches ­ replace the seat post if any signs of damage exist. 2. Remove the seat post from the frame and measure the seat post wall thickness. The seat post wall thickness should be at least 3 mm (1/8"). See Fig. 3 Fig. 3 NEVER LET CHILDREN RIDE AT NIGHT! The GIANT Halfwheeler folds for easy storage and transportation. FOLDING YOUR HALFWHEELER TRAILER Folding the trailer is an easy 4-step process: 1. Do not attempt to fold until the trailer rider has dismounted, and the trailer has been disconnected from the towing bike. 2. Remove the safety flag from the flag holder by pulling up on the flagpole. 3. Lift up on the quick release lever on the hinge located on the tow bar. Unscrew the quick release lever from the hinge by turning the lever counter clockwise. See Fig. 1 4. Fold the tow arm down and store. See Fig. 2 Fig. 2 3. Open the Q-Link clamp by pulling the free end of the quick release lever away from the center of the clamp mechanism so that word "open" ­ stamped on the underside of the lever ­ is visible. Once the lever is open, you may still need to loosen the quick release mechanism in order to free the quick release lever from the clamp slot and open the clamp. Do so by turning the nut on the end of the quick release skewer counter clockwise while the lever is in the open position. 4. Position the Q-Link clamp around the seat post. See Fig. 4 5. Reposition the quick release lever in the Q-Link clamp slot. Tighten the nut on the quick release assembly about down the threaded skewer and close the quick release lever by flipping the lever 180 degrees (position the lever so that the end will point towards the center of the Q-Link clamp when closed). The word "closed" ­ stamped on the topside of the lever ­ should be showing. 6. Using a 5mm Allen (hex) wrench, adjust the 2 limit screws so that the hitch is tight on the seat post. (Note: the Q-Link hitch should not move on the post) See Fig. 5 Fig. 1 Fig. 4 6 Fig. 5 7 Attaching the Q-LinkTM Hitch Mechanism After the Initial Set-up 1. Inspect the seat post for any cracks, dents or scratches ­ replace the seat post if any signs of damage exist. 2. Open the Q-Link clamp by pulling the free end of the quick release lever away from the center of the clamp mechanism so that word "open" ­ stamped on the underside of the lever ­ is visible. Once the lever is open, you may still need to loosen the quick release mechanism in order to free the quick release lever from the clamp slot and open the clamp. Do so by turning the nut on the end of the quick release skewer counter clockwise while the lever is in the open position. 3. Position the Q-Link clamp around the seat post. 4. Reposition the quick release lever in the Q-Link clamp slot. Tighten the nut on the quick release assembly about down the threaded skewer and close the quick release lever by flipping the lever 180 degrees (position the lever so that the end will point towards the center of the Q-Link clamp when closed). The word "closed" ­ stamped on the topside of the lever ­ should be showing. If the lever closes but the hitch still rotates on the seat post, then open the lever, tighten the quick release skewer nut and try again. See Fig. 6 Fig. 6 ALWAYS PERFORM A PRE-RIDE CHECK TOW ARM FOLDING JOINT QUICK RELEASE LEVER Inspect the quick release lever at the tow arm folding joint to insure that it is the fully closed position ­ the word "closed" stamped onto the quick release lever arm should be visible. q FLAG Make sure the safety flag is assembled and installed in the flag holder. q HELMETS Both rider and passenger should be wearing CPSC approved helmets, properly fitted and secured. q Q-LINKTM LINKAGE Inspect linkage to make sure that it is securely fastened. Check the quick release lever to insure that it is the fully closed position ­ the word "closed" stamped onto the quick release lever arm should be visible. WARNING! Attaching a trailer to a tow bike with seat post dents, cracks, scrapes or deep scratches, or to a seat post with less than 1/8" (3 mm) wall thickness, can result in a seat post failure ­ causing the trailer to separate from the bike and/or loss of control of the trailer and the bike, which may result in severe personal injury or death to the rider and/or passenger. q TIRE PRESSURE Check the tire pressure on both the towing bike and the trailer. Inflate the tires according to the manufacturers recommendations noted on the tires. q LOANING YOUR TRAILER If you allow someone else to use your trailer, perform the preceding inspection before allowing that person to use the trailer. Be sure that the person is aware of the differences between riding with the trailer attached and normal riding conditions. Also, make sure that they practice riding with the trailer without a passenger before using it with a passenger. WARNIN ...