Assembly Instructions
Congratulations on your new bike purchase!
Your bike is shipped about 90% assembled, but there is a bit left to do. You have options!
1) Local Bike Shop Mechanic
Take it to your local bike shop and have their mechanic assemble it and do the safety check for you. Shops usually charge a pretty reasonable rate to provide this service. And, bonus, they will recycle all of the packaging for you.
2) Home Assembly
While we highly recommend having a bike mechanic down at your local bike shop complete the assembly, and perform a safety check on your new bike, but we know that some of you will want to do the assembly yourself.
Tools needed:
- 10mm combination wrench - for the brake pinch bolt
- 15mm combination wrench - for the pedals and hubs
- 6mm Allen wrench - for quill stem bolt and handlebar clamp bolt
- Phillips head screwdriver for the bell and reflectors
- Bike pump and psi pressure gauge
- Bike grease
Optional but recommended:
Your belt tension and alignment has been checked before shipping. But you should take the opportunity now to see how to check your belt tension. More info below.
Please carefully read the following step-by-step instructions on how to properly assemble your new bike.
UNPACKING & SETUP
- Keep the box upright and lift the bike out carefully.
- Flip the kickstand out, using the cardboard to protect the floor (if you'd like). Then place the bike upright on the kickstand - it should balance there just fine.
- Use scissors to cut and remove all zip ties and packaging from the bicycle. Being careful not to cut (scratch or nick) anything but the zip ties!
- Remove the front wheel by gently sliding it free from the crank arm and set aside. You may need to rotate the crank arm to get it in the best position to slide it off. Take your time - there is an angle that works best for removal.
- Unpack the small brown box which contains the pedals, manual, and tiny little plastic plug for the stem bolt. (some boxes may also contain the bell and reflectors if they are not already attached to the bike)
- Turn the front fork around so the brake is facing forwards.
Front Brake and Front Wheel
- Remove the plastic protector inserted into the bottom of the fork.
- Loosen the bolts on either side of the wheel axle until they are close to the end. You are making enough space that they will be out of the way when trying to place the fork on the axle.
- Move the brake pads apart wide enough to allow the tire to pass through. To do this, with the 10mm wrench, loosen the nut on the pinch bolt to allow the brake cable to move freely - once the cable is no longer secured the springs in the brake will immediately make the brake expand, pushing the brake pads apart.
- Place the drops outs of the front fork (the little claw looking part) onto the wheel axle.
- Our tires are non-directional so either way you secure the wheel to the bike is correct.
- Fully tighten both wheel axle bolts equally with the 15mm wrench.
- Check brake pad alignment with the wheel rim by using your hand to push the pads inward until touching the rim. (*they have been pre-checked before shipping for perfect alignment, but please double check and adjust if needed. They should NOT rub on the tire wall at all).
- Squeeze brake pads together until about a half a cm from the rim with one hand, then pull the cable through the pinch bolt with the other hand, and re-tighten with the 10mm wrench.
- Lift up the front wheel and give it a light spin to see if the brake pads rub on the rim - if they do the brake is too tight and the cable needs to be let out - *a few millimetres only.
- If the cable isn't too tight, you can look to see if the brake has been pushed in on one side and then manually straighten it out so that the pads evenly straddle the wheel on both sides.
- Spin the wheel again, and squeeze the lever. Check for pad rub and double check brake pad alignment. The brake lever should move approximately 1/3 of the way to the grip.
NOTE: new brake cables will stretch during early use. How quickly depends on how often you ride and use the brake. The cable will need to be tightened as the cable stretches. Consult your local bike mechanic if you have any questions.
STEM & HANDLEBARS
- Grab your 6mm hex wrench and spin the bolt at the top of the stem to loosen - this will retract the quill and allow you to remove the plastic cover at the bottom of the stem that covers quill. (* bonus, you get to see and learn how a quill stem works!)
- Insert the handlebars and quill stem and into the head tube.
- Ensure the brake and cable are in front of the head tube.
- Visually align the handlebars and quill stem so they are straight and aligned with the fork. i.e. so that your handlebars are straight and the wheel is straight pointing forward. This may take a bit of tweaking.
- Adjust the stem to preferred height, then tighten the bolt on top of the stem with the 6mm allen key. IMPORTANT: Make sure the stem does not exceed the maximum height indicator line.
- Adjust the handlebar angle so the grips are approximately parallel with the ground. This will depend on your height - i.e. parallel to the ground for shorter folks, and slightly angled upwards for taller folks.
- Tighten the clamp bolt on the stem to secure the handle bars using the 6mm allen key. * be sure this is quite tight.
PEDALS
- Locate a bit of grease - ask your local bike mechanic for this if you don't have any at home.
- Remove pedals from their packaging. Each pedal is stamped “L” for left, and “R” for right on the end of the threaded spindle. The stamping can be hard to see, because it is tiny, but it is there and it is important
- Place a pea size dollop of grease on the pedal spindle threads and SLOWLY begin to thread in the RIGHT pedal (marked R) into the RIGHT side of the bike (the side next to the belt). You will be turning the pedal clockwise, or towards the front of the bike.
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IMPORTANT: be absolutely sure you have the pedal flush and the threads line up with the threads in the crank arm (ie the receiving part), go SLOWLY and allow the treads to engage, IF you have any resistance, reverse rotation and start again. The pedal should thread in easily and without resistance.
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IMPORTANT: be absolutely sure you have the pedal flush and the threads line up with the threads in the crank arm (ie the receiving part), go SLOWLY and allow the treads to engage, IF you have any resistance, reverse rotation and start again. The pedal should thread in easily and without resistance.
- Insert the LEFT pedal on the LEFT side and follow the directions from above, BUT for this pedal you will be rotating anti-clockwise - ie turning the pedal towards the front of the bike.
- Use the 15mm wrench to tighten both
NOTE: Crank threads & pedals threads that have been cross threaded or stripped or crushed in anyway due to not being properly aligned before threading in and tightening - and/or tightened properly - are void of warranty. This can cause damage this is not repairable and the part will need to be replaced at a cost to the purchaser.
SADDLE AND SEAT POST
- This one is easy!
- Remove the saddle and seat post from the protective packaging. It should be set perfectly (we have checked!) at a neutral position and ready to insert into the seat tube.
- You can then close the seat post clamp at your desired height. You will very likely revisit the height once your bike is completely built.
LAST BITS
- Use your bike pump to inflate both tires to the proper pressure. Your tires are rated to 60psi. We recommend inflating your tires 50-55psi to allow for air expansion on hotter days.
- Attach your bell and reflectors (if not already attached upon delivery).
- Insert the tiny plastic plug into the stem bolt.
SAFTEY CHECK
- Ensure you have tightened everything securely.
- Ensure your tires are inflated to the correct psi.
- Record your bike serial number and register your bike with us - see our bike registry page link in the footer
Although our bikes are easy to assemble we recommend visiting your local bike mechanic to have them check over your work. DIY is awesome - but a professional eye to look over your DIY is even awesomer.
Manuals
Cypre Bikes Manual Here is the manual for your new Cypre Bike. Have a read through as there is some important safety information in there for you.
Gates Belt Drive Manual: Here is the manual for your Gates Belt Drive System.
BELT TENSION - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Our bikes come perfectly tensioned at about 35Hz. Check out the video below on how to check your tension.