Do clean and conserve your bicycle diligently!

The best things to clean your bicycle with are warm water and a soft cloth. If your bicycle is very dirty first take a wet sponge to soften the dirt and then remove it. In case of bad grease or oil stains you should use a special cleansing agent for bicycles in addition.

Caution! Do not use any cleansing agents that scrub or are chemically aggressive since they affect the paintwork. Before using any cleansing agent please test it at a part of your bicycle that is not immediately visible.

Caution! Do not use any high-pressure cle- aner.The strong jet of water goes through the seals of the bearings, blows away the lu- be and causes corrosion of the bearing parts and the chain. In addition to this it may damage stickers.

While cleaning your bicycle check it for any cracks, scratches, deformations, damaged parts, looses spokes etc. If you are in doubt please consult your local bike shop.

Caution! Any damage of the paintwork has to be cleaned from rust and repaired imme- diately, else the damaged part in the frame gives way to corrosion that nests in the surrounding paintwork.This can result in damage of the frame.

In case of small scratches at the surface of the powder coating of the frame or the surface of the seat or the Speedbag you can simply polish them away.You can buy a special polishing agent for epoxy resins at a specialist dealer for boat building. Do not use a polish for metal!

After you have cleaned the bicycle, dry it and treat the paintwork and the metal surfaces with wax.You can purchase this wax from your local bike dealer as a convenient spray.

The wax passes moisture and flows into tiny gaps and pores.After some minutes the solvent evaporates and leaves a dull and glutinous film. Now polish the waxed parts of your bicycle with a soft cloth to make it real shiny.

Do not only wax the frame but also the spo- kes, hubs, screws and nuts etc.You can also conserve the chain with wax spray after lubricating it, see also the chapter on "Chain", page 36.

The frame has small holes for ventilation that prevent condensation in the frame.These drilling holes must not be sealed. However, moisture may enter the frame through the drilling holes.Therefore protect the inside of your frame by applying wax spray through the holes.

Protect the parts where cables or chain tubes may scratch the frame with a layer of tape.You can buy extra strong transparent tape at your do-it-yourself-store.That way you avoid scratches in the powder coating and coating coming off.

Maintenance and care

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