Cannondale Bicycles - Manual (Page 59)

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CAUTION: Never move the shifter while pedaling backward, nor pedal
backwards after having moved the shifter. This could jam the chain and
cause serious damage to the bicycle.
WARNING: Never shift a misadjusted derailleur onto the largest or the
smallest sprocket. The chain could jam, causing you to lose control and fall.
1) Shifting the Rear Derailleur
The rear derailleur is controlled by the right shifter.
The function of the rear derailleur is to move the drive chain from one gear to
another on the rear gear cluster, thereby changing gear drive ratios. The
smaller sprockets on the gear cluster produce higher gear ratios. Pedaling in
the higher gears requires greater pedaling effort, but takes you a greater dis-
tance with each revolution of the pedal cranks. The larger sprockets produce
lower gear ratios. Using them requires less pedaling effort, but takes you a
shorter distance with each pedal crank revolution. Moving the chain from a
smaller sprocket of the gear cluster to a larger sprocket results in a
downshift. Moving the chain from a larger sprocket to a smaller sprock-
et results in an upshift. In order for the derailleur to disengage the chain
from one sprocket and move it on to another, the chain must be moving for-
ward (i.e. the rider must be pedaling forward).
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2000 owner's manual 10/27/99 10/27/99 11:16 AM Page 55