quality time quality bike
®
BuddBike
6 7
quality time quality bike
®
BuddBike
as you approach parking lot driveways, children and others on foot, bicycles, skate boards
or roller blades. Watch out for school and other buses approaching a stop. When you come
to a stop, both captain and stoker should extend one foot to the ground, and then both feet if
you have to wait for a stoplight.
On the flats, the captain can usually control speed by applying both brake levers. Apply the
rear brake lever first, then the front brake lever. On a downhill ride or in an emergency situ-
ation use both captain’s and stoker’s brakes to slow or to stop. Both riders should practice
braking on the flats and on downhill runs until you both are thoroughly familiar with the brak-
ing power and speed control of the Buddy Bike’s brakes.
NOTE: When it’s raining, your brakes, good as they are, will lose some stopping power. It will
take longer to stop when wheel rims are wet. In wet conditions, apply brakes sooner than you
would in dry conditions. Both captain and stoker should
use both sets of brakes, even at low speeds. Reduce
speed in wet weather and beware of slippery surfaces.
For more safe cycling information visit our web site:
www.buddybike.com/BikeSafety.html
HOW AND WHEN TO SHIFT GEARS
7-Speed Buddy Bike Family (BB102-AL)
Buddy Bike Family is equipped with the Shimano’s NEX-
US INTER 7. It can shift to any gear anytime, even at
a stop. To shift, simply rotate the gripshift on the right
of the captain’s handlebar (A in Figure 6). The 7 speed
gear combinations gives you a wide range of choices for
easy pedaling. By turning the gripshift toward you, select
gear 6 or 7 for pedaling downhill. While on level roads
or paths use gears 3, 4 or 5. Upon pedaling uphill, turn
the gripshift away from you to gear 1 or 2. By selecting
the proper gear, you can make pedaling comfortable and
easier for both riders.
27-Speed Buddy Bike Sport (BB104-AL-27)
Buddy Bike Sport is equipped with a Shimano Deore 27
speed hub. This bike includes a derailleur so it is best to
shift gears while pedaling. To shift the gears, push the
bottom lever to lower the gear and pull the top lever to
shift to a higher gear on the left side (Figure 7A) or right
side (Figure 7B) of the captain’s handlebar. The Deore
hub is considered a professional level component. The
shifters are not numbered or marked so practice shifting
until you are comfortable with the procedure and various
gear levels.
HOW TO FIT YOUR BUDDY BIKE TO YOU AND YOURS
Before you go off for your first practice rides, have your bicycle dealer inspect the Buddy
Bike and make the following handlebar and seat adjustments to your Buddy Bike for your
riding comfort and safety. You could make them yourself, if you wish, using a torque wrench
(Figure 8) to tighten nuts and bolts to the torque tightness specified, so you are sure they
are safely tight.
FOLD-OUT FOOT PEGS (sold separately)
To install the fold-out foot pegs (Figure 4A): 1) remove the ad-
hesive from the padded tape sections and press to the inside
curve of each foot peg; 2) with the pegs folded up, position the
pegs on the small down tube in front of the front rider seat and 3)
use the included screws to secure the pegs to the tube. The foot
pegs should be positioned above the path of the pedals so the
stoker’s feet will be safely out of the pedal motion path.
While the stoker is pedaling, fold the pegs up (Figure 4B). For
smaller riders, fold each peg down (Figure 4C) so they can rest
their feet out of the way of the pedal motion path.
PRACTICE BRAKING AND SAFE SPEED CONTROL
First, be aware that the right side of a bicycle is the side to your
right as you sit on the seat. That’s the side the chainwheel is on.
Figure 5 was taken from riders’ point of view. The brake lever
on the left side of the captain’s handlebar is for the front brake
(D in Figure 5). The brake lever on the right side of the captain’s
handlebar is for the rear brake (C in Figure 5). The brake lever
on the right stoker’s handlebar is for the additional brake which
is a hub brake on some versions of Buddy Bike Family or a
standard brake caliper on the rear wheel of Buddy Bike Sport
(E in Figure 5). The stoker’s brake provides additional braking
power and a sense of control for the stoker but it will not stop the
bike if used alone.
CAUTION: Your Buddy Bike can go faster than single bikes,
for these reasons:
The Buddy Bike with aluminum frame weighs 51-55 pounds
(depending upon bike model and accessories). That’s just 27.5
pounds or less for each of you. The rider on a typical bike (ex-
cluding road bikes) has to push its 33 pounds alone.
The captain is shielded from wind by the front rider or stoker so
you both have only half the wind resistance faced by a single
biker. For these reasons your Buddy Bike is a lot easier to pedal,
so please keep it at a speed that lets you slow down or stop
quickly and safely in an emergency.
Again, as you practice riding
the Buddy Bike in a safe place
try stopping at various speeds,
say at 5, 10 and 15 miles per
hour. Note how many feet it
takes to stop at each of these
speeds. Use the captain’s
brakes alone then combined
with the stoker’s brake. Use
this information to keep your
speed under control. Go slow-
er in traffic, for example, where
you may have to make a sud-
den, unexpected stop. Look as
far ahead as possible, be alert
Figure 4A
Figure 4B
Figure 4C
STOKER HANDLEBARS
CAPTAIN HANDLEBARS
DBA
C
E
Figure 5
Figure 7A - BB104 Left Shifter
Figure 7B - BB104 Right Shifter
A
Figure 6 - BB102 Grip Shifter
