Dear Bülk Ambassador,
For a successful test drive by a completely inexperienced prospective buyer, there are a few things to consider.
A fairly good adjustment of the seat, headrest and leg length will be crucial to his ride feel and judgement. We want to provide support with this brief guide.
For a very first ride, it is advantageous to accompany the interested party with a bicycle. We would also recommend removing the hood on a first test drive so that the driver can get used to it more easily.
Since you are an experienced Bülk driver yourself, explain the brake system, special features when driving and precautionary rules to the interested party in detail. You can find all of this in your manual for the Bülk, [Click Here].
We have also written a short guide with the most important rules especially for the test driver. Discuss these before driving if there are any ambiguities.
BASIC SETTINGS
If your test driver is significantly taller or shorter than you, you should make a rough adjustment to his size in the basic setting:
Adjust the bottom bracket slide and the seating position so that he sits as far forward in the vehicle as possible. As a result, he has more stable driving dynamics and makes optimal use of the sporty advantages of the vehicle.
To do this, you sit in the vehicle, loosen the clamp screws of the bottom bracket slide and push the slide far enough forward that you still have enough space forward with your toes. Lock the sled and adjust the seat to a position that suits your leg length and bottom bracket sled position. The legs should not be fully extended when pedaling. Straight legs often lead to knee pain and are also not effective.
If your test rider is much taller than you, make sure there is enough chain length for first gear. Otherwise, the rear derailleur can get stuck when shifting to first gear and the test rider will never come back…
Don’t forget to tighten the bottom bracket again, otherwise it will move forward during the test ride and jam the rear derailleur
So if you have found a position for yourself as far forward in the vehicle as possible, you still have to adjust the angle of inclination of the seat and the head rest area. You can find information about this below.
QUICK SETTINGS
If your test driver is of a similar size to you, it will probably be sufficient if you use the quick adjusters to make the adjustment.
Quick settings include seat position, seatback angle and headrest.
You can snap the seat into different positions in the locking rail. Choose a position where you have the correct distance to the bottom bracket (see previous paragraph).
Now choose the right headrest adapter according to the following scheme:
• Persons from 145-165 cm choose the small adapter
• Persons from 165-180 cm choose the medium adapter
• People over 180 cm usually do not need an adapter at all
The adapter is fixed using the Velcro fastener, as far back as possible, so that the inner foam block also grips with its Velcro.
The adapter still receives the pillow, which is also attached with Velcro.
The seat back inclination is now adjusted using a rigid foam board (a stack of foam boards located behind the seat) so that it fits the head position in the head rest adapter. The head should neither be looking too far into the sky (poor vision with varifocals) nor should it be bent too far forward (impaired breathing). However, a comfortable resting of the head is favorable for longer comfortable driving. The flat seating position in connection with the well-adjustable headrest allows long and relaxed driving. Experiment with fine tuning. Driving pleasure is largely dependent on the optimum overall setting.
CORRECT SETTING OF THE TILLER CABLE
For a first test drive, it is of great advantage if the tiller is adjusted for the driver via the tiller cable and the armrests are adjusted accordingly at the same time. Then it is very easy for the novice driver to steer and drive stably.
The steel cable that holds the steering column away from the driver can be lengthened or shortened using a clamping screw.
The optimal setting will be with the steering column about 10-15 from your stomach and chest area.
This prevents your body from hitting the steering column in a frontal crash.
Furthermore, this enables good breathing and, in conjunction with side armrests, creates a stable steering triangle.
The armrests should be adjusted so that they support the arms when your hands are on the steering column.
Also explain to him that he shouldn’t clench the tiller handlebars (because then the vehicle won’t find its own track) but should keep his hands relaxed on the handlebars.