Installation & Use Guide
Installation
& Use Guide.
Your bike arrives with the fork, drivetrain, brakes and rear wheel already fitted. You fit the cockpit, front wheel, seatpost, saddle and pedals, charge the shifting, and have a mechanic check the torque before the first ride. This guide walks you through it, plus how to keep it fast for years.
Unboxing & first look
This is how your bike arrives: boxed at the factory, wheels and cockpit protected. Sound on.
What you will find in the box
The frame wrapped in foam, with the fork, bottom bracket, crankset, chain, derailleurs, brakes and rear wheel already fitted and the cables routed. The cockpit comes wrapped beside the frame, still connected by its brake hoses. The front wheel is packed beside the frame. Seat post and saddle, pedals, thru-axles, the derailleur charger on wireless builds, tools and the manual are in the accessory bag. On a few builds the cassette comes loose in the kit instead of on the wheel.
Cut the zip ties, not the foam. Lay a piece of cardboard on the floor to protect the paint while you work.
Then check which guide is yours, just below. Tyres ship deflated, inflate before the first ride.
Which guide is yours?
Look at the bike when you open the box. One question tells you where to start.
Start at the standard setup
This is how our bikes ship. You fit the cockpit onto the fork, then the front wheel, seatpost, saddle and pedals, charge the shifting, and you're done.
Road setup →MTB setup →
Start at full assembly
Unusual, but it happens on some builds. Fit those parts first with the photos from our factory line, then come back to the standard setup.
Full assembly →Know your bike
Every part you'll hear us mention, on a road bike and a mountain bike. Handy when you order spares or ask us a question.
Road bike setup
This is how our road bikes ship: fork, drivetrain, brakes and rear wheel fitted, cockpit wrapped beside the frame. Five steps, one hex key set, then the pedals and the charger just below. Carbon clamps: use the torque printed on the part, usually 5–6 Nm.
Cockpit onto the fork
Your cockpit comes wrapped, hanging from the frame by its brake hoses. Unwrap it (cut the zip ties, never the hoses). Put the split ring on the steerer to hold the fork, slide every spacer on, and lower the cockpit onto the steerer with the brake hose running under the stem. Fit the top cover and its bolt and tighten it only until the play is gone. Then line the stem up with the top tube and tighten the two side bolts in small steps, alternating, to the torque printed on the stem.
Seatpost installation
Two frame styles exist: lock-on (an external wedge you tighten from behind) and built-in lock (a hidden bolt inside the frame). Slide the post in, set your height, then tighten. Our aero posts are sized for your frame, no cutting, no adapters.
Front wheel installation
The wheel ships beside the frame with a disc guard and a caliper guard fitted. Remove both guards, drop the wheel into the fork so the rotor sits between the brake pads, then slide the thru-axle through and tighten.
Saddle adjustment
Loosen the two bolts under the saddle, slide it forward or back and set the tilt, then tighten both bolts evenly. Level is the right starting point for 90% of riders.
Handlebar alignment
Now that the front wheel is in, stand over it and look down the stem. If the bar is not perfectly square with the wheel, loosen the two bolts at the back of the stem, rotate the bar until it is, then tighten the side bolts again.
Pedal installation
Left is reverse-threaded
Pedals are marked L and R. The right pedal tightens clockwise (normal). The left pedal tightens counter-clockwise, it is reverse-threaded so it can't unscrew while you ride. Thread by hand first, then snug with a 15 mm wrench or 8 mm hex.
Charge and check the shifting
If your bike has WheelTop wireless shifting, the front and rear derailleurs each have their own battery, charged with the magnetic charger from the accessory bag. Charge both before the first ride. Then lift the rear wheel, turn the pedals and shift through every gear on both chainrings.
Mountain bike setup
Same logic as the road bike, with a few MTB-specific parts: inner-lock or quick-release seat clamp, a stem face plate for the bar, and a brake caliper you can center in 60 seconds.
Seatpost installation
Inner-lock frames use a small plate inside the seat tube (screw facing up, concave side to the post). Quick-release frames use a clamp ring, close the lever firmly; adjust the ring screw if it's too loose or too tight.
Front wheel mounting
Pull the protective rod out of the fork, remove the disc guard and caliper guard (leave the hub's metal plug alone), seat the wheel with the rotor between the pads, then insert the axle or quick-release and tighten.
Saddle adjustment
Loosen the two bolts, set fore-aft and tilt, tighten evenly. Slightly nose-down (1–2°) helps on steep climbs.
Handlebar installation
Unscrew the four bolts of the stem face plate, sit the bar in the stem centered on its markings, refit the plate and tighten the four bolts in a cross pattern, top-left, bottom-right, top-right, bottom-left.
Brake caliper centering
If the rotor rubs, loosen the two caliper bolts a quarter turn so the caliper floats, squeeze the brake lever and hold it, the caliper centers itself on the rotor, then tighten both bolts while holding the lever.
Full assembly
Fork, crankset or cassette loose in the box? That's unusual, but it happens on some builds. These are the steps from our factory line, photographed on an aero road bike with an integrated cockpit. Details can vary slightly between models; the order is the same. When you finish, go back to the standard setup: front wheel, seatpost, saddle, pedals and the charger.
In the box, in the accessory bag
- Hex key set
- Two open-end wrenches
- Cassette lockring tool
- Twitter manual
Good to have
- Torque wrench
- Adjustable wrench, to turn the lockring tool
- 15 mm pedal wrench
- Side cutter · large piece of cardboard
Unpack and check every part
Lay a large piece of cardboard on the floor and unpack everything onto it: frame, fork, cockpit, wheels, crankset, cassette, rear derailleur and chain. Check that every part is there before you start building.
Fork into the frame
Open the small parts bag: the split ring is used in the next step, the top cover and its bolt at the end of it. Slide the fork steerer up through the head tube. The cockpit stays resting on top of the frame while you work, because the brake hoses already connect it to the bike.
Integrated cockpit
Fit the first headset parts on the head tube and route the cables through their holes. Put the split ring on the steerer to hold the fork, slide the spacers on and lower the cockpit onto it. Fit the top cover and its bolt and tighten it only until the play is gone. Then line the stem up with the top tube and tighten the side bolts in small steps.
Front brake caliper
Mount the front caliper on the fork with its two bolts and tighten them. On this bike the caliper is made for a 160 mm rotor.
Rear derailleur
Take the mounting bolt out of the derailleur, fit the hanger piece on the frame dropout, then put the derailleur on and tighten the bolt so it hangs straight under the cassette.
Crankset
Take the cap off the crank, slide the drive-side crank through the bottom bracket, fit the left crank arm and the cap, then tighten the bolts evenly.
Cassette and rear wheel
On some bikes the cassette comes already fitted to the rear wheel: if yours does, go straight to the thru-axle. If it comes loose in the box, put the spacer ring on the hub, slide the cassette on (the splines only fit one way) and tighten the lockring firmly with the tool and a wrench, because it holds the whole cassette. Then drop the wheel into the frame and tighten the thru-axle.
Chain
Thread the chain through the front derailleur and around the rear derailleur pulleys, then join the two ends with the quick link and pull the chain until the link snaps shut.
Now go back to the standard setup
Front wheel, seatpost, saddle, a last check of the cockpit, the pedals and the charger are the same on every bike: continue from the front wheel.
Before you ride, have a certified bike mechanic check the torque on every bolt, the brakes and the wheels. It's what our warranty asks for, and it takes a shop very little time when the bike is already built.
Care & maintenance
Five minutes a week keeps a carbon bike feeling new for a decade.
Before every ride
- Brakes: squeeze both levers, firm, and the bike stops. Spongy lever = time for a bleed.
- Tires: pressure to the range printed on the sidewall; no cracks, no bald tread.
- Axles & quick releases: closed and tight. Bounce the bike gently, nothing should rattle.
Every week or two
- Clean: rinse with water after wet rides, wipe dry. Never a pressure washer, it forces water into bearings.
- Chain: one drop of lube per link, wait ten minutes, wipe the outside completely. Lube stays inside the rollers; what's outside only collects grit.
- Shifting: run through every gear, each shift should be crisp, no skipping, no chain rub. Check the derailleur hanger is straight.
Every season
- Wheels: spin and watch the rim, side-to-side or up-down wobble over 2 mm means the spokes need tensioning.
- Bottom bracket & hubs: remove, clean the bearings, re-grease, refit. Or let your local mechanic do the 30-minute job.
Carbon warning
- Any crack, deep scratch or colour change on a carbon part means the part is at the end of its life, stop riding it and message us with a photo. Carbon damage is not always obvious; when in doubt, ask.
Your warranty
2-year warranty, honored by us
Every Twitter bike sold by Twitter Bikes USA is covered for 2 years against manufacturing defects, with our make-it-right guarantee: if something arrives wrong, we fix it or replace it.
- Covers frame, fork and components under normal use.
- Doesn't cover crash damage, improper assembly or altered serial numbers.
- Spare parts supplied direct, hangers, pads, wheels, seatposts, for years after the warranty.
My bike record, keep this
The frame number is engraved under the bottom bracket. It identifies your bike for warranty and spare-part matching.
Stuck on a step?
A real person from our support team answers, usually within minutes.
WhatsApp Support+1 313 746-3367or email info@twitterbikeusa.com · twitterbikeusa.com