Essential Checks Before Your Ride | Road Bike Maintenance Tips

How often do you check your road bike before going out for a ride? It's not something we always think to do but it could help keep your bike running smoothly and prevent your ride ending in tears! Today on Maintenance Monday Jon shares a few things you should check before every ride.

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What do you check every time you ride? Let us know 👇

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[gcntech]

What pre-ride checks to you do? Let us know!

[paulfortin]

At my age, 72, the first thing I check for is a pulse.

[shamrilnawi]

my pre-ride checks include my wife's mood...

[janwillemkuilenburg]

Tyre pressure for me is the first thing to check.
And 4 different weather forecasts the day before to have a tailwind on the way home.

[obidavekenobe]

I always check the weather, especially wind direction.

[BarPedal]

Tires are usually our main point of concern. A quick inspection for condition and a squeeze to check for tire pressure usually gets us on our way. These are great tips though, thanks GCN! Always better safe than sorry.

[khazza]

Strava on? yep, we're good to go!

[edwardojr]

Another good check, that your rear tail light has sufficient battery life for the miles ahead. I pull mine off and recharge after nearly every ride to be sure

[josephlaviolette]

You missed the most obvious one! Air pressure. I air up before every ride. Also I always wipe my rotors down with denatured alcohol or acetone.

[oooTDLooo]

Tyre pressure is a must for checking! I always do before every ride.

[brianbuday]

Lights working and hopefully fully charged front and rear.🚴🏼👍

[arturnaumiuk]

For me religiously it is tire pressure, wipe the chain and re-lube, check brakes with calipers levers if are in closed position. Then if my Garmin is running LOL.

[bondy]

Happy New Year Jon.
Always check before each ride the condition of
1/. Tyres & pressures.
2/. Clean chain / re lube.
3/. Charge lights😎🇦🇺

[gregr]

It’s good to check the battery on your Di2 (if you have Di2), I have a riding buddy that ended up riding half the ride w/o being able to shift.

[rodrodriguez]

A pre check is a must. What i do check is tire pressure and fully charged rear blinker lights

[ericpaterson]

I always check the time of day, my calendar, and my estimate of how long the planned route will take. This is especially true during the week when training rides have to be coordinated with work schedules.

[TAlien]

Check wallet for cash and credit card. Check to see if the end of ride pub will be open! Very essential pre-ride checks!

[pmtrieve]

I use denatured alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol) applied to an old tube sock to clean the braking surfaces -- rims & brake pads -- after each ride. Makes for whisper quiet braking.

[joebikeguy]

FYI, I have used the super glue trick many times when I have a little slice in a tire without a problem, HOWEVER, the last small slice I fixed went right through the inner mesh of the tire, and the hardened super glue was poking into the tube and finally poked a hole in it! So, if the slice goes all the way through the tire, (particularly if it is a fairly new tire), I put a tube patch on the inside of the tire then apply the super glue. The patch protects the tube!

[frisedel]

Tyre pressure, tools in place (pump, tyre leavers etc), breaks and visual so that nothing seems off