Several times I have found myself running into issues out on the trail that could have been prevented by having a pre ride checklist to run through on the bike.
So what items should be on my pre ride checklist? While you might not think of these items initially the following items should be on your pre ride checklist to help prevent issues while out on the trails.
- Essentials
- Tires/Wheels
- Chain
- Shifting
- Braking
- Crank Arms/Pedals
- Axles
- Saddle height
- Extras
- Bike Computer
- Lighting
- Dropper post
After years of experience, mistakes and rushing to get ready to ride I came up with a pre-ride checklist of items that should be reviewed prior to hitting the trails. This list is broken out into essentials which most bikes should have as well as extras that should be looked at if you have them.
Essentials
Check Tires/Wheels
What: Check tires, spokes, rims and air valves. As they are all wrapped up together, you can easily check all three at the same time.
Why: These can all lead to an issue anywhere during your ride and it’s easier to try and eliminate problems if you can detect them early enough.
How: As listed above there are several things to think about when it comes to checking this part of your bike as it consists of several components that could fail during a ride. These components are the Tire (outer rubber portion), rim (outer metal portion of the wheel), the spokes (connects the rim to the hub), air valves and tubes (unless you are running tubeless)
If it has been a while you are going to want to look at your rubber to see if it is dry rotted. If this is the case then replace as soon as you can to prevent any issues that could be caused by failing sidewalls.
You are also going to want to keep an eye on the tread wear too. Depending on previous riding conditions you may need to worry about chucks of knobs missing or even cuts for that matter. Lack of knobs equals lack of traction.
If you know the trail conditions go ahead and set you air pressure accordingly. Remember, too much air and you will be bouncing around like crazy. Too little air while riding on a tube can lead to pinch flats and on tubeless could lead to popping of the bead.
Typically you will want to run with slightly less air in the front tire to help with better handling and cornering. Be sure to check the maximum pressure setting on your tube to ensure you don’t go over.
Check Chain
What: Check and clean the chain and sprockets
Why:A dirty or dry chain can be annoying for you and your fellow riders. Dirty and gritty chains lead to noisy rotations that also add additional wear and tear to your sprocket.
How: Checking the chain the night before will give you the opportunity to throw some degreaser on the chain and sprocket. After using the degreaser just run some water over the chain and dry with a towel.
Once dried off, grab your chain lube needed for the trail conditions you expect to face. You have two choices to choose from here; either wet or dry lube. If you are unsure you can save this for right before you get on the trail as this should only take a few seconds.
Wet lube is ,as the name suggests, is best for wetter, muddier, nastier conditions as it has the ability to last longer once applied properly. The downside is that because it is a wet lube it tends to pick up and hold onto grime longer. It is also harder to cleanup post ride which is why most(myself included) prefer to use the dry lube.
Dry lube is, as its name suggests, is best used for dryer conditions. This has more of a waxy finish that lubricates the chain and has less chance of holding onto dirt and grime like a wet lube. The downside here is that it doesn’t last long in wet conditions as it will get worn off the chain.
A good wet lube can last on the chain for several short rides or even a nice long ride whereas the dry lube may only last you as long as a couple of shorter rides.
Regardless of which you choose you are going to want to have something on your chain to help extend the life of your components.
Check shifting
What: This is something you will be testing while you are also working on the chain. After applying the lube to the chain, work your way through all the gears to ensure that there aren’t any issues with sticking or jumping between gears.
Why: This will help transfer the lube across the drivetrain and help identify any issues you may experience when shifting on the trails. Its better to identify them before you get on the trails so you can fix them ahead of time. Nothings worse than loosing all momentum heading up a steep incline due to a shifting/gear problem.
How: The first part of this is simple as you have already done part of it with the check of the chain. Simply cycle through all of your gears looking, listening and feeling for any issues while shifting. It may be hard to identify all issues while on a stand due to less resistance on the tires and drivetrain.
If you have the time, after applying the lube and shifting through the gears on the stand, take it for a quick spin to shift through all the gears and see if you can identify any other issues.
If you still have issues with shifting not lining up then you are going to want to look at your derailleur. The key is to make sure that the hanger isn’t bent and if it is you can replace it for less than $20.
If the hanger is good and you are still having a problem then you are going to want to adjust the derailleur. You can do this by eye or use a tool like this one from Worldwide Cyclery that will help ensure that you have the proper spacing for around $6.
If anything on the backend is out of line even the slightest bit you could have an issue with the tension or strain on the the chain and gears doing more harm than good. Another thing to look at here as you are inspecting the derailleur is whether or not the teeth on the cassette are worn down.
Worn teeth are another big culprit for shifting problems as the chain has less to grip onto. If some sections are worn more than others and you happen to be on that section of the cassette when you are shifting it could drop right back into the original gear and leave you cussing.
Check braking
What: Lever and Cable adjustment, pad and rotor inspection
Why: While I am sure most of us like to fly down the trail, you still need to be able to slow down on portions as well as stoping when you just aren’t comfortable enough to tackle an obstacle.
The key here is to ensure that there are no adjustments needed to either the front or rear brakes. You are also going to want to look at the pads to ensure you can clearly see the difference between the backing of the brake vs the brake pad.
How: The simple test here is to spin both the front and rear wheels. While they are spinning, listen for any rubbing of rotor and brake pads. If this is happening, then you have either a bent rotor or you need to repress your pads.
Why might you have to repress your pads you ask? Simple, or at least in my case its simple as I have to travel with my front wheel off of the bike. This can cause an issue as sometimes the front brake pedal accidentally gets pressed and forces the pads out while there isn’t a rotor for them to come in contact with.
Another option to look at here is to ensure the proper placement of the levers themselves. Most riders prefer to have the one finger setup. This means that while riding most of your hand is resting on your grips with only your index finger resting on your lever.
This allows you better control and ensures that you wont have to worry about smashing your digits when you have to brake quickly. That and if your other fingers get in the way when you are braking you won’t get the full breaking power which could lead to a crash.
Pedal and Check Crank arm tightness
What: Pedal and Crank Arm tightness
Why: Checking Crank arm tightness is a must to ensure you don’t run into any issues while out on the trail. I have run into issues while out on the trail where the crank had started to work itself loose and make a ton of noise. A simple crank on the crank and you are good to ride.
How: This is one of the simpler items to check on and tighten on our checklist. While this is something that can also be handled on the trail with your multi tool its much easier to use with the much larger Crank Bolt wrench.
This tool gives you better grip to ensure you get the proper amount of torque. More often than not, if you manage to knock this out before your ride it should hold out for your entire ride.
While in this location, take a quick look at your pedals and ensure they are tight as well. You don’t want to have issues while attacking the trail with a loose pedal that could end up ruining your crank. Especially if you are hucking some bigger drops.
Check Axel tightness
What: Front and rear axle tightness
Why: Well, last thing you want is to lose control caused by a loose axle. I never thought of the rear axle on my bike until we hit up Farlow’s Gap in Brevard,NC. This trail has a ton of technical bits which have a lot of impact happening with your components on your bike. Shortly after we finished up with Farlow’s gap, we still had about 3 miles of trail back to the campsite, I started experiencing some rear braking problems.
After a little bit of this I hopped off the bike and realized that the rear axle had started to work itself loose. Panic hit as I thought I had broken something at first but cooler heads prevailed when my buddy came back with a multi tool which allowed me to tighten up the rear axle and make it back to camp without any other issues.
How: Depending on your setup, you will have different techniques to use. The original front axle on my Specialized Fuse Expert had a bolt action. The newer Axle on the front is a Maxle which makes it easier to take the front tire on and off of the bike when needed.
On some bikes you simple spin the lever on the axle and lock it in ensuring you have some tightness once locked in. On the newer bolt style ones like the one that came with my Fuse, insert the allen key on the multi tool and crank it down to ensure its nice and snug.
Warning: Be sure to take your time and focus on what you are doing. I had finished up a ride one afternoon and the rain started pouring down. In a rush to get in the car and out of the rain, I didn’t get the allen key fully inserted which caused me to strip out the bolt. It really is a pain to get one of these axles out when you strip it out.
Check saddle height
What: Check and Adjust your saddle height
Why: This is mainly for comfort purposes but comfort is key for rides especially on the longer rides. If your saddle height leads to discomfort this can cause problems with your back and knees that will ultimately limit your riding range.
The main reason for needing to check and adjust your saddle height is that you raised it up to do other maintenance on a bike stand. Another reason can come simply from riding, especially riding hard, in that your saddle comes out of alignment or sinks some into the frame.
How: Prior to raising your seat post for placement on your bike stand, simply make a note of where its current placement is. On most newer seat posts there are markings that help you identify where it currently is. If you don’t have markings, you can score a line in the post or mark it with some painters tape.
Depending on your style of bike you will need to use either an allen key to tighten the clamp around your seat post or simply crank down the quick release clamp. After it’s tight, add a little weight to the seat and ensure that there is no movement.
Extras
Check computer
What: Check computer and components
Why: To ensure that all your data is captured correctly you are going to want to make sure the batteries are good and connections are all aligned properly.
How: This does vary depending on what type of computer you install on the bike. I run the Cat Eye computer , like this one on Amazon, on my bike that sits on the handlebars. There is a cable that runs down the front fork and is aligned with a magnet that is attached to the spokes on your front tire.
I also have a Garmin Forerunner watch that sits on the handlebars that runs on GPS and uses a cadence sensor that rests on the frame and tracks the riders cadence every time the rider pedals the bike. This helps the rider track how much physical output they have on a ride vs just how many miles they may ride.
If you have installed a computer on your bike to keep track of your stats on your ride you are going to want to check the battery status of the cadence sensor on the pedal as well as the main computer.
Another aspect of the computer you are going to want to check will be the sensor connection on the rim. If the connections don’t line up properly, you are going to run into issues with the tracking being off and not giving you an less accurate reading on your ride.
Check Dropper post
What: Check the function of the Dropper Post
Why: The last thing you want after getting use to running a dropper post is for the dang thing to stop working when you need it most, which can lead to a crash or loss of momentum on a fun portion of trail.
How: If you have a dropper post on your bike you are going to want to do a simple check to ensure that your seat raises and lowers without too much friction. While the bike is resting on the ground or even on your bike rack, push in the lever and apply pressure to the seat.
This will/should cause the seat to lower. Release the lever once the seat is all the way down and watch to see if it starts creeping up. If it does start slowly creeping up adjust the tightness of the seat post just a hair. If you have recently raised your seat be sure to ensure that it is at the proper saddle height and test again.
On occasion, if you raise the seat post too much, as in to place on bike stand, you put stress on the cable going to the bottom of the dropper post. A quick test to see if this is the case, once you have lower the seat post back, is to grab the cable housing and move it back and forth. If you hear a click you might have just solved your problem as the cable was in somewhat of a limbo.
This was partly my case a few months back which cause erratic behavior in the dropper post. If you start running into issues here you are going to want to replace the cable on the cable driven posts. I recently ran into an issue where the seat would fluctuate during the ride. After a trip to the LBS we found out that there was corrosion on the inside of the cabling and we simply replaced the old cable, cleaned out and lubed up the housing.
Check lighting
What: Check light housing, battery and bulb
Why: If you are planning on doing night riding or even a longer planned your are going to want to ensure that the lights will work when you need them too. Its obvious for the night rides but why might you need this check in place for longer rides? This is simply because you may run into the situation where your ride finishes later than you planned and you start losing sunlight.
How: This is a pretty quick check. Simply check the batteries and the connections in the light. Using a battery tester you can see how much life is left and you also want to ensure there is no corrosion on the terminals if it has been a while.
If it is a rechargeable option via usb ensure you plug it in and charge it before your ride. Test the light before your ride to ensure that the bulb is still functioning properly. Last thing you want is to get out to the trail and have little to no light coming from the device.
Ensure the housing isn’t cracked and can be secured correctly to the bike. This will ensure you don’t lose it on your first obstacle on the trail. Especially if you are cruising at a pretty good pace.
And then there is the rest of your gear!!!
Helmet, glove, shoes, hydration and snacks
Helmets need to be reviewed from time to time to ensure the material is still in good shape with out any cracks. Depending on who you ask there are several different mindsets when it comes to replacing helmets. If you have had a bad crash or two with a specific helmet its always a good idea to go ahead and replace it.
Gloves add to the comfort in your ride. Ensure that there is enough material for the time of year. Cooler weather means you need warmer gloves that still have some breathability for comfort.
The worst feeling is to get to the trail head, unload the bike and realize that you left you clip-less shoes back at the house. Make sure to get these items loaded in your vehicle and checked off the list before you leave the house.
Whether you are hydrating by a bottle or hydration pack ensure that the containers have been cleaned out if it’s been a while. Once cleaned out, add fresh water or your choice of hydration for your ride.
Last but not least, don’t forget your snacks. On more than one occasion I have run into this issue. It sucks, you are having a blast and feel the energy draining. You go to grab a snack and your pack is empty. That makes for a crappy finish to a ride.
As always, once you have finished your check list, grab your gear, get out there and enjoy your ride!