The Two-Minute Pre-Ride Check Every Rider Should Do
Most riders skip the pre-ride check. Then they find the flat rear tyre at 100km/h on the freeway instead of at zero in the driveway.
You do not need a clipboard. You need a routine that takes about as long as putting your gloves on, and catches the small number of faults that actually put you in hospital.
Here it is.
The three you do every single ride
If you only ever do three things, do these.
1. Tyres. Look at both. Pressure first: a visibly squatting rear or a soft front is the most common serious fault on a road bike, and under-inflation destroys handling before it destroys the tyre. Check pressures properly with a gauge weekly, and eyeball them every ride. Then scan the tread for screws, nails, glass, cuts and uneven wear.
2. Brakes. Squeeze the front lever. It should firm up at a consistent point. If it comes back further than usual, or feels spongy, do not ride. Press the rear pedal for the same reason. Glance at the pads through the caliper if you can see them.
3. Chain. Tension and lubrication. A chain with excessive slack can jump a sprocket or, worse, snap and lock the rear wheel. A dry chain wears out fast and can seize. Check slack against your bike's manual figure, roll the bike forward and check it in a couple of positions, because chains wear unevenly.
Those three take about forty seconds and cover the overwhelming majority of catastrophic mechanical failures.
The full walkaround
Once a week, or before any longer ride, do the rest.
Lights and indicators. Headlight high and low, tail light, brake light on both the lever and the pedal, and all four indicators. A brake light that has failed is invisible to you and lethal in traffic.
Levers and cables. Full range of movement on clutch and brake levers, no fraying on visible cables, throttle snapping cleanly closed when released. A sticking throttle is genuinely dangerous.
Fluids. Oil level via the sight glass or dipstick with the bike upright, not on the side stand. Coolant in the overflow bottle. Brake fluid level in both reservoirs, and note the colour. Dark brown fluid needs changing.
Fasteners. Quick look at axle nuts, caliper bolts and anything you or a workshop recently touched. Vibration undoes things.
Suspension and forks. Look for oil weeping down the fork legs and a wet shock body. Blown seals ruin handling and fail roadworthy inspections.
Mirrors and screen. Adjusted, clean, tight.
Under the bike. Glance at the ground where it has been parked. Fresh drips tell you a lot before you have touched anything.
The bit most riders forget
Check yourself, not just the bike.
- Helmet strap done up properly, visor clean and not scratched into a glare hazard
- Gloves on, not in the tank bag
- Zips, straps and armour actually in position
- No loose drawstrings, straps or bag cords near the chain or rear wheel
- Phone mounted or stowed, not in your hand at the lights
And a genuine one: are you fit to ride? Tired, angry, rushing or hungover are all conditions that degrade riding more than a slightly low tyre does.
Make it a habit, not a task
The riders who do this consistently do not think of it as an inspection. It is a rhythm they run while the bike warms up.
Walk to the bike. Look at the ground under it. Squeeze the front lever as you swing a leg over. Glance down at the chain and the front tyre. Flick the lights and indicators. Roll off.
Forty seconds, every ride, without deciding to do it.
Gear is part of the check
The check is about eliminating the failures you can control. Gear is the same principle applied to the outcome you cannot control.
Riding jeans matter here because legs are the most common contact point in an off, and standard denim gives you almost nothing. SA1NT builds single layer riding denim with CORETEC technology. UHMWPE, the world's strongest fibre, is wrapped around a lycra core and woven through the denim, so you get abrasion protection without a bulky liner or a garment you have to change out of when you arrive.
The 14oz Unbreakable Coretec is CE EN17092-2:2020 Class AAA certified. The 12oz Coretec is CE EN17092-3:2020 Class AA. Both take D3O Ghost hip and knee armour.
One more thing that belongs in the check: inspect your gear after any crash and replace it. Abrasion damage and armour compression are not always visible, and a jean that has already taken a slide will not perform the same way twice.
The bottom line
Tyres, brakes, chain. Every ride, forty seconds. Full walkaround weekly and before anything long. Then check yourself as carefully as you checked the bike.
SHOP OUTLET
The Two-Minute Pre-Ride Check Every Rider Should Do
The Two-Minute Pre-Ride Check Every Rider Should Do
Most riders skip the pre-ride check. Then they find the flat rear tyre at 100km/h on the freeway instead of at zero in the driveway.
You do not need a clipboard. You need a routine that takes about as long as putting your gloves on, and catches the small number of faults that actually put you in hospital.
Here it is.
The three you do every single ride
If you only ever do three things, do these.
1. Tyres. Look at both. Pressure first: a visibly squatting rear or a soft front is the most common serious fault on a road bike, and under-inflation destroys handling before it destroys the tyre. Check pressures properly with a gauge weekly, and eyeball them every ride. Then scan the tread for screws, nails, glass, cuts and uneven wear.
2. Brakes. Squeeze the front lever. It should firm up at a consistent point. If it comes back further than usual, or feels spongy, do not ride. Press the rear pedal for the same reason. Glance at the pads through the caliper if you can see them.
3. Chain. Tension and lubrication. A chain with excessive slack can jump a sprocket or, worse, snap and lock the rear wheel. A dry chain wears out fast and can seize. Check slack against your bike's manual figure, roll the bike forward and check it in a couple of positions, because chains wear unevenly.
Those three take about forty seconds and cover the overwhelming majority of catastrophic mechanical failures.
The full walkaround
Once a week, or before any longer ride, do the rest.
Lights and indicators. Headlight high and low, tail light, brake light on both the lever and the pedal, and all four indicators. A brake light that has failed is invisible to you and lethal in traffic.
Levers and cables. Full range of movement on clutch and brake levers, no fraying on visible cables, throttle snapping cleanly closed when released. A sticking throttle is genuinely dangerous.
Fluids. Oil level via the sight glass or dipstick with the bike upright, not on the side stand. Coolant in the overflow bottle. Brake fluid level in both reservoirs, and note the colour. Dark brown fluid needs changing.
Fasteners. Quick look at axle nuts, caliper bolts and anything you or a workshop recently touched. Vibration undoes things.
Suspension and forks. Look for oil weeping down the fork legs and a wet shock body. Blown seals ruin handling and fail roadworthy inspections.
Mirrors and screen. Adjusted, clean, tight.
Under the bike. Glance at the ground where it has been parked. Fresh drips tell you a lot before you have touched anything.
The bit most riders forget
Check yourself, not just the bike.
And a genuine one: are you fit to ride? Tired, angry, rushing or hungover are all conditions that degrade riding more than a slightly low tyre does.
Make it a habit, not a task
The riders who do this consistently do not think of it as an inspection. It is a rhythm they run while the bike warms up.
Walk to the bike. Look at the ground under it. Squeeze the front lever as you swing a leg over. Glance down at the chain and the front tyre. Flick the lights and indicators. Roll off.
Forty seconds, every ride, without deciding to do it.
Gear is part of the check
The check is about eliminating the failures you can control. Gear is the same principle applied to the outcome you cannot control.
Riding jeans matter here because legs are the most common contact point in an off, and standard denim gives you almost nothing. SA1NT builds single layer riding denim with CORETEC technology. UHMWPE, the world's strongest fibre, is wrapped around a lycra core and woven through the denim, so you get abrasion protection without a bulky liner or a garment you have to change out of when you arrive.
The 14oz Unbreakable Coretec is CE EN17092-2:2020 Class AAA certified. The 12oz Coretec is CE EN17092-3:2020 Class AA. Both take D3O Ghost hip and knee armour.
One more thing that belongs in the check: inspect your gear after any crash and replace it. Abrasion damage and armour compression are not always visible, and a jean that has already taken a slide will not perform the same way twice.
The bottom line
Tyres, brakes, chain. Every ride, forty seconds. Full walkaround weekly and before anything long. Then check yourself as carefully as you checked the bike.