Check Your Bike Before You Ride

This article will guide you through a basic bike check that should be performed before every ride.

Steps

Do the ABC check first.
- Air. Check the tire pressure. For trails, the tire should deform quite a lot but not too much. For road riding, the tire should be quite hard. For gravel, the pressure should be something in between.
- Brakes. Check to see that they're both working.
- Chain. Check to make sure it isn't too rusty or loose. The chain probably needs replacing if you haven't lubed it long enough for rust to form but some oil should make it much quieter and easier to ride. Only use chain oil for lubing bicycle chains, other oils will not work as well and will often attract dirt or wash out too quickly.
Check the pedals. If they spin and aren't loose in any way, it is safe to ride. Pedals should spin without effort. If there is a periodic jolt or skip when pedaling, then most likely the either crank arm has come loose. Never ride a bike with a problem like that as all it will actively damage the bike.
Handle bars. Put the front tire in between your legs and put the hand bars round. If the handle bar moves without the tire then the handlebars need tightening before riding. Adjust the handlebars so that they are aligned with the wheel.
Check the wheels. If either one is loose, don't ride the bike. Check the axle nuts, bearing cones and spokes to find out whats causing the wheel to be loose.
Make sure you have all necessary safety gear. At the very least, wear a helmet.

If you're unsure about why you're doing take it to a bike shop and have them check it.