rydabent

Everyone knows that a pilot has a pre flight check list. Cyclist should have one too. On the last ride, if anything was detected wrong, it should have already been taken care of. But before the ride, the chain should be wiped down, and the big thing is that tire pressure should be checked with a tire pump with a pressure gage. When it is checked before a ride, if there is a slow leak, the pressure in that tire will be below what you usually find, and can be checked out at home, and not on the ride. Better to take care of it at home and not out on the ride.

Also before the riding season, especially if you are in the snow belt like I am, you should do a complete overhaul and greasing. Replace anything worn at that time. Doing this pretty much precluded any serious problems during the riding season. I have all the tools and the knowledge on what to do, but if you dont, take your bike to a trusted bike shop. Preventive maintenance pays back huge rewards during riding season.

easyupbug 

Having spent years in industrial maintenance I strongly agree with you on the value of preventative maintenance pre-ride checks. First if I did not have time to check something after the ride that I had noticed might need attention I put a post it note on the bike to check before riding. When arthritis has me only on my trike riding every other day I would only check the tire pressure and physical tire appearance and the wheels with a spin and then before pulling out onto a road apply the brakes for a check. If it has been a while since I road it I might check the quick releases. I have too many bikes so I do semi or annual checks of big things like chanks, headsets, chain, etc.
I am lucky to only ride on well maintained bike lanes or when snowbirding like now, rolling hills on again well maintained asphalt so I don't need to wipe down the chain frequently.

VegasTriker

Thumb on each tire to make sure I have enough pressure to avoid pinch flats and that is it. I have a good quality trike (2013 Catrike 700) that has never broken down on the road. That was not true of my first trike which while expensive had several flaws that made it unreliable enough that I got my second trike after just 16 months. It lasted 9 years and about 40K miles with fewer problems than I had with the first trike. Of course, it is wise to do ordinary maintenance on any trike.

sam21fire

I regularly commute on my 'bent (also former AF aircrew) and besides the maintenance/mechanical checks discussed, I've learned to also do a "before takeoff check"... straps and zippers secured (panniers), lights on (front and rear), watch started (garmin), gloves/glasses/pockets (all on and secured), cameras started (sometimes use them during commutes). Seems like checking the obvious but I've surprised myself catching things that i was 'certain' I'd done.

Sam

RCMoeur 

LAB developed the "ABC Quick Check" some time ago, which has become somewhat of a standard for some League-affiliated clubs.

NHTSA has a flyer for it:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.go...quickcheck.pdf

easyupbug 

RCMoeur thanks you for that sent to my granddaughter's parents just now, more than I would do or need for my rides but excellent for the general population.