General Cycling Discussion - Pre-flight check?

I am an old pilot, starting flying in 1960. I do a pre-flight on my
bike before taking off.

Every day I check:

Tire pressure
Hold the front brake and check the headset bearings
Wiggle front and rear wheel to check wheel bearings
Check brake handle travel
Wiggle crank to check BB bearings
Spin the pedals
look at chain and cogs and cables
Check quick releases on wheels
Check for tools, patches
If I am going to be out late, check lights
At the end of the drive way I give a quick hard brake
Check mirror adjustment
Check the shifters as is I start down the street
Do a little zig zag to check for any thing loose

Go riding.

The whole thing takes about two, three minutes.

My pre flight check
1. Open garage door and check if bike is still there.
2. Get on it and get my butt to work

i think most people do some sort of quick check before a ride.

Depending on how long it's been since I've ridden that particular bike I'll either squeeze the tire with my fingers or put it on the pump to air up the tires.

Beyond that, as I'm riding I'll make a mental list of anything that I think needs doing on that particular bike. Then I usually address it before I ride that bike again. That's my whole maintenance program.

Beyond that, as I'm riding I'll make a mental list of anything that I think needs doing on that particular bike. Then I usually address it before I ride that bike again. That's my whole maintenance program.

+1 Most of my adjustments, maintenance usually happen post ride after noticing something amiss or annoying on the ride. Other things happen due to circumstances. IE I'll usually pull and clean the chain/freewheel when I find a flat tire on the rear when sitting. After rain rides I'll hose off the grit from the rims and clean up the pads and rim surfaces.

I usually just bounce it once or twice and listen to see if anything's rattling. On my commuter, which I lock up outside, I don't even do that. Just check to see both QRs are still locked down tight.

Kick the tires & light the fires.

who reads off your checklist??

who reads off your checklist??

What ever little voice in my head that's not busy at the moment.

I am an old pilot, starting flying in 1960. I do a pre-flight on my
bike before taking off.

Every day I check:

Tire pressure
Hold the front brake and check the headset bearings
Wiggle front and rear wheel to check wheel bearings
Check brake handle travel
Wiggle crank to check BB bearings
Spin the pedals
look at chain and cogs and cables
Check quick releases on wheels
Check for tools, patches
If I am going to be out late, check lights
At the end of the drive way I give a quick hard brake
Check mirror adjustment
Check the shifters as is I start down the street
Do a little zig zag to check for any thing loose

Go riding.

The whole thing takes about two, three minutes.

I'm sure that as you practice more, you can get those rides to be even 15 or 20 minutes. ;)

I'm sure that as you practice more, you can get those rides to be even 15 or 20 minutes. ;)

You mean it is not like sex??

I like to check that my lock works before I head off.

My pre flight check
1. Open garage door and check if bike is still there.
2. Get on it and get my butt to work
Me too. Of course there are those who like to make pretend that riding a bike is as difficult/complicated as piloting a plane and requires a "pre flight check " ritual.


I like to check that my lock works before I head off.
I always assure that my bike is no longer locked to a tree before I head off.

I kick the tires and if the hubcaps don't fall off, its good to go!:D

- Check weather conditions. Prepare accordingly or abort.
- Top off tires every other ride.
- Double check that I have everything I need for the day.
- Make sure my legs still work. This is usually done in the first couple minutes of the ride itself ;)

Yeah, that's about what my daily check involves when I'm on a bike tour, but it's weekly while commuting.

I grab gear I think I might need from my big bicycling duffel bag, top off the tires, usually remember to lube the chain, and that's about it. As mentioned above, things that need adjusting come to my attention during a ride. Sometimes during a ride I wonder if one of the quick releases has somehow worked itself loose and will come off at 20 mph. :P

Me too. Of course there are those who like to make pretend that riding a bike is as difficult/complicated as piloting a plane and requires a "pre flight check " ritual.

I am an old pilot.
I am an old sailor.
I am a old cyclist.

I take all three seriously.

I do not fly into harms way.
I do not sail into harms way.
I do not cycle into harms way.

Mechanical failure does not make for
a nice day!

Sorry, it was the way I was raised.

I check the tires for debris that might have been picked up on last ride - visual check of bike and then as i start out i go a block slowly listening for anything not normal. If all is quiet and smooth i'm on my way.

I am an old pilot.
I am an old sailor.
I am a old cyclist.

...and how did you get to be old? yep, by doing the checks!

My list is very similar, and I hope to be around to bug my friends, family, & wife for a long, long time.

I am an old pilot.
I am an old sailor.
I am a old cyclist.

I take all three seriously.

I do not fly into harms way.
I do not sail into harms way.
I do not cycle into harms way.

Mechanical failure does not make for
a nice day!

Sorry, it was the way I was raised.

I check the tire pressures, QR's, engine fuel, light the fire and go. I do the inspection stuff in a stand after a couple of rides. A post flight if you will.

...and how did you get to be old? yep, by doing the checks!
Quite true if you believe riding a bike is a death defying task requiring pre-flight check rituals in order to survive each ride.

When I flew, I did the Preflight, as you,and most ,,,Since bikes don't "fall out of the sky", I do a cursory look...
Bud

As yet another pilot, sailor, cyclist, and also 4x4 off-roader, fisherman and hiker, I also like to keep a close eye on the machinery. But equally important to all of those activities is the WEATHER. Checking the forecast one last time can eliminate a lot of misery.

Depending on the bike check the air and give the cables a quick look.

Most of what's on the checklist, if it was fine at the end of the last ride it will still be fine. If it was not fine at the end of the ride you would have noticed it while riding on the last ride..

I've taught some classes on bike repair and on riding in traffic. I use the LAB's recommendation of "ABC Quick Check" which means air (in the tires), brakes, crank, chain, and quick release.

I don't actually do that before every ride, but I brake lightly before I build up speed to make sure they work. I recently realized that I do this without even thinking about it. It comes naturally with my breathing. And since I'm attuned to a bike's state of repair, I can tell while I'm on the bike if things like the headset are loose.

So yes, I recommend a pre-flight check, similar to yours or mine.

ABC-quick: air, brakes, chain (crank), quick release. I use a bigger checklist for commuting though, or I'll forget my pants or something. Seriously.

I admire the bike, check tire pressure, admire the bike and then go ride.

Make sure my legs still work.

The parts most likely to fail are the important ones to check.


I admire the bike, check tire pressure, admire the bike and then go ride.

I can do the tire pressure part of that with my bikes, but the rest of it couldn't happen.

I am an old pilot, starting flying in 1960. I do a pre-flight on my
bike before taking off.

Every day I check:

Tire pressure
Hold the front brake and check the headset bearings
Wiggle front and rear wheel to check wheel bearings
Check brake handle travel
Wiggle crank to check BB bearings
Spin the pedals
look at chain and cogs and cables
Check quick releases on wheels
Check for tools, patches
If I am going to be out late, check lights
At the end of the drive way I give a quick hard brake
Check mirror adjustment
Check the shifters as is I start down the street
Do a little zig zag to check for any thing loose

Go riding.

The whole thing takes about two, three minutes.

If only I had done these things July 3rd, 2011 at approximately 7am. I wouldn't have been out of commission from a dislocated shoulder, suffer a loss of about three square inches of hand skin, and a schin bone plum-sized contusion. Just recently got back to riding...

A few minutes lost due to checking cycling essentials, is really NOT lost, at all!

Once again children, "An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure..."

- Slim :)

PS.

When streaking downhill on Divisidero going towards Market Street, my front tire twisted from a crevice in the road. As it turns out, my handlebars were loose (your handlebars will work themselves loose, eventually). In my attempt to recover my line, I went further oblique and practically threw myself onto the road!

I am an old pilot

You think you have lived to be 80 and know who you are, then someone blows it all to hell

An old Marine Pilot sat down at the Starbucks, still wearing his old USMC flight suit and leather jacket and ordered a cup of a coffee.

As he sat sipping his coffee, a young woman sat down next to him. She turned to the pilot and asked,
Are you a real pilot?
He replied, 'Well, I've spent my whole life flying planes, first Stearmans, then the early Grummans... flew a Wildcat and Corsair in WWII, and later in the Korean conflict, Banshees and Cougars. I've taught more than 260 people to fly and given rides to hundreds, so I guess I am a pilot, and you, what are you?

She said, 'I'm a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about naked women. As soon as I get up in the morning, I think about naked women. When I shower, I think about naked women. When I watch TV, I think about naked women. It seems everything makes me think of naked women.'

The two sat sipping in silence.

A little while later, a young man sat down on the other side of the old pilot and asked: "are you a real pilot?"

He replied, 'I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian.'

Check tire pressure/condition,brakes,steering and roll out-I keep my bikes pretty well ready to go though...if my (9 year old and 15 year old) son or daughter are riding with me,I do a more thorough check on theirs :)

I give a bounce test to the mt bike. If nothing falls off or makes noise, good to go. But yes, I throw it on the stand, oil chain, check tires, once over too. Beats walking or trailside fixes. I have been known to do mid flight helmet checks . These include fighting kinetic energy, with rapid bike stoppage and rider forward dismounts.