Ever have a seat post stuck in a particularly desirable frame? As such that your afraid to damage the frame? Remove the seat and bracketry from the seat post and turn the bike upside down (I always do this with the bike nearly totally disassembled) and clamp the top of the seat post in a large table mounted vice. Grab the head tube and the chain and seat stays firmly and rotate the bike frame around the seat post. This has never failed for me and I have saved all my old frames from being stuck with a permanent seat post.

Do your clamp style brakes drag or do you have trouble centering the pads? Firstly make sure that your wheel is true with no hops or other damage. Loosen the nut or bolt that holds the brake to the frame enough that the pivot point can rotate in the frame. Tightly apply the brakes and then tighten the mounting nut or bolt. Release and your brake should be perfectly centered in relation to the wheel. It may take a few tries.

After that apply the brake and one at a time, loosen the pad, align it to the wheel and tighten it. Check your cables for the proper tension and your brakes should work like never before.

Something that always helps me, whenever installing new cables or resetting derailleurs or brakes, I always set the adjustment barrels to mid travel. It makes for the quickest way to adjust components negatively or positively.

If you have bought a new set of wheels or had a new set built you should have the spokes checked after the first several rides. Keeping the wheel trued while the spokes and spokes ends stretch and settle will keep the rim itself in great shape and allow it to last longer. It also makes it stronger. I check my wheels often, to the tune of once or twice every two weeks. I follow this little trick and after my wheels are settled in they stay straight usually for the whole season or longer, which is saying something for how rough the roads are here.