How often do you check your bike for irregularities?

[kwayde1]

I was getting ready to take my morning ride when I happened to notice a crack in the stem. (Rough roads here.) It wasn't there the day before when I started out. When removing the tape to pull the bars I found the aluminum under the tape to be terribly pitted. My bike is over 25 years old and hasn't been used much until just a couple months ago. I'm just glad I found the crack before it snapped while on a ride. I'm awaiting new parts while I ride on a trainer. I'll be checking thoroughly before each ride now.

 

[Sharky]

I don't until symptoms start appearing - noise, creaks and flexing.

I once rode with a frame on which the seat stay had rusted through completely near the gear hanger, for several months before I spotted it.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Check before each ride, when checking tire air pressure. Saves a shipload of regrets.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I wouldn't worry about the pitting on the bars too much - aluminium expands a great deal when it oxidises and the pitting will be in the oxide rather than the metal - but the split in the stem looks nasty! Well spotted!

I check my bikes over every time I give them a major clean-up, and grease all cables, pivot points etc etc at the same time. On my commuter, this is every 2-4 weeks, on my weekend bikes every few months. The MTB is a special case since it gets hammered on the trails and I'm still recovering after the last crash a few months ago, so that gets a thorough once over after every ride.

 

[OskarTennisChampion]

Yip,when checking tyre pressure is when I do some checks.
But really it's a tyre kicking exercise.Checking my brakes work,no gouges in the tyre treads etc.
What I do though,is check the bike after I have came off a particularly rough trail,just check if anything has shook loose.
I also check the welded areas too.

 

[RegG]

I give my a quick once over before each ride and if I notice anything unusual whilst riding I check it there and then. Maybe a bit OTT but better safe than sorry.

 

[GuyBoden]

I give my a quick once over before each ride and if I notice anything unusual whilst riding I check it there and then. Maybe a bit OTT but better safe than sorry.

Yes, me too, I check my bike with a quick once over before most rides, keeping my eyes and ears open for tell tale signs when out riding.

 

[midlife]

Kick the tyres and light the fires

Shaun

 

[Apollonius]

M check. Start at the front wheel QR and then up to the bars and brakes. Down to the bottom bracket and pedals, back up to the saddle and finally down to the rear QR. Spin the wheels and you are done. Did mine this morning and found the rear wheel loose. No idea how it happened. Might be the Bianchi's revenge for my going out with a bike with mudguards when it wasn't even raining.
M check (you will have worked out that your movements create an M shape in the air) every bike every ride.

 

[Mrs M]

Make sure the brakes are working, squeeze the tyres to make sure they're blown up enough and off we go .

 

[al-fresco]

'Thumb-check' the tyres before each ride. Check the brakes each time I put a wheel on. Check the tyre condition when I clean the bike. Check the chain with a gage every now and then. That's pretty much it.

I did once have a down tube break under me just as I was setting off. I sat there for a few seconds wondering why one pedal was touching the ground...

 

[Ben Reeve]

I tend to check as I clean the bike down after I ride.

 

[Brandane]

Any faults on a bike will soon show themselves up by way of irregular noises, odd handling, or stuff not working as it should. No point getting all paranoid about checking for splits in frames, wheels, stems etc. before every ride. It might be fine when you set off and then crack at the first imperfection in our crap road surfaces that you hit in any case. It's only a bike - just ride it!

 

[Profpointy]

I think those of us who've had bikes all our lives, even if we're a bit neglectful, tend to notice things without actually checking. "chain looks slack", or "ooo, not much brake pad left", "steering felt a bit odd" (check headset) or whatever. That said, I have been guilty of the "it'll be alright" thought even after noticing, and it often isn't !

 

[Boon 51]

Being a neerd I check and clean my bike after every ride even down to cleaning the chain with a tooth brush to get the crap of the chain then I oil the chain and wipe with dry cloth..