Before you head out on your bike ride there are several things you’ll need to accomplish before you go, including checking that you have everything you may need. You’ll also want to do a quick maintenance check, especially if you haven’t done one in a while and your bike ride will be long or important such as a race. Here’s the base of a pre-ride checklist for cyclists

1. Maintenance

This should be done before a long bike ride or race. Such maintenance includes:

• Inflate the tires to appropriate psi before each ride
• Align brake pads with wheel rims and test braking power
• Check the angle and height of the handlebars, make sure they’re secure
• Spin pedals and crank arms for effortless rotation and security, make sure nothing is rubbing or catching
• Clean and lubricate the chain
• Adjust chain tension until snug
• Check the angle of the saddle and height of saddle and secure
• Set the limit screws and barrel adjusters of the derailleurs so the chain shifts across gears with precision
• Pack extra tools for the road: two spare tubes, a pump, a tire lever, a key set, and a chain tool

2. Nutrition

While you may not ABSOLUTELY need to do the maintenance portion of the pre-ride checklist for cyclists with every ride you should always do the nutrition portion. Your nutrition checklist should include:

• A breakfast sized correctly for your bike ride
• Pack a powerbar, energy bar, or other good mid-ride snack, one for each hour you’re riding
• Two water bottles (if you have room for them) one with water, one with sports drink
• Bring additional money if you are going on a long ride so you can purchase more sports drinks or water

3. Safety Items

Having these items on a long bike ride will be very helpful should you crash or hurt yourself in some other way. Being able to patch yourself up quickly will keep you from having to call off future rides. They can also be good preventative measures as well. Such safety items include:

• First aid kit with bandages, gauze, and antiseptic
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Sunscreen
• Wet wipes
• Sunglasses
• Lip balm with UV protection
• Any prescription medications that are taken in an emergency health situation (inhalers, etc.)
  

These safety items obviously depend on the distance of the ride, but some are essential to a ride.

4. Miscellaneous

Just because it’s miscellaneous doesn’t mean it isn’t as equally important as other items in your bag. Having these items can help you in a variety of surprise situations which can crop up anywhere at any time regardless of how you handle yourself. Such good items to have are:

• Laminated photo identification with name, address, and emergency contact
• Insurance card
• Some cash
• Fully charged cell phone
• Whistle or flare for off road cyclists who may become lost in the wilderness

Every time you go on a bike ride make sure you go through a checklist. A good pre-ride checklist for cyclists will match the type of bike ride you are taking to the items you pack. For example, riding on a path near your home may only require a phone, some id, and some water. An all-day ride requires much more. Simply be aware that you have to tailor your checklist to match your potential needs and you should find that you’ll have little, if any, problems you can’t overcome during your ride.