Quote Originally Posted by marni View Post

I have found that a good cool down /recovery exercise after the bike ride is to grab my recovery drink or snack and spend 15 minutes examining and prepping my bike while I eat or drink. My routine includes checking the tires for nicks and cuts. Adding inflation as needed, wiping down the tire surface and the rim area that the brakes touch, scrubbing of the braking surfaces with a clean rag, wiping the chain and rear derailleur jockey wheels, checking the brake levers to make sure I have closed them, wiping down the rear crank and clip surfaces, and wiping the bike down on all areas where sweat and sticky energy drink might have dripped or flown and generally gibing it a pat on the rump.
Thanks for all this wonderful advice. I am going to do a better job "washing my bike." All I did was check the tires, wipe off the chain, clean the entire frame and scrub the handle bars. I used a toothbrush to get into areas that I couldn't reach with my rag. I have blue tape on the handle bars so grime doesn't show. I never imagined how grimy those handle bars can get. I did half heartedly wipe the rim area but I think I will put more effort into it next time!

And this entire cleaning time took me nearly 15 minutes! I doubt I will do this every time because I don't seem to ride more than 60 miles (when I get lost) at a time.

I usually check the brakes, cranks, and pedals before I ride. I now realize that is kind of stupid. If there is something wrong, I won't be able to ride. If I do those checks before I put the bike away, I will be ready for the next ride after rechecking them all again before I go!