Spring Trail Prep Checklist: Get Your Bike Ready for Riding Season

The trails are drying out, the days are getting longer, and you're itching to ride. Before you clip in for the first proper send of the season, spend 20 minutes going through your bike. Catching problems in the garage beats discovering them on In and Out Burger.

Brakes

This is the one that'll ruin your day if you skip it. Your bike's been sitting since November and everything looks fine until you're pointed downhill.

• Check pad thickness. Pull the wheels and look at your pads. Less than a business card thickness of material? Replace them now. Worn pads and steep spring trails is a bad combination.
• Squeeze both levers hard. They should feel firm and consistent. If the lever is pulling close to the bar or feels spongy, you've got air in the system. Temperature swings over winter are notorious for introducing air bubbles. You need a bleed.
• Inspect your rotors. Look for bends, warps, or any blue/purple discoloration (heat damage). A slightly warped rotor causes that rhythmic rubbing sound and wears pads unevenly. Minor bends can be trued with a rotor truing tool. Blue rotors may need replacing.
• Clean rotors with isopropyl alcohol. Months of sitting in a garage collects dust, moisture, and whatever's floating around. A quick wipe with IPA and a clean rag brings back the initial bite that's been missing.

Drivetrain

A winter of trainer rides (or let's be honest, no rides) means your drivetrain is either worn, dry, or both.

• Check chain wear. A chain checker tool costs $15 and saves you from destroying a cassette. At 0.5% wear, replace the chain. At 0.75%, you might need a new cassette too. That's a $30 fix vs. a $150 fix.
• Degrease and re-lube. Strip off whatever crusty lube is still on there, clean the chain properly, dry it, and apply fresh lube. Wet lube for early spring mud, switch to dry once the trails firm up.
• Shift through the full cassette. Cable tension drifts. If shifts are hesitant or skippy, a quarter-turn on the barrel adjuster usually sorts it. If it's bad across the whole range, your cable may have stretched or corroded over winter.
• Check derailleur hanger alignment. If you crashed at any point last season and didn't check, now's the time. A bent hanger causes ghost shifting that no amount of cable adjustment will fix.

Suspension

Air pressure changes with temperature. If you set your sag in August and haven't touched it since, it's almost certainly off.

• Re-check sag. Kit up, get on the bike, and check sag with the o-ring. Most trail bikes want 25-30%. Adjust air pressure for your current riding weight (yes, winter weight counts).
• Wipe down stanchions. Clean them and look for scratches or damage in the anodizing. Small cosmetic scratches are fine. Deep gouges will eat your seals and turn into a more expensive service.
• Check for oil leaks. Look at the fork lowers and around the shock body. Any oil residue or weeping means seals are going. Better to catch it now than have a fork dump oil on Corkscrew.
• Cycle the suspension a few times. It should move smoothly through the full travel. Any stickiness or harsh spots, especially at the top of the stroke, means it's time for a lower leg service.

Wheels and Tires

• Pump up your tires. They've been losing air for months. Set pressures for your weight and terrain before you head out, not on the side of the road.
• Inspect sidewalls. Look for cuts, dry rot, or cracking, especially if your tires sat in a cold garage. Worn center knobs are a traction issue. Compromised sidewalls are a "you're walking home" issue.
• Top up sealant. Tubeless sealant dries out after 3-4 months. Pull the valve core and add 2-3oz per tire. Spin the wheel to coat the inside. If you skip this, you'll find out about it when the first thorn hits.
• Spin each wheel and check for wobble. A wheel that's more than a couple mm out of true should be trued before you ride.
• Squeeze pairs of spokes. They should all feel roughly the same tension. A noticeably loose spoke is a spoke that'll break on you mid-ride.

Cockpit and Frame

• Check headset. Front brake on, rock the bike forward and back. Any clunking means the headset needs a preload adjustment or the bearings are shot.
• Torque-check cockpit bolts. Stem, bar clamp, seat clamp, lever mounts. Use a torque wrench. Carbon bars and overtorqued bolts is an expensive mistake.
• Test your dropper. Does it return all the way? Drop smoothly? If it's sluggish or not returning fully, it's either a cable tension issue or the cartridge needs a service.
• Full-suspension riders: check pivots. Grab the rear wheel and push it side to side. Any lateral play means pivot bolts need to be checked. This is one people ignore until there's visible play in the rear end.

Throw These in Your Pack

Spring trails are unpredictable. Early season conditions mean loose rocks, wet roots, and mud that wasn't there in September. Be ready:

• Spare brake pads (a trail-side swap takes 5 minutes)
• Multi-tool with chain breaker
• Tire plug kit and CO2 or mini pump
• Quick link for your chain
• Small bottle of sealant

One More Thing

If your brake pads didn't pass the check, sort that out first. Everything else on this list is annoying if it fails. Brakes are the one that can actually ruin your day. Find the right pads for your bike in our brake pad finder.