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1. Checking the braking system: Your brakes can save your life and must be in good working order for any type of riding. If other component fail you may not move, but without brakes you can't stop or regulate the speed on a downhill course.
   

   Cables - Check the brake cables regularly for fraying. This will normally occur at points of high tension and where the cable makes a bend. Lubricating the cable will reduce the chances of fraying. Be careful to never over-tighten the cable bolt. This will cause it to fray and break.

   Brake Pads - Periodically check the state of wear on your brake pads. Pads that have worn down to the metal base will damage the rims. Release the link wire and inspect the surface of each pad. Remove the lip, which normally develops with wear on brake pads used with cantilevers. The lip prevents the cantilever from releasing properly causing the brake pads to drag on the rim.

   Brake Wear - As the pads wear, you must adjust the position of the brake blocks. The pads should sit firmly on the rim of the wheels, but because the cantilever brake moves through an arc, the pads tend to slip off the rim and into the spokes as they wear down. It is important that the springs on the cantilevers are on equal settings, as they are individually sprung. Most brakes will have an adjustment screw for fine-tuning the spring power.

   Link Break Wire - The link wire is what pulls the cantilever wire together. They will not pull properly if they are kinked. They should be tight through the anchor bolt. An end cap should be attached to the end of a cut wire.

   Cable Barrels - Make sure you lubricate the barrel at the end of the cables. This is the area that brakes are most likely to fail. The best way to prevent the brakes from jamming is to use thick water repellent grease on the cable barrels. Access this by reaching underneath the brake lever body.

   Cantilever Studs - You should routinely remove the brake calipers and grease the cantilever studs. When removing a caliper, hold the complete mechanism together to keep the parts in the right order. Note which of the 3 settings the brake spring is slotted into. Once cleaned and re-greased, use Loctite on the mounting bolt to prevent it from rattling loose.

   Cable Housing - Keep the brake cable housing clean and free of kinks. Get rid of any dirt by removing the inner cable from the housing and use a spray lubricant with a hose. Then put a thicker, Teflon-based lubricant inside the housing before reinstalling the inner cable.

   Clean the braking surface of the rim regularly and rub down the surface of the brake pads with a light grade (1500 grit) wet-and-dry paper. This will remove the residue, which can build up, and will improve braking performance of the bike.

   
   Spin the wheels to make sure the brake pads are not rubbing on the rim or tire. Check the centering of the brakes making sure it has an even pull on both sides of the cantilevers. Make sure brake pads are tight by grabbing the brake pad and try to pivot it on the cantilever, also check brake post bolts making sure they are secured (generally a 5mm Allen wrench). Brake tension- check to see that you have sufficient tension in the brake cable by pulling on your brakes hard. Your brake blocks should hit the rim of the wheel before your levers hit the handlebars. Brake pads- look at the brake blocks by releasing the straddle wire. Check to see that you have not worn through the metal to the base and that they are not too worn. The pad usually wear more toward the center of the wheel and on some models they can be loosened and spun 180 degrees to get additional use out of them.   Last take a look at the brake cables and housing to make sure there is no fraying or splits.

2. Checking the stem headset: The best way to check your headset is engaging your front brake and rocking your bike back and forth. If there is any play or movement coming from around the headset area this will require an adjustment and tightening to the headset. Try not to ride on a loose headset because it can cause more damage to the bearings and bearing surfaces down the road.
3. Checking the bottom bracket: When checking your bottom bracket grab a hold of your crank arms down by were the pedals are attached and pull the crank arms side to side, if there is any play around the bottom bracket it should be adjusted immediately, if not this again can do damage to the bottom bracket cups, spindle or bearings. Also you should check your crank arm bolts to make sure they are secure.
4. Checking The Hubs and Wheels: To check and see if your hubs are loose with the wheels on the bike, grab the tire and move it side to side, it should have a solid feel, if it has any play it should be adjusted as soon as possible as again this can cause damage to the bearings and bearing surfaces down the road. Check that the wheels are straight by spinning the wheels and listening for a scuffing noise. This noise is the rim hitting the brake block, and means your rim is dented or out of round due to misadjusted spokes. For the actual wheel to be ride-able, the spokes should have an even tension throughout. To check the tension on the spokes grab two spokes on the same side of the wheel and pull them towards each other, they should have an even tension. Go through all the spokes in that process, if there are any loose spokes the wheel should be looked over by a mechanic to see what is wrong. If there is more than three loose spokes, riding would not be recommended. 
   These additional steps should be taken to ensure that your Tires and wheel are set to ride.

   1. Spokes should be kept clean. Put a drop of oil on the end of each one every once in awhile.

   2. Rims - A small dent in the rim of a wheel can easily be straightened with a crescent wrench. However if it is a big dent, you will have to get a new rim. The braking pads will wear the braking surface of the rim. This will cause a deep ridge to be formed all around the rim. If you are able to flex the rim in with your fingers when the tire is not inflated, the rim needs to be replaced.

   3. Tire Tread should be checked regularly for wear. A worn tire is more likely to get a puncture.

   4. Hubs should be kept clean and well greased consider using a synthetic grease for  improved lubricating and less friction. If there is any play in the bearings, it needs to be tightened or replaced immediately. Check for play by rotating the axle and trying to move it from side to side.

   5. Hub Bearings should be checked for wear by lifting the wheels off the ground and spinning them. It is a sign that the bearings are worn if you feel a vibration coming up through the handlebars. If the need replacing you may want to consider using sealed bearing as these have roller bearing rather than the normal ball gearing and will result in a smoother more efficient ride.

   6. Tires should be checked for thorns, pieces of glass and wire. Keep them pumped up to the correct pressure. Check that the rim of the wheel does not have any sharp edges and that the rim tape is properly installed. After installing the tire make sure that the brakes clear the sidewall properly. If the pads are rubbing against the tire you will hear a scuffing sound.

5. Checking your Bolts: This will require you to have the necessary wrenches for you bike available. Go around to all bolts that have hex inserts in them ( handlebar stem bolt, stem binder bolt, derailleurs, brake levers, shift levers, cantilevers water bottle cages, and seat binder bolt) and use your  wrenches to tighten them. Do not over tighten, this can sometimes cause stripping of the threads.
6. Frame Inspection:  Look for any type of cracking in the paint were the tubes join together. This is not an unusual occurrence but may indicate a crack in the weld is forming. This is very important to do because a broken frame is a dangerous frame for riding on.
7. Saddle and seat post: Make sure that your saddle is in good condition and is set  to your desired height and that the clamp is on tight. The correct height is when seated straight up on the bike, the balls of your feet should be firmly on the ground.
8. Chain: make sure your chain has no damaged or stiff links. Do this by spinning the cranks backwards. If the chain jumps (lift up instead or riding smoothly) on the sprockets, it means a link is damaged.
9. Derailleurs: Check that your derailleurs are set up properly by running your bike through the gears. Also check the gear cable tension,  you may have to take up some slack. However if you have had to do this once then it may be time for new cables.
10. Handlebars: check to make sure the bolt that clamps the stem to the handlebars is tight. Replace grips that are worn through or will soon be.
11. Tire pressure: Use a tire gauge for an  accurate setting. Tip: Once you have your tires set to the manufacturers specifications, wrap your fingers under the rim and press on the tire with your thumb and note how much thumb pressure it takes to depress the tire. Learn to do this and you won't have to always use your gauge to determine if it is OK to ride.