Originally Posted by jpr95 .
I can tell you from personal experience that cleaning and lubing everything after a long ride in the rain is a good idea. It's about like going to the beach--you'll have grit in nooks and crannies you didn't know you had.
Myself, I wipe off and lube my chain about every 100-200 miles. I clean and lube my bike after I ride in the rain. Once a year (in the winter) I'll disassemble it most of the way to clean and lube things and replace whatever needs to be replaced (not likely to be much).
I like my bike to run quiet (it's VERY quiet). That makes it very easy for me to pinpoint any odd noises and address their cause. A month ago I did my first century, and it rained for the first 75 miles. For the last 10 miles (of the 105 total due to a construction detour), I had a grinding noise in the crank that I eventually figured was just a piece of grit between the crank arm and the bearing cap.
I'd say the list linked to is a bit overkill, but the pre-ride check is good--check tires, brakes and shifters (especially if there are hills) before every ride. My normal rides include a short jaunt around the neighborhood in part to warm up, but also to double check general function. If there's a problem, I haven't hammered for 10 minutes and have to walk 3-4 miles home, I'm within a half mile.