What things to check on road bike after a long trip on poor roads Just bought a new aluminium frame road bike with 25mm tires. Due to very poor planning, I started a journey that turned out to be suited for mountain bikes: it involved country roads, unpaved gravel sections, some parts that were paved were more potholes than asphalt. After a pinched flat (because of the very poor paved sections), skidding 3 times and barely making it out, I decided to call it a day midway, and 45 exhausting kms(28 miles) spent.

Besides a very sore bum, I am wondering what other things maybe have suffered. What things should I check on my bike to see if anyone is broken, shaken, what things might turn loose, what areas are susceptible to paint being chipped at, what things to pay attention to on my next ride (which will only be on smooth roads), etc
I think road bikes are actually more durable than a lot of riders give them credit for. Unless you were seriously crashing into potholes there should not be any damage (although you may have picked up some paint dings from loose gravel surfaces).

You can do a standard 'once-over', paying particular attention to the wheels:


If the dirty or muddy give it a wash and clean and re-lube the drivetrain and chain
Check drive-train and brake functionality
look for rattles and anything loose
Check for play in headset bearings
Check the rims are true
Look for dings in the rim flanges and scratches in the braking surface.
Check there are no loose spokes.
Check for damage to tire tread or sidewalls