| - A - |
| AheadSet: a headset that allows you to attach a fork to your
bike with a threadless steering tube. |
| air: space between the tires and the ground. (Both tires must be
off the ground or it isn't "air".) Said to be caught or gotte: See sky. |
| ATB: All-Terrain Bike or Biking. A synonym for MTB or Mountain Bike. |
| Attack Position: the alert and well-balanced position you ride in
when you approach, or ride on, rough terrai: It is characterized by bent knees, rear above
the saddle, elbows slightly bent, and a raised head. |
| auger: to involuntarily take samples of the local geology, usually
with one's face, during a crash. See face plant. |
|
| - B - |
| babyheads: to jump off in order to avoid an imminent crash. |
| bail: space between the tires and the ground. (Both tires must be
off the ground or it isn't "air".) Said to be caught or gotte: See sky. |
| biff: a crash. Synonyms: wipeout. "I biffed and then wiped away the blood." |
| bomb: to ride with wild disregard to personal safety.
|
| bunny hop: to lift both wheels off the ground by crouching down
and then exploding upward, pulling the bike with you. Useful for clearing obstacles such
as logs without stopping.
|
|
| - C - |
| Cantilever Brake: a brake that has two separate arms pulled at
the same time towards the rim by a cable. |
| chainsuck: condition when the bike chain gets jammed between the
frame and the chain rings in sloppy conditions, or when the chain ring is so worn that it
holds onto the chain and lifts it up to meet the incoming part of the chain. |
| clean: to negotiate a trail successfully without crashing or dabbing. "I cleaned that last section." |
| Clydesdale: a rider who weighs more than 200 pounds.
|
| Cross-country: a traditional MTB race that mixes many types of riding conditions into one course.
|
|
| - D - |
| dab: to put a foot down in order to catch your balance on a
difficult section of trail. "I made it without crashing, but I had to dab once." |
| death cookies: fist-sized rocks that knock your bike in every direction but the one you want to proceed in.
|
| death march: a ride that turns into an investigation of your
endurance limit. "The bridge was out, and I had to go all the way back the way I came.
So the morning's nice, easy ride turned into a Bataan death march." |
| Derailleur Hanger: the replaceable extension that attaches the
rear derailleur to the frame at the right side rear dropout.
|
| dialed in: when a bike is set up nicely and everything works just right.
|
| digger: a face plant. "Look at that guy on that gnarly single
track... he's going to go over the bars and do a digger." |
| Disc Brake: brakes that mount near the hub, and squeeze pads
against a rotor mounted to the hub. They can be operated both mechanically or hydraulically.
|
| Double-track: two trails that run parallel to each other (also called tractor trail or Jeep trail). |
| Downhill: a type of racing held on ski slopes - fastest rider to the bottom wins.
|
| Dualie: a bike that has both front and rear suspension.
|
| dual-track: a dirt road used by four-wheeled vehicles rarely enough
that their tires have made ruts that became parallel single-tracks. Also called double-track.
|
|
| - E - |
| endo: the maneuver of flying unexpectedly over the handlebars,
thus being forcibly ejected from the bike. Short for "end over end". "I hit that rock
and went endo like nobody's business." See "superman". |
| epic: a ride that must last for at least six hours and include at
least three mechanicals that add at least an extra hour to the ride time. Epics are usually
started with a statement like "the trail is buff, should only take three hours." Similar to
death march. |
| Back to Top |
|
| - F - |
| face plant: hitting the ground face first. "Joe
hit a tree root and did a spectacular face plant." Synonyms: auger, digger, soil sample,
spring planting. |
| Fire Road: a back country dirt or gravel road wide enough for emergency vehicles to use.
|
| front wheelie: what endo used to mean in BMX: a
trick where the rider applies the front brake and lifts the back wheel off the ground;
this is the basis for many BMX tricks. Most riders cannot pedal effectively while doing a
front wheelie. Also called a "nose wheelie" or "stoppie."
|
|
| - G - |
| gonzo: treacherous, extreme. "That vertical drop was sheer gonzo." |
| gnarl: extreme technical sections. Characterized
by very rough, rooty, slippery, or rocky sections. "He has got some great bike handling
skills and can really scream through the gnarl."
|
| granny gear: the lowest gear available on a bike
(smallest chainring with the largest cassette cog), which only a grandmother would need to
use; designed for steep uphill climbing, but extremely easy to pedal in on flat ground. |
| Granny Ring: The smallest of your chain rings.
|
| gravity check: a fall.
|
| Grip Shift: the shifter is integrated with the handlebar allowing you to shift gears by twisting the grip. |
| grinder: a long uphill climb.
|
| grunt: a very difficult climb, requiring use of the granny gear. |
|
| - H - |
| half-track: a trail so narrow and/or overgrown that you'd hesitate
even to call it single-track. |
| hammer: to ride fast and hard.
|
| hardtail: any bike with front suspension but no
rear suspensio: Contrast with rigid and F/S. |
| huck: launching off anything for some air.
|
| huck meat: launching off anything for some major big air.
|
| Hydraulic Brake: a brake that uses oil pressure to move the brake
pads against the brake surface. |
|
| - I - |
| IMBA: International Mountain Bicycling Association: an organization
dedicated to the building and protection of mountain bike trails. |
Back to Top |
|
| - J - |
| John boy'ed: when a riders face gets covered with
spots of mud, making him look like "John Boy" on the Waltons. "I hit that mudhole and got
John boy'ed big time." |
| JRA: acronym for "Just Riding Along," a phrase
universally uttered by people bringing both halves of their frame and the remains of their
fork in for warrantee replacement. |
|
| - K - |
| Knobby Tires: the all-terrain tires that are used on mountain bikes |
|
| - L - |
| lid: helmet. |
| line: the desirable path or strategy to take on a
tricky trail section. |
|
| - M - |
| mantrap: hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid earth and effective
at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider. |
| mo: momentum. "If you don't get in gear at the bottom of that hill, you'll lose your mo."
|
| mojo: charm or icon worn by a biker or attached to the bike.
|
| MTB: the activity of Mountain Biking. Or a mountain bike itself."MTBing". AKA: ATB
|
|
| - N - |
| NORBA: National Off-Road Bicycling Association.
USA Cycling's mountain bike racing division. |
| nose wheelie: a reverse wheelie riding technique in which the rider elevates the
rear wheel while still rolling on the front tire. AKA: Front Wheelie. |
|
| - O - |
| Off-Camber: sloped ground that makes handling difficult. |
| organ donor: someone who rides without a helmet. Also called a "metal head". |
|
Back to Top |
|
| - P - |
| panic skid: to try with all one's will and
strength to prevent an impending stack by attempting to implant one's heels as deeply
as possible in the ground. Usually a dumb idea. |
| Pinch Flat: a tire flat that is caused when
the tube is pinched against the rim internally.
|
| Pirelliology: the noble art of being able to
identify tires from the tracks they leave on the ground. |
| pogo: to bounce on a full-suspension bike like
a pogo stick. Also, for a full-suspension bike to bounce annoyingly and uncontrollably.
|
| POS: Piece Of S*%t. The antithesis to real
bicycles, typified by Huffy, Murray, and any of a number of other bicycles that are
poorly designed, manufactured, and assembled.
|
| poser: derogatory term for people with $7,000
bikes that never see an actual trail. Usually found near a trail head and never dirty.
Seinfeld may be an example. |
| potato chip: a wheel that has been bent badly, but not taco'd.
|
| powerslide: a two-wheel sideways slide, with the foot opposite
the direction of travel kept on the ground. |
|
| - R - |
| Rapidfire Shifter: mountain bike shifters made by Shimano. |
| retro-grouch: a rider who prefers an old bike with old components
and isn't fond of new, high-tech equipment.
|
| rigid: a bike with no suspension. |
| roadie: a rider who prefers riding on paved surfaces.
|
| Rock Garden: Section of the trail that is completely covered
with grapefruit (baby head) size to basketball sized rocks.
|
|
Back to Top |
|
| - S - |
| schwag: free stuff. "Hey, they're handing out scwag over at the Rock Shox booth." |
| single-track: trail just wide enough for one
person or bike -- the MTBer's holy grail. Contrast with dual-track.
|
| skid lid: helmet. |
| sky: to jump extremely high. To get big air.
|
| snake bite: a double puncture of an inner tube,
caused by hitting an obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.
|
| spuds: "SPD" (Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) clipless pedals.. |
| stack: crash.
|
| steed: your bike, the reason for your existence. |
| STI: "Shimano Total Integration" -- a marketing ploy that forces you to buy
new brakes when you replace your shifters.
|
| stoked: euphoric feeling of enlightenment, caused by adrenaline rushing to the brain during a gonzo clea: stoned
adj. describes a rider after a crash which imbeds stones into the rider's skin. |
| superman: a rider who flies over the handlebars and doesn't hit the ground for a long time. This may result in injury,
but when it doesn't, it's really funny for everyone else.
|
| swag: the stuff that manufacturers and vendors donate to be given
away at bike related events. When you race, go to bike shows, help put on events,
write bike articles, you are often rewarded with swag. Sometimes called "schwag" |
| Swingarm: the swinging rear end of a dual suspension frame.
|
| Switchback: a turn on a hill that is too steep to be climbed without zig-zagging. |
|
| - T - |
| taco: to bend a wheel over on itself, in the
shape of a taco. "I taco'd my wheel, and it cost me a hundred bucks." Worse than a potato chip. |
| tea party: when a whole group of riders stops and chats,
and nobody seems to want to ride on.
|
| technical: a section of trail that is difficult to ride because
of rocks, tree roots, steep drops. |
| techno-weenie: a rider who knows more about the
newest MTB parts and techno-fads than about the trails. Someone who buys lots of gadgets to
add supposed iotas of performance to the bike. Greeting a friend whom we haven't seen in
a year, I might say "Hi, Marta!" A techno-weenie might say "Oooh, you got White Industries
hubs on that bike now?"
|
| three-hour tour: a ride that looks like a piece
of cake at the outset but turns out to be a death march. Derived from the theme song to
"Gilligan's Island."
|
| ti: titanium. Some riders would replace their watches, rings, glasses frames,
and gold tooth-fillings with titanium if they could afford to. |
| trail swag: equipment or accessories dropped by other bikers and found on the trail.
|
| Travel: the distance a suspension fork or a shock can compress. |
| Triple: having three chainrings on a crankset.
|
| Twist Shifter: an indexing shifter that twists around the handlebar. |
| Back to Top |
|
| - U - |
| unobtanium: the magical material in the frame that is light weight and stiff, but you can't afford. |
|
| - V - |
| vultures: spectators who line up at dangerous obstacles in hopes of seeing blood. |
| V-Brake: a rim brake system with two levers squeezed together by a cable. |
|
| - W - |
| washboard: small, regular undulations of the soil surface that make for a very rough ride. |
| wash out: to have the front tire lose traction, especially while going around a corner.
|
| weight-weenie: a MTB owner (not even necessarily a rider) who is more concerned with how many milligrams a certain
component saves off the bike's total weight than with how to be a better rider. |
| Wheelie: a riding technique in which the rider lifts the front tire and rides on the rear wheel.
|
| wheelie drop: a combo of a wheelie and a jump, used to negotiate a large drop with little s
peed due to a limited run-out.
|
| wild pigs: poorly adjusted brake pads that squeal in use. |
| winky: a reflector. "Nice winky set, fred!"
|
| wipeout: a crash ("wipe out") to crash. |
|
| - Y - |
| yard sale: (from skiing) a horrendous crash that
leaves all your various "wares" -- water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as
if on display for sale. |
|
| - Z - |
| The Zone: a state of mind experienced while riding.
You don't think, you just do. A truly mystical experience that can't be fully explained, but
when you get there you'll know it and strive to reach it again. |
| Back to Top |
| *
Thanks to Steve Brossok for putting together these terms
and definitions! |
|
