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Learn a
few of these buzz terms Then you'll
understand some of what a cycle-mad
friend or bike shop sales person is
actually talking about !. |
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"EVERY
SPECIALITY HAS ITS OWN LANGUAGE, AND CYCLING
IS NO EXCEPTION" |
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A.T.B.
All
Terrain Bicycle, a former name for 'mountain
bike', now more commonly appreciated as MTB
Bar ends
Extensions to the handlebars that help
'honking'
Bar-bag
Luggage that fits onto the handlebar
Bars
Handlebars
Base layer
Term for 'wicking' garments worn next to the
skin for comfort and warmth
Big ring
The
largest of the front chain-wheels
Block
The
cluster of sprockets, or cogs, on the back
wheel. Also called the freewheel
Bosses
Brazed-on mounting points on a bike frame
for bolting on bottle cages, pannier racks
and some gear levers
Bottom bracket
The
axle linking the two cranks
Brake shoe
The
sleeve the brake pad is fixed to
Braze-on's
See
bosses
Bunny-hop
The
act of jumping off the ground on a bike
Butted tubes
Either double or triple - frame tubing which
has walls which go thin at the centre to
reduce weight
Cadence
Pedalling rate, i.e.. the number of crank
revolutions per minute. The more the
merrier. 'Spinning' is more knee-friendly
that straining on the pedals
Cager
Slang term for car drivers
Cantilever brake
Brake system, common on mountain bikes,
where the brake arm is pulled from the top
by the break cable pivoting the brake pad
onto the rim
Captain
The
person who sits at the front of a tandem
Chain-set
The
cogs, or chain-wheels, attached to the
cranks which can be single, double or triple
Chain-stay
The
tube that runs from the bottom bracket to
the rear of the frame
Chain-wheel
The
cog, or cogs, attached to the cranks
Clearance
The
amount of space between the ground and the
bottom bracket
Cleats
Mechanism that is screwed to the sole of the
shoe to fit clip less pedals
Clip less pedal
A
mechanism which fixes the riders shoe to the
pedal so the rider's feet don't slip off.
Computer
Small, electronic computer measuring speed,
distance and many other useful on-the-road
functions
CoolMax
Technical fabric made from polyester used as
for jerseys and base layers
Cordura
Heavy duty nylon used in panniers, boots and
rucksacks
Crank
The
pedal arm
Cro-mo
Or
chrome-moly. Short for chrome-molybdenum
which is a high tensile steel alloy used for
cycle frames
Damping
The
cushioned 'spring' associated with
suspension systems
Derailleur / Rear Mech
The
mechanisms to change gears at the rear of
the bike (called the rear Mech) and at the
front (called the front Mech) if there is
more than one chain-ring
Dish(ing)
The
degree of asymmetry of the spoke arrangement
on either side of a wheel. A front wheel is
symmetrical, a rear wheel is asymmetrical
because of the offset - or dish - needed to
accommodate the rear block
Double-butted
See
Butted
Down tube
The
tube that runs from the head-tube at the
front of the bike to the bottom bracket
Drop handlebars
The
handlebars that curve down in an s-shape
found on road racing bikes and tourers
Drop outs
Where the wheel is attached to the fork at
the front and the frame at the rear
Elastomer suspension
Used in front and rear suspension -
Elastomer is a sponge-like plastic that
compresses and expands to provide damping
Frameset
The
frame and forks
Freewheel
The
cogs at the rear of the bike, sometimes
called the block
Gore-tex
Waterproof breathable fabric
Granny ring
The
smaller of the front chain-wheels. In the
'granny ring' you spin very fast and can
climb steep slopes
Group-set
A
collective term used for the components of a
bicycle, i.e.. brakes, hub, chain, cranks,
chain-set, freewheel and gears
Halogen
Type of cycle light filament bulb that emits
a bright, white light
Head tube
Contains the headset, see below
Headset
The
sleeve inside the frame that links the stem
to the front fork
Honking / Stonking
Pedalling out of the saddle putting a lot of
weight and power on to the pedals, usually
uphill
HPV
Human powered vehicle - a name given to
pedal driven cycles that aren't
'traditional' in looks, e.g.. recumbent
Hybrid
A
cross between a road bike and a mountain
bike, i.e.. an MTB-like frame but with
thinner larger wheels more suitable for
riding on the road
Knobblies
Deep tread tyres found on mountain bikes
Lacing
Weaving spokes together to form a wheel
LED
Light emitting diode - flashing lights
attached to bikes or riders
Lugs
Sleeves that join two frame tubes together
which can be welded or glued into place
Mitts
Short fingered gloves also called 'track
mitts'
MTB
Abbreviation for Mountain Bike
Nipple
Bolt that secures a spoke to the rim
Pannier racks Framing that fits onto the
front or rear of a bike that can carry
luggage
Pannier bags
Cycle luggage
Pertex
Windproof and water-resistant nylon fabric
that is very lightweight and highly
breathable
Polartec
Polyester fleece fabric used for thermal
wear and base layers
Presta valve
Valve on the inner tube mainly found on
road, touring, city and hybrid bikes. It is
longer and thinner than Schrader car-type
valves
Quick release or QR
Skewers that secure the wheel through the
hub that can be tightened and released
quickly without tools
Rake
The
curvature in a pair of front forks that
'spring' a little, i.e.. the distance
between a centreline drawn through the fork
tube, and a parallel line drawn through the
fork drop outs
Rear triangle
The
seat-stays and the chain-stays, or the back
end of the bike
Recumbent
An
HPV bike where you sit reclining in a
'bucket' seat
Rim
Part of the wheel that the tyre runs around
and where the spokes are attached.
Rip-stop
A
way of preventing windproof fabric from
tearing. It has heavier threads at regular
intervals looking like squares or hexagons
in the fabric
Roadies
Cycle enthusiasts who prefer road riding
than mountain biking
Roadster
European style bikes that have a very
upright cycling position and come fully
equipped with mudguards, chain-guard, lights
and pannier racks
Sag wagon
Luggage carrying van or truck which follows
cyclists either on a tour or a mass ride,
and which will pick up tired riders
Sam Browne belt
Fluorescent sash worn by cyclists and
motorcyclists to make other road users aware
of their existence. "The leather belt with a
strap over the shoulder and originally with
a sword-frog, compulsory for officers and
warrant officers in the British Army until
1939 when it was declared optional. This
belt was invented by General Sir Sam Browne
VC (1821-1901) a veteran of the Indian
Mutiny." From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase
& Fable, 15th ed.
Schrader valve
On
the inner tube mainly found on mountain
bikes. It is fatter than a Presta valve.
Seat post or pin
The
tube that is attached to the saddle which
can be set up or down in the 'seat tube' to
suit the height of the rider
Seat tube
The
frae tube that runs down from the seat post
to the bottom bracket
Seat-stay
The
frame tube that runs from the top of the
seat tube to the rear of the frame
Semi-slicks
Tyres with partial or shallow tread found on
hybrid, touring and city bikes
Shifter / Pods
Gear changing lever
Shimano
A
Japanese manufacturer of gears, brakes and
other essential cycle components
Skewer
A
rod pushed through the hub that secures the
wheel to the drop outs
Slicks
Tyres with no tread
Snell
The
Snell Foundation carry out stringent safety
tests on helmets
SPD (Spd's)
Shimano Pedalling Dynamics - Shimano's term
for their clip-less pedals
Sprocket
A
cog in the freewheel
Stem
Attaches the handlebar to the frame via the
headset
Stoker
The
person who sits at the back of a tandem
Stoker
The
person who sits at the back of a tandem
Toe-strap
A
strap that is fitted to a pedal to keep the
foot in position so power can be added to
the upstroke not just the down stroke
Top tube
The
frame tube that runs along the top of the
frame, sometimes called the crossbar
Track-stand
The
art of balancing the bike in one place with
both feet on the pedals, useful for waiting
at traffic lights
Trike
Another term for tricycle
Truing
Straightening a buckled wheel
Twist shift / Twisters
Method of changing gear by twisting part of
the grip on the
handlebar
Ventile
Traditional, tough cotton fabric tightly
woven making it windproof and treated for
waterproof-ness.
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