A Cyclist’s Dictionary | Bicycle School

Excuse me, Stewardess–I speak jive. (Airplane!)

105: the least expensive of Shimano’s three gruppos
53-11: the highest gear on a bike with standard gearing—the chain is on the 53-tooth cog in front and the 11-tooth cog in the rear
650B: wheel size smaller than the standard 700 size, sometimes used by small riders or to allow the use of very large tires
700: standard road bike wheel size
Accessory: piece of equipment that’s a part of cycling but not a part of the bike
Acclimation: synonym for acclimatization
Acclimatization: adjusting to new weather conditions, usually heat or elevation; synonym for Acclimation
Acupressure: Eastern medicinal massage
Acupuncture: Eastern medicinal needles in skin
Adventure bike: bike built for comfort rather than speed, intended for riding on rough surfaces or dirt roads
Aero: short for Aerodynamic
Aero bike: bike designed to be aerodynamic
Aerodynamic: shaped to slip through the air with little resistance
Aggressive geometry: frame shape designed for maximum speed, esp. bent over, hence less comfortable
Allen wrench: wrench with a hexagonal tip that fits into a hex bolt. Also called Hex wrench
Alloy: see Aluminum
Aluminum: light-weight metal, used in bike components, and in bike frames before carbon
American sizing: see European sizing
Anaerobic: literally “without oxygen,” referring to exercise that uses oxygen faster than your CVS can resupply it
Anaerobic threshold: the level of effort beyond which your CVS can no longer maintain the oxygen level in your muscles
Ankle flexing: rocking your foot forward so your toes drop and your heel rises as you pedal
Ankling: see Ankle flexing
Anti-bacterial: refers to clothing that has bacteria-inhibiting properties
Anti-fog: refers to glass or glasses treatments that inhibit fogging up
Anti-microbial: see Anti-bacterial
Apex: the “center” of a turn, the pivot point
Argy-bargy: jostling and banging for position during a sprint. AKA “banging handlebars” or “banging elbows”
Arm warmer: garment that covers the arm from wrist to armpit
Attack: in a race, a sudden acceleration designed to leave competitors behind
Autobus: in a race, the trailing group of non-competitive riders, who are only trying to make the time cut. Also called the Gruppetto or the Laughing Group.
Balaclava: warm head sock with eye and nose holes
Ball bearing: bearing in the shape of a ball
Barrel adjuster: barrel-shaped device in-line on a shifter cable that adjusts cable tension
Bar tape: the tape wrapped around the handlebar
Baroudeur: literally warrior in French, a rider who is aggressive and daring and thus likely to win a stage of a stage race that isn’t a climbing stage, a sprint stage, or a time trial.
Base: the foundation, got from long hours of steady, moderate riding, on which more intense training is built
Base layer: underwear
Base training: long, steady rides designed to build a base
BB: see Bottom bracket
BCAA: short for Branched Chain Amino Acid
Bead: see Tire bead
Bearing: Device for allowing one part to rub against another while minimizing friction. On a bicycle, found in the bottom bracket, the headset, the jockey wheels, the hubs, and the pedals.
Beater: cheap, beaten-up bike used for commuting and knock-about riding
Beats per minute: measure of how hard your heart is working
Bibs: cycling shorts with shoulder straps (always plural, like “pants”)
Bicycle Adventure Club: organization to run member-led bike trips all over the world
Big: in gearing, hard to pedal, as in, “I can’t believe you got up that hill in that big a gear.” Opposite of Little, synonymous with High
Big gear, the: highest gear on a bike, usually 53-11
Big Ring: riders’ slang for the large chainring. Also a verb, as in “He was big-ringin’ that hill”
Bike box: box, usually hard plastic, used for transporting a bike without damage, typically on airplanes
Bike fit: professional session in which one’s position on the bike is critiqued via computer, laser, motion capture, etc.
Bike size: how big a bike is; expressed in a word (like “large”) or number of inches or centimeters representing the length of the seat tube, 54 cm being about man’s medium
Bike stand: device for clamping and holding a bike at a height that’s convenient for servicing
Bikeflights.com: company that ships bikes from anywhere to anywhere
Bikepacking: Backpacking/camping on a bike
Biker: motorcycle rider; member of a motorcycle gang
Biofreeze: Brand of healing ointment, for sore muscles or pre-ride embrocation
Bivy sack: alternative to a tent, a waterproof sleeve for a sleeping bag
Boa: Brand of shoe tightening device; alternative to ratchets or velcro
Bodge: clumsy repair or improvised modification; more clumsy than a Hack
Bonk (noun or verb): sudden collapse from running out of energy
Bottom bracket: the part of the bike the pedal spindle goes through
BPM: short for Beats per minute
Brake caliper: on a disc brake, the mechanism that presses the brake pad against the rotor
Brake pad: the pad that pushes against the caliper or wheel rim to slow you down
Brake track: the flat face on the wheel rim the brake pad rubs against
Branched Chain Amino Acid: a kind of amino acid reported to aid recovery and often found in recovery supplements
Brian loop: multi-day carless bike trip with overnight lodging and minimal gear
Breakaway: in a race, one or more riders accelerating away from the peloton and staying ahead of them for some time
Bridging, bridging up: in a race, leaving the peloton behind and riding up to the breakaway group
Bring back: in a race, catch up to a breakaway and reabsorb them into the peloton
Broom wagon: vehicle “sweeping” the racecourse behind the riders to pick up any stragglers
Buff: brand of lightweight do rag
Bunny hop: jump over an obstacle by lifting both wheels off the ground
Burning matches: using up your finite amount of energy
Burying yourself: working to the limit of your strength, usually over a period of time
Cable: braided wire connecting the shifter to the derailleur or the brake lever to the brake
Cable housing: plastic tube the cable runs through
Cable routing: the path your cables take from control lever to derailleur or brake
Cable stretch: mythical change in cable length that explains why you have to tighten your shifter cables over time
Cadence: RPM with which you pedal. 90 RPM is a fast cadence.
Caliper: see Brake caliper
Cam: device that enlarges its radius as it turns around a spindle, typically on a bike to close a wheel’s skewer
Camber: degree of lean or slope—deviation from the vertical or the horizontal. A road that slopes sideways has a lot of camber.
Camelbak: brand of hydration pack
Carbon: plastic, usually woven, used to make bike frames and components light yet strong
Carbon grip compound: gritty paste used to keep carbon seat posts from slipping
Carb: short for Carbohydrate
Carbo load (verb): intentionally gorge on carbs before an athletic event to maximize your fuel levels. Once an athlete’s ritual, now discredited.
Carbohydrate: food source that provides the fuel that muscles burn to do work. AKA starch.
Cardio: short for Cardio-vascular exercise
Cardio-vascular exercise: exercise that works the cardio-vascular system
Cardio-vascular system: the heart/lung/vein/artery system in your body, whose job is to supply muscles with oxygen
Cartridge: miniature scuba tank used to inflate a flat tire
Cassette: the group of gears on the rear wheel the chain tracks on. Also called Cogset or Cluster
Cat: short for Category
Category: 1) a ranking among racers, 1 being the fastest and 5 being the slowest (beginner), as in “I’ve been doing so well in Cat 4 this year I’m thinking of moving up to Cat 3”; 2) ranking of the difficulty of a climb, from 1-4 with 1 being the hardest, as in “This stage is brutal—it includes 3 cat-1 climbs.” See also Hors categorie.
Categorized climb: in a race, climb given a ranking for difficulty. See Category, Hors categorie.
Center of gravity: the mythical spot at the center of your mass, from which your balance springs
Century: 100-mile or 100-kilometer ride, typically social and non-competitive
Ceramic: material used in high-end ball bearings to reduce friction
Chain-breaker: see Chain tool
Chain breaking: common but inaccurate term for a chain coming apart while riding due to roller pin wear
Chain deflection: see Cross-chaining
Chain elongation: lengthening of the chain due to roller pin wear, which necessitates chain replacement
Chain gauge: device for measuring chain stretch
Chain ring: cog, or pair of cogs, between the pedals that the chain tracks on; may refer to one cog (“I had to replace my small chainring”) or both (“I converted to a compact chainring”)
Chain snood: bag that covers the chain to protect surroundings from chain grease during storage or transport
Chain stay: the part of the frame running from the bottom bracket to the rear wheel hub
Chain stretch: common but inaccurate term for Chain elongation
Chain tattoo: greasy imprint of the chain ring on your leg after a ride
Chain tool: device for breaking into the chain by opening a link
Chain whip: device for removing the cassette from the rear wheel hub
Chamois: pad inside cycling shorts. Pronounced and often spelled “shammy”
Chamois butter: Brand of, and other name for, Chamois cream
Chamois cream: ointment you apply before a ride to prevent saddle sores
“Chapeau!””: French for “hat,” short for “Hats off to you”— i.e. “You have my respect”
Chipseal: road surface composed of a layer of pavement, then gravel, then tar. Also called Chip and seal
Circuit race: cycling race consisting of many laps around a loop course roughly 3 miles in length
Claimed weight: What the manufacturer says a product weighs
Classic: old, revered European one-day race
Classic handlebar: handlebar with traditional shape—with circular, deep drops
Classics man: rider particularly good at Classics
Cleat: device on the bottom of your shoe allowing you to clip into the pedal
Cleat wedge: shim placed under the cleat to accommodate to the camber of your foot sole
Clincher tire: tire with a U-shaped cross section
Clip in: attach your cleat to the pedal
Clip out: release the cleat from the pedal
Clipless pedal: modern pedal, requiring a cleat, as opposed to the earlier pedal with toe clips
Cluster: see Cassette
Clydesdale: rider weighing 200 lbs or more. Term of affection, not derogation.
CO2: carbon dioxide, the “air” in an inflator’s cartridge
Coasting: riding without pedaling
Cockpit: the space between the center of the saddle and the center of the handlebar
Cog: toothed gear. Cassette gears and chain rings are cogs.
Cogset: see Cassette
Combativity award: in a stage race, award given to the most aggressive, risk-taking rider
Comfort bike: bike designed to emphasize comfort over performance; may refer to a slightly “de-tuned” performance bike or a townie.
Commissaire: race official
Compact handlebar: handlebar with a smaller drop and reach than the classic handlebar
Compact gearing, compact crankset, compact chain ring: crankset with smaller chain rings, sacrificing a little top-end speed for ease of climbing
Compliant: flexy, good at absorbing impact. See Vertically compliant
Component: any device that attaches to a bike frame and contributes directly to the riding process, as distinguished from accessories—pedals are components, water bottles are accessories.
Compression: a squeezing of a part of the body, to speed recovery
Compression clothing: clothing designed to accomplish compression
Computer: device to record basic ride information, like speed and distance—rudimentary compared to a Garmin
Consumer-direct marketing: marketing that sells directly from a manufacturer to the buyer via the internet, bypassing retailers
Contact patch: the small, roughly square section of your tire that is actually touching the road at a given time
Core: your belly, lower back, and surroundings
Counter-steering: steering away from a turn—if you’re turning left, you turn the handlebar to the right; or, raising the outside end of the handlebar on a turn
Crack (verb): see Bonk
Crank: short for Crankarm
Crank length: the length (in millimeters) of your crankarm
Crankarm: the part of a bike between the bottom bracket and the pedal
Crankset: everything coming out of the bottom bracket—the crankarm, spider, and chain ring
Credit-card loop: multi-day, carless bike trip supported only by a credit card and change of clothing
Crit: short for Criterium
Criterium: roughly one-hour race doing loops on a course of roughly 1 mile in length, frequently on downtown city streets
Cross-chaining: pedaling with the chain on one side of the chain ring and the other side of the cassette, so the chain is forced to travel sideways
Cross-training: doing sports other than the one you’re serious about, as a way of training the parts of your body your primary sport doesn’t work
Cruiser: Basic bike for riding around town
Curly laces: shoelaces that form a tight elastic spiral, used by cyclists to store clothing behind the saddle
Custom: refers to anything made to order to your personal specs—most typically wheels
CVS: short for Cardio-vascular system
Cycle Oregon: huge annual week-long supported ride around Oregon state; also, weekend version of the same
Cycling club: local group of riders who organize local rides, put on centuries, advocate for cyclists, etc.
Cyclocross: form of racing in which riders race for about an hour on a loop course through dirt, mud, sand, and water, at times carrying their bikes on their shoulders while running over low barriers.
Cyclocross bike: bike designed for cyclocross
Dab: touch your foot to the ground while riding
Deep: short for Deep-section
Deep-section: referring to any wheel rim 50 mm deep (wide in profile) or more
Defogger: see Anti-fog
Degreaser: cleaner designed to cut grease
Demo (noun and verb): short for “demonstration,” refers to borrowing a shop’s or manufacturer’s bike for a trial ride, as in “I demoed the new Giant last week”
Demo day: organized event set up to encourage you to demo a bike
Derailleur: French for “de-railer,” device for moving chain from one cog to another. Pronounced “dee RAY lurr.”
Derailleur cage: the shiny box on the front derailleur the chain runs through before contacting the chain
Derailleur hanger: the part of the frame the rear derailleur is attached to
Di2: Shimano’s brand of electronic shifting. Pronounced “DEE eye TOO.”
Diaphragm: the muscle below your lungs that pulls air into your lungs when it contracts
Dinner plate: slang term for rear granny gear bigger than 32 teeth
Directeur sportif: pro cycling team boss. Pronounced “dee reck TURR spor TEEF”
Disc brake: brake that works by clamping brake pads onto a rotor, a round wheel circling your hub, instead of onto your wheel rims
Do rag: sock that goes over your “do” (hairdo, thus top of your head)
Domestique: French for “servant,” a team member whose job is to assist and protect the star rider. Pronounced “DOH mess TEEK”
Doored: hit by a car door suddenly opened in front of you as you ride past
Double: short for Double chain ring
Double chain ring: crankset with two cogs
Double diamond: the official term for the standard frame shape, even though that shape is actually a double triangle
Down: in shifting, to a lower, littler gear, as in “I see a steep pitch coming—better gear down.”
Down tube: the part of the frame between the head tube and the bottom bracket
Drafting: riding close behind the rider in front of you to take advantage of the reduced wind resistance there
Dropper seat post: hydraulic seat post that is adjusted for height as you ride via a control lever, usually positioned on your handlebar
Drops: curved part of the handlebar
Drop-out: the part of the frame the wheel falls out of when you loosen the quick release if you have skewers
DS: short for Directeur sportif
Dura-Ace: Shimano’s top-end gruppo
Echelon: group of riders in a diagonal line across the road, to draft in crosswinds
Effective top tube: the imaginary top tube the bike would have if the top tube were horizontal—the horizontal distance between the top of the head tube and the seat tube
Elastomer: a springy rubber cartridge that provides rudimentary suspension
Elbow flick: gesture from rider in a breakaway signaling the rider behind them to take over the pulling
Electrolyte: chemical your body loses in sweat and thus needs to replace
Electrolyte replacement: replacing the electrolytes you sweat out
Elevation: vertical distance from sea level
Elevation gain: amount of vertical distance climbed during a ride
Embrocation: the application of balms or heating creams to muscles before exercise
Endo: short for “end over end,” a flight over the handlebars after an unexpected stop
Endurance bike, endurance geometry: see Adventure bike
Ergonomic: referring to the science of designing products that interact with your body comfortably and healthily, as in, “This saddle is ergonomically designed to not kill your butt.”
Esses: series of S-shaped curves in the road. Always plural.
European sizing: the method Europeans use to indicate the size of a garment. Europeans are smaller than Americans, so clothing comes in European sizing and American sizing, American sizing being one size bigger (thus a European large is an American medium). Also, a numbering system for European garments, where 4 equals medium
Event wheels: wheels you save for special occasions, especially competitive events
Expo: Tent city of vendors selling or advertising cycling-related merch, usually near the start-finish line of large races
Fender: shield that covers part of a tire to protect the rider and others from water and debris kicked up from the road during a ride
Flat: tire puncture
Flats (plural): flat roads, as in, “I rode the flats today.”
Fleece: polyester spun into fluff and used to line cold-weather garments
Flier: risky chance in a race. As in, “I figured I wouldn’t win but I thought I’d take a flier.”
Float: amount of side-to-side heel movement a pedal allows you when you’re clipped in
Floor pump: tire pump that stands on the floor
Fly: slang term for “having a slammed stem”; see Slam
Fog line: painted line, usually white, running along the edge of the road to mark its boundary
Folding bead: on a clincher tire, a tire bead that is soft enough that you can fold the tire up and stick it in a jersey pocket; as opposed to Wire bead
Footbed: see Insole
Force: SRAM’s mid-range performance gruppo
Frame: the eight-tube double triangle on which all the components are hung
Frameset: frame plus fork, and possibly seat post
Frame pump: tire pump that attaches to your bike frame, typically along your top tube
Frazz: syndicated comic strip about a tri-athlete, and the athlete’s name
Fred, Fred factor: the archetypal nerdy cyclist. The universal signifier of a Fred is a banana in a jersey pocket. The opposite of being a Fred is “being pro.”
Freelance: in a race, ride without team support, trying to hitch rides on the wheels of riders from other teams
Freewheel: as noun, the mechanism in the rear cassette that allows the wheels to turn without moving the chain/pedals. As verb, to pedal without applying pressure to the pedals, or, pedal backwards, or, coast
FTP: short for Functional Threshold Power
Fun ride: social ride without competition, often to enjoy the company of a pro or other guest rider
Functional Threshold Power: the amount of power you can sustain for one hour
Gain: Short for Vertical gain
Garmin: brand name of and now generic term for on-board computer
GC: short for General Classification
Gear: see Cog; also, measure of pedaling difficulty, as in “He was really pushing a big gear going up that hill”
Gear ratio: the mathematical ratio between the teeth on your front and rear cogs. See Gearing
Gearing: measure of how hard or easy the pedaling is, stated in terms of the gears being used (as in “I’m in my 53-11,” meaning “my 53-tooth chain ring and my 11-tooth rear gear”). Also sometimes measured in inches, the distance traveled in a pedal stroke
Gel: carbo-rich slime, often in individual packets, eaten during rides for fueling
General Classification: In a stage race, the ranking by total elapsed time, as in, “He’s 50 seconds ahead on GC,” meaning he’s leading all other riders by 50 seconds. The GC leader at the end of the race is “the winner”
Ghost pedal: see Soft-pedal
Ghost shifting: the chain moving from one gear to another on its own, without input from you
Giro d’Italia: “Tour of Italy,” Italy’s 3-week grand tour. Typically called “the Giro”
Glove liners: thin gloves designed to go inside heavier gloves
Glycogen: the actual “fuel” your body burns during exercise, until the glycogen is gone—then your body burns fat
Goo: original brand of gel, now a generic name for any gel
Gram: basic unit of weight when discussing components, 1/454^th of a pound
Gran fondo: timed, race-oriented version of a century
Granny gear: lowest gear on your bike; or, lowest gear in the cassette
Gravel bike: bike engineered to be ridden on gravel roads and other rough surfaces
Gregario: Spanish synonym for Domestique
Groupset: English synonym for Gruppo
Gruppetto (also spelled grupetto): see Autobus
Gruppo: set of the major components—derailleurs, shifters, brakes, chain ring, cassette
Gruppo compatto: in a race, Italian for “united group,” term describing when all the attacks have been absorbed and the peloton is whole again
Hack: improvised repair or modification less clumsy than a bodge
Half-wheeling: riding with your wheel slightly ahead of the wheel beside you
Hammering: riding hard
Hamstring: the thigh muscle behind your quad
Hard gear: see High gear
Hard-shell case: rigid plastic box for air-shipping a bike
HC: short for Hors categorie
Head tube: the short tube on your frame between your fork and your stem through which the steerer tube goes
Headset: the set of bearings between the head tube and the steerer tube that allows you to turn the handlebars
Heart rate: how fast your heart is beating, in BPM (beats per minute)
Heart rate monitor: device you wear around your chest (or less commonly wrist) to tell you what your heart rate is
Heat exhaustion: sickness induced by hot weather
Hex wrench: see Allen wrench
HFCS: short for High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup: super-dense sugar syrup created from corn—extremely unhealthy
High: in gearing, hard to pedal, as in, “I can’t believe you got up that hill in that high a gear.” Opposite of Low, synonymous with Big
High intensity interval training: mode of training that emphasizes short, extremely hard intervals
HIIT: short for High intensity interval training
Hit the wall: see Bonk, Pedal squares
Hi-Viz: short for “high visibility,” refers to clothing designed to be easily visible to cars during the day, especially a particular shade of yellow
Hoods: the rubber skins covering your shifters
Hors categorie: in a race, French for “outside the category,” translated in English as “beyond category,” describing a climb that is maximally difficult, thus harder than Category 1. Pronounced “OR cat-uh-gore-EE”
Hub: the bearing mechanism at the center of the wheel the wheel turns on
HR: short for Heart rate
HRM: short for Heart rate monitor
Hybrid: bike design intended as a compromise between a road bike and a townie
Hydration pack: a combination backpack/water bladder with a hose running to your mouth
Hydrogenated oil: vegetable oil rendered spoilage-proof and unhealthy by science; once present in most packaged foods, now largely illegal
Ibuprofen: atheletes’ favorite anti-inflammatory, now proven to make soreness problems worse
Iliotibial band: a ligament running along the outside of your thigh that often needs stretching and is hard to stretch
Inflator: device that attaches to an air cartridge to inflate a bicycle tube
Insole: the foot bed your foot rests on inside a shoe
Instant patch: a patch for a punctured tube that is pre-glued and sticks on instantly like a band-aid
Inside-out: see Turning (Oneself) Inside-Out
Intermediate sprint point: in a race, spot along the course where points are awarded to the first few finishers, points which are totaled throughout the stage race to determine the winner of the points jersey
Internal cable routing: running cables inside the frame tubing
Interval: short period of intense work during training
Isolated: in a race, cut off from one’s teammates
Isolation: in training, the purposeful singling out of a specific muscle or muscle group
IT band: short for Iliotibial band
Jockey wheel: part of the derailleur, the little wheel the chain runs around before engaging the rear cassette. There are two.
Jour sans: French for “day without,” the day in a stage race when a racer has no energy and gets shelled. Pronounced “joor song” without the “g”
JRA: short for Just Riding Along
Junk-saver: term for a saddle designed to relieve pressure on your genitals
Just Riding Along: the proverbial description of the state just before something breaks; i.e. “It wasn’t my fault, it must be a manufacturing flaw”
King of the Mountains: rider who amasses the most points at designated KOM spots along the route of a stage race, typically summits and summit finishes
King of the Mountains jersey: jersey awarded to the rider leading in the KOM competition in a stage race
KOM: short for King of the Mountains
Knee warmer: sleeve that covers your leg from your thigh to just below your knee
Kevlar: brand name of and generic name for nearly indestructible plastic, used in bulletproof vests and puncture-resistant tires
Kilometer: distance unit for all non-American races, .62 of a mile
Kit: outfit—bibs, jersey, socks, gloves, maybe helmet and shoes; often impling that everything matches, as in “He was wearing full Garmin pro team kit”
Lactic acid: a chemical that supposedly builds up in your muscles under a workload
Lactic acid burn: a burning sensation in your muscles that signals you’re accumulating lactic acid faster than your system can clear it, thus telling you you can’t keep working this hard much longer
Lactic threshold: the moment when the workload becomes hard enough to bring on the lactic acid burn
Lanterne rouge: in the Tour de France, French for “red lantern,” award for being dead last. Pronounced “lahn TEYRN ROOZH”
Laterally stiff: resistant to sideways flex—said of frames and wheels
Laughing group: see Autobus
Layering: wearing several thin layers of clothing to stay warm, instead of one or two heavy layers
LBS: short for “local bike shop”
Lead out (noun or verb): in a race, to sprint in front of your sprinter just before the finish line so he can use your slipstream to attain maximum speed
Leader’s jersey: jersey worn by the leader on GC in a stage race
Lead-out train: in a race, a line of lead-out men from the same team, with each one sprinting, then peeling off the front and letting the next rider take a turn at leading out
Leg warmer: a sleeve covering the leg from thigh to ankle
Limit screw: a screw on your derailleur that serves as a stopper (limiter) so the derailleur cage can only shift so far sideways and no further. There are two per derailleur, one for each limit (inside and outside).
Line: see Pick a line
Little: in gearing, easy to pedal, as in, “I see a steep pitch coming—better get into a little gear.” Opposite of Big, synonymous with Low
Loaded: carrying all the gear you need to do self-supported touring; usually involves panniers or a trailer
Lobster mitts: Gigantic mittens that cover your hands and the handlebar, for maximum protection from the cold
Lock ring: ring that locks the cassette to the hub
Low: in gearing, easy, as in, “I see a steep pitch coming—better get into a low gear.” Opposite of High, synonymous with Little
LT: short for Lactate threshold
Lycra: brand name of and synonym for Spandex
Maillot jaune: French for “yellow jersey,” the jersey worn by the leader in the Tour de France. Pronounced “MY oh ZHAWN”—rhymes with “song” without the “g.”
Maglia rosa: Italian for “pink jersey,” the jersey worn by the leader in the Giro d’Italia. Pronounced “MAHL yuh ROH suh”
Maltodextrin: ingredient in cycling supplements, healthy source of carbs
Manual: a technical maneuver where the rider moves far off the rear of the bike to pull the front wheel off the ground
Mapmyride: Internet website for mapping routes and sharing routes mapped by others
Marino wool: a high-quality wool famous for not being itchy
Mashing: pushing hard on the pedals
Maximum heart rate: maximum BPM your heart can achieve
Mech: slang term for derailleur
Metric century: 100-kilometer century (62 miles)
MHR: short for Maximum heart rate
Michelin maps: the definitive road maps of Europe and elsewhere
Mini-pump: tire pump designed to be carried in a pocket or seatpack
Momentum: the force that keeps you moving forward when you stop pedaling. Google “Isaac Newton.”
Most aggressive rider: see Combativity Award
Moto: European slang for “motorcycle”
Mountain stage: stage in a stage race that involves a lot of climbing and ending in a mountain-top finish
Mountain-top finish: stage in a stage race with the finish line at the end of a long climb
Multi-tool: tool containing many different tools in smallest possible form, for carrying on rides
Nature break: euphemism for stopping to pee
Neoprene: plastic, best known in its foamed state, which is used to provide warm-when-wet insolation in wetsuits and booties
Neutral support: in a race, vehicles or stations providing free assistance to all riders, unaffiliated with any team
Neutralized: refers to moments during a race when competition is forbidden, either at a ceremonial beginning to a stage or as a precaution during treacherous weather conditions, as in “The road was so icy the commissaires neutralized the descent.”
Newton-meter (Nm): unit of measure for torque, an alternative to foot-pounds
No man’s land: in a race, the area on the road between a breakaway and the peloton
O’clock: a method of orienting directions up, down, left, or right by relating them to an analog clock face—e.g. “6 o’clock” is straight down, “noon” straight up
OEM: abbreviation for original equipment manufacturer
On the rivet: sitting on the nose of the saddle, thus riding as hard as possible
Open-jaw: arriving at one airport and departing from another, on a vacation
Original equipment manufacturer: term describing the components that come on your bike when you buy it, put there by the manufacturer
Orthotics: footbeds custom-made by a podiatrist
Osteoporosis: brittle-bone disease, exacerbated by a lack of impact exercise
Out of your skin: see Riding out of your skin
Overlap (noun): the overlapping of your shoe toe and your front tire when your pedal is at 3 o’clock
Oxygen debt: state when your muscles are using oxygen faster than your CVS can resupply it
Paceline: single or double line of cyclists, with each rider directly behind the rear wheel of the rider ahead
Pacemaking: maintaining a steady, moderately fast tempo
Palmares: cyclist’s resume, record of their accomplishments. Pronounced “pahl MAHR ace”
Panache: French word for what a classy, stylish cyclist has. Pronounced “pah NAHSH”
Panniers: bicycle saddle bags. Pronounced both “PAN yers” and “pan YAYZ”
Paperboy (verb): to serpentine back and forth up a steep climb to make the ascending easier
Parcours: French word for the nature or shape of the race course, as in “He won’t win today—the parcours doesn’t suit him”. Pronounced “pahr COOR”
Patch kit: kit to fix flats, containing tube patches, glue, and sandpaper
Patron: informal boss of the peloton. Pronounced “pah TROHN”
Pavé: cobblestone road surface. Pronounced “pah VAY”
PE: short for Perceived effort
Pedal wrench: lever used to install and remove pedals
Pedaling squares: see Bonking. Implying that you’re so tired your pedaling mechanics have gone to hell
Peloton: French for “ball,” the main body of riders in a race
Perceived effort: subjective estimate of how hard you’re working
Performance geometry: geometry of a bike frame intended to maximize performance
Phantom Brake Problem: a mechanical problem faked by a rider during a race to allow them some time holding on to the team car
Phytochemical: healthy chemical occurring in food
Pick a line: intentionally choose a precise path on the pavement directly ahead of you where you want your tires to track
Pilates: specialized form of yoga/exercise using elaborate machines, typically done in classes at sports clubs
Pile: see Fleece
Pinch bolt: bolt that captures a cable and prevents it from slipping by pinching it against a flat surface
Pinch flat: puncture caused by a strong impact (pothole or curb) pinching the tube between the road and the rim
Pitch: angle upward, steepness. Usually measured in percent, less often in degrees
Platform pedal: flat pedal with no mechanism for attaching to your shoe
Plush: comfortable, designed for comfort
Plush bike: bike designed to enhance comfort, typically by putting you in a more upright position and damping road vibration
Poaching: sneaking into a supported century without paying
Points jersey: jersey awarded to the rider in a stage race with the most points amassed at sprint points throughout the race
Polka dot jersey: see King of the Mountains jersey
Power meter: device attached to your bike for measuring your power output (in watts)
Power-to-weight ratio: your power divided by your weight—conventional measure of climbing ability
PR Lotion: brand of cream smeared on muscles to prevent lactic acid build-up
Presta valve: valve on a standard bike tube; as opposed to a Schrader valve
Pro: adjective, short for “professional,” meaning “in a style that emulates pro riders.” As in, “That banana in your pocket isn’t very pro.”
Proprietary: specific to one manufacturer or model, thus often not stocked by your LBS, as in “We’ll have to order those spokes—they’re proprietary to that model of wheel.”
Protected rider: in a race, leader of a cycling team, the one trying to win, in support of whom the domestiques ride
Pull (noun): turn setting the pace at the head of the paceline, as in “You’ve been taking some long pulls today!”
Pump: device for inflating tubes
QOM: short for Queen of the Mountains
Quad: short for Quadriceps
Quadriceps (singular): muscle on the top of your thigh
Queen of the Mountains: KOM in a women’s race
Queen stage: hardest stage in a stage race
Quick-link: chain link designed to come apart and go back together easily and repeatedly
Quick-link pliers: tool required to open a quick-link
Quick-release: cam on the end of a skewer designed to remove wheels quickly from drop-outs and reattach them
Quiver-killer: all-purpose bike that precludes the need for owning lots of purpose-specific bikes
Race: in a bearing, the track the ball bearing runs in
Rack: means of mounting a bike on a vehicle
Rain bike: back-up bike you ride when it rains, to save your good bike
Rain tires: tires designed to provide extra traction, supposedly good for wet roads
Ratcheting: pedaling back and forth between 2 and 4 o’clock, instead of in circles, to avoid hitting something with the pedal or getting it wet
Reach: the horizontal distance between the top of the head tube and an imaginary vertical line that drops through the bottom bracket
Recovery: period of rest between hard rides
Recovery drink: liquid formulated to speed recovery
Red: SRAM’s high-end gruppo
Red zone: level of effort at which you “go anaerobic,” accumulating lactic acid; level of effort you’re unable to sustain very long
Relaxed geometry: see Slack geometry
Relegated: in a race, punished for violating rules by being reassigned a lower finishing position
Resting heart rate: heart rate when you’re completely at rest, typically measured at the moment of awakening in the morning
Revolutions per minute: number of times in a minute something goes around in a circle—usually your feet
RidewithGPS: popular website for mapping rides and sharing routes with others
Riding out of your skin: working at maximum effort for an extended amount of time; see Burying yourself
Riding tempo: riding at a steady, moderately up-tempo speed for an extended period of time
Right hook: car on your left making a sudden right turn across your path
Rim: part of the wheel the tire sits on
Rim brakes: brakes that stop by pushing brake pads against the brake track on your wheel rim
Rim channel: U-shaped depression on the rim that the tire beads sit in
Rim depth: thickness of a rim from outside diameter to inside diameter, looking at the rim in profile
Rim tape: tape that sits in the rim channel and keeps the tube from puncturing itself on the spoke holes
Rim width: thickness of a rim from side to side, looking at it from edge on; may be external (outside to outside) or internal (inside to inside)
Rival: SRAM’s cheapest performance gruppo
Rivet: nose of the saddle, so-called because leather saddles had a rivet there
Road bike: bike designed primarily for performance on pavement
Road buzz: the chattering your tires experience from chipseal or other unsmooth road surface
Road furniture: any physical obstacle that’s a part of the road landscape—signs, pylons, curbs, dividers, posts
Road rash: skin abrasion caused by sliding on pavement
Roadie: slang term for road cyclist. Not an insult.
Rollers: series of hills not big enough to be considered “climbs”
Rolling resistance: the friction caused by your tires on the pavement
Roostertail: the spout of water kicked up in the air off the trailing edge of your tire in the rain
Rotor: on a disc brake, the spinning disc the brake pads press against when braking
RPM: short for Revolutions per minute
Saddle sore: any abrasion or rash in your crotch caused by riding
SAG: vehicular support during a supported ride, offering minor repair, water, and a lift to the next food stop. No one is sure what it stands for—“support and gear” is a good guess.
SAG wagon: vehicle supplying the SAG
Sandbagging: pretending to be a weaker rider than you are, as a psychological ploy
Scale: “size” of a map, expressed in a ratio—the smaller the ratio, the larger the scale and the greater the detail
Schrader valve: the type of inner tube valve seen on car tires and some cruiser bikes
Scissor kick: in pedaling, pushing down with one knee while driving the other knee upward toward the handlebar
Sea Otter Classic: famed annual bike festival in Monterey, CA
Sealant: goo squirted inside a tubeless tire to seal punctures
Seat pack: small satchel attached to the underside of your saddle
Seat post: the post the saddle is attached to via seat rails
Seat rail: one of two fore-and-aft metal bars under the saddle the seat post clamps directly to
Seat stay: the frame tube that runs from near the saddle to the rear wheel hub
Service course: French phrase, pronounced “sehr VEESE koorse,” for a team’s mechanical support and supply system, typically in a large truck or box van
Set: term used to describe a group of parts that work together, as in Wheelset, Frameset, Crankset, and the redundant Groupset
Sew-up: synonym for Tubular tire
Shammy: phonetic spelling of Chamois
Shifter: mechanical device attached to the handlebar that moves the derailleur, either by cable or electronic signal
Sidewall: the part of a tire between the bead and the tread
Single: short for Single chain ring
Single chain ring: chain ring with only one cog
Single-speed bike: bike with only one cog in front and back
Siping: cutting tiny slits in the tread of a tire in hopes of improving wet-weather traction
Sit in: ride in the midst of other riders, with the implication that you’re avoiding your share of the work
Sit on: ride directly behind another rider without his permission, with the implication that you’re avoiding your share of the work
Size: see Bike size
Skewer: thin removable axle running through the wheel hub, if you don’t have thru-axles
Slack geometry: geometry designed for comfort; more reclined
Slam: radically lower your handlebar via the stem
Slime: brand name for tire sealant
Snake bite: slang term for pinch flat, because a pinch flat is typically two small holes side by side
Soft-pedal: pedal with gentle pressure on the pedals
Solvent: general term for strong cleaner/degreaser, most commonly used to clean chains
Soy: as a powder, the most common form of protein while on the bike; compare with Whey.
Spacer: small ring around the steerer tube used to raise stem height
Spandex: stretchy polyester fabric used to make cycling shorts
Spider: the set of arms the chain rings attach to
Spin: ride with a high cadence
Spin out: reach a pedaling RPM so fast you can’t apply pressure to the pedals
Spinning class: organized group session on stationary bikes at a sports club
Spoke holes: holes in the rim channel the spokes pass through
Spoke tension: degree to which the spokes are tightened
Spoke wrench: tool for adjusting spoke tension
Sprint: ride at absolute maximum speed for very short period of time
Sprint stage: a stage in a stage race that will probably end in a sprint
Sprinter’s jersey: see Points jersey
Stage hunting: in a stage race, looking to win particular stages instead of contesting the GC
Stage: in a stage race, the race on any given day
Stage race: multi-day race consisting of one stage per day
Staging area: at a race, the area behind the start line where teams set up
Stiffness: resistance to flex
Steel frame: frame made out of steel
Steerer tube: tube inside the head tube connecting the fork to the stem
Stem: the short tube or bar connecting the handlebar to the steerer tube; on a tire, see Valve stem
Stem rise: a stem’s degree of elevation—measured in degrees
Stevia: plant leaf extract calorie-free sugar substitute
Sticky bottle: last bottle handed to a domestique from the team car during a race, intended to give him a boost by letting him hold onto the car
Strava: Internet ride mapping and recording site designed to let riders compete against each other for best times on specified stretches of road
Streetview: feature of Googlemaps that lets you view camera’s-eye views of roads
Stuck to the ground: feeling weak and slow, as in “I’ve been stuck to the ground all week.”
Sugar spike: sudden, short-lived energy surge produced by eating sugar
Sunblock: lotion or spray that prevents UV rays from harming your skin
Supplementation: any fueling that isn’t regular food
Swag: free stuff at cycling events—pronounced “shwag”
Swedging: crimping a soft metal collar around two lengths of wire or cable to join them
Target heart rate: the heart rate you’re striving to exercise at
Team car: in a race, a car following the riders offering support to a specific team’s riders—food, water, mechanical support, medical aid
Team classification: in a race, a competition between teams, where the winner is determined by the total finish times of each team’s 3 highest-placed riders
Technical: involving technique; demanding bike handling skills
Tempo: see Riding tempo
Thermal clothing: clothing for cold weather
THR: short for Target heart rate
Threads per inch: number of threads side by side in an inch of tire sidewall; measure of a tire’s suppleness
Threshold: in training, a theoretical boundary between two levels of effort. See also Lactate threshold, Anaerobic threshold
Thru-axle: a kind of axle that replaces the skewer—bigger and stiffer, intended to improve handling
TIC: short for Tourist Information Center
Tifoso: Italian for cycling fan; plural is “tifosi”
Time bonus: seconds subtracted from a racer’s time, as a reward for winning or finishing high up on a stage or intermediate sprint point
Time cut, time limit: on a stage of a stage race, the elapsed time after which finishing racers are eliminated from the race, calculated from the winner’s finishing time
Time trial: a race in which each rider rides alone, separated from the rider before or after him by 1-3 minutes
Time trial bike: bike designed for use in a time trial
Timing chip: electronic sensor fixed to a bike or rider to record their starting and finishing time
Tire bead: on a clincher tire, the endpoint of the cross-section’s U shape (there are two)
Tire boot: large patch for repairing a large puncture or torn sidewall
Tire clearance: amount of room on a bike frame for a tire to rotate without rubbing
Tire iron: lever used to remove a tire from the rim
Tire lever: see Tire iron
Tire sealant: see Sealant
Titanium: the most advanced of the frame metals—compliant like steel but rustproof, lighter than aluminum
Toe clip: archaic means of attaching your foot to the pedal, wherein a leather strap goes over the ball of your foot
Toe-in: (as noun) degree to which the trailing edge of rim brake pads points in toward the brake track; (as verb) align your brake pads so they toe in
Top tube: the tube on the frame between the seat post and the head tube
Tops: the flat, straight part of the handlebar—always plural
Torque: twisting force, usually in reference to tightening a bolt
Torque wrench: tool for measuring amount of torque while tightening a bolt
Torqueing: applying torque to a bolt, as in “Don’t torque that bolt too much”
Torx: style of bolt head with a star-shaped hole, common on disc brakes
Tour de France: 3-week stage race in France, most prestigious bike race in the world
Touring: cycling on multi-day road trips completely self-supported
Touring bike: bike designed for touring, typically bulletproof and heavy
Tourist Information Center: free service in most European towns hooking up travelers with overnight lodging
Townie: see Cruiser
TPI: short for Threads per inch
Track stand: technical feat where you balance upright and motionless on your bike
Trainer: stand holding your bike upright and allowing you to train indoors
Training: cycling or exercise intended to improve performance
Training ride: a ride whose goal is training
Training zones: levels of effort with specific training goals
Tread: Road surface, as in “How rough is the tread on that ride?”
Trials: a kind of mountain-bike competition in which riders strive to negotiate technical terrain without dabbing, or riding in that style; as in, “He doesn’t race—he’s mostly a trials rider.” Always plural.
Triceps (singular): the muscle on your upper arm opposite your biceps
Trim (noun): adjustment on your front derailleur allowing you to half-shift to avoid chain rub
Triple chain ring: chain ring consisting of 3 cogs
Tripoding: sticking the inside leg out on a turn
True: of a wheel, being perfectly adjusted so the rim rotates in a plane, without wobbles or bulges, as in “Would you check this wheel to make sure it’s true?”
Truing a wheel: adjusting spoke tension to keep a rim in a plane
Tube: aka inner tube, the inflatable tube inside a tire
Tubeless tire: tire that doesn’t need a tube because it’s airtight by itself
Tubular tire: tire whose cross-section is a circle, not a U; also called sew-up
Turn (Oneself) Inside-Out: work to the limit of one’s energy, as in “That domestique turned himself inside-out for his team leader today.”
Turn-out (noun): degree to which your toes are further apart than your heels when standing or pedaling
Ulnar nerve: nerve at the base of your palm that is sensitive to pressure
Ultegra: Shimano’s mid-range performance gruppo
Ultra-violet rays: the invisible rays in sunlight that cause sunburn and skin cancer
Up: in shifting, to a higher, bigger gear, as in , “You’re spinning—better go up a gear or two.”
Upright geometry: frame geometry designed to have you in a more upright position while riding
UV: short for “ultra-violet”; see Ultra-violet rays
Valve: “gateway” inside the valve stem that allows air in or out of a tube, or, synonym for stem
Valve core: thin metal “guts” running through the center of a valve
Valve extender: tube screwed onto a valve to make it longer—used on deep rims
Valve stem: metal stanchion on an inner tube through which the valve core runs; often called simply “stem” or “valve”
Valve stem collar: the knurled ring that screws onto the valve stem
Vert: short for Vertical gain
Vertical gain: see Elevation gain
Vertically compliant: designed to absorb up-and-down impacts, thus providing protection from road buzz
Vitamin I: slang term for Ibuprophen
Vuelta a Espana: “Tour of Spain,” Spain’s 3-week grand tour. Typically called “The Vuelta”
Wahoo: popular brand of on-board computer
Water bottle cage: wire or carbon cage attached to your frame to hold a water bottle
Watt: unit of work, standard measure of cycling power, as in, “The guy has a huge motor—he can put out 1600 watts in a sprint.”
Weight training: exercising using weights (dumbbells, barbells) or weight machines to built muscle strength
Weight weenie: cyclist who obsesses about lightness
Wheel: Round thing the tire goes around
Wheel bag: zippered sack for transporting wheels
Wheel sucking: drafting behind the rider in front of you without permission—considered rude and lazy
Wheelset: pair of wheels
Whey: as a powder, preferred form of protein after a ride—compare with Soy
Wind resistance: degree to which an object obstructs air flow past and around it; resistance that must be overcome in order for an object to move through the air
Wire bead: tire bead made out of stiff wire, as opposed to Folding bead
Women-specific: designed specifically for women
Wrench: affectionate term for bike mechanic
Yaw: SRAM’s term for a self-adjusting front derailleur that eliminates a need for trim
Yoga: Eastern system of stretching
Zones: see Training zones
Zwift: internet racing system in which riders on trainers compete against each other virtually on computer-generated courses. Also a verb, as in “I’m doing less road riding these days and more Zwifting.”