Here is a list of biking terms you might hear while on an XBA trip. It is helpful to brush up on your biking vocabulary before embarking on such a journey...it could mean life or death.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
attack - a sudden attempt to ride ahead of a group of riders.
auger - to involuntarily take samples of the local geography, usually with one's face, during a crash.
bacon - scabs on a rider's knees, elbows, or other body parts.
bagging out - canceling a ride for something other than a death in the family.
beartrap - 1) to slip off one pedal, causing the other pedal to slam one in the shin; when one gets kracked with a pedal.
2) the toothlike scars resulting from being beartrapped.
betty - 1) any female rider.
2) the girlfriend of an addictive rider. (see bob)
biff - to crash.
blast - to begin a big climb or ride, after reaching the foot of the long or daunting hill. "We're gonna blast after a snack at the bottom of the wall".
bob - the boyfriend of an addictive rider. (See betty)
bomb - to ride with disregard to personal safety.
bonk - reaching the point of exhaustion.
bra - the rubber strip placed inside the rim to protect the tube from the nipples.
brain - a biking computer, usually featuring an odometer, speedometer, clock, and other "important" display modes.
brain bucket - helmet.
brain sieve - a helmet featuring more vents than protective surface.
break or breakaway - a splitting of the field, where some riders race ahead, trying to avoid being reabsorbed by the larger and more aerodynamicly efficient peloton.
bring home a Christmas tree - to ride (or crash) through dense bushes, so leaves and branches are hanging from your bike and helmet.
BSG - an abbreviation for "Bike Store Guy".
bunny hop - to lift both wheels off the ground by crouching down and then exploding upward, pulling the bike with you. Useful for clearing obstructions, such as curbs, potholes, logs. Differs from its older BMX & trials meaning.
carve - (from skiing) to ride with great speed around the corners of a twisting fire road.
cashed - to be too tired to ride any further; bonked.
chainring tattoo - the dotted-line scar you get from gouging your shin on the chainring.
chase - when a chase group tries to catch up with a group of riders who have broken away from a pack.
cockrotter - one who allows his bike to fall in disrepair, and whose bike invariably fails him at some point in every ride. These people don't know why their bike always breaks, and often would rather buy new parts than keep their bike in good condition.
corndog - to become covered in silt, usually after a fall.
cranial disharmony - how one's head feels after augering.
crank - 1) to mash on the pedals as hard as you can, and then some. As in, "I cranked so hard on getting out of that little valley, but my tire spun out and I had to walk it."
2) to hammer or sprint.
crayon - a mostly road-specific verb that refers to the leaving of skin and viscera on the asphalt after a crash. "I'm not sure Lisa's going to make it tonight. We locked wheels this morning and she crayoned all over the place."
crotch-testing - sudden impact between a male rider's private parts and something very hard and pointy, such as a handlebar stem or seat.
cruiser - 1) a bike for feeble people, where the seat is lower than the handlebars, the rider sits upright, and the top speed is a joke (especially given their usual owners.)
2) derisive term for a mountain bike or hybrid with a large wheelbase, seat below the bars, and/or crappy components and lead-pipe tubing.
crux - the hard part.
dab- taking your foot off the pedal and touching the ground.
dance - to ride out of the saddle.
death march - a ride that turns into an investigation of your endurance limit.
DFL - abbreviation for, Dead... Last.
dialed in - when a bike is set up nicely and everything works just right. Learn to get your bike dialed.
digger - a face plant.
dolphin hop - a technique much like a bunny hop, but executed differently. The rider pulls a wheelie, then moves far forward to pitches his bike down, transferring the wheelie to the rear as an obstacle passes underneath. This is the only type of hop possible for a rider using platform pedals.
downstroke - when the rider is pushing down on the pedal.
draft - 1) to ride behind a windshield, such as another rider or a motor vehicle. "When I was drafting you down that huge-ass hill, you were pedalling madly while I barely had to turn the cranks!"
2) the area sheltered behing a moving object. "You know, it's kinda hard to stay in your draft at high speed if you don't ride in a straight line."
echlon - a diagonal paceline, which modifies the single-file formation for a crosswind.
endo - going over the handlebars.
engine - the rider,
enscarfment - a food break at the edge of a cliff.
Euell Gibbons Trail - means that "some parts (of the trail) are rideable."
extreme - the single adjective that defines a worthwhile sport.
fair grunt - an expression exclusively used nonchalantly by others to describe a death march, in hopes others will try it, fail, and revere them as bike gods.
feeling nedly - when older riders are having a particular strong outing.
fieldsprint - a sprint for the finish line involving a large group of riders. This is an impressive sight indeed.
first blood - credit to the first rider in a group who crashes and starts bleeding as a result.
fishtail - when the rear end locks and slides about behind you. Occurs during strong braking on loose terrain.
flail - to ride badly and out of control.
flash- clearing a technical pitch without dabbing.
flex - when the frame doesn't stay put when you mash the brakes, mash the pedals, or do other normal things.
forcing the pace - to increase the speed of the race to the point that other riders have trouble keeping up.
FS - or F/S - an ambiguous term, can mean Front Suspension or Full Suspension. Not used by anyone who wishes to be understood.
full on conditions - biking with the chance of running into severe foul weather conditions.
gonzo - treacherous, extreme. "That vertical drop was sheer gonzo."
granny gear - the lowest gear available on a bike.
gravity check - a fall.
grunt - a very difficult climb, requiring use of the granny gear. Often used in understatement, as in "Well, I suppose it's a fair grunt, but we used to ride it all the time."
hammer - to ride fast and hard.
hammered - exhausted.
hammerhead - a rider who hammers, or can simply ride faster than the one commenting.
header- going over the handlebars.
honk - to vomit due to cycling exhaustion.
hook - to lock handlebars or wheels, and go down in a bloody pile of metal and muscle.
hucker - one who is ejected wildly through the air and does not land on his/her feet.
impedimentia - all the junk on a bike that impeeds performance and looks bad.
involuntary dismount - a crash.
jet - to accelerate quickly; to go very fast.
kick-out - a bunny hop in which the rider pushes the back tire to one side.
kicker - a steep section of road or trail.
Lance - God.
LBS - abbreviation for "Local Bike Shop".
lead out - a rider intentionally sacrificing his chances of winning a sprint, so that a teammate can ride in his draft until ready to begin the final sprint.
lid - helmet.
mandibular disharmony - how one's jaw feels when it and the handle bars attempt to occupy the same space and time.
mantrap - hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid earth and effective at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider.
mash - to apply much force to the pedals on their downward cycle, generally while standing to climb a steep hill.
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.
mud bogging - riding through muck for fun.
nard guard - used to prevent wang chung.
NCCA - abbreviation for National Collegiate Cycling Association . The NCCA is a standing committee of USA Cycling. The NCCA administers, develops, promotes and governs collegiate bicycling across the country. Rules for NCCA bicycle road races are the same as for USCF bicycle race events.
O.D. - this is short for "Off Day". Even the best riders have them. It is important to recognize the symptoms and to back off when you are having an O.D.
off the back - when a rider is dropped, or cannot keep up with the pace of the windshield (such as a peloton or another rider) and falls behind.
off the front - when a rider takes part in a breakaway, where one or more riders scoot up ahead of the main peloton in a race.
Over The Bars (OTB) - unexpected dismount over the handlebars.
over-the-bar blood donor - a rider who is injured while doing an endo.
paceline - a single file of riders, each of which takes his turn battling the wind at the front.
pavement polish - the small paralell grooves you find an your bike and its expensive components after you wipe out and smear all aver the blacktop. Pavement polish is the bike equivalent of road rash.
peloton - the large, aerodynamicly efficient, and extremely fast pack of riders near the front in a road race, also known as the field.
pimp - a Bike Store Guy who is always trying to sell stuff on the trail.
pokes - short for slow pokes. This is someone that always lingers in the back of the pack. This is not a crime.
portage - to carry your bike.
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.
prang - to bend or dent a part of the bike or body.
pretzeled - the condition both you and your bike are found in after a hairy collision.
pull - to ride at the front of a group of riders, where there is no protection from wind resistance.
pull off - to give up at the front of a group, and return to a position in the formation that is sheltered from wind resistance, such as the back of a paceline.
pull through - to take the front position in a paceline after the previous leader has "pulled off" and left for the rear.
pump - to bounce a suspension fork in hopes of some useful effect, or to encourage excitement.
quick-release - bolts with levers attached, for easy adjustment and removal of wheels and seat height.
rad - short for radical. A slang term used in the early 90's to describe something that was cool. "Dude we totally perfected the rad high five back there."
rag doll - to wreck in such a way that one's person is tossed like a rag doll. "Did you see me rag doll back there?"
railing - making fast and hard turns, like you're on rails and are immune to traction loss. e.g. "He was railing around that turn before he slid out and biffed."
rally - to ride exceptionally well, especially on normally difficult routes.
randonee - a form of cross country bicycle race event. It is run as a very long recreational event, lasting two or three days.
RDS - abbreviation for Rapid Deceleration Syndrome. Military term for the very sudden illness that happens when the free-flight following a high-speed involuntary dismount is interrupted by something solid.
rear triangle - the triangle formed by the chain stays, seat stays, and seat tube.
refor - to ride about with reckless or vandalous disregard for the local ecology. Stems from the practice of using jeeps to scream around reforestation areas leaving a wake of destruction in their path. "Heh, we just came back from reforing (ree'four'ing) around the elementry school's front lawn. Hey, you know how to do a brake torque?"
retro-grouch - a rider who prefers an old bike with old components and isn't fond of new, high-tech equipment.
'rhoid buffing - going down a hill so steep that your butt touches the rear wheel.
riding the pegs - standing on the pedals through rough terrain.
rigid - a bike with no suspension.
road rash - large abrasions on a rider's legs and body caused by a crash, particularly on asphalt.
roadie - a rider who considers trails to be for the weak and feeble.
rock-ectomy - removing rocks, dirt, gravel from one's person after a yard sale. "Some betty stopped by and performed a rock ectomy on my knee after the wreck."
rolling enclosure - a type of traffic control where escort vehicles form a caravan leading and following a group of racers. Racers inside the enclosure are not required to follow the normal rules of the road.
rookie mark - chain grease on a rider's pant leg.
roost - to go fast or accelerate quickly. Or, to stop suddenly.
rooster trail - a spray of water flung off the back wheel as the bicycle rolls through water. Particularly pronounced on bikes without fenders.
saddle - the bike seat.
side-pull caliper - most common type of brakes found on quality road bikes. Designed such that one braking surface contacts the rim first, improving brake modulation.
sitting in - to be a lazy sot who doesn't take their turn at the front of a paceline. Can be used as a tactic to tire one's opponent.
sketching - the act of riding along precariously and near falling.
skid lid - helmet.
snake bite - a double puncture of an inner tube, caused by hitting an obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.
soft-tail - a fully suspended bike.
speed check - breaking.
spike - to obtain a chainring tattoo on the back of the calf, usually the result of a newbie trying to dab or panic skid at high speeds.
spin - smooth pedal motion. Opposite of push-push.
spinout - loss of traction in the rear tire, resulting in the wheel spinning with no forward movement of the bike, usually while climbing on loose gravel
stack - a crash.
steed - your bike, the reason for your existence.
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.
swingoff - abruptly disengaging from a formation to move from the wind-battered lead position to sheltered rear when your stint at the front is over.
table-top - a jump in which the rider throws the bike sideways in mid-air.
taco - to bend a wheel over on itself, in the shape of a taco.
tea party - when a whole group of riders stops and chats, and nobody seems to want to ride on.
tech - a bike mechanic.
technical - a section of trail that is difficult to ride because of rocks, tree roots, steep drops.
techno-fad - a screwy or unique technology that a dominant company (usually Shimano) tries to foist upon the innocent cycling public. Past techno-fads include Biopace chainrings, and overly complex "thumb-thumb" or "push-push" shifters.
techno-weenie - a rider who knows everything about the newest bike parts and techno-fads except how to use either them or his bike. Someone who buys lots of gadgets to add supposed iotas of performance to the bike.
thrash - to cause severe ecological damage to a trail, usually during the wet season.
three-hour tour - a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the outset but turns out to be a death march.
ti - pronounced "tie," it's the periodic-table abbreviation for titanium, and just about the only chemistry-class vestige that a rider should sprinkle into the conversation.
time trials - bicycle race events in which individuals or small teams of riders ride the same route and distance separately for elapsed time. Time trials are generally started at preset intervals and held on an out-and-back or circuit course, and are generally 15 or 40 km, but dozens of lengths are sanctioned.
toe clips - a clip-and-strap system that connects a rider's feet and toes to her pedals. Toe clips usually don't require special shoes.
topo - short for a geological survey topographic map.
tornado - to balance on your front wheel while turning your back wheel 90-180 degrees in either direction.
track left! - a signal to gape at the passing rider on your left, generally accompanied with a sharp movement to veer right into his path.
track right! - a signal to the slowpoke ahead to look around for a hidden turnoff to the left, so he'll get out of your way because there isn't any room to pass on singletrack.
track stand - (from fixed-gear track racing) a maneuver where the rider stops the bike and attempts to remain standing.
track wobble - when the rider stops the bike and attempts to remain standing, but can't do it very well. Characterised by rolling forward, violent movements of the front wheel, and a distressed expression on the rider's face. See track stand, above.
tricked out - when a bike has the latest and hottest components.
true - The ability of a wheel to spin with no lateral wobble, or the act of effecting this condition with a swift kick or a spoke wrench.
TST - Treadmill Stress Test. A medical procedure recommended for those with heart conditions or over 35 before setting out on a rigorous exercise program. "The XBA recommends all seniors get a TST before embarking on an official XBA."
tuck - a riding position, generally a contorted one with the head and torso low, back flat, and arms close in for aerodynamics.
tweak - 1) jump during which the rider twists the handlebars back and forth in mid-air, the more times the better.
2) to slightly injure a part of the body or the bike in a crash. "I tweaked my wrist when I fell."
3) to make a minor adjustment. "My brake pads were rubbing but I tweaked the cable and it went away."
4) when something isn't quite right, "You'd have to be seriously tweaked to replace those hydraulics with V-brakes."
ugly geek jerseys - shirts worn by posers that are covered with advertising logos for which they are receiving no compensation.
unobtanium - describing a bike or accessory made from expensive, high-tech material. A play on "unobtainable" and "titanium."
upstroke - when a rider pulls up on the pedal.
void - to empty the contents of one's bladder.
wall - a road that looks like it goes straight up, because it practically does. Generally used for grades steeper than 10%, depending on region.
wang chung - what you might get when your stem has no nard guard.
washboard - small, regular undulations of the soil surface that make for a very rough ride.
weight-weenie - a bike 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 - lifting the front wheel off the ground, or the act of riding on the rear wheel only, usually with some combination of pulling on the handlebars, pedaling harder, and balance.
wild pigs - poorly adjusted brake pads that squeal in use.
winky - a reflector set.
wipeout - a crash.
wonky - not functioning properly.
wrench - a bike mechanic, especially at a professional bike race.
XBA - the X-treme Bikers Association; an elite biking club that is believed to be one of the most superior biking clubs on the eastern seaboard.
X-treme - an extreme way of spelling extreme. (see extreme)
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.
zone out - a state of mind where you think you've reached The Zone, but you really just stopped paying attention to what you're doing. Usually used as an excuse for a particularly embarrassing biff.
zone, the - a state of mind experienced while riding. You don't think, you just do. A truly Zen experience that can't be fully explained, but when you get there you'll know it and strive to reach it again.
zonk - same as bonk.
These terms were compiled from a number of sources including fellow XBA members as well as the following extreme web sites:
http://www.spokesnslopes.com/news_terms_a_L.htm Spokes N' Slopes
http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/mtbterms.htm Adventure Sports