CycleSpeak – Cycling Words Decoded
When you’re new to this sport, you’ll soon hear Cycling words that are nothing more than mumbo-jumbo to your ears. Different words describe the same things. The terms we use reflects Cycling’s history, science and global popularity.
This is a glossary of the most common Cycling terms you’ll hear:
Aerobic – in the presence of oxygen. Your red blood cells deliver a constant flow of oxygen to create energy in working muscles. Aerobic metabolism burns stored fat and glycogen for fuel.
Anaerobic – without oxygen. Intense activity when your muscles ask for energy faster than your aerobic metabolism can keep pace. Anaerobic metabolism is like a flash-incinerator of stored muscle glycogen.
Attack – bike racing term. A sharp high power surge by a rider, or small group of riders, to get away from the peloton.
Bonk – running out of energy while riding or racing due to a lack of available glycogen from not consuming enough carbohydrates
Bottom Bracket (BB) – the bottom area of a bicycle frame, where the crankset rotates.
Breakaway – bike racing term. A rider or group of riders racing together at the head of a race, after a successful attack.
Cadence – the revolutions per minute (RPM) of one full pedal rotation.
Calipers – the arms of bicycle brakes. In rim brakes, calipers press brake shoes against the wheel rim. In disc brakes, calipers press brake shoes against the rotor.
Carbohydrates – the general term for all sugars and starches that you eat. Digestion converts carbohydrates into glycogen for muscle energy. Excess carbohydrates eventually get converted into stored body fat. Often abbreviated as CHO.
Cardiovascular – the heart, lungs and blood circulation (arteries and veins) systems. All cyclists need a well-trained cardiovascular system.
Cassette – the set of toothed cogs in the centre of the rear wheel. In the 1980s, these were typically 5 or 6 cogs. Today there are usually 11, with 12 cogs coming soon.
Century – a ride of 100 miles. A Metric Century is a ride of 100 kilometres. Either is a key goal event ride for riders new to the sport.
Chainstays – the two lower horizontal tubes in the rear area of a bicycle frame that hold the rear wheel to the bottom bracket.
Chainrings – the front toothed rings that the pedals drive. Your chain transfers this motion to your rear cassette.
Classic – bike racing term. A one-day professional race, usually with many years of history behind it. It’s prestigious to win any of Cycling’s classics. The Tour of Flanders is considered a classic (and a Monument).
Clinchers – the most popular type of bicycle tire. The tire has two stiff beads – one on each side of the rubber – to help hold it onto the rim of a bicycle wheel. A separate inner tube provides the inflated interior.
Cranks – sometimes called crankarms. These connect the pedals to the chainrings. Cranks come in different lengths to fit the bike to different riders.
Crankset – sometimes called chainset. The entire front drive component set of pedals, cranks and chainrings.
Criterium – bike racing event. A mass-start race on a closed city street course, about 1km long. Usually raced for a time duration of up to 1 hour plus 3 laps. One of road racing’s shorter mass-start events, but one of its hardest! Probably the most spectator-friendly.
Cog – one of the multi-toothed sprockets on the rear bicycle wheel. The smallest is usually 11 or 12 teeth. The biggest can be as large as 32 teeth on a road bike and 42 teeth for a mountain bike.
Cyclo-cross – bike racing event. A mass-start race on a closed off-road course, about 1-2km log. Usually raced for a time duration of up to 1 hour plus 3 laps. The course is technical with some barriers and/or short steep uphills that force racers to dismount and carry their bikes. Cyclo-cross bikes resemble off-road versions of road bikes and are different from mountain bikes.
Derailleur – the device that moves the chain between chainrings or cogs. The front derailleur moves the chain between chainrings. The rear derailleur moves the chain between cogs. In some parts of the world, they call it the mech.
Directeur Sportif – bike racing term. The race-team manager who helps direct team strategy and tactics during a race. The Directeur Sportif is not an active racer, but usually a retired racer.
Domestique – bike racing term. A racing teammate who rides mainly in support of the team’s protected riders. Domestiques sacrifice their own winning chances to get protected riders into their best winning positions.
Down Tube – the downward sloping tube in a bicycle frame leading from the head tube into the bottom bracket. Most common place to mount water bottle holders.
Downshift – shifting to a lower (easier to pedal) gear. Also called gearing down. Shifting to the small chainring and/or larger rear cogs.
Drafting – riding in the aerodynamic slipstream behind another rider or even a vehicle. The best position is within centimetres behind the leading rider, but a drafting effect can still be noticed as much as 3 metres behind. In the closest position, a drafting rider can save as much as 30% of their effort.
Drivetrain –the parts of a bike including the cranks, chainrings, bottom bracket, front derailleur, rear derailleur, chain, cassette and freewheel.
Drops – the lower sections of standard road bike handlebars. The drops run parallel to the ground and allow the rider to get into their lowest and fastest position on the bike.
Dropouts – the tips of bicycle forks or ends of chainstays that bicycle wheel axles fasten into.
Echelon – a staggered line of cyclists riding into a crosswind. The crosswind causes a leading rider’s draft to blow to one side of their rear wheel. So the following rider finds the best drafting position to one side of the lead rider. The end result is a diagonal line of cyclists riding down the road.
Endo –a crash when you flying forward over your handlebars.
Feeding – bike racing term (usually). Long races need on-bike nutrition in the forms of drinks, gels and semi-solid foods. Race courses will have designated feed zones where team helpers can pass bottles and/or food musettes to passing racers. In some professional races, riders can get feeds from their following team cars.
Fieldsprint – bike racing term. The final mass sprint to the finish of a bike race. It can look quite chaotic. But upon close examination, a dance of tactics can usually be found.
Forks – the front steering part of a bicycle frame that rotates inside the head tube and holds the front wheel.
Frame – all the tubes fixed together forming the basic skeleton of a bicycle. Frames are made from steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fibre, or combinations of these materials.
Freewheel – the hub of a rear wheel in a multi-speed bicycle. The freewheel allows the chain to engage and lock the cassette for forward drive, or to freely disengage for coasting.
Glycogen – the body’s stored form of energy in the liver and muscles. It’s derived from digested carbohydrates and is converted into glucose when needed for energy.
Gran Fondo – “Big Ride” translated from Italian. A mass start event that you often ride for the challenge of finishing. But there are many around the world that are either fully timed, or have timed segments, that will add a competitive angle to your performance. There are even amateur World Championships associated with gran fondos. See UCI Gran Fondo World Series. An authentic gran fondo will be at least 122km long, be chip-timed from start to finish, and have podium prizes for age categories.
Granny Gear –the lowest gear ratio you’ve got on your bike. It will be the combination of your smallest chainring and your biggest cassette cog.
Granny Ring –your smallest chainring.
Hammer – to pedal at or near maximum effort.
Headset – the set of bearings inside the head tube that allow the fork to freely rotate for steering.
Head Tube – the vertical frame tube at the front of the bicycle. It holds the fork and supports the handlebar’s stem.
Hub – the central part of a bicycle wheel that holds the bearings and axle for rotation. Radial spokes fix the hub to the rim.
Hoods – the rubber housings around the brake levers. They have an ergonomic shape for a comfortable hand position while riding.
Indexed Shifting – the standard form of gear shifting. One click of a gear shift moves the chain one cog in the rear, or one chainring in the front. Manual shifters physically pull or release a cable to accomplish indexed shifting. Electronic shifters activate a servo-motor inside the derailleur to create indexed shifting.
Knobbies – off-road tires with prominent treads sticking out from them. Not recommended for any amount of paved road riding.
Lead Out – bike racing term. A team tactic used to help launch a strong sprinter into their final sprint for the win. A leading teammate (or teammates) ride strong, towing the team’s main sprinter in their draft. Usually inside the final 200m, the main sprinter overtakes their leading teammate with even greater speed.
Mass-Start –when a large group starts a ride or race together.
Monument – bike racing term. A one-day Classic bike race with a long history behind it. Of all the professional bike races, these are BIG DEALS – like the Grand Slam tournaments in tennis. Winning even one Monument puts a rider’s name in the history books for eternity. The Monuments are: Milano-Sanremo (Italy); Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium); Paris-Roubaix (France); Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Belgium); and Giro di Lombardia (Italy).
Motorpacing – using a scooter, motorbike or car to create an aerodynamic draft for following cyclists. Most-often used as a training modality.
Musette – cloth bags with long shoulder straps used for food and drinks. Passed up from the side of the road to cyclists by team helpers in feed zones during races. Common in professional racing. Rarely used in amateur racing.
Pace Line – a single file of cyclists riding cooperatively to break the headwind, each taking lead turns.
Peloton – bike racing term. The main group of riders in a bike race. Also called the pack, or bunch, or field.
Prime – bike racing term, pronounced “preem.” A prize awarded to the first racer reaching a pre-determined mid-point in a bike race. The prize can be bonus seconds, bonus points, cash or merchandise.
Pull – taking a turn as the lead rider in an echelon, pace line or peloton. Pulling takes the most effort because the rider is facing directly into the wind.
Quadriceps – The primary weapons of every cyclist. These are the large muscles on the front of the thigh.
Ratchet –a riding technique when you pedal in partial pedal strokes (forward a quarter pedal stroke followed by a quick quarter stroke backpedal). Used in order to clear obstacles.
Reach –the distance from the seat post forward to the front end of the stem.
Road Race – bike racing term. A mass-start race taking place on city and/or country roads. The first racer across the finish line is the winner.
Road Rash – skin abrasions received when falling off a bike.
Seat Stays – the two small-diameter bike frame tubes leading from the top tube at the seat post clamp down to the rear wheel dropouts.
Seat Tube – the almost vertical bike frame tube that extends up from the bottom bracket and holds the seat post in place. Bike frame sizes are usually labelled as the length of the seat tube.
Sitting In / Sitting On – any rider getting the benefit of drafting another rider or group of riders.
Slipstream – the easier-pedaling draft created behind a rider leading into the wind.
Soft Pedal – light turning of the pedals with little physical exertion. Useful in gear shifting, especially for a few moments under high-load situations like climbing.
Soigneur – a professional rider’s caretaker. Years ago, the main task of soigneurs was massage therapy. Today they provide general team assistance across many tasks: race food and drink prep, handing out food and drink in feed zones, driving riders to and from races, cleaning team cars – most of the small but very important tasks needed to run a professional cycling team. Also called “swannie” in the English speaking world.
Souplesse – from French. Supple in English. The smooth efficient pedal stroke obtained from years of riding … or a season or two on a track bike … or just a single winter spent regularly riding rollers. The pedals rotate in fluid circles, the upper body stays still. Hips do not rock. Shoulders don’t roll. The core is strong and stable.
Spider – the central “spokes” of the crankset that the chainrings bolt onto.
Spinning – a high smooth rate of pedaling.
Sprint – a high spin, high exertion effort to win a bike race, a prime, or even just against your clubmates reaching the city limits sign post. Sprints rarely last more than 200m.
Stages – bike racing term. Each race event that makes up the sections of a larger event taking place over days or even weeks. The Tour de France is a Stage Race that has daily stages over the course of three consecutive weeks. Each stage can be a time trial, road race or criterium.
Stem – the replaceable (usually) piece of the bike frame that joins the handlebars to the top of the forks. Stems come in different lengths to make the bike fit the rider.
Time Trial – a bike race against the clock. Can be raced as an individual or team event. Individual Time Trial (ITT) and Team Time Trial (TTT).
Top Tube – the horizontal tube of a bike frame that joins the head tube and its forks to the seat tube and seat.
Trackstand –a riding technique when the rider stops completely without putting a foot down, yet maintaining upright balance of the bike.
Tubulars – bike tires that have a tread and casing completely enclosed around the inner tube. Tubulars must be glued to tire rims before inflation and use.
Upshift – shifting to a higher (harder to pedal) gear. Shifting onto the big chainring and/or smaller rear cogs.
Velodrome – a closed oval track with banked corners for high-speed (and high-excitement!!) bike racing.
Wheelbase – the horizontal distance between the front and rear axles.
Wheelsucker – a derogatory bike racing term. A racer who clearly prefers to ride in the draft of others rather than take their turn pulling on the front of the group.