![\"Male](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Cycling-Terms-You-Should-Know.600.2.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nLike any niche activity, cycling has its\u00a0own lingo. Not sure what your new cycling pals are jabbering about after your\u00a0weekend ride? We\u2019ve put together a glossary of some common cycling terms to get you up to speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese terms carry some emotional weight, helping to downplay horrible things and adding some frisson to things we are proud of,\u201d says Scott Saifer, cycling coach at Wenzel Coaching.<\/p>\n
Took a spill?<\/p>\n
Tell your fellow cyclists you \u201cpicked up some wicked road rash at the yard sale\u201d and you\u2019ll earn sympathy\u00a0and\u00a0cred.<\/p>\n
Sure, saying \u201cI fell off my bike\u201d would get the point across too \u2014 but adopting these cycling terms \u201cis part of your self-declaration of being a cyclist,\u201d Saiter says.<\/p>\n
So whether you\u2019re a devoted road racer or prefer the challenge of gnarly\u00a0trails, next time someone says they\u2019re\u00a0bonking,\u00a0or calls you a\u00a0good wheel, you\u2019ll know exactly what they mean.<\/p>\n
From gear to technical skills to slang, here are some cycling terms to get familiar with.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
An inexpensive, possibly old, but operable bike \u2014 great for everyday use, but not a huge loss if it\u2019s wrecked or stolen.<\/p>\n
Cycling shorts with overalls-style elastic shoulder straps instead of an elastic waistband.<\/p>\n
(Pro tip: You\u2019re supposed to wear these\u00a0under\u00a0your jersey.)<\/p>\n
A French word referring to the squeezable plastic water bottles commonly used by cyclists.<\/p>\n
The soft pad inside your bike shorts that pads your butt and prevents chafing when you ride long distances (pronounced \u201cshammy\u201d).<\/p>\n
Pedals that accommodate cycling shoes with a cleat that locks into a groove.<\/p>\n
A bicycle with an electric motor.<\/p>\n
A mountain bike with a front suspension but no rear suspension.<\/p>\n
Local Bike Shop \u2014 a small business specializing in bike sales and repairs.<\/p>\n
Formula for the correct number of bikes to own, where\u00a0n =\u00a0the number of bikes you currently own.<\/p>\n
A mountain bike with front and rear suspension.<\/p>\n
Handlebars that support a rider\u2019s elbows, allowing them to assume an aerodynamic shape.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In triathlon events, a separate division for female athletes over 165 pounds.<\/p>\n
An aggressive attempt to overtake another rider.<\/p>\n
The rate, in revolutions per minute (RPM), that a rider pedals.<\/p>\n
A 100-mile ride or race (a\u00a0metric century\u00a0is 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles).<\/p>\n
An uphill portion of a race or ride.<\/p>\n
In triathlon events, a separate division for male athletes over 220 pounds.<\/p>\n
To navigate a curving length of road.<\/p>\n
To finish behind all the other racers (in other words, dead\u00a0beeping last).<\/p>\n
A racer who rides in service of another member of a cycling team.<\/p>\n
To ride closely behind another rider to reduce wind resistance.<\/p>\n
To leave another racer behind.<\/p>\n
A group of cyclists riding in a diagonal, single-file formation to minimize wind resistance.<\/p>\n
A sudden acceleration to catch a group of riders in front of you.<\/p>\n
A group of cyclists riding in close proximity (also called a\u00a0bunch).<\/p>\n
The main pack of cyclists in a race.<\/p>\n
To assume the front spot in a group of riders, reducing wind resistance for other riders behind you.<\/p>\n
A vehicle that rides behind the pack, providing food, water, and gear, as well as picking up exhausted or injured racers.<\/p>\n
A bike race against the clock, typically held one racer at a time, or with a group of racers working together.<\/p>\n
A rider who never takes a turn up front to shield other riders from the wind.<\/p>\n
![\"Mountain](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Cycling-Terms-You-Should-Know.600.wheel_.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
In mountain biking or BMX, a wide jump or gap that\u2019s potentially dangerous to attempt.<\/p>\n
A combination of cycling and camping, carrying all your gear on your bike from place to place.<\/p>\n
To completely run out of energy during a ride or race (a.k.a.\u00a0die\u00a0or\u00a0hit the wall).<\/p>\n
A BMX trick where both wheels leave the ground, typically used to surmount or avoid obstacles.<\/p>\n
Challenging or hardcore, especially in BMX.<\/p>\n
To acquire fancy bikes or parts in hopes of going faster.<\/p>\n
To wipe out.<\/p>\n
A crash.<\/p>\n
A trick in which you ride on the front wheel only (also known as a\u00a0stoppie); or a crash in which the bike flips over its front wheel.<\/p>\n
A rider who holds a steady pace with minimal swerving.<\/p>\n
The lowest gear on a multi-speed bike, used for very steep climbs.<\/p>\n
Ride hard for an extended period.<\/p>\n
Long Slow Distance or Long Steady Distance \u2014 a long but leisurely-paced ride.<\/p>\n
To push down too hard on your pedals, usually while standing, which may be a sign you need to downshift.<\/p>\n
To ride at a very easy pace.<\/p>\n
Abrasions from sliding on pavement during a crash.<\/p>\n
An off-road trail only wide enough for bikes to ride single file.<\/p>\n
To adjust the spokes on a wheel so it spins without wobbling.<\/p>\n
A trick in which the rider pedals with their front wheel raised off the ground.<\/p>\n
A crash so bad that items from your pockets, and possibly parts of your bicycle, are strewn across the road.<\/p>\n
The MYX Home Studio by BODi is now available in the U.S. With a MYX bike and BODi membership, you\u2019ll get personalized training, endless workout options, and more. <\/p>\n
Learn more about the MYX Home Studio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Like any niche activity, cycling has its\u00a0own lingo. Not sure what your new cycling pals are jabbering about after your\u00a0weekend ride? We\u2019ve put together a glossary of some common cycling terms to get you up to speed. \u201cThese terms carry some emotional weight, helping to downplay horrible things and adding some frisson to things we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3932"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3934,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3932\/revisions\/3934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}