Compiled by Doug Landauer (landauer@apple.com) and Jim Frost (jimf@world.std.com)
Based on the MTB Dictionary, version 1.8 26 Jul 1995 10:03:06
Last modified June 03, 2004
There's a little Internet history behind this dictionary. In February ('95), Tom Purvis, from Colorado State, posted a message to the rec.bicycles.off-road newsgroup that said, in part:
Offroading needs more lore. More culture. More vernacular. [...] Let us use the 'net for something really valuable -- let's compile a list of bikey slang. Biff, face plant, gravity check, endo; those are pretty good terms, but let's get some of the really clever ones.So a lively thread ensued; and I assume Jerry Dunn made another, similar request a bit later. He (Jerry) summarized some of it in April, for a book he has in the works...
Thanks so much for all the responses to my request for off-road bike slang, for my book ( -- to be published in fall 1995). Here's the summary I said I'd post. (Any corrections? Please e-mail me: jerryd@rain.org). Thanks for everything! You're a great group of people, very helpful, articulate, and funny. All the best -- JerryJerry's summary is in the exact style of, and is almost a total superset of, a list that my brother Mike sent me by e-mail in May or June (some of the entries were edited down; only one was added). He said he'd found his list in the LA Times Sunday magazine. The format and wording is too similar to be a coincidence. So ... a question for Jerry Dunn, I guess: did the LA Times Mag article appear under your byline? (I'm just curious.)
Jerry's original chapter title was "Off-Road Bike Riders Offer a Crash Course in Slang".
- 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 - |
anchor n. your child, or children (anchors) that keep(s) you from riding. "Wait till you anchors grow up, you'll have road rash for breakfast and prunes for dinner!" To be used as an endearing, not demeaning, phrase.
ano adj. frequently-misspelled abbreviation for "anodized". See purple.ATB n. All-Terrain Bike or Biking. A synonym for MTB.
auger v. to involuntarily take samples of the local geology, usually with one's face, during a crash. See face plant
.
bacon n. scabs on a rider's knees, elbows, or other body parts.
bagger n. one who always agrees to ride, party, gather, etc. but rarely shows. bag v. to fail to show. "Tom swore he'd be there but he bagged."
bail v. to jump off in order to avoid an imminent crash.
balance blackout n. that short time during almost every ride when you start to fall, lose your balance without reason, or seem to be unable to clean even the simplest obstacle.
banana scraper n. low hanging branches, the kind that smear the guts of that banana you put in the pouch on the back of your camelback when you don't duck low enough.
beartrap 1) v. to slip off a pedal, causing it to slam one in the shin, when one gets kracked with a pedal. 2) n. the toothlike scars resulting from being beartrapped.
betty n. any female rider.
biff n. a crash. Synonyms: wipeout. v. "I biffed and then wiped away the blood."
biopace adj. a now-discredited Shimano techno-fad where the chainrings were made intentionally not circular -- instead, they were elliptical, in order to (allegedly) smooth the power delivery, by giving the rider an effectively lower gear for part of the spin cycle. Now used to describe any uneven pedaling motion. Also used as a synonym for pogo-ing.
boing-boing n. a bike with full (front and rear) suspension. Might possibly be considered offensive by certain owners of said bikes.
boink v. same as bonk.
bolt-on n. a woman with breast implants. Derived from the term for after-market bicycle parts that are literally bolted on.
bomb v. to ride with wild
disregard to personal
safety.
bombers n. the earliest mountain bikes, converted from cruiser
roadbikes to race down mountains.
bonk v. to run out of energy or grow
exhausted on a ride. "I bonked so early it was embarrassing."
boot v. to expel pre-ride stomach fillers due to extreme
physical exertion. "That climb was hairy, I think Brian had to boot back
there."
bra n. the rubber strip placed inside the rim to protect the
tube from the nipples.
brain n. a biking computer, usually featuring an odometer,
speedometer, clock, and other "important" display modes.
brain bucket n. helmet.
brain sieve n. a helmet featuring more vents than protective
surface.
brand whore n. a rider that will only buy high-end parts/gear
with name recognition. Wouldn't be caught dead using LX level parts or wearing a
pair of Nashbar shorts.
bring home a Christmas tree v. to ride (or crash) through dense
bushes, so leaves and branches are hanging from your bike and helmet. See
prune.
BSG n. acronym for "Bike Store Guy".
bunny n. 1) same as
betty, but used to
emphasize the female rider's body; could be considered insulting to some. 2)
female novice rider.
bunny hop v. 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 -- see
jump.
burrito n. a rim braking surface that's bent inward towards the tube, forming a section that looks rolled like a burrito.
buzz n. euphoric feeling. Commonly used after a particularly
hard passage is successfully completed. "I got such a buzz after that
uphill grunt."
captain crash v. to "go down with the ship". Usually
the result of a novice
spud-user failing to clip out in
time.
cashed adj. to be too tired to ride any farther; bonked.
chainsuck n. condition when the bike chain gets jammed between
the frame and the chain rings, or when the chainring is so worn that it holds
onto the chain and lifts it up to meet the incoming part of the chain.
chi-chi n. extravagant parts used to dress up
a bicycle to make it more impressive looking.
chinese toe cuffs n. see
toe clips.
chunder v. to
crash.
cleanie n. one who desires to remain clean; a wimp who will not
have fun, stays on the clean trails.
clipless adj. misleading name for a pedal-and-shoe system where
the clips or cleats clip onto the soles of special shoes. Called "clipless"
because they replaced
toe clips.
clip out (or, sometimes,
click out) v. to disengage
one's spuds.
cloon n. slamming into the ground, resulting in a ringing head,
or a delay in the action. Term used in biking, skiing, and snow boarding.
clotheslined v. the act of catching an upper body part (e.g.
the neck) on a low piece of vegetation, resulting in separation of the rider
from the bike.
cockrotter n. 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.
condom n. the little plastic or rubber thing that protects your
tube's valve stem from rim damage.
corndog v. to become covered in silt, usually after a fall.
cranial disharmony adv. how one's head feels after augering.
"When my lid nailed that rock, I had a definite feeling
of cranial disharmony."
crotch-testing n. sudden impact
between a male rider's private parts and something very hard and pointy, such as
a handlebar stem or seat.
curb grind n. expensive erasure of low-hanging, shiny parts
of the bike on a curb or rock.
curb slide v. to place the front wheel up on a curb and allow
the rear tire to scrape along the curb, usually resulting in a loud tearing
sound.
cyclephernalia n. the parts used to upgrade/dress-up a mountain
bike". See also
chi-chi.
digger
n. a
face
plant. "Look at that guy on that gnarly single track... he's going to
go over the bars and do a digger."
dirt bike n. an off-road motorcycle. Usually louder than
MTBs.
drillium n. any part with lots of holes drilled in it to make
it lighter.
dual boinger n. a full-suspension bicycle.
dual-track
n. a dirt road used by
four-wheeled vehicles rarely enough that their tires have made ruts that became
parallel singletracks. Also called doubletrack. See
singletrack.
engine n. the rider.
enscarfment n. a food break at the edge of a cliff.
epic n. a ride that must last for at least six hours and
include at least three mechanicals that add at least an extra hour to the ride
time. Epics are usually started with a statement like "the trail is buff,
should only take three hours." Similar to
death
march.
fair grunt n. an expression exclusively used non-chalantly by
others to describe a
death march, in hopes others
will try it, fail, and revere them as bike gods.
first blood n. credit to the first rider in a group who crashes
and starts bleeding as a result.
flying trapeze n. when you endo into a
clothesline.
fred
n. 1) a person who spends a lot of
money on his bike and clothing, but still can't ride. "What a fred -- too
much Lycra and titanium and not enough skill." Synonym for
poser.
Occasionally called a "barney". 2) (from road riding) a person who has
a mishmash of old gear, does't care at all about technology or fashion, didn't
race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf
socks. Used by "serious" roadies to disparage utility cyclists and
touring riders, especially after these totally unfashionable "freds"
drop the "serious" roadies on hills because the "serious"
guys were really posers. According to popular myth, "Fred" was a
well-known grumpy old touring rider, who really was named Fred.
front wheelie n. what
endo
used to mean in BMX: a trick where the rider applies the front brake and lifts
the back wheel off the ground; this is the basis for many BMX tricks. Most
riders cannot pedal effectively while doing a front wheelie. Also called a
"Nose Wheelie" or "Stoppie"
FS or
F/S adj. an ambiguous term, can mean
Front Suspension or Full Suspension. Not used by anyone who wishes to be
understood.
gevert n. (regional) a really long period of time. Derived from
the name of a
LBS that was a little slow getting work done.
"Man, that roadclimb to the trailhead was almost a gevert long."
giblets n. all the colorful parts and pieces that you can add
or change out on a bike.
gonzo adj. treacherous, extreme. "That
vertical drop was sheer gonzo."
gnarl n. extreme technical sections. Characterized by very
rough, rooty, slippery, or rocky sections. Commonly found in the Pacific
Northwest and New England. "He has got some great bike handling skills and
can really scream through the gnarl."
granny gear n. the lowest gear available
on a bike, which only a grandmother would need to use; designed for steep uphill
climbing, but extremely easy to pedal in on flat ground.
gravity check n. a fall.
Synonym for
Involuntary Dismount
or
grinder n. a long uphill climb.
grindies n. e.g., "All that dried mud and sand
left me with a loud case of the grindies in my drivetrain."
grunt n. a very difficult climb, requiring use of the gutter bunny n. a bicycling commuter.
hamburger n. the condition of skin, post
auger,
when geological contact was made with sharp rocks such as on a shale skree
slope.
hammer v. to ride fast and hard. n. someone who hammers.
hardtail n. any bike with front suspension but no rear
suspension. Contrast with
rigid and
F/S. hiker log n. an obstacle (e.g. a log or boulder) placed
in trail by biker-hostile trail users.
HOHA n.
Hateful Old Hikers Association. "HOHA members hate mountain bicyclists with a fervor
exceeding that of rabid wolverines."
honk v. to vomit due to cycling exertion.
horizontal track stand n. a
foot
fault that happens at a stop sign.
impedimentia n. all the junk on a bike that impeeds performance
and looks bad.
involuntary dismount n.
To take a soil sample. a
crash.
John boy'ed v. when a riders face gets covered with spots of
mud, making him look like "John Boy" on the Waltons. "I hit that
mudhole and got John boy'ed big time."
JRA n. acronym for "Just
Riding Along," a phrase universally uttered by people bringing both halves
of their frame and the remains of their fork in for warrantee replacement.
jump n. or v. where we now say
bunny
hop, BMXers used to say "jump".
kick-out n. a
bunny hop in which the
rider pushes the back tire to one side.
lid n. helmet.
line n. the desirable path or strategy to take on a tricky
trail section.
mandibular disharmony adv. how one's jaw feels when it and the
handle bars attempt to occupy the same space and time. "Fuck!"
"Pray, whats wrong?" "I've got mandibular disharmony."
mantrap n. hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid
earth and effective at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider.
Marin n. (muh RINN') the county in Northern California where
MTBing is said to have been invented. Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
jet v. to accelerate quickly; to go very fast.
kack n. an injury to the shin received while doing trials, a kack
can be the result of any injury receive during technical riding.
male blindness n. when a male rider watches a beautiful female
ride over rough terrain and stares intensely at all the jiggling parts, making
him too dizzy to see straight when it's his turn to ride the same terrain.
metal head n. see
organ donor.
mo n. momentum. "If you don't get in gear at the bottom of
that hill, you'll lose your mo."
mojo n. charm or icon worn by a biker or attached to the bike.
monkey-motion adj. magazine writer speak for a full-suspension
bike.
mud diving n. what happens when a bike slows abruptly in mud,
throwing the rider into wet goo.
mud-ectomy v. 1) a shower after a ride on a muddy trail. 2) the
act of becoming clean.
nipple n. the nut at the end of a spoke that nobody knows the real
name for.
nirvana n. the state of being in absolute control and totally
in tune with your bike, the trail, and your physical strength. "I was just
doing it all so smoothly and delicately and quickly, it was nirvana!"
Synonym for
The Zone.
NORBA n.
National Off-Road Bicycling Association. They organize most of the larger races.
nosepickium n. the crusties you pick from your nose after a
ride in a dusty environ.
nose wheelie n. see
front wheelie.
over-the-bar blood donor n. a rider who is injured while doing
an
pimp n. a Bike Store Guy who is always trying to sell stuff on
the trail. "Blow off, pimp. If I want your opinion, I'll give it to
you."
Pirelliology n. the noble art of being able to identify tires
from the tracks they leave on the ground.
OHV,
ORV n. Acronyms for Off-Highway Vehicle and Off-Road Vehicle. These have motors and
are not bicycles.
panic skid v. to try with all one's will and strength to prevent
an impending stack by attempting to implant one's heels as deeply as possible in
the ground. Usually a dumb idea.
POD n.
Potential
Organ Donor.
pogo v. to bounce on a full-suspension bike like a pogo stick.
Also, for a full-suspension bike to bounce annoyingly and uncontrollably.
POS n.
Piece Of Shit. The antithesis to
real bicycles, typified by Huffy, Murray, and any of a number of other bicycles
that are poorly designed, manufactured, and assembled.
poser n. derogatory term for people with $7,000
bikes that never see an actual trail. Usually found near a trail head and never
dirty. Seinfeld may be an example. Synonym for
fred.
potato chip n. a wheel that has been bent
badly, but not
taco'd.
powerslide n. a two-wheel sideways slide, with the foot
opposite the direction of travel kept on the ground.
prang v. to hit the ground hard, usually bending or breaking
something.
prune v. to use one's bike or helmet to
remove leaves and branches from the surrounding flora. Usually unintentional.
purple ano adj. anodized aluminum in purple.
Some riders need to obtain as much of this as possible. It comes in other colors,
but they are of no consequence here.
push-push n. 1) a novice's pedaling
motion, consisting of alternately pushing each foot down, instead of
spinning.
2) a Shimano techno-fad shifting system.
R&D n. Ripoff & Duplication, or Research &
Development.
rag dolly v. to wreck in such a way that one's person is tossed
like a flimsy scrap of cloth. "Did you see me rag dolly back there? I think
I pierced my ear on a tree branch."
redsocks n. hikers who always block the best singletracks, so
named because they're always wearing those funny red socks. Also known as
HOHAs.
retro-grouch n. a rider who prefers an old bike with old
components and isn't fond of new, high-tech equipment.
'rhoid buffing v. going down a hill so steep that your butt
touches the rear wheel.
Ride On! n. a parting phrase used by riders with out much else
to say.
rigid n. a bike with no suspension.
roadie n. a rider who prefers riding on paved surfaces
and is terrified at the thought of riding on dirt or gravel.
road rash n. contact dermatitis; an allergic reaction of skin
to moving asphalt.
rock-ectomy v. 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, I think she
digs my scene." rocket fuel n. the mandatory pre-ride coffee.
rockwell v. an unintentionally performed hardness test rendered
by a trial side object on your anatomy or possesions. Requires the use of a
number to rate the event. "I 50 Rockwelled on that last buster."
"No way, dude, it was at least a 60!"
rookie mark n. chain grease on a rider's
pant leg. "Give that guy extra points for his rookie mark. It's even on the
wrong leg!" See
chainring tattoo. roost v. to go fast or accelerate quickly. Or, to stop
suddenly.
schwag n. free stuff. "Hey, they're handing out scwag over
at the Rock Shox booth."
scream 1) n. a real biker's dream ride. 2) n. a long,
straight, and deceptively steep hill. 3) v. to
bomb
so fast one can't pedal fast enough to make a difference.
singletrack n. trail just wide enough for
one person or bike -- the MTBer's holy grail. Contrast with
dual-track. sharkbite n. the mark that your large chainring makes in your
calf or other exposed body part when you fall.
skid lid n. helmet.
skid row n. that section of trail that nobody ever expects or
remembers that always appears too suddenly when riding too fast. Usually
switchbacks. Named after all the skid tracks left there from previous riders.
sky v. to jump extremely high. To get big air.
snake bite n. a double puncture of an inner tube, caused by
hitting an obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.
sneakers n. tires.
snowmine n. an object hidden by snow on the trail. "Be
careful of the snowmines -- you know, rocks, logs, hibernating bears..."
spider patrol n. lead rider, or first
rider to run into a mongo banana spider. Similar to
cob
clearer. spike v. 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 v. smooth pedal motion. Opposite of
push-push. spring planting n. a
face
plant.
spudded v. crashing as a result of not being able to unclip
from spuds in time to avert disaster.
spuds n. "SPD" (Shimano Pedaling
Dynamics) clipless pedals.
stack n. crash. v. crash.
steed n. your bike, the reason for your existence.
STI adj. "Shimano Total Integration" -- a marketing
ploy that forces you to buy new brakes when you replace your shifters.
stoked adj. euphoric feeling of enlightenment, caused by
adrenaline rushing to the brain during a
gonzo
clean.
stoned adj. describes a rider after a crash which imbeds stones
into the rider's skin.
superman n. 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.
swag n. the stuff that manufacturers and vendors donate to be
given away at bike related events. When you race, go to bike shows, help put on
events, write bike articles, you are often rewarded with swag. Sometimes called
"schwag".
taco v. to bend a wheel over on itself, in the
shape of a taco. "I taco'd my wheel, and it cost me a hundred bucks."
Worse than a
potato chip.
tea party n. when a whole group of riders stops and chats, and
nobody seems to want to ride on.
technical n. a section of trail that is difficult to ride
because of rocks, tree roots, steep drops.
techno-fad n. 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 n. a rider who knows more about the newest MTB
parts and techno-fads than about the trails. Someone who buys lots of gadgets to
add supposed iotas of performance to the bike. Greeting a friend whom we haven't
seen in a year, I might say "Hi, Marta!" A techno-weenie might say
"Oooh, you got White Industries hubs on that bike now?"
thrash 1) v. to cause severe ecological damage to a trail,
usually during the wet season. 2) adj. a damaged trail "That trail's
really thrashed after last winter."
three-hour tour n. a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the
outset but turns out to be a
death march. Derived
from the theme song to "Gilligan's Island."
ti n. titanium. Some riders would replace their watches, rings,
glasses frames, and gold tooth-fillings with titanium if they could afford to.
toe clips n. a clip-and-strap system that
connects a rider's feet and toes to her pedals. Toe clips usually don't require
special shoes.
tombstone n. one of those damn little rocks protruding out
of the trail which you don't notice because you are having a heart-attack
climbing the hill.
tornado v. to balance on your front wheel while turning your
back wheel 90-180 degrees in either direction.
track stand n. (from road-cycling) a maneuver where the rider
stops the bike and attempts to remain standing.
trail mix n. the involuntary release of last night's dinner by
the way it came in, usually with the assistance of too many adult beverages and
accompanied by a long
grinder.
trail swag n. equipment or accessories dropped by other bikers
and found on the trail.
tricked out adj. when a bike has the latest and hottest
components.
tweak n. a jump during which the rider twists the handlebars
back and forth in mid-air, the more times the better. v. 1) to slightly
injure a part of the body or the bike in a crash. "I tweaked my wrist when
I fell." 2) to make a minor adjustment. "My brake pads were rubbing
but I tweaked the cable and it went away."
void n. 1) to empty the contents of one's bladder. "Where
were you, man? We waited for at least two minutes." "Sorry, dude, I
had to void, my back teeth were floating." 2) a deep chasm that you have to
clear or you will die.
vegetable tunnel n. a singletrack that is heavily overgrown with
foliage, so a rider must duck and bend to get through it.
VTT n. Velo
Tout-Terrain,
the French term for mountain biking. Velo = bike, Tout = all, and
don't even ask me about terrain. :-)
washboard n. small, regular undulations of the soil surface
that make for a very rough ride.
wash out v. to have the front tire lose traction, especially
while going around a corner.
weight-weenie n. a MTB 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 n. lifting the front wheel off the ground, usually with
some combination of pulling on the handlebars, pedaling harder, and balance.
wheelie drop n. a combo of a wheelie and a jump, used to
negotiate a large drop with little speed due to a limited run-out.
whoop-de-doos n. a series of up-and-down bumps, suitable for
jumping.
wild pigs n. poorly adjusted brake pads
that squeal in use.
winky a reflector. "Nice winky set,
fred!"
wipeout n. a crash. v. ("wipe
out") to crash.
WOMBATS n. "WOmen's
Mountain Biking And Tea Society", a Marin-based organization founded
by writer and former MTB racer Jacquie Phelan.
wonky adj. not functioning properly. "I bailed, and now my
wheel is all wonky and all I hear are
wild pigs."
wrench v. to work on one's steed, to adjust or repair. n.
a bike shop mechanic. "I blew my shock but the wrench at Charlie's dialed
it back in for me."
zonk v. same as
bonk.
wang chung n. what you might get when your
stem has no
nard guard. See
crotch-testing.
The Zone n. a state of mind experienced while
riding. You don't think, you just do. A truly mystical experience that can't be
fully explained, but when you get there you'll know it and strive to reach it
again.
Cast Of Characters
The following people and groups contributed to this dictionary:
Matt Assenmacher
Kevin Axt
Arlen Bankston
Tom Beltran
Jay and Tracy Bothwell
Alistair Brennan
Michael Butler
Brian Crawford
Jeff Del Papa
Jeff Deskins
Shannon & Ginger Dog
Jerry Dunn
Joby Dynneson
Kelly Flannery
Jim Frost
Bill Gifford
Alan Goldman
Catherine Heggtveit
Bill Horst
Mark Howard
Doug Landauer
Mike Landauer
Dan Lehman
Mike "Speed" Leska
Pat Loughery
James Martin
Dave McSpaden
Mike Mitchell
Osan Outcast Pedaling Society
Todd Ourston
Jeff Paul
Tom Purvis
Joshua Putnam
Mark "mojo" Radford
Norman Schiele
Todd Scott
Matthew Silvia
Lois Sommerfield
Ed Snyder
Greg Stuck
Rob Sutter
Nathan Trainor
Henry Troup
Tadeusz F. van Wollen
Andreas "Karle" Zeller