Actuator: a cable that runs under the pavement at a traffic signal intersection that sends a signal to the traffic light that a pedestrian or biker is ready to cross.
 Bike Lane Marking
“Bonk”: a term for serious depletion of the body’s energy stores during cycling. Symptoms include weakness and fatigue.
Bottom Bracket: the shaft and ball bearings combination that connects the two crank arms together. It is the part of the bicycle frame where the two pedal cranks revolve.
Brake Cable: a cable that connects the brake lever to the brake.
Brake Levers: a lever attached to the handlebar that controls the brake. Typically, the left brake lever controls the front brake and the right brake lever controls the rear brake.
Brake Shoe: a piece of metal that holds the brake pad in place. It is connected to the brake caliper.
Cable Lock: a bike locking system. Cable locks are flexible, lightweight, easy to carry on a bike, and wrap around a variety of objects for locking.
Cadence: the speed at which the rider turns the pedals on a bike.
Cantilever Brake: a type of rim brake commonly found on road bicycles. It has two separate arms, or cantilevers, on each side of the rim that move the brake shoes together.
Cassette: a cluster of gear cogs attached to the hub of the rear wheel of a bicycle. It allows the wheel to continue moving forward, even when the rider coasts.
Century: 100 miles. For example, a century ride is a 100-mile ride.
Chain: connects the crank set to the rear wheel and allows the rear wheel to turn when pedaling.
Chain Stays: connects the bottom bracket to the rear of the bike.
Clipless Pedals: pedals using a mechanism similar to a ski binding. A cleat shoe locks into the pedal mechanism when the rider steps on the bike. Clipless pedals give the rider more power in her pedal stroke so she can go faster, farther and climb better while using less energy.
Cog: an individual gear, or chain ring, in the cassette. Also can be called a sprocket.
Crank: metal-toothed wheel that drives the chain of the bike as the rider pedals.
Derailleur (front): derails or shoves the chain off one front chain ring and onto another ring. The cage surrounding the chain is pulled in one direction by the inner wire. A spring in the derailleur returns the cage in the other direction when the inner wire is relaxed.
Derailleur (rear): derails or shoves the chain off of one cog and moves it to another.
Direct-Pull Cantilever Brake: a type of rim brake typically found on a mountain bike. Also called a V-Brake.
Disc Brake: a type of brake similar to an automotive disc brake. A caliper attached to the frame or fork squeezes the disc. Disc brakes are popular for downhill bicycling events and for tandem bikes.
Down Tube: connects the handlebar stem to the seat tube and chain stays. Part of the frame.
Drive Train: transmission of a bike that consists of the chain, chain rings, cranks, bottom bracket, front and rear derailleur, cassette and rear hub.
Dropouts: the hooks at the end of the fork that attach to the wheel.
Drops: the lower parts of the handlebar located below the brake levers.
Fenders: protect the rider from water and grit. The rounded shields attach to the front and back of a bicycle.
Fork: the large component to which the front wheel attaches. It consists of two blades that go down to hold the axle and the steering column. It allows the rider to steer and balance. If a bicycle pulls to one side when the rider rides hands-off, it means the fork could be bent.
 Hand Signals
Handlebar Stem: the short tube that connects the handlebars to the top tube. If possible, adjusting the handlebar stem to suit the height of the rider allows for a more comfortable bicycling position. Most handlebar stems have a mark to distinguish how high a handlebar can be safely set. If this mark is visible, your handlebar stem is too high.
Head Tube: the short bar that connects the top tube and down tube. It can serve as a quick reference tool for identifying the frame size of a bike because its proportions vary more than any other tube on the bike.
Headset: a pair of bearings that connects the fork to the frame. It allows the bike fork to turn.
Hybrid Bike: a bicycle that has a slightly wider saddle and a more upright ride position. Ideal for casual riders who are not looking for a high performance road or mountain bike.
Inner Tube: the rubber tube located inside the outer rubber tire and the metal wheel. It makes the tire airtight.
Lights: the law requires bicyclists to have a rear reflector at least 2 square inches in diameter that is visible from a distance of 600 feet. Recommended lighting equipment includes: 1) a white front light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet and 2) a red rear light visible from at least 600 feet.
Metric Century: a 100-kilometer (62-mile) bicycle ride.
Mountain Bike: a bicycle with wide tires and horizontal handlebars often used for off-road bicycling.
Mudguards: see “fenders.”
Pannier: a bag that attaches to the back of a bike.
Pedals: the footpads responsible for transferring cycling power to the bicycle’s drive train.
Presta Valve: on a bicycle tire, a valve designed with built-in valve caps which must be opened before air can be pumped into them. More commonly found on high-performance type bicycles with narrow tires.
Rim: the outer hoop of the wheel that holds the tire. Connects to the hub with spokes.
Road Bike: a bicycle typically containing drop handlebars and narrow tires. Designed for use on paved roads, as opposed to off-road.
“Road Rash”: skin abrasions resulting from a fall or crash onto the road.
Saddle: frequently called a seat, and traditionally made with leather stretched over a metal frame. It can be shifted up or down, back or forward for comfort. The height of the saddle is correct when a rider’s leg is completely straight when the heel is at the bottom of a pedal stroke.
“Sag Wagon”: a touring term that refers to the car or truck that assists or picks up fatigued or injured riders.
Schrader Valve: a type of valve fitting that opens when depressed. Commonly found on a car tire.
 Shared Lane Markings
Shifters: mechanisms mounted to the handlebars or the down tube of the bicycle frame, used to shift the gears on a bike. The right shifter controls the rear derailleur and the left shifter controls the front derailleur.
“Sit on a Wheel”: to ride in someone’s draft.
“Spin”: a biking term used to describe smooth pedal motion. Many new bicyclists will be seen doing the opposite: alternately pushing each foot down instead of spinning.
Spoke Nipples: screws holding the spokes onto the wheel.
Tagalongs: a device that attaches to the back of a regular-sized bike, designed for older children to pedal along with the other biker.
Tire: the rubber, treaded, outer surface of a wheel.
Toe Clips: stirrup-like devices that attach to pedals. They are used with toe straps that attach to pedals. The clips hold the toe straps open, allowing the rider to slip into them.
Top Tube: the bar that connects the head tube to the seat tube at the top of the bike. For on-road riding, there should be about 1 to 2 inches between the top tube of the bike frame and the rider’s inseam. For off-road riding, there should be 3 to 4 inches between the top tube of the bike frame and the rider’s inseam.
Trail-A-Bikes: see “tagalongs.”
U-Lock: a hard, U-shape, lockable steel shackle and cross bar designed to loop around a bike and another object.
Wheel: consists of an axle, hub and spokes that propels the bike forward. Traditional bike wheels have an outer circular rim, connected by wire spokes to a hub. The spokes are held in place by tension, which helps make the wheel more lightweight. |
