Copy of `Cycling iSport - Cycling terms`

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Cycling iSport - Cycling terms Category: Sport and Leisure > Cycling Date & country: 01/02/2014, UK Words: 369

Circuit race
A road race on a loop course of at least five kilometers in length.

Classics
Any of the traditional one-day monuments of bicycle racing, such as Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

Chainring tattoo
The grease mark left on a rider

Chamois
A pad sewn into cycling shorts designed to both cushion and reduce friction. A chamois was traditionally made of soft leather, but is now synthetic.

Chase
When the peloton attempts to close down the gap to a breakaway.

Chase group
A group of riders pursuing a breakaway.

Chaser
A member of a chase group.

Chop
To cut-off another rider in a turn by riding a different line.

Chain suck
When the chain sticks to the chainring and is

Chain tool
A device used for removing and installing the pins that hold a chain together.

Chainring
One of the two or three large, circular, toothed metal gears attached to a crankset. Chainrings direct the pedaling force from the crankset through the chain and into the rear wheel via the cogs.

Category
Amateur racing classification based on experience that defines a rider

Center line rule
When a race is held on an open road, riders have to stay on the proper side of the road. Anyone crossing the center line of the road is typically relegated or disqualified.

Chain
Connects the chainring to the cog and allows the rider to drive the rear wheel by pedaling. Composed of many free moving links pinned together.

Chain stays
Part of a frame that extends from the bottom bracket to the rear dropouts.

Cassette
An integrated collection of sequentially increasing cogs designed to slip easily onto a freehub where it is secured by a lockring. See freewheel.

Cat up
To upgrade racing category.

Cadence
How fast you are pedaling, described as the number of crank revolutions per minute (RPM).

Car back
Expression used on group rides to indicate that a car is approaching from behind.

Car up
Expression used on group rides to indicate that a car is approaching from ahead.

Caravan
Vehicles that follow behind a race, including team cars, neutral support vehicles, race officials, the broom wagon, etc.

Cables
The connection between brake levers and shifters and the brakes and derailleurs. Typically made of braided stainless steel with a small bit of metal molded into the end where the cable connects to the brake or shifter.

Cable routing
The parts of a frame that directs the cables and housing from the brake or shift levers to brakes or derailleurs. Can be external or internal.

Cable stop
Slotted channels where cable housing ends in a ferrule and is secured on the frame.

Butting
Frame tubes where the tubes are thicker at high stress points (such as at a weld) and thinner at lower stress points (as in the middle of the tube).

Bunch sprint
The sprint for the finish line from a large group. Can be the main peloton sprinting for the win or the remaining riders in the peloton sprinting after a breakaway already crossed the line. See field sprint.

Breakaway
Synonym for attack. Also the group of riders that have successfully ridden away from the peloton.

Bridge the gap
To ride across the distance between groups. Also referred to simply as bridging.

Broom wagon
The last vehicle in a race caravan that sweeps the course and picks up dropped riders.

Bullhorn bars
See base bars.

Bunch
See peloton.

Brake pads
Small rubber blocks inserted into brakes that create friction when the brakes are squeezed against the rim. For disc brakes, the pads are typically metal inserts that contact the disc rotor.

Brake/shift levers
Brake levers that have an integrated gear shifting mechanism.

Braze-ons
Term for any extra accessory added on a frame, even if not technically

Brazing
Joining a tube and a lug by melting another metal (usually silver or brass) that has a lower melting point into the junction.

Bottom bracket
The bearings that the crankset spindle runs through. Also, the part of a bicycle frame (known as the bottom bracket shell) that holds the bottom bracket bearings.

Bottom pull
A type of front derailleur activated from the underside for a bicycle with cables routed under the bottom bracket.

Box section rim
A standard rim with a box shaped cross section. Typically not more than 20mm deep.

Bosses
The threaded mounts on the frame for water bottle cages, shifter guides, racks or fenders.

Booties
Shoe covers that act like gloves for the feet in cold or wet weather, usually made of neoprene. See shoe covers.

Bonk
To exhaust the body's supply of carbohydrate, resulting in a sudden and dramatic reduction in performance.

Boot
Something strong and thin inserted into a tire to prevent the inner tube from bulging through a hole in the tire. A typical boot is a dollar bill or an energy bar wrapper.

Bolt circle diameter
The diameter of the circle formed by the chainring bolts. Varies depending upon the cranks' intended application. The standard road bolt circle diameter is 130mm (135mm for Campy) and 144mm for track.

Big ring
The largest chainring; e.g. a rider big rings a hill by climbing while in the largest chainring.

Bike handling
The aggregation of skills that enables a bicycle rider to navigate successfully through the various technical challenges posed by the sport.

Blocking
The process of slowing the chase of a breakaway. Unlike blocking in football, no physical contact is involved.

Bead
The edge of a clincher tire that secures the tire to the flange or hook on a clincher rim. The bead is typically made of rigid wire or a strong, foldable plastic called Kevlar.

Bib shorts
Cycling shorts that have lightweight fabric suspenders sewn into them.

Bidon
French term for a water bottle.

Big gear
A large gear ratio, typically a large chainring and small cog. A big gear makes it harder to pedal. For example, 53x12. See high gear and upshift.

Barrel adjuster
A device that screws into the cable stop of a bicycle frame or derailleur that allows a rider to adjust cable tension, thereby adjusting the shifting performance.

Barriers
Obstacles in a cyclocross race that force riders to dismount and jump over them while carrying their bikes.

Base bars
A type of handlebar used only in time trial events with forward facing handholds perpendicular to the bar itself and spaces for mounting and aero bars.

Base miles/training
A conditioning period used to develop a rider

Au bloc
French term for riding at the limit of one's abilities. See on the rivet.

Bar end shifters
Shifters designed to fit into the ends of handlebars or aero bars. Allows riders to shift directly from the end of the bars without removing their hands.

Bar ends
Extensions for mountain bike handlebars that mount on the ends of the bars and provide an additional handhold perpendicular to the standard flat bar.

Anaerobic threshold
Originally used to describe the transition point from sustainable to unsustainable exercise when the body is moving from aerobic to anaerobic systems. The preferred term in cycling is now functional threshold.

Anodized
A finish for metals that deposits a thin layer of another compound on the surface to strengthen and protect it from oxidation and add color.

Arm warmers
Removable fabric sleeves that allow a rider to easily cover up or strip down if weather changes.

Attack
A sudden acceleration in a race meant to separate a rider from the peloton. It also refers to the resulting rider or group of riders that succeed in distancing themselves. A rider is said to be

Allen key or wrench
Hexagonal shaped wrenches that range from 1.5 mm to 10 mm. A certain sized allen key secures most bolts on a bicycle. See hex wrench.

Americaine
French term for the Madison.

Anaerobic
The metabolic system that produces energy principally without oxygen, using sugar as fuel. Involved mostly in short, high intensity efforts.

Aero brake levers
Brake levers that minimize aerodynamic drag. Used in time trials attached to the ends of a base bar.

Aerobic
Metabolic system in the body that relies principally on oxygen to metabolize both fats and sugar both stored (liver and muscles) and free (in the bloodstream) to produce energy. Mostly used during endurance events and longer duration exercise.

Aerodynamic drag
The slowing effect created as a rider and bicycle move through the air. See time trial.

Accordion
The accordion happens when a large field enters a tight turn. By the time the lead riders have passed through, the end of the field has just slowed down. The riders at the back then have to rapidly accelerate to catch back up, hence the accordion effect.

Aero bars
Forward extensions with elbow pads that allow a rider to ride with elbows on the bars and hands forward over the front wheel. Allow the rider to adopt a more aerodynamic position, like a downhill skier