Bicycle Jargon

You got your first Schwinn when you were eight, but you're not a "gear-head"? Here are some definitions that might help:

Bar-ends: Short pieces attached to the ends of a flat handlebar to provide an alternate hand position.

Bottom bracket: Houses the bearings and axle that are part of the crankset.

Brakeset: Encompassing term for brake levers, cables and calipers.

Cadence: The number of times during one minute that a pedal stroke is completed. Also called pedal rpm.

Century: A ride of 100 miles or 100 kilometers (called a metric century).

Clipless: Refers to the type of pedals which connect to a cleat bolted onto the bottom of special cycling shoes.

Crankset: Encompassing term for crankarms, chainrings and bottom bracket.

Derailleur: Moves chain from cog to cog (rear) or chainring to chainring (front). Controlled by shift levers.

Downshift: To shift to a lower gear – that is, to a larger cog or smaller chainring.

Granny gear: The lowest gear ratio, combining the smallest chainring with the largest cog. Mainly used for steep climbs.

Headset: Attaches fork to frame; uses bearings for steering rotation.

Quick-release hub: Allows wheel removal without tools.

Saddle: Official term for the bike seat.

Spinning: Pedaling with a relatively fast cadence (80-90 rpm) using low to moderate gears.

Wheel: Encompassing term for assembled rim, spokes and hub, with or without rim strip, tube and tire.