Rider Guide

A-LINE -The hardest (and usually quickest) line through a trail or feature.

AIR – The distance between the ground and your tyres measured vertically, horizontally or both (and usually multiplied by two when telling people about it).

B-LINE – The next easier line on a trail after the A-Line and usually a bit slower.

BABY HEADS – Little rocks loose or stuck in the trail that are the size of babies’ heads and throw your wheel off line.

BAIL – Leave unceremoniously – the bike, the feature, the ride. Generally to avoid a stack or embarrassment or both. 

BERM – Banked corner.

BOOTER – A jump with a skyward trajectory which might result in reaching the moon and/or having to wear a moon-boot for the ensuing broken leg.

BURP – When a tubeless tyre rolls on its rim and burps out all the air in one go (usually due to under-inflation or damaged rim).

CAKE – Yes please!

CASE – Just about make a jump, usually by clipping the top or wrong side of the landing, or inside of a gap.

CLEAN – Ride a section without dabbing a foot or stacking, or complete a jump or trick perfectly. Nice.

COFFEE – It’s not just for Roadies you know. Essential caffeine-laden pick-me-up.

DAB – Pop a foot on the ground to prevent overbalancing. Not usually a desirable thing when trying to clean a section.

DH – DOWNHILL – the discipline, terrain or bikes designed for this type of riding.

DIALLED – Got it nailed, riding with perfection, or the bike is riding perfectly.

DOUBLE – A pair of jumps where the aim for the brave is to jump off the first one an land on the down ramp of the second. Double-scarier than a tabletop of the same size.

DOUBLE-TRACK – A fire-road with room for two riders side-by-side.

CUTTY – A controlled skid/flick of the rear wheel to make a tight turn without losing too much speed.

DROP-OFF – A vertical step-down drop such as off a big rock or log. Some can be rolled off; bigger drops may need to be jumped off.

E-BIKE – Electric motor assisted pedal bike.

ENDO – A rear-wheel lift by rotating forwards on the front wheel. Also called a Stoppie.

ENDURO – A type of race/event where the downhills are timed and the uphills or transitions are part of the event, but not timed. The bikes designed for this type of riding.

FACE PLANT – landing on your face, usually after a stack or OTB moment.

FEATURE – Something on the trail that to some is an obstacle, to others is an opportunity, such as a rock garden or gap jump, root or log.

FLOW– a primarily descending trail that flows well, not requiring any real pedaling to maintain speed. May include berms and jumps. Also FLOW (always in capitals) as the state of transcendence when the body, bike, and mind are as one and you’re nailing everything on the trail.

FREERIDE – Riding off stuff, up stuff and down stuff – making features out of the terrain. The discipline, terrain, or bikes made fro this type of riding.

GAP – Literally a gap. Perhaps between the take-off and landing zone of a jump, usually filled with a broken shovel and star picket for extra jeopardy.

GARMIN – A GPS cycle computer of the Garmin or any other brand, used to plan, navigate and record rides to upload to Strava.

GEL – High carbohydrate energy food usually combined with hydrolytes and flavours in a snot-like form. 

GNARLY – A bit tricky and/or scary.

GROM – Child rider that has better skills than you and knows no fear.

HAND CUT – Trails built with shovels, picks and elbow grease. Tend to be narrower and rougher than machine-built trails.

HANG TIME – The time spent off the ground during a jump or drop.

HARD-PACK – Firm, dried mud that forms a concrete-like surface (until it rains), can be very grippy or  covered with loose dirt to make it extra slippery.

HERO-DIRT -A rare phenomenon where the trail surface is in excellent condition and gives optimum grip, such as the few scarce minutes between the trail being too wet or too dry.

KICKER – A steep jump or an extra little jump on top of a jump that sends the rider straight upwards – good for hang time and face plants.

K.O.M. -King of the Mountain – quickest male in the world over a segment (according to Strava).

LID – Helmet. Never ride without one. Not even in the car park as this is the place where some of the most stupid accidents tend to happen.

LINE – The path a rider chooses through a trail or feature.

LOOSE – Slippery trail surface, maybe sandy, loose dirt or gravel; or to ride a feature or section in a poor fashion.

LUBE – oil, grease, or wax – for your bike.

MACHINE BUILT – Trails that are constructed with help of machines – generally wider and smoother than hand-cut trails.

MANUAL – A coasting wheelie (no pedalling) and probably the coolest way to travel.

MECHANICAL – Something on your bike is broken or not working as it should.

MULLET – A bike running a smaller wheel at the back than at the front – usually a 27.5 rear and 29 at the front for DH duties. Party at the back, business at the front.

MUSCLE BIKE – Human powered, not an E-bike. Ride one of these an you are already a hero.

N+1 – The algebraic formula for how many bikes a person should own at any given time, where ‘N’ equals the current number of bikes owned.

N.B.D. – New Bike Day – A rare phenomenon where the N+1 bike ownership formula becomes untrue, just for a moment.

NOSE PIVOT -An Endo combined with sideways rotation of the bike, pivoting around the front wheel. Used on uber-tight downhill switchbacks to change direction on the spot.

OFF-CAMBER – The ground is at an unhelpful angle, such as sloping down towards the outside of a turn, or sloping steeply across the trail.

O.T.B. – Over the bars – no-one’s preferred position.

PASSENGER – No longer in control and just waiting for the outcome of the chain of events that is about to conclude, always hoping but unlikely to end well.

PIE – Post ride re-carbing, with or without sauce.

PINNED – Ride a section or trail fast and in control.

POACH – Ride a trail that is closed, illegal, or not yet complete. The bane of trail-builders and hikers.

P.R. – Personal Record (same as a Personal Best) on a timed section, generally refers to getting a little gold medal on a Strava Segment.

PUMP – Use pressure through the bike to make it heavy then light (or vice versa) to gain speed, increase jump height, start a maneuver, or fly over an obstacle.

PUMP TRACK – Small, usually circular or figure eight track, increasing asphalted, that has a series of humps and berms that enable a rider to gain and maintain speed using only pressure through the bike (pumping). The aim is not to pedal at all.

Q.O.M. – Queen of the Mountain – quickest female in the world over a Segment (according to Strava).

RAD – Pretty good, short for radical (man).

RAIL – Ride well, particularly a corner or berm, as if the rider was on rails.

RHYTHM SECTION – A series of rollers (say about 5 plus) in close succession with no space between them.

ROCK GARDEN – A section of the trail where there are a load of rocks or large stones together; loose or fixed in position or most likely both, forming a feature.

ROLLER – A smooth lump/hump in the trail you roll over.

ROLL-OFF – A steep short descent that can be rolled down, such as off a log or rock.

ROWDY – Bumpy, rocky or rooty section where things are bouncing around.

SCRUB – Absorb a jump and stay low rather than get massive air – a quicker way over a jump if that’s your aim; or to reduce speed if travelling too fast.

SECTION – A distinct part of a trail such as between two landmarks or through a set of features.

SEND IT! – Launch down a trail or commit to a feature.

SEGMENT – Named section of a trail/route which has been saved in Strava to record people’s times against. Often then segment name becomes what the section is known as.

SESSION – Repeat ride a feature or section so you can clean or perfect it.

SHRED – Ride well.

SHUTTLE – Getting to the top of the trail by way of a vehicle, which then meets you again at the bottom.

SINGLE-TRACK – A single-width trail with room for only one rider. The place where the good stuff happens.

SKETCHY – A section of a trail or feature that is scary, loose, difficult, or all three; riding with poor style or on the edge of control.

SKINNY – Narrow, usually wooden feature like a plank or narrow log elevated above the ground, requiring balance to ride along.

SLICK-ROCK – Where the trail surface is pure smooth(ish) rock. Could be a huge boulder, or the top of an outcrop, or a chute for example. Generally pretty grippy despite the name.

SNAKE BITE – Pinch puncture on a tyre with an inner tube that has two small holes that look like a snake bite – usually caused by under-inflation and rocky terrain.

STACK – crash and/or fall off, usually at speed.

STEP-DOWN – A landing ramp or zone that is below the take off ramp.

STEP-UP – A landing ramp or zone that is above the take off ramp.

STRAVA – Fitness app that keeps track of your exercise, routes etc, and allows you to share them with the world and receive ‘Kudos’ in return . If it’s not on Strava, it never happened.

SWITCHBACK – Tight 180 degree plus corner usually found on steeper hills.

TABLETOP – Jump with a flat top between the take-off and landing ramps.

TRAIL – The dirt track or tracks you’re going to shred. Also TRAIL – Riding uphills and downhills and enjoying the park. The discipline, terrain, or bikes designed for this type of riding.

TRAIL ALE – Post ride beverage of the fermented hops and barley variety.

TRAVEL – How much suspension you have or have used, expressed in millimetres (or inches).

UP-LIFT – Get a ride up to the top somehow, e.g. vehicle, chairlift, helicopter, Sherpa.

WASH OUT – Where the wheels slide out from underneath you in a corner; or where the trail has been washed away by water, perhaps making a new feature.

WHEELIE – Lift the fron wheel off the ground to tackle a feature or show off. The second best way to travel after the Manual.

WHIP – Flick the rear wheel sideways in a corner or jump to add style or scrub speed or just for fun.

X.C. – CROSS COUNTRY – General trail riding where going up is as much part of the experience as going down. The discipline, terrain, trail, or bikes designed for this type of riding.