The Mountain Biker’s Dictionary

If you have caught the mountain biking bug, odds are that you have heard at least a couple of terms that weren’t straightforward. Or maybe you're just starting to get into biking and keep seeing confusing words, like a jargon-filled business meeting.

I've tried to come up with a list of the more common terms, they would hopefully also help you understand more of what's on this blog. If your loved ones keep giving you weird looks when you talk about your ride, send them this non-exhaustive list.

MTB: an abbreviation for mountain biking

My new hard-tail- a Rocky Mountain Growler 40, a 29+ mountain bike with 2.6-inch tires. If this is confusing, read below!

Trail Terms:

Single Track: usually the best trails are single track which refers to the width of a trail, which is big enough for one rider, as opposed to a “double-track” which can fit a 4 wheeled vehicle like an SUV.

Fire Road: originally built for maintenance but, can be a general term to refer to double track trails in systems. They can usually be used to access single track. Sometimes, riders will talk about this as a “fire road climb” when using these roads to get to more desirable trails.

Trail feature: a general term for anything that is not just the normal trail. It can be a jump, rock garden, drop, collection of roots, or more unique features.

Jump: some sort of bump, usually with a lip, that a rider can use to get into the air if ridden correctly. They can be made of wood, dirt, or sometimes, rocks.

Lip: the edge of a jump, even on a tabletop, this is what people would use to get into the air.

Landing: a built-up dirt or wood bump that’s meant to ease the landing from a jump since landing on a flat surface transfers more force into the rider.

Tabletop: these are jumps that have the middle filled in so they can be rolled over by riders. They are far less committing and better for beginners than a jump with two parts.

Mechanical Bike Terms

Hardtail: A type of bike with only a front suspension fork. These are cheaper than a full-suspension bike and don’t do as well on very rough terrain.

Full suspension bike: a bike with front and rear suspension. These are usually the most expensive and capable mountain bikes. They are easier to control when riding over rough terrain than bikes with less suspension. There are also many types of suspension pivot designs for how the rear shock interfaces with the frame.

Fully Rigid: a bike without suspension, making it fully rigid. These will preserve the most forward momentum but will be harder and more punishing to ride on rough trails.

Wheel Size Explained:

Wheel size refers to the circumference of a bike's wheel, it is a measurement that doesn’t include the tire.

This can mean a lot for how a bike handles or feels. I’ll give a brief overview of each wheel size below.

26”- 26-inch wheels were industry standard for a while before the rise of bigger wheel sizes. Most people usually think these bikes are more playful since they are more compact. On the downside, they don’t roll over tougher stuff as easily as bigger wheels.

27.5”- 27.5-inch wheels are the in-between wheel size and a lot of their characteristics work out to this middle child placement. It might not feel as small and playful as the 26-inch, but it will be easier to steer and move around than a 29-inch wheel.

29”- 29-inch wheels are the biggest wheel size and for that reason are the most grounded. They are often referred to as monster-truck-like with how they roll over obstacles. Sometimes these bigger wheels are preferred by taller people, but most adults should have no trouble riding any of these wheels.

Plus or +- seeing one of these next to a wheel size usually means that the rims are meant to fit tires that are wider than normal. Usually, they are somewhere between 2.6 and 3.8 inches.

Frame Materials:

Aluminum: These days it seems that most people ride an aluminum bike. It has kind of become the standard bang for your buck bike. Generally, aluminum is a jack of all trades, it’s decently cheap and light but, it doesn’t have the same premium feel as other bike materials.

Steel: the old-school bike frame material. Usually, cheap steel is heavy and therefore really hurts the quality of a bike. However, high-quality alloys, such as Chromoly, can provide a wonderful feeling on the trail. Usually, riders say that steel dampens the small bumps and is more comfortable than something like aluminum.

Carbon Fiber: usually considered the premium material. Carbon fiber is generally stiffer and lighter than metal frames. It also provides a dampened feel like steel. Of course that comes at a cost. It's also worth mentioning that these frames won't stand up to bashing as much, but are still very stiff and strong.

Titanium: Titanium is praised as a space-age material, and it basically is. It boasts half the weight of steel with the same strength; it also has twice the strength of aluminum. Basically, it has all the advantages of steel while still being lighter and extremely durable. The catch of course? It’s really expensive. A frame alone will run you somewhere around $2000.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but, I thought it would help clarify some of the many terms used by mountain bikers. I hope you learn something new.