Learn the Lingo: Mountain Biking
Starting a new sport or getting into a new community can be hard, especially when that community seems to have its own language. You’re trying to keep up with what they are talking about, but you get totally lost. Have you ever wished you just had a cheat sheet to understand what they are saying? Well look no further. We’ve done our research, we’ve talked the talk, now we want to share this knowledge with you. This week: mountain biking.
Full: This is referring to the amount of shocks on the bike. Full is short for full suspension, meaning both the front wheel and the back wheel have shocks absorbing the bumps on the trail. (Also known as a Dulie.)
Used in a sentence: “Dude, bro, I’m buying a new bike and going full this time.”
Hard tail: This is also referring to the amount of shocks on the bike. A hard tail only has shocks in the front meaning you’ll feel the bumps on the back a little more.
Used in a sentence: “Yeah my first bike was a hard tail, too. It really helped me learn to read the trail.”
Shred: This is riding the trails with a level of expertise that is greater than beginner. It is riding hard with good technique.
Used in a sentence: “Dang way to shred that portion of the trail. I couldn’t keep up!”
29er: This is referring to the size of the wheel. There are three different sized wheel sizes: 26, 27.5, and 29.
Used in a sentence: “You can totally get up and over that rock you’re riding a 29er!”
Downhill: This is a style of riding. Downhill refers to steep, rough trails. It often involves more jumps, drops, and obstacles. Cross country is another style of riding with dirt trails and single track but less jumps and steepness.
Used in a sentence: “I prefer downhill riding because I like to get some sick air as I ride.”
Endo: This refers to the act of flipping over one’s handlebars. This usually occurs when a rider slams their front break, when trying a new obstacle, or when getting a tire stuck.
Used in a sentence: “I had my first endo today when I got nervous and slammed on my breaks before that big drop.”
Kit: This is the outfit a rider wears when hit the trail. It usually includes pants and a bike jersey and more often than not it matches. The different styles of riding have different styles of kits.
Used in a sentence: “I just bought this kit and can’t wait to shred in it.”
Stoke: When the excitement is high and the adrenaline is pumping.
Used in a sentence: “I just nailed that landing for the first time! The stoke is real! Whoo!”
Gnarly: This is the act of going to extreme and beyond. It can refer to a trail that is wicked, a ride a biker just took, and even, in some instances, a wipe out/crash a rider has.
Used in a sentence: “Yeah I’ve ridden at Whisper. The trails there are so gnarly.”
Edit: This is referring to the videos riders make of their rides, usually using a GoPro or a friend who is in training to be an adventure videographer.
Used in a sentence: “Just got finished with my edit from yesterday’s awesome ride. It’s already got 6 views on YouTube.”
Mountain biking is a fantastic sport that we hope y’all get a chance to try. Hopefully, you’ll feel a little more comfortable now that you know some of the lingo. Now get out there and hit up some gnarly trails while the stoke is still high.
For more mountain bike definitions check out this article from Scared Rides.
And for a good laugh here’s a fun video to watch on “How to Mountain Bike”
Written By: Lydia Huelskamp
