Bike Lingo

babyheads pl. n. roundish rocks which tend to be found in a loose jumble on hairpin corners or other dificult-to-negotiate sections of trail.

bail v. to jump off in order to avoid an imminent crash.

bonk v. to run out of energy or grow exhausted on a ride. "I bonked so early it was embarrassing."

bunny hop v. to lift both wheels off the ground by crouching down and then exploding upward, pulling the bike with you. Useful for clearing obstructions, such as curbs, potholes, logs. Differs from its older BMX & trials meaning -- see jump.

clipless adj. misleading name for a pedal-and-shoe system where the clips or cleats clip onto the soles of special shoes. Called "clipless" because they replaced toe clips.

dab v. to put a foot down in order to catch your balance on a difficult section of trail. "I made it without crashing, but I had to dab once."

dialed in adj. when a bike is set up nicely and everything works just right.

endo n. the maneuver of flying unexpectedly over the handlebars, thus being forcibly ejected from the bike. Short for "end over end". "I hit that rock and went endo like nobody's business." See "superman". In BMX riding, "endo" used to be a synonym for front wheelie.

front wheelie n. what endo used to mean in BMX: a trick where the rider applies the front brake and lifts the back wheel off the ground; this is the basis for many BMX tricks. Most riders cannot pedal effectively while doing a front wheelie. Also called a "nose wheelie" or "stoppie."

granny gear n. the lowest gear available on a bike, which only a grandmother would need to use; designed for steep uphill climbing, but extremely easy to pedal in on flat ground.

hardtail n. any bike with front suspension but no rear suspension. Contrast with rigid and F/S.

roadie n. a rider who prefers riding on paved surfaces.

roost v. to turn very aggressively and spray dirt out from underneath your tires.

singletrack n. trail just wide enough for one person or bike -- the MTBer's holy grail.

snake bite n. a double puncture of an inner tube, caused by hitting an obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.

stoked adj. euphoric feeling of enlightenment, caused by adrenaline rushing to the brain

technical n. a section of trail that is difficult to ride because of rocks, tree roots, steep drops.

tweak n. a jump during which the rider twists the handlebars back and forth in mid-air, the more times the better. v. 1) to slightly injure a part of the body or the bike in a crash. "I tweaked my wrist when I fell." 2) to make a minor adjustment. "My brake pads were rubbing but I tweaked the cable and it went away."

vultures n. spectators who line up at dangerous obstacles in hopes of seeing blood.

weight-weenie n. a MTB owner (not even necessarily a rider) who is more concerned with how many milligrams a certain component saves off the bike's total weight than with how to be a better rider.

wheelie n. lifting the front wheel off the ground, usually with some combination of pulling on the handlebars, pedaling harder, and balance.

yard sale n. (from skiing) a horrendous crash that leaves all your various "wares" -- water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as if on display for sale.

thanks to world.std.com for some of the definitions.