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| Source: www.aarline.info |
How much do you know about bicycles? Do you know the difference between a derailleur and a hanger? How about a bottom bracket versus a headset? Here's a short list to start you off:
Bicycle Parts:
Bicycle - Alternative mode of transportation, which gets you places faster than walking and in less comfort than a car. May be an enemy or friend, but either way, you will either let it rust away or manage to invest a fortune in 'upgrades'.
Tire - (also spelled Tyre) The rubber bit around the wheels that keeps you from sliding around too much while you're riding and provides a minimal amount of shock absorption.
Inner Tube - An unholy contraption designed to hold air within the tire and to develop a leak at the worst possible time.
Rim - The first line of defense in an accident against the rest of the bike being destroyed. Yeah, they get bent a lot.
Saddle - Saddle sores, need I say more? You sit on it and will eventually patch it with duct tape or electrical tape instead of getting a new one.
Fork - Holds the front wheel on and hopefully straight. I could go into detail about mountain bike shocks, but this is a road bike blog, right?
Handlebars - Strange curvy thing that you hold onto for dear life while pedaling over sand and snow.
Brakes - Hopefully will stop the bicycle before you roll through that stop sign into oncoming traffic. Occassionally squeak.
Chain - Incredibly important part of making sure that any pants that you are wearing while riding will end up greasy and shredded.
Chainring - The forward gears on a bicycle (Don't ask me why they decided on the name). Likes to eat exposed ankles.
Cassette/Freewheel - The aft gears on a bicycle. Incredulously expensive.
Derailleur - Moves the chain around so that you don't die while trying to pedal up a very steep hill.
Shifter - Moves the derailleur thingy in some crazy assortment of gears and levers.
Pedal - Your foot goes here. Varieties include 'platforms' which will end up smacking your ankle after a large bump and 'clip-in' pedals which will cause you to fall over whenever you stop.
Other Terms:
LBS - Local Bike Shop. They always take good care of you, so please make sure that you take care of them by buying parts locally.
Helmet - Keeps you alive and protects against brain damage in your eventual crash. Please always use one.
Drafting - Getting as close as you can to the rider in front of you to minimize air resistance and to ensure a group crash party. Pray that your fellow riders have not had beans for lunch.
Aero - Short for aerodynamic, or the idea that the more money that you spend on a bike to make it look even stranger than normal will result in Superman-like powers of flight.
Bolt Cutters - The enemy of any cable lock. Just don't use cable locks in a city... ever.
U-Lock - The crusader of justice in the fight against aforementioned bolt cutters.
Armstrong - You know which one I'm talking about. Extremely polarizing in the bicycling world these days.
Shelden Brown - A bicycle mechanic, technical expert, and a god amongst the cycling community. You should really check out his website and see his own bicycle glossary, which is a lot more serious than this one :) Rest in peace, Sheldon.
I hope that you enjoyed this list. Yes, this is not an overly-serious list, so let's not have any heated arguments! I might even make a serious glossary one of these weeks.... Cheers!
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