Arun-Adur Cyclists' Touring Club
Cycling Glossary
Last update: 2nd September 2006
This cycling glossary has some unusual definitions relevant to the Arun-Adur CTC.
For a much more comprehensive glossary, see Sheldon
Brown's Bicycle Glossary.
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Audax
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Latin for 'daring'. A type of cycle ride designed to test the endurance of
cyclists. Originated in France, events are run in this country
by Audax UK.
Bidon
The French name for the drinking bottles that are inserted into
bottle cages. You should always have two in hot weather!
Bonk
That horrible feeling when your body runs out of fuel on a long distance
cycle ride. Eat and drink plenty as you go to avoid this.
Bostal
Local Sussex term for a pass ("col" in French) over the South Downs. Steyning
Bostal is a good place to try out your granny gears.
Break wind
Not what you think! To cyclists, it refers to riding in front of another
cyclist so that they can follow in the slip-stream.
Cadence
The rate or speed of pedal rotation whilst cycling. Cruising speeds are normally
around 80-90 rpm while fast cycling requires around 100 rpm or higher. Anything
below 70 and you are struggling!
Captain
The person on the front of a tandem who does some
of the work plus the necessary bits like braking and steering as he is
the only one who can see where they are going! (see Stoker).
Cassette
A group of sprockets and spacers that are assembled and secured by a separate
locking ring onto a carrier which contains a freewheel
assembly. The sprockets can be changed to suit your requirements and the complete
assembly usually contains 7, 8, 9 or even 10 sprockets.
CTC
The Cyclists' Touring Club, Britain's
largest national cyclists association. Join now!
Derailleur
French word that means what it says, i.e., "de-rails" the chain. It is used to
describe the mechanism that physically forces the chain
to move from one sprocket or chain-ring to the next. Most touring and racing bikes
have a front- and a rear-derailleur.
Downs
Hilly regions in the South of England, i.e., North Downs and South Downs,
which are separated by the Weald.
El Supremo(Dave Hudson)
An exceptional cyclist-friendly tea-stop, quite often found in the middle of
nowhere. Mainly spotted on Audax events in the South East, but known famously
throughout the country.
Etape
French word for "stage" as in a tour, e.g., Tour de France.
Fixed wheel
This refers to the rear gear or lack of them. The single rear sprocket
is firmly fastened to the hub and does not freewheel! You must never stop
pedalling on one of these bikes!
Freewheel
A set of sprockets that come in a ready-built assembly and contains the
freewheel mechanism, which basically is a ratchet. The freewheel allows
the gears to be stationary while the rear wheel rotates but will provide
drive when the gears rotate faster than the rear wheel.
Granny gear
A very low ratio gear invented to make life easy for mountain bikers. Now
also used by a lot of cycle tourists to avoid having to honk.
Grimpeur
French word meaning 'climber' and is used in the title of some hilly cycle
rides e.g., Kit Hill Grimpeur starting from Tavistock.
Hand-sling
This is not the variety that you need after a fall but a helping hand from
a colleague who pulls you from behind and launches you forwards. Used in team
racing.
Hitting the wall
This is another expression for the 'bonk' or the point
when you run out of energy. This can occur when trying to climb 'The Wall'
south-east of Forest Row, East Sussex.
Honk
To stand on the pedals for extra power. Used when accelerating hard or
when climbing a steep hill. Generally, touring cyclists never honk, they just
select a lower gear, stay seated and spin the legs
(this helps prevent knee strain). One advantage of honking is to give the
backside a rest and allow the blood circulation to get to parts that may be
going numb!
Kevlar
Modern man-made material that is woven into the casing of some bicycle
tyres offering greater resistance to cuts and penetration. These tyres are
usually referred to as "puncture-resistant" but this can vary wildly so
find your own personal preference. My choice is Schwalbe Marathons for
general touring including some rough stuff and Continental Gatorskins or
GP4000 for quick road riding.
Lanterne Rouge
French for 'red light'. Unexcitingly, this is merely a name for the person
who is last!
Mechanism
The English word(see derailleur) to describe the
spring-loaded assembly that forces the chain to jump from one sprocket or
chain-ring to the next when moving the gear lever(s).
The front 'mech' operates on the chain-rings and the rear 'mech' operates
on the rear sprockets.
Musette
French for 'nose-bag' or a light shoulder bag containing energy bars and
similar foodstuffs.
O.C.D.
L'Ordre des Cols Durs - Literally translated, it means "The Order of
the Hard Passes". A club for people who like cycling in mountainous
regions. It originated in France, but there is a UK club too. The
vertical equivalent of Audax UK!
On the rivet
Derived from the days when everyone rode on the old saddles that had rivets
holding a piece of leather onto a metal frame. 'Brooks' is the most notable
manufacturer of such saddles ands they are still available today. 'On the
rivet' meant that you were pedalling hard and literally sitting on the front
rivet!
Pack
To give up on an event. Happens to the best of us and there is even
an unofficial competition in Audax circles for
the rider who packs the soonest!
Pedalling squares
When a rider becomes totally exhausted, usually climbing hills, and
cannot maintain a smooth pedalling action.
Peleton
A large pack of riders and not a place for those of a nervous
disposition!
Randonnée
Long distance cycling event designed for fit tourists.
Organised by Audax UK.
Randonneur
Person who has succumbed to the addictive qualities of
Randonnées.
Recumbent
A "laid-back" style of cycling and the first radical bicycle design since the
"standard". A whole article could be produced on this style of bicycle but I
will condense them down to the following short paragraphs.
Basically, a recumbent consists of two or three wheels and the rider sits
in a hammock-style seat with legs extended forwards to the front-mounted pedals
and chainrings. Steering is either by under-seat bars with linkage or by tiller-
style bars to the front wheel(s).
On a two-wheeled recumbent, the rear wheel could be either a small(20inch)
wheel or a conventional 700/26inch wheel but the rider sits higher in the latter.
There are two styles of three-wheeled recumbents. Either the rider sits low
inbetween two conventional 700/26inch rear wheels or he sits higher in front of
a single rear wheel and has two small(20inch) front wheels.
Getting on or off a two-wheeled recumbent, starting from a standstill and
balancing requires a completely new technique but once mastered, they give greater
comfort and faster rides although it is harder climbing hills on one.
The low riding position can be hazardous in traffic and riding two of these
abreast is very unsocial and will receive lots of horn-blowing!
SPDs
Pedals that have an automatic spring-loaded locking mechanism to grip a
metal plate fitted to the bottom of special cycling shoes. Insertion is
automatic when you press down in the right place and removal is done by
rotating the foot. SPD stands for 'Shimano Pedalling Dynamics' and they
are sometimes referred to as "clipless" pedals
There are single-sided racing pedals, reversible single-sided with
platform, double-sided and double-sided with platform pedals. However, I
must point out that you will fall off during your first attempts to use
these devices!
Stoker
The person who sits behind the captain on a
tandem and does most of the work but sees very little!
Tandem
Alternative bicycle for two riders requiring large tubing, especially
strong wheels and damn good brakes! Fitting S&S couplings to the frame
helps when trying to transport one of these.
Tricycle(or Trike)
Alternative bicycle which normally has one front wheel and two rear wheels
and a conventional riding position. The original trikes have standard sized
wheels and could be seen a lot in the '60s but are quite rare nowadays. They
require a good sense of balance especially when cornering! There are now
Recumbent Trikes which are much easier to ride
because of the low centre of gravity.
Valves
There are two types, Presta and Schraeder valves for bicycle tyres. The
Presta valve is smaller and will cope with higher pressures than the larger
car-style Schraeder valves, which are usually found on Mountain Bikes. Also,
the Presta valve requires a smaller hole in the wheel rim which can be critical
in maintaining strength in narrow road/racing rims.
You must specify the length of the valve body if you have deep aero-rimmed
wheels.
Weald
Relatively flat areas of land in Sussex between the North and South Downs.
Wedgie
An upright bicycle with a narrow, hard seat called a saddle. Nothing like
as comfortable as a recumbent.
Wheelsucking
The action of continuing to follow another cyclist without ever taking
a turn in front. This will make you very unpopular! It is called "Tail-
gating" when you follow a vehicle but this is a very dangerous practice
and not to be recommended!
White(road)
A narrow road shown on an OS map without any colour and is marked as "Other
road, drive or track". It can vary from a metalled surface to a gravel
track!
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