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Thursday February 09 , 2012
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51281 Mountain bike trail
Definitions

Definitions

Our collection of commonly used terms and definitions used by mountain bikers.

Common Terms

BERM

A banked corner which allow faster turning of sharp bends.

HARD TAIL

A bike with no rear suspension.

BOMB HOLE

A sudden drop into a hole followed by a steep climb out the other side.

MTB

An abbreviation for mountain bike

BUNNY HOP

An unassisted vertical lift of the bike where both wheels leave the ground.

NORTH SHORE

A section of trail which is elevated and constructed of timber sections.

CHICKEN RUN

An alternative easy route around a difficult obstacle.

ROCK GARDEN

A section of trail which is made up of rocks closely placed together to make a bumpy ride.

DOUBLES

Two jumps back to back.

 

ROCK STEPS

A step made out of Rock to a higher section.

DROP OFF

Sheer or almost sheer drop from a ledge.

SINGLE TRACK

A narrow section of track designed for mountain biking.

ENDO

Balancing on the front wheel only, either with or without brakes.

TABLE TOP

A raised platform with an up ramp and down-ramp. It can either be rolled over or jumped.

FACE PLANT

Landing from a fall on your face.

FULL SUSS

Front and rear suspension

MANUAL

Coasting on the back wheel, without pedaling.

 

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Short Cross

Short Cross refers to short forrest paths. The gradient varies up and down with tight shicanes, berms rocks and undulations. The distance of the single track is usually only a couple of hundred metres. Typical of the types of trails found in Ireland.
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Dirt Jumping

As the name suggests involves jumps made of dirt. Think BMX! Essentially we are talking whoops here. The rider becomes airborne and can add various acrobatics whilst in the air if they are up to it before landing on a down ramp. (Best suited to teenagers, I think)
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Freeride

Includes anything from XC (cross country) to Downhill. Basically it is a mix of all types of mountainbike styles. A typical trail will therefore include bridges, whoops, log-jumps, boulders, drop-off's etc. The emphasis is on skill rather than speed.
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Trials

Trials is to a large extent a cousin to normal mountain biking. It is extremely skillful and requires an excellent sense of balance. The bikes are super light and have no gearing and no saddle. Small frame sizes are used to give maximum clearance from the rider. These riders can literally cycle along on railings on one wheel. The bike is cantelevered to enable large drop off's and hops to be done using very little forward motion.
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Downhill

Now we know you know this one. Riding down hills at high speed? Correct! Downhill is specifically about using DH bikes. The frame geometry of these bikes lends itself to descending and definitely not hill climbing. Usually the biker is dropped at the top of the descent and off they go. Typically this type of event is used at off-season ski resorts. The riders are carried to the top using the ski lifts. The course includes huge drop-off's of tens of feet and extreme inclines. Full body armour is worn with full face helmets.

When most people hear the word term mountain biking they think of downhill. Don't forget half the fun in mountain biking is uphill.

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