Bike Terms Every Cyclist Should Know

Written by
Greg Kaplan
Do you need to describe a problem with your bike or purchase a replacement part but are stumped about what specific bike parts
are called? Here's a useful guide to the names of the most common parts and components.
Bicycle Frame
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  • Downtube: the section of a road bike that connects the bottom bracket and headtube
  • Toptube: section of bike frame that connects headtube to seat tube
  • Seattube: vertical section of bike frame that joins top tube, seat stays and chain stays
  • Headtube: vertical section of bike frame that retains the fork and connects the top tube and down tube
  • Fork: holds the front bicycle wheel
  • Bottom Bracket Shell: joins the down tube and seat tube where the crankset and bottom bracket
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Bicycle Components
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  • Brake Calipers: hydraulic (or mechanical) assembly onto which brake pads are mounted; when activated, stops wheel rotation by friction against a brake rotor (disc brakes) or wheel rim (traditional brakes)
  • Brake Rotor: disc brake braking surface
  • Cockpit: refers to stem and handlebars; if referencing a time trial bike, this is the stem, basebar and bar extensions
  • Headset: bearing assembly that allows the fork and connected stem to pivot
  • Stem: connects handlebars to bike
  • Handlebars: human/bike contact point, used for steering a bike
  • Saddle: the area where you sit when on a bike
  • Seatpost: mounting point for bicycle saddle, inserts into seat tube
  • Shifters/Brake Lever: controls the front and rear derailleurs, as well as the brakes
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Bicycle Drivetrain
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  • Bottom Bracket: consists of bearings and spindle onto which the crankset is mounted
  • Cassette: the cluster of cogs—"bike gears"—mounted to the rear hub
  • Chainring: the toothy rings that mount to the crank arms; common tooth configurations are 50/34 ("compact"), 52/36 ("mid-compact") and 53/39 ("standard")
  • Crankset: comprised of crank arms, spider and chainrings; crank arm lengths are usually 165mm to 180mm
  • Front Derailleur: moves the bicycle chain across the chainrings
  • Rear Derailleur: moves the chain across the cassette
  • Chain: transfers the energy generated through the crankset to the rear wheel, moving you forward
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Bicycle Wheels
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  • Hub: bicycle wheel mounting point that consists of a shell, bearings, axle, skewer and cassette carrier (on rear hub); mounting point for disc brake rotors (if applicable)
  • Skewer: rod that runs through the center of the axle with a nut on one side and a quick release lever on the other; used to snug the axle to the bicycle frame
  • Thru-Axle: axle that is completely removed from the hub—not just the skewer—to remove the wheel from the bike
  • Quick Release: lever at the end of a skewer that attaches the axle to the bike
  • Rims: surface onto which bike tires are mounted and serve as braking surface for traditional brakes
  • Clincher Rim: uses a standard tube and tire setup; most common wheel type
  • Tubeless Rim: a clincher rim, which can also be used with a tubeless tire system
  • Tubular Rim: traditional wheel/tire system; tires are glued onto this type of rim
  • Brake Rotor: braking surface for disc brakes, mounted to wheel hubs
  • Disc Wheel: bicycle wheel made of solid construction carbon fiber, Kevlar, epoxy and other high tech materials, or may be a traditional spoked wheel with aerodynamic fairing permanently mounted at hub and rim
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Bicycle Tires and Tubes
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  • Clincher Tire: an open casing that requires an inner tube and uses inflation to secure the bead, tucked under the hook inside of a clincher rim
  • Tubular Tire: a tube sealed inside a closed casing—usually sewn shut—that is glued to a tubular rim; tubular tires also known as "sew-up" tires
  • Butyl Inner Tube: traditional and most commonly used inner tube
  • Latex Inner Tube: lighter weight, lower rolling resistance and may offer better flat resistance
  • Presta Valve: long, skinny "European" valve found; Presta valve lengths can vary from 33mm to 80mm
  • Schrader Valve: valve type also used for automobiles
  • Tubeless Tire: tires with an open casing, similar to clincher tires, but use no inner tube; liquid sealant provides an airtight lock to a tubeless ready rim or clincher rim that has been converted to a tubeless rim
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Bicycle Trouble Issues
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  • Chainsuck: when a chain gets stuck on chainring teeth and wraps itself into the front derailleur
  • Dropped Chain: when a chain falls off of the crankset
  • Pinch flat: usually caused by the bike tire compressing into the rim, leaving a tell-tale "snakebite" hole pattern
  • Puncture: when a sharp object penetrates a bike tire and creates a hole in the inner tube
  • "Mechanical": general term for things not working correctly while riding a bike
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