OFF-ROAD BIKE SLANG summary
Jerry Dunn
Thanks so much for all the responses to my request for off-road bike
slang, for my book (Idiom Savant: Slang As It Is Slung -- to be published
in fall 1995). Here's the summary I said I'd post. (Any corrections?
Please e-mail me: jer...@rain.org). Thanks for everything! You're a
*great* group of people, very helpful, articulate, and funny. All the
best -- Jerry
Chapter title: Off-Road Bike Riders Offer a Crash Course in Slang.
auger v. to involuntarily take samples of the local geology, usually with
one's face, during a crash. (See also: face plant)
bacon n. scabs on a rider's knees, elbows, or other body parts.
bail v. to jump off in order to avoid an imminent crash.
biff n. a crash. Syn. involuntary dismount, wipeout. v. "I biffed and
then wiped away the blood."
boing-boing n. a bike with full (front and rear) suspension.
bolt-on n. a woman with breast implants. Derived from the term for
after-market bicycle parts that are literally bolted on.
bonk v. to run out of energy or grow exhausted on a ride. "I bonked so
early it was embarrassing."
bring home a Christmas tree v. to ride (or crash) through dense bushes,
so leaves and branches are hanging from your bike and helmet.
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.
buzz n. euphoric feeling. Commonly used after a particularly hard
passage is successfully completed. "I got such a buzz after that uphill
grunt."
carve v. to ride with great speed around the corners of a twisting fire road.
cashed adj. to be too tired to ride any farther.
chain ring tattoo n. the dotted-line scar you get from gouging your shin
on the chain ring.
chainsuck n. condition when the bike chain gets jammed between the frame
and the chain rings.
clean v. to negotiate a trail successfully without crashing. "I cleaned
that last section."
crotch-testing n. sudden impact between a male rider's private parts and
something very hard and pointy, such as a handlebar stem or seat.
curb grind n. expensive erasure of low-hanging, shiny parts of the bike
on a curb or rock.
curb slide v. to place the front wheel up on a curb and allow the rear
tire to scrape along the curb, usually resulting in a loud tearing sound.
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."
death cookies n. fist-sized rocks that knock your bike in every direction
but the one you want to proceed in.
death march n. a ride that turns into an investigation of your endurance
limit. "The bridge was out, and I had to go all the way back the way I
came. So the morning's nice, easy ride turned into a Bataan death
march."
dialed in adj. when a bike is set up nicely and everything works just right.
drillium n. any part with lots of holes drilled in it to make it lighter.
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." Syn. superman. Also
refers to intentionally applying the front brake and allowing the back
wheel to come off the ground; this "front wheelie" is the basis for many
tricks.
face plant n. hitting the ground face first. "Joe hit a tree root and
did a spectacular face plant." Syn. soil sample, spring planting.
first blood n. credit to the first rider in a group who crashes and
starts bleeding as a result.
foot fault n. when a rider can't disengage his cleats from the pedals
before falling over. Rel. horizontal track stand: when this happens at a
stop sign.
fred n. a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but
still can't ride. "What a fred -- too much Lycra and titanium and not
enough skill." Syn. barney.
giblets n. all the colorful parts and pieces that you can add or change
out on a bike.
gonzo adj. treacherous, extreme. "That vertical drop was sheer gonzo."
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.
grunt n. a very difficult climb, requiring use of the granny gear.
gutter bunny n. a bicycling commuter.
hammer v. to ride fast and hard. n. someone who hammers.
HOHA n. Hateful Old Hikers Association. "HOHA members hate mountain
bicyclists with a fervor exceeding that of rabid wolverines."
kick-out n. a bunny hop in which the rider pushes the back tire to one side.
line n. the desirable path or strategy to take on a trail.
male blindness n. when a male rider watches a beautiful female ride over
rough terrain and stares intensely at all the jiggling parts, making him
too dizzy to see straight when it's his turn to ride the same terrain.
mantrap n. hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid earth and
effective at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider.
mo n. momentum. "If you don't get in gear at the bottom of that hill,
you'll lose your mo."
mojo n. charm or icon worn by a biker or attached to the bike.
mud diving n. what happens when a bike slows abruptly in mud, throwing
the rider into wet goo.
nirvana n. the state of being in absolute control and totally in tune
with your bike, the trail, and your physical strength. "I was just doing
it all so smoothly and delicately and quickly, it was nirvana!"
over-the-bar blood donor n. a rider who is injured while doing an endo.
pogo v. to bounce on a full-suspension bike like a pogo stick. Also, for
a full-suspension bike to bounce annoyingly and uncontrollably.
powerslide n. a two-wheel sideways slide, with the foot opposite the
direction of travel kept on the ground.
rag dolly v. to wreck in such a way that one's person is tossed like a
flimsy scrap of cloth. "Did you see me rag dolly back there? I think I
pierced my ear on a tree branch."
retro-grouch n. a rider who prefers an old bike with old components and
isn't fond of new, high-tech equipment.
'rhoid buffing n. going down a hill so steep that your butt touches the
rear wheel.
roadie n. pejorative term for a rider who sticks to paved surfaces only.
"That roadie is a lower life form."
road rash n. large abrasions on a rider's legs and body caused by a
crash, particularly on cement.
rocket fuel n. the mandatory pre-ride coffee.
rookie mark n. chain grease on a rider's pant leg. "Give that guy extra
points for his rookie mark. It's even on the wrong leg!"
roost v. to go fast or accelerate quickly.
singletrack n. trail wide enough for one person or bike. Rel.
doubletrack: rutted road made by vehicles, with the ruts creating two
parallel singletracks.
skid lid n. helmet.
sky v. to jump extremely high.
snake bite n. a double puncture of an inner tube, caused by hitting an
obstacle too hard or by under-inflation of tires.
snowmine n. an object hidden by snow on the trail. "Be careful of the
snowmines -- you know, rocks, logs, hibernating bears...."
spuds n. Shimano-manufactured "SPD" clipless pedals.
table-top n. a jump made over a hill that reaches a plateau and goes back
down. Also, a jump in which the rider throws the bike sideways in
mid-air.
taco v. to bend a wheel over on itself, in the shape of a taco. "I
taco'd my wheel, and it cost me a hundred bucks."
tea party n. when a whole group of riders stops and chats, and nobody
seems to want to ride on.
technical n. a section of trail that is difficult to ride because of
rocks, tree roots, steep drops.
techno-weenie n. a rider more concerned with how many milligrams a
certain component saves off the bike's total weight than with how to be a
better rider. Syn. weight weenie. Also, a rider who buys lots of gadgets
to add supposed iotas of performance to the bike.
three-hour tour n. a ride that looks like a piece of cake at the outset
but turns out to be a death march. Derived from the theme song to
"Gilligan's Island."
trail swag n. equipment or accessories dropped by other bikers and found
on the trail.
tricked out adj. when a bike has the latest and hottest components.
tweak n. a jump during which the rider twists the handlebars back and
forth in mid-air, the more times the better. v. to slightly injure a
part of the body or the bike in a crash. "I tweaked my wrist when I
fell."
unobtanium adj. describing a bike or accessory made from expensive,
high-tech material. A play on "unobtainable" and "titanium."
vegetable tunnel n. a singletrack that is heavily overgrown with foliage,
so a rider must duck and bend to get through it.
washboard n. small undulations of the soil surface that make for a very
rough ride.
wash out v. to have the front tire lose traction, especially while going
around a corner.
wild pigs n. poorly adjusted brake pads that squeal in use.
wonky adj. not functioning properly. "I bailed, and now my wheel is all
wonky and all I hear are wild pigs."
yard sale n. a horrendous crash that leaves all your various "wares" --
water bottles, pump, tool bag, etc. -- scattered as if on display for
sale.
--
Jerry Dunn
jer...@rain.org
Steven L. Sheffield
jer...@rain.org (Jerry Dunn) wrote:
> Hi --
>
> Thanks so much for all the responses to my request for off-road bike
> slang, for my book (Idiom Savant: Slang As It Is Slung -- to be published
> in fall 1995). Here's the summary I said I'd post. (Any corrections?
> Please e-mail me: jer...@rain.org). Thanks for everything! You're a
> *great* group of people, very helpful, articulate, and funny. All the
> best -- Jerry
> roost v. to go fast or accelerate quickly.
I came in way late on this thread, so I don't know if there's been
any discussion of this or not, but ... I know many people who use
"roost" to mean "coming to a complete and sudden stop".
Example: "Whoa, did you see that guy roost on that log over there?"
--
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Tom L. Wallace
But I still want to know what "proj" means!!!!!
Daniel Dillon
: Thanks, Jerry, that was fun.
: But I still want to know what "proj" means!!!!!
I got a few greatlaughs out of that one.
I am surprised you didn't have anything about having a case of the
grindies... you know.. All that dried mud and sand left me with a loud
case of the grindies in my drivetrain.
Looking forward to seeing the list grow.
Trey=Jones%Re...@bangate.compaq.com
because it is not P.C. but I've always considered it positive.
Betty n. Term of enderement for talented or accomplished female
mountain bikes. More accepable that Fat Chicks (short for
Fat Tire Chicks) which is bound to make you unpopular.
Paul Robert Brown
<Trey=Jones%Rel=Eng%PCPD=H...@bangate.compaq.com> wrote:
>Betty n. Term of enderement for talented or accomplished female
> mountain bikes. More accepable that Fat Chicks (short for
> Fat Tire Chicks) which is bound to make you unpopular.
Betty is cool. I have been called "phat" by some of my riding pals, jokingly,
as it doesn't mean fat (and I'm not, goddammit). In fact, I think most slang-
aware women would be flattered to be called phat.
Word.
Paul
Blasphemy
Trey=Jones%Rel=Eng%PCPD=H...@bangate.compaq.com sez:
>One my favorite terms seems to be missing. This may be
>because it is not P.C. but I've always considered it positive.
>Betty n. Term of enderement for talented or accomplished female
> mountain bikes. More accepable that Fat Chicks (short for
> Fat Tire Chicks) which is bound to make you unpopular.
Hmmm...perhaps i have been exposed to different sub-cultural
influences...but.. if someone called me "a Fat Chick" i would
interpert it as "Phat Chick" which is a compliment in rave
subculture, among others. Phat means "cool" etc.
As to "betty", i would be quite insulted but not out of
any sense of PC-ness. To me, from the skater subculture,
a "betty" is someone who hangs around and worships skaters.
They are the girls who sit there and watch skaters, buy
them things and drive them around. I call the girls who
do the same thing for bikers "bettys". An accomplished
female skater is a "skater". To me an accomplished female
biker would be a "biker". But you can call me "phat" if you
want :)
But i suppose it's all semantics.
-Blasphemy
Phyllis Schwartz
>
Anyone out there -- send me your favorite mountain bike slang word.
I'm trying to see what's popular in pockets of the U.S. Also,
include your definition. It can be a new slang word or an well-known
jargon word ... like bonk.
<ca...@columbia.edu>
>
>
dh...@lehigh.edu
>subculture, among others. Phat means "cool" etc.
>
>As to "betty", i would be quite insulted but not out of
>any sense of PC-ness. To me, from the skater subculture,
>a "betty" is someone who hangs around and worships skaters.
>They are the girls who sit there and watch skaters, buy
>them things and drive them around. I call the girls who
>do the same thing for bikers "bettys". An accomplished
>female skater is a "skater". To me an accomplished female
>biker would be a "biker". But you can call me "phat" if you
>want :)
>
>But i suppose it's all semantics.
>
>-Blasphemy
>
>
>
Being an ex-skater. The term is "hated betty" which means a hot hot chick!
I also believe that a lot of these terms are defined on the "surf punks"
album. Yeah, the with "dick damage."
...cut me off left, eat the rocks!
>
...............................
.........dan mccauley..........
.........lehigh university.....
.........dhm1@lehigh.edu.......
...............................
dh...@lehigh.edu
TRASH - what your mountain bike becomes after one season of riding.