Mountain biking has its own awesome culture, and you can’t have culture without having your very own dialect as well.
Of course, the language of the mountain spans much wider and vaster than the list below, but here are just a few of the words – some regulars, some more obscure – that mean completely different things to mountain bikers than they do to most…
What it means to the general public: What you do when you pick up your phone.
What it means on the mountain: When everything is going perfectly on the trails, without a crash in sight.
“He’s absolutely dialled in bro! Hope he has the GoPro on!”
What it means to the general public: A harmful device that has made getting through an airport a freakin’ nightmare.
What it means on the mountain: To ride down hard, with little regard for your own safety and for the fact that you’re probably about to slam into a tree.
“Dude, I totally bombed that run! So stoked to get back up there!”
What it means to the general public: A hilarious primary school term for the act of sexual intercourse.
What it means on the mountain: To become completely drained of all energy and have to finish the rest of your trail riding on next to nothing.
“I was so stoked to finish the trail but I totally just bonked.”
What it means to the general public: Literally nothing. It probably just sounds like an unappetising mediterranean side dish. Or maybe heroin.
What is means on the mountain: It’s what your riding bro!
“Time to shred some brown pow bro!”
What it means to the general public: A two-humped animal that carries stuff in the desert.
What it means on the mountain: Two jumps one after another which have a short gap in between.
“Check me riding the camel, bro!” *faceplants over first jump and walks bike past the second.*
What it means to the general public: Ermm… to suck on a chain?
What it means on the mountain: When the chain jams between either the chainrings or the crank and the frame. Normally caused when a chain is majorly worn out and always a really, really annoying occurrence.
“DUDE, Chainsuck is THE worst thing.”
What it means to the general public: A person who is either slightly-underweight, or just a normal weight. Not too many Big Macs. Not too many salads.
What it means on the mountain: A wooden beam, roughly six inches or less in width, raised off the ground.
“Check my morbidly obese skills on the skinny dude!”
What it means to the general public: The mother of your mother. Shortened from the term ‘grandmother’.
What it means on the mountain: The lowest gear on a bike.
“Check the dude riding that uphill on granny gear! Weak!”
What it means to the general public: A description of something that has been pinned down. With a pin.
What it means on the mountain: To ride really hard and true.
“I totally pinned that rock section dude! Check out my new edit tomorrow!”
What it means to the general public: A weird stick used to bounce up and down which is specifically ill-designed for that purpose.
What it means on the mountain: A full suspension mountain bike with a hell of a lot of bounce. Sometimes too much bounce.
“Dude, hold my beer. I’m going to get some pogo shit going.”
What it means to the general public: Someone who gambles.
What it means on the mountain: Someone who spends big but rides cluelessly, if at all. All the gear and no idea.
“Check the punter with the £3k bike. He just face planted for the third time in a row.”
What it means to the general public: The bite of snake. Surprisingly.
What it means on the mountain: A double puncture on an inner tube. Big hassle.
“Fuck! My front tyre has a snake bike. I was totally about to shred that gnarly rock section as well. Promise.”
What it means to the general public: The past tense of ‘stomp’, the act of placing the foot down firmly on a particular object.
What it means on the mountain: Successfully landing or pulling off something that is pretty rare to see.
“Dude, did you see Cam Zink’s insane step down back flip?! He totally stomped it!”
What it means to the general public: A structure from which you can eat dinner.
What it means on the mountain: A structure from which you can pull rad shit.
“I swear Brandon Semenuk just nailed a quadruple backflip from that tabletop! That guy’s sick!”
What it means to the general public: A delicious snack composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded around a tasty filling. Mexican origins.
What it means on the mountain: The shape your wheel goes into if you smash it really hard in a big bail. Painful origins.
“Get your cheese and shredded beef out bro – you’ve just been taco’d!”
What it means to the general public: That you’re probably on LSD.
What it means on the mountain: After riding the course earlier, you notice strange changes on your second run that you weren’t expecting to see.
“The course was sick this morning but the trail fairies must’ve been out and raised some roots!”… “I’m not sure bro, I think you just lost most of your time because you crashed into that tree.“
What it means to the general public: An accessory famed by Indiana Jones and often used in raunchy or compromising scenarios.
What it means on the mountain: Letting the rear of your bike stray in the air before bringing it back in line in a badass fashion.
“Yes! I totally nailed that whip! What do you mean you weren’t recording?!”
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