Bicycle Anatomy 101

Here, we see the modern road bike in all it's glory. It has goodness knows how many little moving bits. Here's a wee anatomy lesson- don't worry, there's no test at the end.

Tyres: The bit that touches the ground obviously! Thousands of variants- for puncture protection get some with extra steel or kevlar in them- they're more expensive but you save in lack of punctures. Tyre size, like wheel size is a string of irrelevant numbers- road bikes are 700c, mountain bikes 26" and old bikes have really crazy numerations like 10 3/4 X 28 and such.



Yeah...that's not gonna fly.

Wheels: These come in many guises, but they must be round, and usually must fit (rather obviously!) If your wheels aren't perfectly round, it's no biggy but you can take them into a bike shop and get them "trued" to make life easier.

Forks: Not for eating pasta, these are the bits that the wheel slots into, front and rear. On most bikes, these face forwards rather than backwards. If your wheels are touching the frame, this is why! In a head-on crash, forks will take the brunt of the force so check them for cracks afterwards.

Headset: The turny bit between your bars and fork. Generally ignore it until your wheels start to lock. Definitely don't open it up unless you want greasy ball bearings everywhere!

Handlebars: Come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and contortions. Drop bars, as seen here, look kinda like fangs. They let you go a bit lower when the cold wind blows. Straight bars are found on mountain bikes, and moustache handlebars are found on old bikes- the kind that curve backwards gently.

Brakes: For stopping! Always make sure that your brake pads are not so high up they are overlapping with the wheel, because they'll wear down and cut a hole in your tyre (no, seriously!) If you oil your brakes (which you should) then make sure you wipe any excess off and don't get any on the pads.

Frame: The main body of the bike. Comes in all sorts of materials- Steel is tougher, aluminium slightly lighter and carbon fibre is stupidly expensive and delicate. Make sure you get a size that fits you- a major problem when buying online.

A crank, yesterday, on someone's arm

Crank: Toothy thing that rips your trousers to shreds on right side of bike. Comes in different sizes. Big ones= more speed, have to push harder. Small ones= less speed per spin, easier to get up hills. Some bikes have one, some two and some three. The smallest one is often known as a "granny ring", which sounds really dodgy.

Derailleur: The bit that flicks the chain from toothy thing to toothy thing. Will sometimes decide not to work until a really inappropriate moment. When you bash the right side of your bike, this will be the main bit that gets screwed up.

Saddle: Your perch for the duration of the cycling journey. Most people will opt for a massively padded one, but this can actually be detrimental to comfort as it causes more sheering. Most long-term cyclists will have a "lucky saddle" which they refuse to part with after it has been worn in. Many people put stock in Brooks saddles, old school leather ones that hurt like a beach until they are worn in.