Bike Components Glossary: Cockpit, Saddle and Pedals

The handlebar, stem, brake levers and shifters: everything your hands touch. Their dimensions decide much of your riding position and how the bike handles.

See also: handlebar, stem, brake lever

The bar you steer the bike with. Road bars measure 38 to 44 cm (center to center at the ends) and mountain bike bars 720 to 800 mm; a wide bar gives control and a narrow one, better aerodynamics.

See also: drop handlebar, stem, rise

The downward-curving bar on road and gravel bikes, with three hand positions: the tops, the hoods and the drops. It's defined by its width, reach and drop.

See also: handlebar drop, bar tape, brifter (shift/brake lever)

The vertical distance between the top of a road handlebar and the lowest part of the curve. With a shallow drop (115-125 mm) it's easier to ride in the drops; classic bars go over 140 mm.

See also: drop handlebar, stack

How much the ends of a mountain bike handlebar rise above the center clamp, from 0 to 40 mm or more. Together with backsweep (the rearward angle, usually 8 to 9°) it decides where your hands end up.

See also: handlebar, stack

The part that connects the handlebar to the fork's steerer tube. It's measured by its length (from 35-50 mm on mountain bikes to 90-120 mm on road bikes) and its angle; swapping it is the fastest way to change how stretched out you are.

See also: reach, headset spacers, steerer tube Geometry Comparison

Rings that go on the steerer tube, below or above the stem, to raise or lower the handlebar. They're 5 or 10 mm tall, and each manufacturer limits the total stack its fork allows.

See also: stem, steerer tube, stack

The set of bearings that lets the fork turn inside the head tube. If you feel a knocking when you squeeze the front brake, it's usually loose.

See also: head tube, steerer tube, bearing

The top tube of the fork that runs through the headset and that the stem clamps onto. Today's standard is tapered: 1 1/8 in at the top and 1.5 in at the bottom.

See also: fork, headset, stem

The tube that holds the saddle and slides into the frame's seat tube. It has a minimum insertion mark that should never show when you raise it.

See also: dropper post, seatpost clamp, saddle height Saddle Height

A seatpost that goes up and down with a handlebar remote without getting off the bike. It has 100 to 240 mm of travel: you drop the saddle for descents and raise it to pedal.

See also: seatpost, saddle height Saddle Height

The bike seat. What matters most is its width, which should match the distance between your sit bones; most adult saddles are 130 to 155 mm wide.

See also: saddle height, saddle setback, saddle rails Saddle Height

The distance from the center of the bottom bracket spindle to the top of the saddle, measured along the seat tube. A classic method is multiplying your inseam by 0.883 (the LeMond method): a 32.3 in (82 cm) inseam gives about 28.5 in (72.4 cm).

See also: saddle, seatpost, crank arm Saddle Height

The horizontal distance between the nose of the saddle and a vertical line through the bottom bracket. It changes your weight distribution and where your knee sits over the pedal.

See also: saddle, seat tube angle, bike fitting

The two rails under the saddle that the seatpost clamps onto. They can be steel, titanium or carbon; carbon rails are usually oval (7 × 9 mm) and need a compatible seatpost clamp.

See also: saddle, seatpost

The padded tape wrapped around a road handlebar. You wrap it from the end of the bar toward the center, overlapping by a third, in the direction your hands tend to twist it when you lean on it.

See also: drop handlebar, grips

The rubber covers on flat handlebars. Lock-on grips have bolt-on clamps and don't twist; ergonomic grips have a wide platform for your palm.

See also: handlebar, bar tape

A pedal that locks onto a cleat bolted to the shoe sole and releases when you twist your heel outward. The most common systems are SPD (mountain, 2-bolt cleat) and SPD-SL or Look Kéo (road, 3-bolt cleat).

See also: cleat, flat pedal, crank arm

A plastic or metal piece bolted to the shoe that clips into a clipless pedal. Its float (0°, 4.5°, 6°…) is how much your foot can rotate before it releases.

See also: clipless pedal, bike fitting

A wide pedal with no retention, with pins that grip the sole. It's what city bikes come with, and the favorite in downhill and enduro for riders who want to get a foot down instantly.

See also: clipless pedal

Extensions mounted on the handlebar so you can rest your forearms and ride in a more aerodynamic position. They're typical of time trials, triathlon and ultra-distance riding; many group races ban them.

See also: CdA (drag area), handlebar

A part with balls that lets something spin with little friction. A bike has bearings in the hubs, headset, bottom bracket, pedals, jockey wheels and suspension linkage; cartridge bearings are replaced as a unit.

See also: hub, headset, bottom bracket

A holder for your water bottle that bolts onto two frame bosses 64 mm apart. Side-entry cages make it easier to get the bottle out on small frames.

See also: water bottle

A soft plastic bottle with a valve so you can drink without stopping. Common sizes are 500, 620 and 750 ml (17, 21 and 25 oz).

See also: bottle cage

A handlebar screen that shows speed, distance, power, heart rate or your route. Units without GPS calculate speed from a sensor and the wheel circumference.

See also: wheel circumference, speed sensor, ANT+ Tire Size

A cover over part of the wheel that keeps water and mud from spraying you. Full-length fenders need mounts and clearance around the tire; clip-on ones attach with rubber straps.

See also: rear rack

A metal rack over the rear (or front) wheel for carrying panniers or cargo. Each model lists a maximum load, usually 33 to 55 lb (15 to 25 kg).

See also: fender, cargo bike

A stand that keeps the bike upright. Single-leg kickstands bolt on near the left chainstay; double-leg stands under the bottom bracket are more stable with a loaded bike.

See also: rear rack