Cable end -(cap) - a small aluminum or plastic cap installed to the ends of brake and shift cables to keep them from fraying

Cadence - the rate of pedaling, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm) of one foot.

Cage - on a front derailleur, a pair of parallel plates that push the chain from side to side; on a rear derailleur, a set of plates in which pulleys are mounted to hold and guide the chain from cog to cog

Calipers - brake arms that reach around the sides of a wheel to press brake pads against the wheel rim

Cantilever brakes -  rim brakes with pivoting arms mounted on fork blades or seatstays

Carbohydrate - simple sugars and starches that provide a quick source of muscle energy. One gram has four calories. Carbo is plentiful in fruits, grains, potatoes, breads, pasta, etc., and is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen.

Cardiovascular - pertaining to the heart and blood vessels.

Cassette - the set of gear cogs on the rear hub. Also called a freewheel, cluster or block.

Cassette hub - a type of rear hub that has a built-in freewheel mechanism

Catch air - to ride with both wheels off the ground when your bike hits a natural rise or dip in the trail.

Categories - the division of racers into groups based on ability and/or experience.

Chain - a series of links pinned together that connects the chainwheel to the cogs on the back wheel and allows one to pedal the bike (see derailleur chains)

Chainring - a sprocket attached to the right crankarm to drive the chain

Chainring nut spanner - a special tool used to loosen the slotted chainring bolts (the ones behind the inner ring) that fasten a chainring to a crankarm

Chainring Tattoo - the dotted-line scar you get from gouging your shin on the chainring

Chainstays - the two tubes of a bicycle frame that run from the bottom bracket back to the rear dropouts

Chainsuck - when the chain doubles back on itself in the middle of a gear shift and gets jammed either between chainrings or between the inner chainring and the frame.

Chainwheel - see chainring

Chain whip -(chain wrench) - a tool consisting of a metal bar and two sections of chain, used in changing cogs on a cassette

Chausson, Anne Caroline -Five-time world downhill champion. Which makes her almost the greatest ever. (See listing for Nico Vouilloz ). Plus, she rolls a mean wheel of camembert.

Chasers - those who are trying to catch a group or a lead rider.

Chi-Chi - extravagant parts used to dress up a bicycle to make it more impressive looking.

Chondromalacia - a serious knee injury in which there is disintegration of cartilage surfaces due to improper tracking of the kneecap. Symptoms start with deep knee pain and a crunching sensation during bending.

Chrome moly -(chrome molybdenum) - a type of high-quality steel tubing

Chunder - to crash.

Circuit - a road course that's ridden two or more times to compose the race.

Clean - to negotiate a trail successfully without crashing "I cleaned that last section."

Cleanie - one who desires to remain clean; a wimp who will not have fun, stays on the clean trails

Cliches -You've read them before, you'll read them again. Steel is Real. Titanium, the Magic Metal. "Sneakers and hoops" instead of tires and rims. Shootouts, Missy the Missile, Quad God, Funhog, Voodoo Economics (in stories about the California bike company), Tips, Monkey Motion, Dual Boinger, Double Bouncer, Utensil (for fork); Dualie. This list is continued in dozens of secret locations throughout this and every other bike magazine.

Climbing - Singletrack may be the soul of the sport, but climbing is it's baptism of fire. Find a long hill and ride up it twice a week. In six months, you'll be amazed. The damn thing will actually seem short - and almost flat. What do you do then? Find a bigger hill.

Clinchers - conventional tires with a separate inner tube.

Clincher tire - (also known as "wired-on" tire) - a tire whose edges hook under the curved-in edge of a rim

Clipless pedals - pedals that use a releasable mechanism like that of a ski binding to lock onto cleated shoes and do not use toe clips or straps

Class - something a talented pedaler is said to have.

Cleat - a metal or plastic fitting on the sole of a cycling shoe that engages the pedal.

Cloon - slamming into the ground, resulting in a ringing head, or a delay in the action. Term used in biking, skiing, and snow boarding.

Clotheslined -  the act of catching an upper body part (e.g. the neck) on a low piece of vegetation, resulting in separation of the rider from the bike.

Cob Cleaner - the lead rider who has to clear out all the spider webs for the following riders.

Coaster brake - a foot-operated brake built into the rear hub normally found on one-speed kids’ bikes and cruisers Cog - - a sprocket attached directly to the rear hub on a single-speed bike and mounted on a cassette on a multi-speed bike

Cockrotter - one who allows his bike to fall in disrepair, and whose bike invariably fails him at some point in every ride. These people don't know why their bike always breaks, and often would rather buy new parts than keep their bike in good condition.

Collarbone -Every mountain biker will needs to break one. It hurts like hell. It leaves an ugly bump where you once looked pretty. But it heals pretty fast, and gives you a good story to tell. "Dude, I was goin' over this huge jump, when this deer jumped out in front of me..."

Cone - a bearing race that curves to the inside of a circle of ball bearings and works in conjunction with a cup

Corncob - a term used to describe a cluster of cogs on a racing cassette because of the small variation in number of teeth on adjacent cogs. Straight block is another term for a corncob.

Corndog - to become covered in silt, usually after a fall.

Cottered crank - a crankset in which the crankarms are fastened to the axle by means of threaded cotters and nuts

Cotterless crank - a crankset in which the crankarms are fastened to the axle by means of a taper and nuts or bolts (instead of cotters)

Crankarm - a part, one end of which is attached to the bottom bracket axle and the other holds a pedal, whose forward rotation provides the leverage needed to power the bicycle

Crankarm bolt - the bolt that holds a crankarm on the end of the axle in a cotterless crankset

Crankset - includes the bottom bracket, two crankarms, and one or more chainrings

Crash - ouch. Also known as a biff, piling it, to have a yardsale, to pack it in, and to stack.

Criterium - a mass-start race covering numerous laps of a course about one mile or less in length.

Cross-country - the standard mountain bike race, in which cyclists ride over hills, through woods, across streams, etc. Most courses mix fire roads (where you can pass or be passed) with singletrack, where passing is tougher.

Cross max - Everyone's trying to catch up, but Mavic started the exotic, expensive, light, and strong wheel revolution with these beauties. OK, now send me a pair.

Crossover cable - the cable that links two sides of a centerpull-type brake

Cross three - a spoking pattern in which a spoke passes over two and under a third spoke before being attached to the rim

Cross-country bike - a mountain bike suited to racing the cross-country event at NORBA events; features include wide-range gearing with super lows, at least front suspension, great brakes and a light performance-oriented frame

Crotch-testing - sudden impact between a male rider's private parts and something very hard and pointy, such as a handlebar stem or seat.

Cruiser - (beach cruiser) - a bike designed for casual and comfortable road riding that features a relaxed frame, fat 26-inch tires, a wide saddle, wide handlebars and rubber pedals

C-spanner - a wrench whose end is C-shaped, used to loosen the lockring on certain bottom brackets and headsets

Curb Grind - expensive erasure of low-hanging, shiny parts of the bike on a curb or rock.

Curb Slide  - 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.

Cyclephernalia -  the parts used to upgrade/dress-up a mountain bike.

Cyclocross - a fall or winter event contested mostly or entirely off pavement. Courses include obstacles, steps and steep hills that force riders to dismount and run with their bikes across their shoulders.