Mafac -The original French cantilever. It stuck out so it hit your foot. It was flimsy and cheap. It hardly stopped at all. But man, they looked sweet, and all that tire clearance made them perfect for knobby tires. As the cantilever era ends, Mafac seems nearly forgotten. But not for the brief moment you're reading this.

Magazines -They're something to do when you're not biking. Don't let any magazine guy tell you his job is hard. Sure, it's work - real work - but it beats just about anything else in the bike industry, including being a pro, since even the lowliest assistant editor at a bike mag gets his bootie kissed constantly and makes more bank than all but the most elite pro riders.

Male Blindness - 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.

Mammoth -Nirvana. Sure, Durango, Crested Butte and Moab (see below) have equally good trails. Maybe better. But Mammoth is where off-road culture was born; it's our Waimea, our Mecca - and still the one event to go to if you can only go to one event.

Mandibular Disharmony adv. how one's jaw feels when it and the handle bars attempt to occupy the same space and time. "F...!" "Pray, whats wrong?" "I've got mandibular disharmony."

Mantrap - hole covered with autumn leaves, resembling solid earth and effective at eating the front wheel of the unsuspecting rider.

Marketing Guys -The evil ones brought you malarkey like "designed in USA" (but made by slaves in China) and great ideas like, well, like...er...um...like naming a fork after a girl! They're the ones who help you figure out what in flaming heck it is you want, even before you know what you want. And since most of us are clueless, that's a good thing. Right? Right? Hello?

Mass start - events such as road races, criteriums and cross-country races in which all contestants leave the starting line at the same time.

Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) - the maximum amount of oxygen a person can consume in one minute. It is basically determined by heredity and indicates a person's potential in endurance sports.

Metric century - a 100-kilometer ride (62 miles)

Minuteman - in a time trial, the rider who is one place in front of you in the starting order. So called because in most TTs riders start on one-minute intervals.

Missy Giove -Off-roading's most powerful, action-packed woman. More thoughtful than you might think, and more volatile than you'll ever want to know, Missy's the leader of the downhill pack - and the social conscience of it, too.

Moab -Utah's gorgeous off-road paradise. The hardest and best place on earth to become a better mountain biker. We've said all we need to about the mediocre food and accommodations. It doesn't matter. Moab's not about motels and beer. It's about bike riding.

Mojo - Small item mounted on your bike for good luck. Supposed to ward off evil MTB Spirits or something

Motorpace - riding behind a motorcycle or other vehicle that breaks the wind.

Mountain lion -Mmountain lion are getting closer and closer to our suburbs - and the trails that lead out of them - as we turn hills into subdivisions. It's our fault, not theirs, so if you see one, consider yourself very, very lucky. You can be a little scared, too, since there's at least one documented instance of one of these big cats trying to eat a biker.

Mountie - Short for Mountain Biker

Mud Diving - what happens when a bike slows abruptly in mud, throwing the rider into wet goo.

Mudguards - fenders are the coolest things to hit the DH and XC thing since suspension forks.

Mud-Ectomy -1) a shower after a ride on a muddy trail. 2) the act of becoming clean.