MTB Slang 101: A Beginner's Glossary of Trail Talk

Walk up to any trailhead conversation as a new rider and you might feel like everyone's speaking a different language. Here's a quick glossary to get you fluent in trail talk.

Terrain and Trail Features

• Berm — a banked turn that lets you carry speed through a corner without sliding out.
• Rock garden — a section littered with rocks and roots requiring careful line choice.
• Gnar / gnarly — technical, difficult, or intimidating terrain.
• Flow trail — a smooth, rhythmic trail built for maintaining speed with minimal braking.

Riding and Skill Terms

• Sendy / send it — committing fully to a feature, jump, or line without hesitation.
• Line — the specific path a rider chooses through a section of trail.
• Case / cased it — landing short on a jump, hitting the lip instead of clearing it smoothly.
• Manual — riding on the rear wheel without pedaling, a balance skill used to clear small bumps.

Physical State on the Trail

• Bonking — hitting a wall of exhaustion mid-ride, usually from inadequate fueling or hydration.
• Pinned — riding at full effort/speed.
• Taco'd — a wheel that's been bent badly out of shape, usually from an impact.

Gear and Setup Talk

• Dropper (post) — a seatpost that can be lowered on the fly via a lever, out of the way for descents.
• Squish — casual term for suspension travel/performance ("how much squish you running?").
• Tacky — trail dirt in ideal, grippy condition after recent rain, before it gets too wet or dries out dusty.

Social/Culture Terms

• Shuttle — getting a ride to the top of a descent-only trail rather than pedaling up.
• Session — repeatedly riding the same feature or section to practice and improve.
• Trail day — a volunteer event where riders show up to build or maintain trails.

Knowing these won't make you ride any better, but it'll make trailhead conversations a lot less confusing on your first few group rides — and eventually you'll be the one explaining "tacky" dirt to the next new rider.

Learn the lingo, then wear it — check out our trail-culture-inspired apparel.

Tags: #MountainBiking #MTBSlang #TrailTalk #MTBBeginner #MTBCulture #MTBLife #NewToMTB #RideMTB #1mtb