Anatomy of a Mountain Bike

• Bottom bracket Attachment of crankset to body of bike.
• Brake cable Cable connecting the brake lever to the brake mechanism.
• Brake lever Lever on handlebar to activate brake. Left side is front brake, right is rear brake.
• Chain Circular set of links to transfer power from chainring to cogs of freewheel.
• Chainring Toothed rings attached to crank that hold chain.
• Chain stay Lower bar on portion of frame that attaches rear wheel. If there's no second tube on dual suspension bike, referred to as a swingarm.
• Crank Lever extending from bottom bracket to pedal, transfers power to chainrings.
• Derailleur Mechanism for moving chain from one cog to another.
• Down tube Section of frame extending downward from stem to bottom bracket.
• Dropout Cut slot at bottom of front fork or chain stay, designed to accept axle of wheel.
• Freewheel Set of rear cogs and idling mechanism.
• Front brake Brake on front fork of bike.
• Front shock Shock absorber on front fork.
• Handlebar Horizontal bar attached to the stem with handgrips at the end, to which attach brake levers and shifters.
• Headset Mechanism in front of frame that connects front fork to stem and handlebars.
• Hub Center portion of the wheel, to which the spokes attach.
• Idler pulley Bottom pulley of the rear derailleur, with spring tension to keep chain tight.
• Nipple Threaded receptacle that holds the end of the spoke into the rim. t.
• Pedal Platform for the foot to press on, attached to crank.
• Rear brake Brake on the rear wheel, usually attached to seat stay.
• Rear shock Shock absorber for rear tire on dual-suspension bikes.
• Rim Metal ring with U-shaped cross section, holds spokes on the inside and tire on the outside.
• Saddle Seat -- the part your butt shouldn't be sitting on when going steep downhill.
• Seat post Support post for saddle, fits into seat tube with mechanism for changing height.
• Seat stay Upper support arm for the rear wheel, not present on dual-suspension bikes with simple swingarm.
• Shifter, front Shifting mechanism for the front derailleur, mounted on the left side of the handlebar.
• Shifter, rear Shifting mechanism for the rear derailleur, mounted on the right side of the handlebar.
• Skewer Metal rod that goes through the hub, attaching the wheel to the dropouts of the frame.
• Spindle Freely rotating "axle" to which the crank arms attach, part of the bottom bracket.
• Spokes Thick wires joining the hub to the rim, with tension adjusted via a nipple on the rim side.
• Stem Piece that attaches the handlebar to the steering tube (headset).
• Tire Where the rubber meets the road.
• Top tube Top bar of the bicycle frame.
• Wheel hub Center of the wheel, to which the spokes attach.