14 Mountain Bike Words You’ll Hear On The Trails

If you’re new to mountain biking in Edmonton, it can sometimes feel like riders are speaking a completely different language. And it sounds pretty cool, so you’ll probably want to learn it too!

Someone says “nice line,” another rider talks about “sessioning a feature,” and suddenly someone else suggests riding a trail because it has “great flow.” If you’re standing there wondering what any of that means, don’t worry, you’re not alone!

The good news is that most mountain bike lingo is pretty simple once you hear it explained. Here are a few common mountain biking words and definitions that come up all the time when we’re out riding our mountain bikes in the Edmonton River Valley.

Common mountain biking lingo

Singletrack

Singletrack is a narrow dirt trail designed for one rider at a time. (You can catch up on the etiquette rules, including how riders can safely pass each other on singletrack, here.)

It usually winds through trees and natural terrain, with roots, corners, and other trail features along the way. Edmonton has over 150 kilometres of singletrack trails, making it one of the largest urban park systems in North America—how lucky are we?!

Feature

A feature is any man-made or natural obstacle on the trail, like a small bridge, rock roll, jump, or wooden skinny.

Some riders love features, others prefer to ride around them—both options are completely normal.

Most features we encounter during our clinics and group rides have ride-around options. And if we’re ever going to be in a situation where there isn’t another option, we’ll let you know at the trailhead.

Sessioning

Sessioning means repeating the same section of trail multiple times to practice a skill or feature.

Riders might session a corner, a challenging root section (there’s a trail here called Root Canal, which says all you need to know!), or a small drop until it starts to feel comfortable. It’s one of the fastest ways to improve your riding, and it’s incredibly satisfying when you finally conquer a feature with confidence!

Flow

Flow is that smooth, connected feeling when everything on the trail starts working together: your speed, your turns, your braking, and your body position.

We get some of our best photos of riders (and each other!) when this is happening because it really brings out the stoke on a person’s face.

When riders talk about a trail having good flow, they mean it’s fun to ride and everything links together naturally. Often this is the result of a combination of the rider’s confidence and ability, and the trail design itself.

Do we have tons of flowy trails here in Edmonton? Not so much!

Berm

A berm is a banked corner on a trail that helps riders turn smoothly without losing speed.

When you ride a berm correctly, your bike naturally follows the curve and it feels fast and flowy.

Line

Your line is the path you choose to ride through a section of trail.

Choosing a good line can make tricky terrain feel much smoother and easier.

Private coaching sessions can be a great way to get expert help improving your ability to read lines.

Technical

When a trail is described as technical, it usually means it includes things like rocks, roots (did we mention that we have a trail called Root Canal yet?), tight turns, or steep sections that require more skill and control.

Technical trails aren’t necessarily harder, they just require a bit more attention and practice, and the execution of key mountain biking skills you learn in one of our clinics.

Climb

A climb is any uphill section of trail.

Climbing is where gearing, body position, and line choice really start to matter. Edmonton’s River Valley is full of short punchy climbs that can suddenly surprise you. If you’ve been looking to add more anaerobic work to your fitness routine, you’ve come to the right place!

Descent

A descent is a downhill section of trail.

Many riders find descents the most fun part of mountain biking once they build confidence.

If you’re not feeling confident yet, though, going downhill can be intimidating, especially if you haven’t nailed proper body positioning or brake control. Those are two key topics we cover in our 4-week skills clinics.

Roll

To “roll” something means riding over a feature smoothly without jumping, dropping, or stopping.

You’ll often hear riders say something like “we can just roll this one.”

Drop

A drop is when the trail suddenly falls away and the rider briefly leaves the ground. They can be either man-made features or naturally occurring on a trail due to the terrain.

Drops can be very small or quite large, and beginners usually start with tiny ones while learning technique.

Punchy Climb

A punchy climb is a short but steep uphill that requires a quick burst of effort.

Edmonton’s River Valley has plenty of these. 🥵

Knowing how to use your gears properly is such a gift. It makes a huge difference in how manageable our often punchy terrain feels. Our clinics and private mountain bike lessons will help you learn how to really gear efficiently, getting more bang for your back every time you spin those pedals.

Bail

To bail means safely stepping off your bike when something doesn’t feel right.

Every rider bails sometimes, even experienced ones! If a section of trail feels too technical, too steep, or you lose momentum on a climb, the smartest move is often to step off your bike and reset. Learning how to bail correctly means you’re less likely to get injured!

Knowing when to bail is actually part of becoming a confident rider. It means you’re paying attention to your comfort level and making good decisions on the trail.

Sometimes a well-timed bail is way better than an awkward slow-motion crash. (We are definitely speaking from our own awkward slow-motion fall moments here.)

Send It

To “send it” means committing fully to a feature, section of trail, or line without hesitation.

You might hear someone say “just send it” before a drop, a jump, or a section that feels a bit intimidating. It doesn’t necessarily mean going big, it usually just means trusting yourself and following through.

That said… “send it” is not always great advice.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, especially when other riders are around, but it’s always okay to take a look, ride around, or come back to something later. Confidence builds over time, not from forcing it!

Stoke

Stoke is the feeling of excitement and pure joy that comes from riding bikes.

It might show up when you cleanly ride a section of trail that used to feel intimidating, when you ride a berm perfectly for the first time, or when you finish a great ride with friends.

Riders often talk about “sharing the stoke,” which just means spreading that excitement and love of the sport with others.

You'll learn the lingo quickly if you're on the trails a lot

Once you start riding more, you’ll quickly pick up the language of the trails. Our Ride Club is great for getting you out on the trails more often!

If you ever hear a term that doesn’t make sense, just ask. Mountain bikers are usually more than happy to explain what they mean, especially if it means talking about bikes a little longer.

If you’d like to build confidence and learn more skills on the trails, check out our clinics and private lessons here in Edmonton’s River Valley.