Most parts of a bike are quite simple and easy to learn. We’ll run through these starting from the front to the back going through all the major components of the bike, describing what the part is, what use it serves and the terms used for it.
Bike Frame Parts
The frame is the heart of the bike, it’s what puts the rest of the pieces together and helps them function properly as they should. This can be broken down into multiple parts for the ease of servicing the bike. Most frames are made with aluminium alloy nowadays this serves the purpose of keeping a bike light, strong and stiff since they are meant to be made durable and quick to turn and change. However, there are two other materials that can be used to make it stronger and increase durability whilst still keeping it lightweight, these materials are titanium and carbon fibre.
A frameset is a frame with the fork included, of which the most common style of frame is the diamond frame being made up of six tubes woven together into the style of two triangles while conjoined in the middle by a single tube which would be connected to the pedals, seat post and saddle. The two triangles are broken into two parts simply the front and rear triangles.
Each part of the two triangles has a different use running through them from front to rear.
Front Triangle
Head Tube
This part of the bike is the short tube right at the front which connects the handlebars and wheel fork. It contains the headset which allows us to steer the front wheel using the handlebars.
Top Tube
The top tube is also known as the cross-bar since this is the one you have to get a leg over to actually mount the bike. It runs at the top of the head tube relatively parallel to the ground if not slightly angled to give easier access to the handlebars. Now while this is true for diamond frame bikes, this is not true for all bikes since some can have steeply angled top tubes or none at all.
Down Tube
The down tube is the long tube that runs from the bottom of the head tube through to the pedals. It’s where most of the weight is distributed and where you would find the water bottle holder and the logo of the bike brand. This is usually the thickest and strongest part of the frame since leaning over the handles, our body weight is centred on the handles and seat, therefore the section holding our weight is this tube, whilst the weight is distributed throughout the other tubes, this is the load-bearing tube.
Seat Tube
The seat tube runs from beneath the saddle down to the pedals. The seat post is inserted via the top hole of the seat tube, this means that it is moveable when it is inside which results in different height adjustments for the saddle.
Back Triangle
Seat Stays
The seat stays are the two thinner tubes that run from the underside of the saddle, through to the rear wheel hub. Each seat stay is connected to one side of the axle on the rear wheel, one for either side of the axle. They are split into two pieces instead of being one singular tube like the front triangle tubes to compensate for the tire being there to keep the bike stable.
Chainstays
The chainstays are alike to the seat stays but rather they run parallel to the ground from either side of the pedals to the rear wheel, since they run from the pedals the chain runs alongside one side of the chainstays, through to the axle. People generally protect their chainstays using helicopter tape or a chainstay protector sleeve. These measures prevent dents and scratches on the chainstays when travelling on uneven terrain.
Front of the Bike Parts
Fork
The wheel fork connects the front wheel to the frame using two blades on either side of the wheel, which holds it centred. The steering tube is hidden inside the head tube which connects to the headset this allows the ability to turn the wheel using the handlebars.
There are two types of forks that are available:
- Rigid forks are commonly found on road bikes and provide increased speed on flat surfaces such as roads and small hills.
- Suspension forks tend to be used by mountain bikes, these allow the bike to navigate harsh terrains and dampen the effects of impacts felt when tackling obstacles along the trail or mountain or other such rough areas.
Headset
The headset is a set of components that sit inside the head tube and connects to the frame and the wheel fork. Bearings that can be found in the headset allow it to be rotated by the handlebars.
Stem
The stem is the bike part that connects the steerer tube of the fork to the handlebars. This is the part of the bike that sticks out from the top of the head tube since the handlebars run through the end of the stem.
Handlebars
The handlebars are used to steer the bike. They are connected to the frame via the stem. The two most common variations are the flat handlebars used on most commercial mountain bikes, hybrids and urban bikes. The other variation is drop handlebars which are used on performance road bikes. These are the two most common variations that are used on bikes as a whole, there are many more handles that are used on different bikes or custom-made handlebars.
Brake Levers
Brake levers are the parts of the bike that you squeeze to slow down, every bike has them and needs them. Sometimes these are combined with the gear shifter to become the brake shifter which can also be known as brifters. Brake cables emerge from the brake levers and pass down the frame to the actual brakes on the wheels, these cables can occasionally be dependent on the make of the bike’s brake transfer oil that is used to assist in slowing down.
Brakes (Rim or Disc)
The two most common and widely used bicycle brake systems are rim brakes and disc brakes. Rim brakes are called as much since they are applied to the wheel rim, these are most common since they are light, cheap and easy to maintain and quite powerful except when in wet conditions, this considerably diminishes the use of this type of brake.
The second is the disc brake. The disc brakes are applied to a special metal disc that is then attached to the wheel hub. These work well in wet conditions and are tougher than ordinary rim brakes since they are tougher, this means they can handle tougher terrains and are used most commonly on mountain bikes but they can be used on any type of bike and actually increasingly becoming more popular on other bikes.
Bike Wheel Parts
Hub
The hub is in the centre of the bike wheel, it is made up of three parts. The hub shell, the bearings and the axle. The hub shell is the exterior part to which the spokes are attached, the spokes being the metal bars that look like a spider’s web. The axle is the bar that protrudes from either side of the wheel and attaches to the frame. Finally, the bearings, these are located between the axle and the shell, allowing the shell to spin freely around the axle.
Rim
The rim is the circle of metal that forms the outside of the wheel. Rims had been made out of steel up until the 1980s and after that time, they had changed to aluminium alloy. If they’re to be used for rim brakes then a smooth surface is applied to one side for the brake pads to grip.
Spokes
The spokes connect the rim to the hub. They apply tension evenly in all directions, this creates a strong and stable wheel capable of supporting your weight and the weight of the bike whilst allowing the added force of pedalling. Where the spokes meet the rim, there are nuts that hold them in place called nipples, these are used to adjust the tension.
Tyre
The tyre is mounted onto the wheel rim usual stretched around it to make it tight against the rim and inner tube. This serves two purposes, to protect everything beneath it, the inner tube and rim and also to give traction on the ground. The inner tube inside of a tyre is used to add suspension to the tyre for a smoother ride when traversing.
Valve
There are two types of valves, that is Schrader and Presta. Air is added or expelled from the inner tube via this valve which sticks out through a hole in the wheel rim. The Schrader Valve is transferable from normal bicycles to cars and motorbikes. Whereas Presta valves are solely used on bicycles only.
Back of the bike parts
Chainset
The chainset is the part of the bike that makes the entire bike move with kinetic energy. It is the part that your legs push around in order to turn the rear wheel. It consists of the chainrings which is the part in which the chain goes around alongside going around the other cassette on the rear wheel. The chainset also consists of the crank arms to which the pedals are attached for you to move the chainset.
The chainrings are the front gears of the bike. On a single-speed bike such as a BMX, there is only one chainring. On a geared bike such as a Mountain bike, there will be up to three. The chainset is attached to the frame by the bottom bracket.
Pedals
The pedals are the spinning platforms between your own feet and the bike since you have to push down on them to move forward, apply a considerable amount of weight and force onto them.
There are two types of pedals that are seen and commonly used the first is a flat/platform pedal on which you simply rest your feet on top of, the flat/platform pedal is used more often for recreational and non-competitive cycling.
The next is a clipless pedal. These are where a cleat on your shoes attaches to the pedals. This offers the most efficient pedalling system. Although the actual idea of being attached to your bike may seem disconcerting, the ability to release your feet becomes easier over time like with most other things and will become second nature, so that fear will fade. There are multiple types of clipless pedals since in general road clipless pedals have one-sided engagement instead of the two or four-sided variants on mountain biking pedals and they have a wider platform to spread out more of the constant pressure.
Bottom Bracket
The bottom bracket is the part of the bike that the crank arms rotate around. The bottom bracket consists of a spindle to which the chainset attaches, and the bearings which allow the smooth rotation of the spindle. The bottom bracket slots into the bottom bracket shell at the base of the frame which houses the entire chainstays components.
Chain
The bike chain is the part that transfers the kinetic energy built up from the power of your legs to the rear wheel and therefore allows the bike to move. The chain loops around the chainrings in the chainset, along the length of the chainstay and around the sprockets of the cassette in the rear wheel.
Normally a chain can be expected to last around 3,200 to 4,000km (2,000 to 2,500 miles) before succumbing to wear and tear and needing to be replaced. However, bicycle chains need to be regularly cleaned and lubricated to maintain reliability and efficiency. Especially when changing gears, the bicycle chain is shifted on the chainrings and cassette by the derailleurs.
Front Derailleurs
The front derailleur is the part of the bike that moves the chain from one chainring to the other as you shift gears, now you will only be able to change gears if the bike present has more than one front gear meaning more than one chainring, front derailleurs can be of varying sizes to accommodate different levels of difficulty to make it easier or harder when tackling a big hill or going along flat roads. A bicycle with a single drivetrain setup uses a single chainring and therefore does not need a front derailleur.
Front derailleurs are attached to your bike’s frame with a bracket or clamp and are operated using your gear shifters at the front of the bike.
Rear Derailleurs
A rear derailleur is the bicycle component that transfers the chain between the sockets of the cassette on the rear wheel. When shifting to the smaller sprockets on a cassette, the bicycle chain has more slack. Subsequently, the rear derailleur plays a secondary role in maintaining chain tension when shifting back and forth between the rear cogs. There are limits to both derailleurs, you can only use a 12-speed derailleur on a 12-speed cassette or an 11-speed derailleur on an 11-speed cassette so on and so forth.
The amount of teeth you have on the largest cog also determines the rear mech you can use. If you have a 32 tooth cassette then a derailleur rater at only a 30 tooth will never work effectively. So make sure when you are upgrading or changing the cassette/rear mech, that you notice their limitations.
Cassette
The cassette is a stack of different-sized sprockets (or cogs) that is attached to the hub of the rear wheel. These sprockets or cogs are the rear gears of the bike. So if your bike doesn’t have any gears, there will be only one sprocket.
A cassette is an essential component of the bicycle in the freehub of the rear wheel. Most modern bicycle cassette systems normally use between 8 to 11 sprockets. Whilst other cassettes are available with around 5 to 13 sprockets.
Jockey Wheel
The jockey wheel maintains tension in the chain and keeps it moving smoothly as you change gears. If your bike does not have gears, it’s unlikely to have a jockey wheel unless it’s being used as a chain tensioner on a single-speed bike. There are two different types of jockey wheels but both play different roles.
The upper jockey wheel commonly called the “guide pulley”, is in charge of shifting gears and guides the chain across the sprockets on the cassette. The lower jockey wheel or tension pulley controls and maintains chain tension when shifting gears.
Bike Seat Parts
Saddle
The saddle has many low priority parts connected to it that allow it to be sat on and altered as needed via height or angle. There are many different shapes and sizes as-is for a bike saddle meaning some saddles come wider and with increased padding for more comfort, which is better for long rides. While others focus on speed, minimising the amount of padding to zero and reducing the width to lower the weight even if by a small amount and also avoiding thigh chafing, since for speed most likely you would not be sitting on the seat rather you’d be stood upon it, with your legs either side of the saddle.
Saddle Rails
The saddle rails are two parallel rails that run along the underside of the bike seat and are used to connect the saddle to the seat post via a saddle clamp. These saddle rails are made from numerous materials just like the bike frame itself, these materials are usually steel or aluminium they can also be made of carbon fibre or titanium. It is worth taking into account the type of terrain you encounter, if it’s rough terrain with potholes or bumps then think about using one of the tougher materials since the common types like aluminium will likely crumble under the stress.
Seat Post
This is named different things amongst some of the names it can be called are Seat post, pillar, pins or saddle pole, pins, pillar. Either way, it all amounts to the same piece of equipment on the bike which extends out from the bike seat tube and the underside saddle.
The seat posts are all adjustable for height and angle allowing the bike to be customised to what is needed at the time. The seat post is kept in place via a seat post clamp, this happens by the seat post clamp squeezing onto the seat post against the seat tube. When adjusting the seat post it is important to note the minimum insertion markings as overextending can easily damage the bicycle frame.
Seat Post Clamp
Seat post clamps are found at the top of the seat post tube. This can be seen as a metal band or collar that tightens to the top of a seat tube, keeping its height in place when the desired height has been achieved.
Author: Bike Shop Admin
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