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Effective Top Tube
Effective top tube (ETT) is the horizontal distance between a specified point on the head tube and the seat-tube […]
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MTB Geometry
MTB geometry is the collection of frame, fork, and wheel dimensions that determines how a mountain bike fits, steers, […]
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Instant Center
The instant center is the point about which a suspension member is momentarily rotating at a specific position in […]
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Front-Center
Front-center describes the distance from the center of a bicycle’s bottom bracket to the front-wheel axle. It is a […]
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The Rise of Full Suspension — 1990s Breakthroughs
The 1990s transformed full-suspension mountain bikes from experimental machines into viable production bicycles. Improvements in rear shocks, aluminum frame […]
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Shimano’s Influence on MTB — From Deore XT to Di2
Shimano has influenced mountain biking through purpose-built component groups, indexed shifting, trigger controls, clipless pedals, braking systems, chain-stabilizing derailleurs, […]
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Head Tube Standards
Head tube standards define how a bicycle frame, headset, and fork steerer fit together. Compatibility depends on the frame’s […]
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Suspension Sag Adjustment
Suspension sag is the amount a bicycle’s fork or rear shock compresses under the rider’s weight in a normal […]
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Advent of Carbon Frames
Carbon-fiber bicycle frames emerged commercially in the 1970s and became increasingly important during the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike metals, […]
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Birth of the Road Racing Groupset
The road racing groupset developed gradually as component manufacturers began designing shifters, derailleurs, cranksets, brakes, hubs, chains, and sprockets […]
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Panasonic Cycle Tech
Panasonic Cycle Technology Co., Ltd. is a Japanese bicycle manufacturer within the Panasonic Group. Founded in 1952, it produces […]
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BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter)
BCD, or Bolt Circle Diameter, describes the diameter of the circle passing through the centers of a chainring’s mounting […]
Read entryTopics intentionally overlap. A drivetrain component can also be a technology; an e-bike system can include components, software, and manufacturing concepts. Cross-listing keeps related reference material discoverable from more than one path.
Technical entries are one part of bicycle knowledge for the life of the bike. Discover bicycles in the Archive, use the Encyclopedia to understand them, then carry useful context into Bike Reports or My Garage.