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Mountain Bike Anatomy

A mountain bike is the one thing you need before you go mountain biking.  A mountain bike contains many parts, which will be covered below:

1.  Bottom bracket - This attaches the crankset to the body of a bike.

2.  Brake cable - This is the cable that connects the brake lever to the brake mechanism.

3.  Brake lever - The lever on the handlebar to activate the brakes.  The left side is the front brake and the right side is the rear brake.

4.  Chain - The circular set of links that transfer power from the chain ring to the cogs.

5.  Chain ring - The toothed rings that attach to the crank to hold the chain.

6.  Crank - The lever that extends from the bottom bracket to the pedal, transferring the power to the chain rings.

7.  Derailleur - The mechanism for moving the chain from one cog to another.

8.  Down tube - The section of frame that extends downward from the stem to the bottom bracket.

9.  Front shock - The shock absorber on the front fork.

10.  Handlebar - The horizontal bar attached to the stem with handgrips on the end.

11.  Headset - The mechanism in front of the frame that connects the front fork to the stem and handlebars.

12.  Hub - The center part of the wheel that the spokes are attached to.

13.  Idler pulley - The bottom pulley of the rear derailleur that provides spring tension to keep the chain tight.

14.  Nipple - A threaded receptacle that holds the end of the spoke to the rim.

15.  Pedal - The platform to pedal on; attaches to the crank.

16.  Rear shock - The shock absorber for the rear tire on dual suspension type bikes.

17.  Rim - The metal ring that holds the spokes on the inside and the tire to the outside.

18.  Saddle - The seat.

19.  Seat post - Offers support for the seat.

20.  Skewer - The metal rod that goes through the hub, attaching the wheel to the dropouts of the frame.

21.  Spindle - The free rotating axle that the crank arms attach to; also a part of the bottom bracket.

22.  Spokes - The thick wires that join the hub to the rim.

23.  Stem - A piece that attaches the handlebar to the steering tube.

24.  Wheel hub - The center of the wheel that the spokes are attached to.

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