Glossary of Bicycling - R

R

ride

A rider who does a ride is one who makes an endeavour to win a race or move up on GC against the odds and pulls it off. "He did a ride".

rigid

A bicycle without any suspension system.

rim

The outer portion of the wheel, on which the tire attaches.

road race

A race on pavement. Longer in distance than criteriums.

road rash

Severe skin abrasions caused from sliding on the asphalt in a crash.

rollers

A type of trainer composed of rolling cylinders under the rear wheel linked to a single rolling cylinder under the front wheel which allow the rider to practice balance while training indoors.

rotating weight

Weight (more correctly mass) that is rotating while the bike is moving, particularly the wheels. Mass near the outside edge of a wheel has about twice the stored energy of a similar non-rotating mass moving at the same speed. A bicycle wheel can be considered to be a good approximation of a hollow cylinder with most of its mass at or near the rim. The rotation of cranks, wheel hubs, and other parts are of less significance because both their radius and speed of rotation (angular velocity) are small. All mass resists changes in velocity (acceleration or deceleration) due to inertia. This resistance is noticeably greater where rotational inertia is also a significant component, so lighter wheel rims, spoke nipples, and tires will permit faster acceleration (or the same acceleration for less expenditure of energy). This effect is much reduced at lower speeds such as during hill climbing.

rouleur

A rider who is strong on flat and undulating roads. The rider is well suited for races such as Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara are examples of this.