S
- saddle
- Bike seat.
- SAG station
- A location along the course of a long mass-participation recreational ride providing mechanical and/or medical assistance to riders in need. Volunteers at the SAG station may also dispatch SAG wagons to assist riders stranded along the course. A SAG station may also function as a food stop. "SAG" (most commonly written in all uppercase in the United States but without capitals elsewhere) comes from a 1930s British expression about riders "sagging" off the back of a group. It was adopted in the 1940s when road-racing restarted in Great Britain to mean a following vehicle into which riders sagged when the effort became too much and they dropped out of a race. SAG is sometimes described as an acronym for 'support and gear', 'gear' referring to: mechanical support.
- SAG wagon
- Support motor vehicle following long races or recreational rides to pick up riders unable to complete the event. See also: food stop and SAG station. In racing events, typically the main group of riders will ride as a peloton and can be served by one or more SAG wagons trailing behind. In large recreational rides, there may be thousands of riders spread over much of the course, so ride organizers may employ roving SAG wagons to locate and assist stranded riders. It should not be confused with a broom wagon used in bicycle racing. A cyclist in distress is happy to see the SAG wagon as it may enable him to continue riding. No racer wants to be "swept up" by the broom wagon. For him, the race is over.
- scratch
- Last riders to depart in a handicap race. Also referred to as the "scratch bunch" or "scratchies". Also, a straightforward type of track race with a predetermined number of laps (except in the case of an "unknown scratch," when officials ring a bell to signify one lap to go) until the finish line.
- shapes
- To pull or throw shapes (origin: Irish slang for acting the "hard man") is to pedal in an ungainly and un-fluid manner, usually due to exertion; a sign that a rider is about to crack or has cracked. Can be used in expressive ways: "He's throwing a whole basket of shapes".
- shelled
- A rider who is having extreme difficulty keeping up with a fast pace race in a way they did not anticipate. A rider who is shelled will use up all their energy so they have nothing left for the finishing sprint, drop back out of contention, or abandon the race altogether.
- shifter
- A component used by the rider to control the gearing mechanisms and select the desired gear ratio. It is usually connected to the derailleur by a mechanical actuation cable. Electronic shifting systems also exist.
- singles
- Australian English for tubular tyres.
- sit up
- In a race, if a rider eases his or her efforts and stops pulling or maintaining the pace of the group, the rider is said to have sat up.
- sit-on and sit-in
- To ride behind another rider without taking a turn on the front (thus tiring the lead rider), often in preparation for an attack or sprint finish. "Sitting in the wheels" is to take an easy ride drafted by the peloton or gruppetto. Often a strategic decision to save energy in races.
- soft break
- A breakaway that is allowed to go from the peloton in a stage race because it poses no strategic threat to any of the main contenders on GC. In French terminology a soft break is a "dishonest break".{{}}cn
- soigneur
- A non-riding member of a team whose role is to provide support for the riders, possibly including transportation and organization of supplies, preparation of the team's food, post-ride massages and personal encouragement.
- sprinter
- Rider with the ability to generate very high power over short periods (a few seconds to a minute) allowing for great finishing speeds, but usually unable to sustain sufficiently high power over long periods to be a good time triallist, and is usually too big to have a high enough power-to-weight ratio to be a good climber.
- sprints
- British term for tubular tyres.
- squares
- Similar to shapes. pedaling squares is pedaling without fluid rhythm. Pedaling in a labored fashion.
- squirrel
- A cyclist who has a tendency to swerve unexpectedly and maintain inconsistent speed. Considered dangerous to follow at close range for the purpose of drafting.
- stage
- One part of a multi-day race, such as the Tour de France.
- stagiaire
- An amateur rider, who is taken in by a professional team during the season. This lets the rider get some experience at riding a few pro races, and the team gets a chance to assess the abilities of the rider.
- stair gap
- A freeride term for a landing in terms of when cycling off a set of stairs.
- steed
- Colloquial name for a bicycle.
- steerer tube
- The part of the fork that is inserted into the head tube of the frame, and is used to attach the fork to the frame using a headset.
- stem
- The component that attaches the handlebars to the steer tube of the bicycle. They come in two major types, quill and threadless. The angle and length plays a major part in how the bicycle fits the rider.
- sticky bottle
- A technique often used by the rider who takes food and water from the team car during a race. The rider holds on for a variable amount of time to the bottle handed to him by the car occupant, who maintains his grasp on the object, effectively dragging the athlete. This concerted act gives the cyclist a moment to relax. Usually tolerated by the race commissaire if the bottle is held for 1-2 second, but may result in a sanction if an exaggeration is perceived.
- swag
- Promotional items often given away for free at cycling events. Also spelled "schwag", "shwag".
- swing off
- A cyclist fending the air in front of a group of riders, then leaving the front after producing his effort by steering his bike to the side is said to "swing off". Example: "Ivan Basso swings off to let Peter Sagan go!"
Read more about this topic: Glossary Of Bicycling