Enduro Dictionary

Forearm fatigue and cramping from gripping the bars tightly, causing loss of feel and control. The #1 enemy of new enduro riders.

A built-up wall of dirt on the outside of a corner that gives the rear tyre something to push against so you can rail the turn with speed.

A foam insert that replaces the inner tube so the tyre can never go flat — essential for hard enduro and racing on sharp rocks.

Using the rear brake to break traction and slide the rear wheel into or through a corner to set up the exit line.

In enduro racing, a faster, more open timed special test (usually a motocross-style track or open field section) compared to the technical enduro test.

Off-road motorcycle racing over long distances against the clock, with timed special tests linked by transfer sections — the core discipline.

An indoor arena discipline mixing enduro obstacles (logs, rocks, tractor tyres, water holes) on a tight track for short, spectacular races.

An added mass on the engine's crankshaft that smooths power delivery and reduces stall — popular on 2-strokes tuned for technical hard enduro.

Rider slang for crashing or falling off the bike. A polite way to say 'I had a massive get-off in the rock garden.'

Extreme off-road racing over brutal terrain — boulder fields, logs, hill climbs — where finishing is the challenge. Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs are the icons.

A violent, self-feeding oscillation of the front end (speed wobble) caused by suspension, geometry or rider input — can end a ride fast.

A steep, often near-vertical ascent riders must power or claw their way up; a classic hard enduro obstacle and its own race format.

Being first into the first corner from the start — a huge advantage in any off-road race with a mass start.

An off-road tyre with large aggressive tread blocks ('knobs') that dig into dirt, mud and rocks for grip. The heart of an enduro bike.

A fallen-tree obstacle. Technique: blip the front wheel over, weight the pegs, and drag the rear over without stalling or looping out.

Riding balanced on the front wheel under hard braking — used to drop off ledges and scrub speed with the rear wheel airborne.

A section of trail that slopes sideways, away from the rider — grip is scarce and body position is everything to avoid sliding down the hill.

The wider, sweeping arc around a corner — often faster and smoother than cutting tight, especially when a berm is built up out wide.

A deep-sand riding technique where the rider stands and lets the rear wheel 'paddle' through while staying light on the front end.

To hold the throttle wide open. 'Pin it to win it' — committed, full-throttle riding, usually right before something dramatic happens.

A ledge or rock step where the front wheel drops over a vertical edge — requires precise brake and body control to avoid the dreaded endo.

Accelerating out of a corner with the rear wheel spinning and stepped out sideways for traction and show — the signature off-road exit.

The timed stop to add fuel during an enduro — mismanage it and you lose minutes or run dry between checks.

A centrifugal clutch that engages automatically with rpm — no clutch lever needed to stop or start, a godsend in gnarly hard enduro.

The chosen path through an obstacle or corner. Picking the best line — for grip, momentum and safety — is the core skill of off-road riding.

The roll of step-by-step navigation instructions used in rally and some enduros to guide riders through the course via tulip diagrams.

A mechanical or digital scroll of navigation notes mounted on the bars; the classic enduro navigation tool before GPS.

A goggle system with a clear film that the rider pulls to roll a fresh, clean strip across the lens in mud — far better than tear-offs in the wet.

The spray of dirt, rocks and debris kicked up by the spinning rear wheel — both the reward for pinning it and the hazard of riding behind someone.

A deep groove worn into the track by other riders; staying in or out of ruts, and weighting the pegs to steer through them, is a defining skill.

Pushing the bike sideways over a jump face to stay low and fast instead of soaring high — saving time on jump-heavy courses.

Sitting hard on the seat just before a jump face to compress the rear suspension, using the rebound to launch higher and farther.

An obstacle where you jump up onto a higher section of trail or ledge — the opposite of a drop-off and a staple of hard enduro.

Stacked clear plastic films on goggles that you tear off one at a time to reveal a clean lens when it gets caked in mud and roost.

The art of managing your pace and arrival times at timing checks in classic enduro — arrive early and you're penalised, late and you lose.

The un-timed liaison part of an enduro between special tests — you ride at a set pace to get from one test to the next without being penalised.

A 4-stroke maintenance task: inspecting and shimming valve clearances — typically every 30 hours — to keep the engine healthy and avoid failure.

Throwing the bike sideways mid-air for style and to set up a landing angle — the showpiece trick of freestyle and supercross.

A long row of rounded, evenly-spaced dirt mounds — riding them fast requires skimming the tops while absorbing each impact through the legs.

Rider slang for both a spanner and the act of working on your bike. 'Time to wrench' means the bike's broken again. Welcome to enduro.