26" wheel - The standard mountain bike wheel diameter ever since Gary started "klunking" in 1974.
29" wheel - Outside diameter, with tire, of the Fisher Two Niner Series.
6061 aluminum - 1: An aerospace-grade aluminum alloy that is a great material for bicycle frames when used with great care. 2: Beware! Not all 6061 T6 aluminum frames are created equal. 3: Each Fisher aluminum frame undergoes extensive testing for strength and fatigue resistance, allowing us to offer a limited lifetime warranty.
7005 aluminum - 1: Another great material for bicycle frames. 2: Fisher utilizes 7005 aluminum for its Silver Series frames as it can be welded without requiring an expensive heat-treating process.
700c wheel - 1: The wheel size found on a Fisher Pavement bike. 2: Also the standard for most road bikes.
Baby head - Slang for a trail-interrupting rock about the size of a baby’s head.
Bottom bracket - Can refer to either the short threaded tube that runs perpendicular to the rest of the frame tubes where the cranks attach, or the actual set of spindle and bearings that threads into the frame.
Bottom bracket drop - The vertical distance the bottom bracket is below an imaginary horizontal line drawn through the axles. The greater the bottom bracket drop, the lower the rider’s center of gravity.
Bottom bracket height - The vertical distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the ground. Expresses clearance of the frame over obstacles.
Carbon fiber - 1: A bicycle frame material made from woven carbon strands. 2: The woven carbon material impregnated with high tech epoxy resins and then layered and molded into the appropriate shapes. Can feature a very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Cassette - The set of toothed rings or cogs that make up the gears attached to the rear wheel - usually 7, 8 or 9 cogs of different sizes make up the cassette.
Center to top - The distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. Because some people still feel they need to know.
Chainrings - 1: The set of toothed rings (usually three) that are bolted to the right crankarm. 2: An integral part of the drivetrain, as the chainrings move the chain.
Chainstays - Frame tubes that connects the bottom bracket to the rear dropouts, where the rear wheel is attached. Run the same path as the chain, thus the name.
Cockpit length - The horizontal measure from the center of the handlebar to the center of the seatpost. This is where you spend your time. (The next two measurements show how it can be adjusted.)
Crank - The two-armed mechanism that connects the pedals to the front chainring.
Crank length - The distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the pedal axle. A rider with long legs can benefit from longer cranks.
Cro-Moly - 1: Short for chromium-molybdenum. 2: A very high technology steel blend, using small amounts of chromium and molybdenum to add strength.
Cross-Country - 1: Derived from the most popular discipline of mountain bike racing, it describes a course or ride that includes all types of terrain, uphill and down. 2: Also describes a bike suited for such a course.
Derailleur, front - Device that moves the chain between the chainrings, making larger gear ratio changes of the drivetrain when compared to the rear derailleur.
Derailleur, rear - Device that moves the chain between the cogs of the cassette, changing the gear ratio of the drivetrain.
Disc brakes - Similar to a motorcycle, a braking system that has a dedicated disc for the braking surface. Can substantially improve the braking modulation and control over traditional brakes.
Down tube - Frame tube which connects the bottom bracket and the headtube.
Downhill - 1: A mountain bike event that challenges the rider to get down a hill as quickly as possible. 2: Also traditionally describes especially durable, long-travel bikes.
Drivetrain - The system that transfers pedaling power to the rear wheel. Includes the cranks, chainrings, bottom bracket, chain, derailleurs, and cassette.
Dropouts - The hook-shaped pieces of the frame which contact the hub of the front and rear wheels. The dropouts attach the wheels to the bike.
Effective chainstay length - The distance of a line parallel to the ground from the centerline of the bottom bracket to the centerline of the rear hub.
Effective top tube - The horizontal measure from the center of the headset to the center of the seatpost. The most important measurement when buying a bike, because it cannot be changed.
Fork - Attaches the steering system (handlebars and stem), to the front wheel.
Frame - The heart of the bicycle — all parts of the bicycle are attached to the frame.
Full suspension design - 1: Refers to shock-absorbing suspension systems for both front and rear bike wheels. 2: Also called dual suspension.
Gary Fisher - 1: The inventor and innovator who created the mountain bike in 1974 and continues to make technical breakthroughs today. 2: Used to do lighting for Grateful Dead shows.
Genesis Geometry - First designed in 1996, Genesis Geometry was a new approach to building mountain bikes. Genesis Geometry changes a rider’s weight distribution to better handle the terrain of off-road riding. Can improve climbing, descending and steering.
Geometry - Refers to the angles at which a bike’s frame tubes are connected to one another. Drastically affects a rider’s weight distribution, comfort level and handling ease.
Gold Series tubing - A straight gauge 6061 T6 version of the Fisher performance frame. The tubing wall diameter is a consistent thickness throughout the entire length of the tube. Each frame still undergoes the special Fisher double heat treat process after handwelding in the USA.
Gusset - Frame-strengthening device found on Fisher aluminum bikes welded on the down tube just below the head tube. Maximizes strength while minimizing added weight.
Hardtail - 1: A mountain bike without rear suspension. 2: The traditional mountain bike.
Head angle - The angle of headtube to the ground. Tailored to optimize steering precision on each frame size.
Head tube - Forward-most tube of the frame, which runs perpendicular to the ground. Connects the front stem to the fork in combination with the headset.
Headset - The pair of bearings and bearing races (races are things that bearings sit in) at each end of the head tube that allow the fork to steer the bicycle smoothly.
Headtube length - The distance between the upper and lower headset. Affects how high your handlebar is relative to your saddle.
High-tensile steel - A grade of steel tubing that has exceptional fatigue life. A good material for bicycle frames but not as lightweight as Cro-Moly.
Klunking - 1: Gary’s term (circa 1974) for riding cobbled-together bikes with heavy-duty brakes and a wide gear range up, down, and around Mt. Tam in Marin County, CA. 2: The pastime that led Gary Fisher to the creation of the mountain bike.
Maximum cockpit - The longest the cockpit can be made by changing the stem to one which is 30mm longer than original: The maximum recommended to retain optimum handling.
Minimum cockpit - The shortest the cockpit can be made by changing the stem to the shortest one available.
Mountain bike - 1: A bike that you can ride off the beaten path. 2: The kind of bike invented by Gary Fisher.
NORBA - 1: National Offroad Bicycling Association. 2: The sanctioning body behind mountain bike racing in the United States.
Paola Pezzo - 1: The two-time Olympic gold medal winner in Mountain Biking (1996 & 2000). 2: The first woman to win a gold medal in Mountain Biking. 3: Both times she won, she was riding a Fisher.
Pedal bob - 1: The undesirable rear bobbing motion that occurs in a traditional full suspension bike as a result of pedaling. 2: A factor that has kept many professional XC racers away from full suspension until the introduction of modern Fisher full suspension bikes.
Pedals, clipless - Similar to ski bindings, clipless pedals contain a mechanism which attaches to a cleat in the bottom of dedicated cycling shoes. Creates an efficient pedaling motion that allows the rider to pull up as well as push down on the pedals.
Pedals, platform - Simple two-sided flat pedals that work well with standard footwear.
Pivot - Any hinge on a full suspension bike. Usually, the fewer pivots the better, as they reduce lateral stiffness and often require maintenance.
Platinum Series tubing - Fisher’s finest aluminum frame material mix. Utilizing a mix of Zirconium 9000 aluminum alloy and 6061 T6 aluminum, each Fisher Platinum series frame has double-butted main tubes and undergoes an expensive two-step heat-treating process.
Road bike - A bike with narrow tires best suited for paved roads. Usually noted by drop style bars.
Seat Stays - Frame tubes that connect from the frame near the seatpost to the rear dropouts, where the rear wheel is attached.
Seattube angle - The angle of seattube to the ground. Tailored to optimize power transmission on each frame size.
Silver Series tubing - Fisher’s midlevel aluminum frame material. Designed to maintain the same great riding characteristics of the Fisher Gold and Platinum Series frames, but at a lower cost. This is achieved through using 7005 aluminum, which requires less expensive heat treating while still surpassing our strength and durability standards.
Singletrack - Usually a narrow trail best suited for mountain bikes, as opposed to a double track, which is usually a trail intended for truck use. Singletrack trails are known as the most challenging and fun trails in mountain biking.
Standover - The vertical distance from the ground to the point on the top tube where you straddle the bike.
Stem length - The original stem: measured from the center of the steerer tube to the center of the handlebar.
Swingarm - On full suspension bikes, the mechanism where the rear wheel is attached which moves as the rear suspension is activated. Usually made up of the chainstays and seatstays of the bicycle.
T6 aluminum - A gauge of hardness for aluminum frame material. The T6 standard makes a very strong, structurally sound frame.
Technical terrain - Synonymous with challenging – the more technical terrain, the more difficult. Traditionally involves singletrack trails with multiple obstacles and variance in terrain.
Travel - The distance a suspension system allows the wheel to move. The greater the travel, the greater the ability to absorb bigger bumps.
Tube butting - A process that varies the wall thickness of the bicycle tubes. Usually engineered to have more material (thicker tubes) near the welds where strength is needed – thinner walls are more appropriate towards the center of the tubes where stresses are less. The butting process saves weight and can provide a more resilient ride.
Tubeless - Similar to a car tire, where the no tube is needed to keep the tire inflated. Relatively new to the mountain bike world, tubeless tires can reduce the number of flats experienced due to hitting a hard object that may pinch and puncture an innertube.
UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale. The world’s governing body for all competitive cycling — road, mountain, cyclocross, track and bmx.
Wheel system - An integrated wheel structure where the spokes, rims and hubs are specifically designed to work together.
Wheelbase - The distance between the axles. Tailored to optimize weight distribution on each frame size.
World Cup - Sanctioned by the UCI, the World Cup is a series of mountain bike races, usually 7-9 per season, throughout the world. Through an accumulation of points through the series, an overall World Cup Champion is crowned each season.
XC - Cross Country. Derived from the most popular discipline of mountain bike racing, it describes a course or ride that includes all types of terrain, uphill and down. Also describes a bike suited for such a course.
Zirconium 9000 alloy - An aluminum alloy that uses a percentage of zirconium mixed in with the aluminum alloy to create a stronger bicycle tube. Also known as ZR9000.
Not sure which Fisher is right for you? Bike Finder can help.
Fisher gear with Fisher flair to go with your Fisher bike.
