• 20 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Mountain Bike

A mountain bike from the side, its handlebar from the front, and its drivetrain up close.

Parts of a Mountain Bike

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Frame
  2. Head tube
  3. Suspension fork
  4. Rear shock
  5. Saddle
  6. Seatpost
  7. Tire
  8. Hub
  9. Disc brake
  10. Handlebar
  11. Stem
  12. Brake lever
  13. Shifter
  14. Chainring
  15. Crank arm
  16. Pedal
  17. Chain
  18. Cassette
  19. Rear derailleur
  20. Front derailleur

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 20 parts on the diagram

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Frame and suspension 6

  1. Frame The main structure of the bike. The wheels, fork, seatpost and drivetrain all attach to it.
  2. Head tube The short front tube of the frame. The fork turns inside it, on the headset bearings.
  3. Suspension fork It holds the front wheel and steers it. Its legs slide to soak up bumps; a fork that cannot do this is a rigid fork.
  4. Rear shock The shock absorber for the rear wheel. A bike that has one, along with a suspension fork, is a full-suspension bike.
  5. Saddle The seat. It is clamped to the top of the seatpost.
  6. Seatpost The post between the saddle and the frame. It slides in the frame to set the seat height.

Wheels and brakes 3

  1. Tire The rubber tire on the rim. Mountain bike tires are wide and knobby for grip on dirt.
  2. Hub The center of the wheel. The spokes run from it to the rim, and it turns on the axle.
  3. Disc brake A metal disc, or rotor, fixed to the hub. A caliper on the frame or fork squeezes it with pads.

Handlebar 4

  1. Handlebar The bar the rider steers with. A mountain bike handlebar is wide and nearly straight.
  2. Stem Clamps the handlebar and joins it to the top of the fork.
  3. Brake lever Squeezing it works one brake, through a cable or a hydraulic hose.
  4. Shifter It is used to change gear. On a bike with two derailleurs the left shifter works the front one and the right shifter the rear one.

Drivetrain 7

  1. Chainring A front sprocket, turned by the crank arms. It pulls the chain.
  2. Crank arm The lever the pedal is screwed into. There is one on each side, and they turn the chainring.
  3. Pedal The platform for the foot, on the end of the crank arm.
  4. Chain Carries the rider's push from the chainring to the rear wheel's cogs.
  5. Cassette The set of sprockets on the rear hub. A bigger cog is an easier gear.
  6. Rear derailleur It moves the chain from one cog to the next. It also takes up the slack in the chain.
  7. Front derailleur It pushes the chain from one chainring to another. A bike with a single chainring has none.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Mountain bike, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bike ; List of bicycle parts; Bicycle suspension; Bicycle brake; Cogset; Crankset; Derailleur and the articles on single parts. (2) Trek, Bicycle Owner's Manual, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7242147 . (3) The general Bicycle Owner's Manual that several other makers print, read in Marin's printing, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7395817 . Cassette and head tube rest on sources 1 and 3; every other name is in all three. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This parts of a bike diagram uses a mountain bike with suspension at both ends. One view shows the whole bike, one the handlebar, and one the chain and gears.

Read the full guide

What makes it a mountain bike

A suspension fork holds the front wheel, the tires are wide and knobby, and the handlebar is wide and nearly straight. This one also has a rear shock, which makes it a full-suspension bike. One with a suspension fork only is called a hardtail. Most mountain bikes stop with disc brakes.

Handlebar and drivetrain

Each hand has a brake lever and a shifter. The pedals turn the crank arms and the chainring, and the chain carries that to the cassette on the rear wheel. The rear derailleur moves the chain across the cogs.

  • The different parts of a bike fall into four groups here: frame and suspension, wheels and brakes, handlebar, drivetrain.
  • For a label a bike worksheet, press Print blank.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a bike called?

The frame, the fork, two wheels with tires and hubs, the brakes, the handlebar and stem, the saddle and seatpost, and the drivetrain: pedals, crank arms, chainring, chain, cassette and derailleurs.

What is the difference between a hardtail and a full-suspension mountain bike?

A hardtail has a suspension fork for the front wheel and an otherwise rigid frame. A full-suspension bike also has a rear shock, so both wheels can move over bumps.

What does the derailleur do on a bike?

It moves the chain from one sprocket to another to change gear. The rear derailleur shifts across the cassette on the rear wheel; a front derailleur, if the bike has one, shifts between the chainrings.

What is a cassette on a mountain bike?

The set of toothed cogs on the hub of the rear wheel. The shifter on the right side of the handlebar moves the rear derailleur, which moves the chain from one cog to another.

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