These are things you might hear in BMX. Some of these are older codes, but they still check out: (see MTB - BMX Shared Glossary for other terms you might hear)

BIKES

Class: Rolling on 20-inch wheel bikes (the rim is actually 16" but with tire it is 20")

Cruiser: Cruising on 24-inch wheel bikes (the rim is actually 20" but with tire it is 24")

Clips: Anything that mechanically secures your foot to the pedal. Clips 99.99% of the time refers to clipless pedals. Did anyone ever try toe cages in BMX?

Flats: A pedal with a flat surface and no mechanical attachment to your shoe.

Gearing: This means to the front and rear gears. If the front is 44 teeth and the rear is 16 it is 44/16.

Gear Ratio: Divide the two numbers above and get a ratio. This ratio is good for a quick starting point for tuning your gearing. For teen and adult riders the starting point is 2.75 (44/16=2.75) and for kids about 2.6.

Gear inches, gain ratio, rollout: These are calculated numbers based on gearing, crank length, and tire diameter. They are more accurate for fine tuning.

TECHNIQUES

Spin: Fast cadence.

Mash: Slow cadence.

Think of spinning as a V-12 at 8,000 RPM. Think of mashing as a diesel at 2,000 RPM. Both create power just in different ways.

Manual: Everyone has definitions for what is and isn't a manual. Basically, as a rider is going down fast down a backside they push the rear wheel down while holding the front wheel up. It is most often done in rhythm sections. Manuals work best when they flow out naturally. Manualing in BMX is one wheel pumping.

Pumping: Pumping is used to maintain or gain speed over bumps and humps. It makes an up-down-up-down rhythm where you are pushing your bike down and up across rollers. Both wheels stay on the ground.

Case: Coming up short on a jump. Most of the time casing ends in crashing.

Snap: A way to launch off the gate to give a rider a little more oommpphh and shaving a little time off the start. It is a learned skill that may take a while to pick up.

AT THE TRACK

Moto: The race part. In most races there are three motos per rider group. In UCI races motos are also called ‘heats.’

Obstacle: Anything not flat on the track.

Backside: The down side of an obstacle.

Face: The up side of an obstacle.

Turn: A turn is a banked corner, sometimes called a berm. They are made of dirt or asphalt. Most BMX tracks have 3 turns. Some have 4.

Double: Two bumps on one obstacle.

Triple: Three bumps on one obstacle.

Gate: Literally a hinged gate. It’s at the starting hill. The gate is where the race starts. There are a few styles of gates, but they all fall forward.

Starting Hill,The Hill: The place where you start. Can’t miss it.

Staging: The area on or near the hill where riders are organized into their motos before loading in the gate.

Holeshot, taking the holeshot: The rider that leads the others down the first straight "took the holeshot." In pro level racing taking the holeshot often means winning the race. In amateur racing taking the holeshot doesn't always mean winning the race.

Pro-section: A big jump. Pro-sections are basically two ramps; jump off one, land on the other. In between the jumps there are crocodiles, piranhas, and cobras.

Rhythm Section: A rhythm section is several rolling bumps (rollers) placed together in a grouping. The rhythm part comes from the up-down-up-down rhythm of pumping.

Roller: A single low rounded bump.

Step-down: A step down is like going down the stairs.

Step-up: A step up is like going up the stairs.

Tabletop: A tabletop is like a butte in geography. They are great to learn jumping skills on. Everyone likes tables.

Pits: The area around the track where you can find food vendors and have your non-race space. Also, it is where hordes of semi-feral kids rove.

These are common terms amongst the MTB'ers, and some are the same for BMX. Many BMX'ers ride MTB too.

Bail: Leaping off the bike to avoid a more serious crash. Best done into a soft pile of leaves at the side of a trail.

Berm: A banked corner that can be ridden faster than a flat corner. A very common trail feature.

Booter: A large jump that requires a lot of commitment.

BSO: Bike Shaped Object. A cheap bike designed to look like a mountain bike that would have no real off-road use. Usually dept store bikes.

Clean: To complete a section of trail without crashing, stopping or taking your feet off the pedals.

Dab: Quickly taking a foot off your pedal to stop yourself from crashing.

Dialled: When your set up is perfect allowing you to ride to the top of your ability.

Dope: Good.

Downside: A downwards-facing slope that allows you to gain extra speed, it will normally be after a jump.

Edit: A short film showcasing the talents of a rider or riders

Flow: The trail nirvana. A feeling all mountain bikers seek where one obstacle melds into another just perfectly. You know it when you’ve found it.

Gap: A jump with a hole in the middle, this increases the risk for the rider.

Gnarly: An especially difficult feature, something extreme.

Huck: Performing a large jump without any real thought for the consequences.

Kicker: A steep jump that gives you a lot of airtime.

LBS: Local Bike Shop. Your go-to place for any repairs, upgrades or just a nice chat about bikes.

Loam: A specific type of loose, dry dirt. Desirable for its grippy characteristics and the ability to create roost.

Loose: To ride on the edge of control.

Northshore: Raised wooden board walks, named after the North Shore area of Vancouver that popularized this style of riding.

Pimp: Extremely nice bikes or components.

Pinned: To ride fast

Pump: A technique that allows you to gain speed without pedaling.

Rad: Good.

Rail: To ride a corner so well it is as if you are on rails.

Roost: Dirt that is kicked up behind a rider as they ride sideways into a corner.

Scrub: A motocross technique used to keep low and fast over a jump.

Session: To repeatedly ride a section until you have perfected it.

Shralp: To ride in an aggressive manner.

Shred: To ride in an aggressive manner.

Shred the gnar: risking your life and equipment riding something gnarly. Red Bull downhill racing through South American mountainside towns is a good example.

Sick: Good

Snake Bite: A puncture that leaves two parallel holes like a snake’s fangs

Step-down: A jump where the landing is lower than the take-off.

Step-up: A jump where the landing is higher than the take-off.

Stoked: Excited.

Stoppie: A nose wheelie.

Tabletop: A jump with a flat layer of dirt across the top, this is thought to be safer than a double or gap jump. Also, a trick where the bike is laid flat underneath the rider in the air.

Taco: When a wheel has been bent by an impact to the extent that it looks like a taco.

Whip: When the bike is pushed sideways in the air.

Yew: A general expression of excitement. Sam Pilgrim’s favorite riding word… yyyeeeewwwww!