Vocabulary

Bike Hashes are unique, and so have had to develop their own vocabulary. Here are some of the terms you might hear while on a Hash.

  • AGM – Annual General Meeting when much beer is consumed and the outgoing GM appoints a new committee.
  • Check – a break in the trail marked by an X. The trail continues somewhere within 500m.
  • Checking – what riders call out when they are looking for the trail after a check
  • Circle – the time after each ride when riders stand or sit in a circle drinking beer listening to the GM and RA spouting on and hand out beers for misdemeanours.
  • DH – Steep downhill trail
  • FRB – Front riding bastard – a fast rider who is usually at the front of the pack.
  • FT – False trail – a short section of the trail that goes nowhere, designed to mislead people.
  • GM – Grand Master (sometimes called Grand Spoke) – leader of the Hash group – usually autocratic, changes each year
  • Hash name - (or Hash Handle). Nickname by which you are known on the Hash. This helps prevent bosses and potential employers discovering what you get up to at the weekend.
  • MTB – mountain biking
  • New spoke – someone who has just signed up for life membership
  • Off paper – when people discover that they were so engrossed in their conversation with another rider that they weren't following the trail. If this happens retrace you route until you find paper again. Then shut up and pay attention to the trail.
  • On On – what riders call when they are on the trail
  • Race – a word never used on the Hash. If you do use it you might be punished by the RA (see below).
  • RA – Religious advisor, who 'punishes' people who have committed misdemeanours (real or perceived) during the ride.
  • SCB – Short cutting bastard – a rider who takes shortcuts (perfectly allowable)
  • ST – Single track trail
  • Technical – difficult trail possibly with rocks and steep gradients
  • Visitor – anyone who rides with the Bike Hash but hasn’t signed up for life membership
  • Whistle – what riders do when they are on the trail