seat stay

noun

One of the two bicycle frame tubes running diagonally downward from the top of the seat tube to the rear dropouts.

“The bike was not safe to ride as it had a bend in the seat stay”

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Meanings

nounseat stay (plural seat stays)

plural seat stays · alternative seatstay

  1. One of the two bicycle frame tubes running diagonally downward from the top of the seat tube to the rear dropouts.

    The bike was not safe to ride as it had a bend in the seat stay

Origin

Possibly borrowed from sailing jargon where "stay" refers to a rope, wire, or rod which runs fore-and-aft along the centerline of a sailing ship from mast to deck, or to another mast, and serves to stabilize the mast.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch staande achtervork
  • staande achtervorkbicycle frame tube
Finnish takahaarukan yläputki, ylätakahaarukka
  • takahaarukan yläputkibicycle frame tube
  • ylätakahaarukkabicycle frame tube
Norwegian Bokmål setestag
  • setestagbicycle frame tube
Cite this entry
APA

seat stay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat%20stay

MLA

“seat stay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat%20stay. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seat stay,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat%20stay.

Source: seat stay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.