How do you pronouce "Roubaix"

[violette]

I'm french and everytime I say Roubaix, they think I'm saying Ruby. How exactly is it pronounced???

[ttaylor508]

I always thought it was pronounced "row-bay"

[Eden]

?????? I would think that however you say it must be correct.... It is a French word isn't it..... (as in the famous Paris-Roubaix!)

I've always heard it said "roo-bay" (as opposed to roo-bee for Ruby)

Are we talking shop guys here who are just assuming that you must want/need the "women's" bike and not the unisex one...

[Aint Doody]

I say rew-bye. Equal emphasis on each syllable.

[alpinerabbit]

Roo-bay. Well the "y" is very weak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbjhTjLG5ac at 0:19 is a very american way to say it

here better at 0:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hDpP-gWNHY

[oxysback]

I've always thought of it as "ROO-bee-oh". I don't remember having said it out loud to anyone...ever. Maybe that's a good thing!

But then again I've always thought Orbea was pronounced "OR-be-uh", but when I bought one, I heard my lbs pronounce it "or-BAY-uh."

Oh well! You learn something new, and all that...:p

[violette]

I was at a LBS and was speaking to the owner and his wife. We all bike. they asked me what I had, I said a roo-bay. So she showed me her RUBY to compare with mine. I told her no, I have a Roubaix...

[alpinerabbit]

Was she expecting you to have a Row (as in quarrel) Bakes?

[indysteel]

I'm no Specialized expert, but don't they sell both the Roubaix and the Ruby (the WSD version of the Roubaix)?

I'm no French expert (notwithstanding 8 years of it in school), but I'd say Roo-bay.

[Becky]

Phil Liggett says "roo-bay" (e.g. Paris-Roubaix), so that's what I say ;)

[ny biker]

Phil Liggett says "roo-bay" (e.g. Paris-Roubaix), so that's what I say ;)

Me too.

[batsheva]

roo bay

[gnat23]

I'm no Specialized expert, but don't they sell both the Roubaix and the Ruby (the WSD version of the Roubaix)?

It took me a year to get that joke/pun. Mostly because I was pronouncing Roubaix funny at first.

But once I got it, it helped talking to guy bike nerds who know nothing of the WSD names. Also, I have a Specialized Era: "The women's version of the Epic," I say.

-- gnat! (I just like seeing the lightbulb turn on)

[Norse]

Phil's French is good. It is indeed roo-bay!

[Flur]

Roo-bay for me.

This reminds me of a "who's on first?" type conversation I had with one of the mechanics down the street when I had my pedals installed. I have a Bianchi 1885/Veloce, and on the top tube it says "1885" and then below it it says "unoottoottocinque".

Mechanic: I wonder what it says there on the bike under eighteen eighty-five.

Me: It says eighteen eighty-five.

Mechanic: Yeah, but underneath, what does it say?

Me: It's Italian for eighteen eighty-five.

Mechanic: Yeah, but what does it mean?

Me: It means eighteen eighty-five. Uno is one, otto is eight and cinque is five.

Mechanic: Really? I thought it would be more interesting.

[sundial]

Yep, roo bay. :cool:

[kelownagirl]

I heard one guy at a Specialized LBS call it a Roobex! LOL...

[ilima]

This is the pronunciation I've heard as well. I'd have probably spelled it rue-bay, but same diff.

QUOTE=Eden;367438]?????? I would think that however you say it must be correct.... It is a French word isn't it..... (as in the famous Paris-Roubaix!)

I've always heard it said "roo-bay" (as opposed to roo-bee for Ruby)

Are we talking shop guys here who are just assuming that you must want/need the "women's" bike and not the unisex one...[/QUOTE]

[ilima]

+1 That's too funny.

[Chile Pepper]

And let's not forget about the Allez (all-ay), which always seems to be pronounced all-eeze.

[Aggie_Ama]

I would spell it Rue-Bay the way I pronounce it but if you have heard Phil Liggett that is how I say it. As in Pair-ie Rue-Bay. :p

I say Ah-lay but I used the say Allez. Ah-lay ah-lay, how often do you hear that on TV? :)

Orbea I said wrong forever, I think I used to say Or-Bay not or-BEY-uh. The shop that I used to frequent before they closed was a big Orbea shop and they all said or-BEY-uh. Funny shirt they had "Yo habla Orbea". If I had bought an Orbea I would have the shirt.

[tulip]

Violette, you're French, you tell us (I'm French, too, but English is my first language). Rou-bay with a gutteral R at the beginning if you can do that, some people can't.

[madscot13]

roo-baxe
say it how a minnesotan would say roof and add on bakes (like cakes)

[Fujichants]

I say it the way the French say it as well, and I also get the: You mean Ruby? question.

And when I say "no, I mean the Roubaix" they think I am stupid and still saying Ruby the wrong way.

Sigh...

[violette]

Violette, you're French, you tell us (I'm French, too, but English is my first language). Rou-bay with a gutteral R at the beginning if you can do that, some people can't.

From the French side, I would pronouce it "RRRou-bè" like the "e" in "seven".

[Trigress]

From the French side, I would pronouce it "RRRou-bè" like the "e" in "seven".

And voilÃ*, here's the right answer then!

[Lifesgreat]

Roubaix = row-oo-baa-icks

feeling silly this late at night :p

[malkin]

I laughed so loud at

Mechanic: Really? I thought it would be more interesting.

that my husband came in to see if I was having my stroke.

[Grog]

From the French side, I would pronouce it "RRRou-bè" like the "e" in "seven".

+1 (meaning: the first e in "seven").

The X is not pronounced.