How do you pronouce "Roubaix"

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

I always thought it was pronounced "row-bay"

?????? 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...

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

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

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

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...

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

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.

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

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Originally Posted by Becky

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

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Me too.

roo bay

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Originally Posted by indysteel

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

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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)

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

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.