March 29, 2021 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Cycling Terminology: 100+ Words to Describe Your Bike in Spanish

How would you talk about your bike in Spanish?

Imagine that you’re in Mexico vacationing and you want to rent a bike, or that you go on a singletrack in Spain, then your bike breaks down and you need help. What would you do in this situation?

In this article I’ll explain how to talk about your bike in Spanish and why you should learn cycling vocabulary in your target language. I’ll also introduce you to the world of Hispanic cycling, mountain biking in Spanish, and a comprehensive list of nouns, adjectives, and verbs related to your bike in Spanish.

How to Talk About Your Bike in Spanish

It doesn’t matter if you’re a cycling fan, a bike enthusiast, or just a dad fixing your daughter’s bicycle, if you have a bike you will need to talk about it at some point. But, how would you talk about your bike in Spanish?

As with every other subject and area of life, cycling has its own specific terms in Spanish which are important for you to learn and familiarize yourself with. As you’ll see, many of them are the same or very similar to the English words, but there are many others that are completely original Spanish words and you’ll need to study them to include them in your vocabulary.

Why You Should Learn Cycling Vocabulary in Spanish

Learning cycling vocabulary in Spanish is important for quite a few reasons. First, because it’s just one more part of learning Spanish. While you keep progressing on your Spanish skills, you need to keep adding new vocabulary from different areas of life, for example basketball, math, or cycling.

Secondly, there’s always the possibility of you visiting a Spanish-speaking country in the future, either on a vacation break or on a professional assignment, and if you’re a true cycling enthusiast, odds are that you’ll need to talk about your bike in Spanish.

Bike in Spanish

When I say “bike in Spanish,” I’m referring to the whole world of cycling and bicycles in the Spanish speaking world. So, let’s take a deep look at it.

The Hispanic World of Cycling

Actually, the Vuelta a España is one of three main events in professional cycling (together with the Tour du France and the Giro d’Italia). So, undoubtedly cycling is a big thing in Spain and, in consequence, the vocabulary about your bike in Spanish is extensive and well-developed.

In the professional world of cycling, Spain is one of the powerhouse nations, while Colombia has a long tradition of producing excellent mountain riders. So, let’s meet some of the main Hispanic names in the history of cycling:

Miguel Induráin – Spain (Tour du France 5-time winner 1991-1995)
Alberto Contador – Spain (Tour du France 2-time winner 2007, 2009)
Egan Bernal – Colombia (Tour du France winner 2019)
Carlos Sastre – Spain (Tour du France winner 2008)
Oscar Pereiro – Spain (Tour du France winner 2006)
Pedro Delgado – Spain (Tour du France winner 1988)
Nairo Quintana – Colombia (Giro d’Italia winner 2014, Vuelta a España winner 2016, Tour du France runner-up 2013, 2015)
Raul Alcala – Mexico ((Tour DuPont winner 1990, 1993 and Vuelta a Asturias winner 1990)
Manuel Youshimatz – Mexico (Olympic Bronze medal Los Angeles 1984)

Professional Cycling Vocabulary

Let’s learn now some Spanish vocabulary about professional cycling and road riding.

Spanish	English
El jersey amarillo	Yellow jersey
la contrarreloj	Time trial
El ciclismo	cycling
El ciclista	rider
El pelotón	pellet
el líder	leader
El campeón	champion
La cadencia	cadence
la clasificación general	standings
el esprínter	sprinter
el escalador	climber
La etapa	stage
La carrera	race
La meta	goal
el entrenamiento	training
El entrenador	trainer
El equipo	team
El capitán del equipo	Team captain
El velódromo	velodrome
La etapa reina	Queen stage

Mountain Bikes in Spanish

Mountain biking is a world in itself and, as such, it has its own specific terms, both in English and in Spanish. Let’s learn some of the main ones:

Spanish	English
La bicicleta de montaña	Mountain bike
El ciclismo de montaña	Mountain biking
El sendero angosto	singletrack
El agarre	grip
El caballito	wheelie
El rey de la montaña	King of the Mountain (KOM)
La reina de la montaña	Queen of the Mountain (QOM)
La fibra de carbono	Carbon fiber
La horquilla de suspensión	Suspension fork
El amortiguador	Shock absorber
El estilo libre	freestyle
El BMX (bimex)	BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross)

Bike-related Nouns in Spanish

Once we explored the worlds of professional road cycling and mountain biking, let’s learn some specific nouns related to your bike in Spanish:

Spanish	English
La bicicleta	bicycle
La bici	bike
El asiento, el sillín	seat, saddle
La llanta, el neumático	tire
El rin,La rueda	wheel
La cadena	chain
El manubrio, el manillar	handlebar
el pedal	pedal
La palanca de cambios	bicycle shifter, gear control
La palanca de freno	brake control
El freno	brake
Los platos y bielas	crankset
El faro	lamp
La luz delantera	front light
La luz trasera	back light
El reflector	reflector
El mango	bar grip
El radio, El rayo	spoke
El aro	rim
Los guantes	gloves
El portabicicletas, La parrilla	bicycle rack
La suspensión	suspension
La transmisión	drivetrain system
El eje	hub
El portaequipajes	carrier
El guardabarros, La salpicadera	mudguard
La llave Allen	allen wrench
El parche	patch
El candado	padlock
Las zapatillas	bike shoes
La alforja	pannier
La bomba (de aire)	pump
La válvula	valve
La velocidad	speed, gear
El equilibrio	balance
El ascenso	climb
El descenso	descent
La cuesta	slope
La cumbre	top (of a hill)
la ciclovía, el carril bici	bicycle path,cycle lane
La ponchadura, el pinchazo	puncture
La bicicleta de ruta	route bicycle
La bicicleta de pista	track bicycle
La bicicleta de carreras	race bicycle
La bicicleta eléctrica	electric bicycle
La bicicleta plegable	foldable bicycle
La bicicleta de paseo	cruiser bicycle

Bike-related Adjectives in Spanish

Now, let’s study a few bike-related adjectives so you can better express how you feel about your bike in Spanish:

Spanish	English
rápido	fast
lento, despacio	slow
nuevo/nueva	new
viejo/vieja	old
brillante	shining
oxidado/oxidada	rusty
peligroso	dangerous
espectacular	spectacular
asombroso/asombrosa	awesome
difícil	difficult
ligera	light
pesada	heavy
barata	cheap
moderna	modern
bonita	beautiful
fea	ugly
cómoda	comfortable
elegante	elegant

Bike-related Verbs in Spanish

Last but not least, let’s learn some of the most common verbs used to talk about cycling and your bike in Spanish:

Spanish	English
pedalear	To pedal
montar	To ride
frenar	To brake
acelerar	To speed up
caerse	To fall (oneself)
Cambiar (velocidad)	To change (gear)
Inflar (la llanta)	To blow up (the tyre)
Fugarse (del pelotón)	To breakaway (from the pellet)
aflojar	To loosen
apretar	To tighten
Lubricar, engrasar	To lubricate
escalar	To climb
descender	To desce
medir	To measure
atacar	To attack
perseguir	To chase

Ride Your Bike and Practice Your Spanish!

Now you know not only some of the most useful vocabulary about your bike in Spanish, but also a little bit about the world of Hispanic cyclism and mountain biking. The best thing about it, is that now you can ride your bike and practice your Spanish at the same time!
Sign up for a free class with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala and start talking about your bike in Spanish today!

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Luis F. Dominguez

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.

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