vélo de route
masculine
In French, the term for road bike is vélo de route.
Meaning: type of bicycle (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of vélo (bicycle), de (of) and route (road), literally translating to "bicycle of road".
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, vélo de route is introduced with the indefinite article un to say "a road bike". To make the phrase plural, add an s to the first word to get vélos de route.
Did you know?
- The word route in vélo de route shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'rupture', as it stems from the Latin 'ruptus', implying a road that was originally 'broken' or cleared through a landscape.
- French cyclists often distinguish between a vélo de route and a vélo de course, where the latter specifically implies a bike used for competitive racing.
- The term vélo is used as a root for many French sporting expressions, such as faire du vélo, which can sometimes metaphorically mean to go in circles or make no progress.
Examples in context
- Il a acheté un nouveau vélo de route.He bought a new road bike.
- Je préfère mon vélo de route à mon VTT.I prefer my road bike to my mountain bike.
- Le vélo de route est très léger.The road bike is very light.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are talking about their cycling hobbies in a park.
- ManonTu utilises ton vélo de route aujourd'hui ?Are you using your road bike today?
- GabrielOui, je vais faire une longue sortie.Yes, I am going for a long ride.
- ManonC'est une bonne idée, le temps est magnifique.That's a good idea, the weather is beautiful.
- GabrielMerci, Manon, profite bien de ta journée.Thanks, Manon, enjoy your day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “road bike” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, route, vélo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
