Bicycle Vocabulary in Chinese

I got tired of pointing and saying 這個 at bike shops, so I put this together. I thought it might come in handy for some of you. Feel free to update or add to it.

[col]English

Bike
Road bike
Mountain bike
Cyclocross bike
Touring bike
Folding bike

Frame
Frame size
Weight
Frame material
Carbon
Aluminum
Steel
Titanium

Speeds/gears
Shifters
Front derailleur
Rear derailleur
Short cage
Long cage
Derailleur cable
Crankset
Bottom bracket
Cassette
Chain
Master link (chain)
Pedals

Handlebar
Drop bars
Flat bars
Riser bars
Grips
Bar ends
Bar tape
Bar plugs
Stem
Headset
Top cap
Star nut
Compression nut
Headset spacers or
Headset spacers
Fork
Suspension fork
Steerer tube
Seatpost
Saddle

Brake calipers
Brake levers
Brake hoods
Brake pads
Brake cable
Stainless steel
Cable ends
Cable housing (brake/derailleur)
Hydraulic brakes
Hydraulic brake hose
Disc rotors

Front wheel
Rear wheel
Wheelset
Front hub
Rear hub
Rim
Rim tape
Spokes
Spoke nipples
Quick release
Tires
Inner tube

Bolt
Sealed bearings
Grease
Water bottle
Bottle cage
Helmet|Chinese | Pinyin

自行車, 單車, 腳踏車 | zì xíngchē, dān chē, jiǎo tà chē
公路車 | gōng lù chē
登山車 | dēng shān chē
越野車 | yuè yě chē
旅行車 | lǚ xíng chē
折疊車 | zhé dié chē

車架 | chē jià
車架尺寸 | chē jià chǐ cùn
車重 | chē zhòng
車架材質 | chē jià cái zhì
碳纖維 | tàn xiān wéi
鋁合金 | lǚ hé jīn
鋼管 | gāng guǎn
鈦合金 | tài hé jīn

速別 | sù bié
變速把手 | biàn sù bǎ shǒu
前變速器 | qián biàn sù qì
後變速器 | hòu biàn sù qì
短腿 | duǎn tuǐ
長腿 | cháng tuǐ
變速線 | biàn sù xiàn
大齒盤 | dà chǐ pán
BB | n/a
飛輪 | fēi lún
鍊條 | liàn tiáo
速鏈條快扣 | sù liàn tiáo kuài kòu
踏板 | tà bǎn

手把 | shǒu bà
小彎把 | xiǎo wān bǎ
直把 | zhí bǎ
燕把 | yàn bǎ
握把 | wò bǎ
牛角 | niú jiǎo
手把帶 | shǒu bà dài
手把尾塞 | shǒu bà wěi sāi
立管, 龍頭, 把立 | lì guǎn, lóng tóu, bǎ lì
車頭碗 | chē tóu wǎn
(車頭碗) 上蓋, 把立蓋 | shàng gài, bǎ lì gài
螺母, 梅花 | luó mǔ, méi huā
前叉迫緊器 | qián chā pò jǐn qì,
免打梅花 | miǎn dǎ méi huā
龍頭墊圈 | lóng tóu diàn quān
前叉 | qián chā
避震前叉 | bì zhèn qián chā
豎管 | shù guǎn
座管 | zuò guǎn
座墊 | zuò diàn

剎車夾器 | shā chē jiā qì
剎車把手 | shā chē bǎ shǒu
剎變把套 | shā biàn bǎ tào
剎車皮 | shā chē pí
剎車線 | shā chē xiàn
不鏽鋼 | bù xiù gāng
線尾套 | xiàn wěi tào
(剎車/變速) 線外管 | (shā chē/ biàn sù) xiàn wài guǎn
油壓碟煞 | yóu yā dié shā
油管 | yóu guǎn
碟盤 | dié pán`

前輪 | qián lún
後輪 | hòu lún
輪組 | lún zǔ
前花鼓 | qián huā gǔ
後花鼓 | hòu huā gǔ
輪圈 | lún quān
襯帶, 內襯 | chèn dài, nèi chèn
鋼絲 | gāng sī
鋼頭 | gāng tóu
快拆 | kuài chāi
輪胎 | lún tāi
內胎 | nèi tāi

螺絲 | luó sī
培林 | péi lín
潤滑油 | rùn huá yóu
水壺 | shuǐ hú
水壺架 | shuǐ hú jià
安全帽 | ān quán mào[/col]

4 Likes

Thanks for the list! Definitely the kind of thing I’ve looked for in the past.

Now I just need to figure out what some of these terms mean in English
:blush:

Very useful info! Here’s another one:

Flat tire 爆胎 bào tāi

But I swear I heard the guy at the bicycle shop say “pung-ke” as in the first part of “puncture.” Maybe that’s something that came from Japan.

[quote=“marasan”]Very useful info! Here’s another one:

Flat tire 爆胎 bào tāi

But I swear I heard the guy at the bicycle shop say “pung-ke” as in the first part of “puncture.” Maybe that’s something that came from Japan.[/quote]

There’s a lot of slang terms and shortened terms.

Slang, for example, some people say 卡蹦 (ka3 bong4) = carbon

Shortened terms, for crank set (大齒盤) = 大盤(da4 pan2)

The translation is suuuuuuuuper helpful. Usually I just point, or use the English word at my local bike shop. Better to know both!

Basics

  • Bike 自行車, 單車, 腳踏車 | zì xíngchē, dān chē, jiǎo tà chē
  • Road bike 公路車 | gōng lù chē
  • Mountain bike 登山車 | dēng shān chē
  • Cyclocross bike 越野車 | yuè yě chē
  • Touring bike 旅行車 | lǚ xíng chē
  • Folding bike 折疊車 | zhé dié chē
  • Frame 車架 | chē jià
  • Frame size 車架尺寸 | chē jià chǐ cùn
  • Weight 重量 | zhòng liàng
  • Frame material 車架材質 | chē jià cái zhì
  • Carbon 碳纖維 | tàn xiān wéi
  • Aluminum 鋁合金 | lǚ hé jīn
  • Steel 鋼管 | gāng guǎn
  • Titanium 鈦合金 | tài hé jīn

Group Set

  • Speeds/gears 變速 | biàn sù
  • Shifters 變速把手 | biàn sù bǎ shǒu
  • Front derailleur 前變速器 | qián biàn sù qì
  • Rear derailleur 後變速器 | hòu biàn sù qì
  • Short cage 短腿 | duǎn tuǐ
  • Long cage 長腿 | cháng tuǐ
  • Derailleur cable 變速線 | biàn sù xiàn
  • Crankset 大齒盤 | dà chǐ pán
  • Bottom bracket “BB”
  • Cassette 飛輪 | fēi lún
  • Chain 鍊條 | liàn tiáo
  • Master link (chain) 速鏈條快扣 | sù liàn tiáo kuài kòu
  • Pedals 踏板 | tà bǎn

Components

  • Handlebar 手把 | shǒu bà
  • Drop bars 彎把 | wān bǎ
  • Flat bars 直把 | zhí bǎ
  • Riser bars 燕把 | yàn bǎ
  • Grips 握把 | wò bǎ
  • Bar ends 牛角 | niú jiǎo
  • Bar tape 手把帶 | shǒu bà dài
  • Bar plugs 手把尾塞 | shǒu bà wěi sāi
  • Stem 立管, 龍頭, 把立 | lì guǎn, lóng tóu, bǎ lì
  • Headset 車頭碗 | chē tóu wǎn
  • Top cap 車頭碗 上蓋, 把立蓋 | shàng gài, bǎ lì gài
  • Star nut 螺母, 梅花 | luó mǔ, méi huā
  • Compression nut 前叉迫緊器 | qián chā pò jǐn qì,
  • Headset spacers 龍頭墊圈 | lóng tóu diàn quān
  • Fork 前叉 | qián chā
  • Suspension fork 避震前叉 | bì zhèn qián chā
  • Steerer tube 豎管 | shù guǎn
  • Seatpost 座管 | zuò guǎn
  • Saddle 座墊 | zuò diàn

Brakes

  • Brake calipers 剎車夾器 | shā chē jiā qì
  • Brake levers 剎車把手 | shā chē bǎ shǒu
  • Brake hoods 剎變把套 | shā biàn bǎ tào
  • Brake pads 剎車皮 | shā chē pí
  • Brake cable 剎車線 | shā chē xiàn
  • Stainless steel 不鏽鋼 | bù xiù gāng
  • Cable ends 線尾套 | xiàn wěi tào
  • Cable housing (brake/derailleur) (剎車/變速) 線外管 | (shā chē/ biàn sù) xiàn wài guǎn
  • Hydraulic brakes 油壓碟煞 | yóu yā dié shā
  • Hydraulic brake hose 油管 | yóu guǎn
  • Disc rotors 碟盤 | dié pán`

Wheels

  • Front wheel 前輪 | qián lún
  • Rear wheel 後輪 | hòu lún
  • Wheelset 輪組 | lún zǔ
  • Front hub 前花鼓 | qián huā gǔ
  • Rear hub 後花鼓 | hòu huā gǔ
  • Rim 輪圈 | lún quān
  • Rim tape 襯帶, 內襯 | chèn dài, nèi chèn
  • Spokes 輻條 | Fú tiáo (鋼絲 | gāng sī)
  • Spoke nipples 輻條頭 | Fú tiáo tóu ( 鋼絲頭 | gāng sī tóu)
  • Quick release 快拆 | kuài chāi
  • Tires 輪胎 | lún tāi
  • Inner tube 內胎 | nèi tāi

Other

  • Bolt 螺絲 | luó sī
  • Sealed bearings 培林 | péi lín
  • Grease 潤滑油 | rùn huá yóu
  • Water bottle 水壺 | shuǐ hú
  • Bottle cage 水壺架 | shuǐ hú jià
  • Helmet 安全帽 | ān quán mào

Apparel

  • Cycling cap 小帽 | xiǎo mào
  • Sunglasses 太陽眼鏡 | Tài yáng yǎn jìng
  • Cycling jersey 車衣 | Chē yī
  • Cyling shorts 車褲 | Chē kù
  • Bib shorts 吊帶褲 | Diào dài kù
  • Gloves 手套 | Shǒu tào
  • Arm sleeves 袖套 | Xiù tào
  • Arm warmers 保暖袖套 | bǎo nuǎn shǒu tào
  • Leg sleeves 腿套 | tuǐ tào
  • Leg warmers 保暖腿套 | bǎo nuǎn tuǐ tào
  • Ultra Violet (UV) 紫外線 | Zǐ wài xiàn
  • Compression 壓縮 | yā suō
  • Clip-less (pedal) shoes 卡鞋 | Kǎ xié

Units of measurement (and related terms)

  • Distance 距離 | Jù lí
  • Elevation/altitude 海拔 | Hǎi bá
  • Kilometers 公里 | Gōng lǐ
  • Meters 公尺 | Gōng chǐ
  • Total elevation gain 總爬升 | Zǒng pá shēng
  • Cadence 回轉速 | Huí zhuǎn sù
  • Cadence 踏頻 | Tà pín
  • Average 平均 | Píng jūn
  • Heart rate 心跳 | Xīntiào

Riding Etiquette/Cycling Terms/Slang

  • Windbreaker 破風 | Pò fēng
  • Domestique 破風者 | Pò fēng zhě
  • King of the Mountain (KOM) 登山王 | Dēng shān wáng
  • Chaingang/pace line 輪車 | Lún chē
  • Climbing/Ascend 爬坡 | Pá pō
  • Descend 下坡 | Xià pō
  • Stinger 魔鬼坡 | Mó guǐ pō
  • Individual Time Trial (ITT) 個人計時 | Gè rén jìshí
  • Sprint 衝刺 | Chōngcì
  • Sprint for the finish 衝線 | Chōng xiàn
  • Dropped 被拉爆 | Bèi lā bào
9 Likes

Hey guys, I finally got around to updating the formatting. Hope the above is helpful.

In another year, I’ll have a Google Doc/Sheet available so it’s easier to view on mobile.

2 Likes

A small correction:
Spokes 鋼絲
Spoke nipples 鋼絲頭

My copy and pasting has failed meeee

However, I think the local slang, we call spokes/spoke heads, 輻條/輻條頭

Will update. Thanks for catching that, Doc.

If anyone else sees an error or if there’s anything missing. Please let me know! I will continue to update!

Are you sure? I thought 輻條 was what they called it on the other side of the Strait. I’ve only heard 鋼絲 here. Of course, my Daigi is paiki, so I could be wrong.

For the sake of argument, I’ve added both descriptions so no one gets confused.

I’ve also just added apparel!

Can we have some ride etiquette vocab’?

Priority…

“I’m trying to get a chaingang/pace line going here. Please don’t come through and accelerate. Keep the pace constant.” :wink:

Ta

Oooh, and secondly…

“Do you hear that squeaking noise? Put some oil on your freaking chain, please.” :stuck_out_tongue:

你沒聽到鏈條聲音很大嗎?拜託上點油好不好?

1 Like

靠腰 是不會輪車嗎? | Kào yāo shì bù huì lún chē ma?

媽的 是有錢買車沒錢買連條油嗎? | Mā de shì yǒu qián mǎi chē méi qián mǎi lián tiáo yóu ma?

I’m not liable for your well being after using these translations. :smiley:

3 Likes

I feel like a dollop of 「媽的」is required to represent the freaking.

I got you covered.

YOU BEAT ME BY SECONDS!!!

I wanted to keep it PG-13 (no 林涼 content). Don’t want any road rage incidents now, do we?

I assumed brother @ColT wanted to learn some banter-ish phrases when riding with his mates down in Tainan. I gave him just that. No one would take him seriously…if he used PG-13 phrases.

Hmm…could’ve done without the first two words in each sentence.

Depending on who the mates are, “banter-ish phrases” can turn into fisticuffs in no time flat. :sunglasses: