# How the hell do you pronounce Bontrager?!



## fish man (Aug 26, 2004)

i thought it was "bawn-trajay", but have heard "bawn-trogger" and "bon-trajé".
help?


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## psinsyd (Jul 9, 2004)

*How I say it...*

I usually say 'Bahn-trag-ger' or 'Bahn-tray-ger'.

Just my 2 cents.


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## FTM (Sep 14, 2004)

Bon -- Bon-fire
-tra -- Tra-gic
-ger -- Grrr


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## Kevin_O (Jan 12, 2004)

*Be like SRAM and say its pronounced like its spelled.*

aaaaaa?


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## noslogan (Jan 21, 2004)

*I think this is correct.*

Whosywhatsit above said it. HIs second suggestions gotta be correct.
'Bahn-tray-ger'.

I think it translates to good carrier. Which is why I like his wheels. Pretty neat! The bike was/is still titts!

And this is weird. I just posted on the Trek forum....http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?postid=868777#post868777


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Kevin_O said:


> SRAM......aaaaaa?


BTW. How _do_ you say SRAM? I've always said Sir Ram'..... but people usually look at me funny when I do..... 'course, people usually look at me funny no matter what I'm sayng.

Oh, and I've always said Bon as is Bon Bon, Trag as is Trap, Ger as is Grrrrr. like the other guy said. Emphasis on the Bon.

Disclaimer: I have no idea if that's correct.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

bon-trag-er


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## sparrow (Dec 30, 2003)

*He's gotta read this stuff once in a while....*

.....maybe someone will see all the guesses and he may make a post himself. I led a group ride at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival one rain-threatening EARLY Friday morn ('98 or 99?) and the only fellow to show up for the ride was a cat from California who introduced himself as Keith Bontrager and he pronounced it more like Bon-tragg-er or rather just said it like it was spelled. No faux-euro accents. And he certainly didn't say Bonty.

But we ripped around on Pollack Bench, and went back up for another lap around the fun part (now an illegal to ride 'wilderness'). I protested I'd be late for work at the Evil Sweat Shop known as Over the Edge, where the Head Whip Cracker ('cracker' hee hee, funny) would certainly bring down a great wrath. Keith said he'd write me a note if we were late. He is a good smoother-overer and the Boss Man Whip Cracker didn't beat me, and Keith signed the shop wall with a big fat sharpie marker. Coolio little story. Sorry to foist that on you all.


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## FTM (Sep 14, 2004)

FTM said:


> Bon -- Bon-fire
> -tra -- Tra-gic
> -ger -- Grrr


... wasn't a guess. It's directly from Bontrager.com

Specifically:


Bontrager.com said:


> Q. How do you pronounce Bontrager?
> A. We get that a lot!
> Bon -- Bon-fire
> -tra -- Tra-gic
> -ger -- Grrr


oh, and by the way....

he made great bikes


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## ignazjr (Dec 29, 2003)

Nice bike FTM. She's a beaut.


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## Dijridoo (Jan 14, 2004)

*It's pronounced*

Car-mud-geon


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## Casual Observer (Jan 12, 2004)

fish man said:


> i thought it was "bawn-trajay", but have heard "bawn-trogger" and "bon-trajé".
> help?


I usually pronouce it, piece of junk (sorry, not a huge Bontrager fan, at least his accessories. I like him as a biker though)


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## lot8con8 (Jul 5, 2004)

*Thanks....*



FTM said:


> Bon -- Bon-fire
> -tra -- Tra-gic
> -ger -- Grrr


....I always wonder that.

JG


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## Casual Observer (Jan 12, 2004)

FTM said:


> Bon -- Bon-fire
> -tra -- Tra-gic
> -ger -- Grrr


I think it's "trey" as in 3, not tra as in tragic.


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## jim-bob (Mar 20, 2005)

fish man said:


> i thought it was "bawn-trajay", but have heard "bawn-trogger" and "bon-trajé".
> help?


Like "Truck", but with an "ech" sound.

Semi-related - does anyone know what happened to the 'rants' section of his site? Are they archived anywhere, or did trek just dump 'em?


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## Duncan! (Jan 15, 2004)

skinny-tire said:


> I think it's "trey" as in 3, not tra as in tragic.


You must be correct ... which goes to show you Bontrager himself doesn't know what he's talking about.  D.


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## Casual Observer (Jan 12, 2004)

Well **** howdy, I'm wrong. I guess there is a first time for everything.

(wow, I can't believe I commented THREE times on this thread. I must be bored)


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## Master Shake (Mar 6, 2005)

fish man said:


> i thought it was "bawn-trajay", but have heard "bawn-trogger" and "bon-trajé".
> help?


 Just like: Bone - er - ator

See? Bonerater.


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## loonyOne (Dec 25, 2003)

"Originally Posted by *FTM*
_Bon -- Bon-fire
-tra -- Tra-gic
-ger -- Grrr_ "

Glad to see this, and the link provided. I always pronounced it Bon-Trey-grrr. It will take some self fortitude to change my pronunciation though.

SRAM...it is pronounced in a one syllable word, just like it is spelled...sRam


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## S-Works (Dec 30, 2003)

fish man said:


> i thought it was "bawn-trajay", but have heard "bawn-trogger" and "bon-traj�".
> help?


I heard a guy on OLN during the Tour coverage, you know, the tall brown headed guy who race with Lance pronounce it:

Bone - Tray- ger

That's the first time I ever heard it like that.


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

S-Works}
Bone - Tray- ger
That's the first time I ever heard it like that.[/QUOTE said:


> Cool that's exactly how I thought it was pronounced  I pronounce SRAM as S (letter s) and RAM as in battering ram and the LBS guys seems to say it the same way.


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## fish man (Aug 26, 2004)

nnn said:


> S-Works}
> Bone - Tray- ger
> That's the first time I ever heard it like that.[/QUOTE said:
> 
> ...


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## jonlong (Sep 29, 2004)

I had a guy come into the shop asking if we sold "geeawnt" ("gee" as in geezer, "awnt" as in haunt) bikes. Turns out he was looking for a Giant. In order to know how to pronounce things, you have to know their origin. Keith Bontrager is not French, which is why it isn't pronounced with a silent ending. Mavic, on the other hand, is French, which is why it's pronoucned "maveek" and not "mavik"


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## BontyRider (Feb 18, 2004)

*When in doubt, abbreviate*

I just say "bonty."

Yesterday I saw a dude riding a black and red 1998 single speed Bontrager cruiser bike with BMX handlebars. It was pretty cool looking. Made me wanna do a wheelie.


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## SLinBend (Jan 12, 2004)

*Nice SS Bonty... but how w/out a tensioner?*



FTM said:


> ... wasn't a guess. It's directly from Bontrager.com
> 
> Specifically:
> 
> ...


Nice SS Bonty. I see you don't have a tensioner to accompany the vertical drop-outs on that puppy. I've heard that you could do that as the spacing is perfect w/ a certain magic gearing if you have a slightly stretched chain, but have never seen it done. Out of curiosity, what gearing are you running? I'd like to give it a shot on my Bonty. Thanks.


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## FTM (Sep 14, 2004)

SLinBend said:


> Nice SS Bonty.


Thanks,. I like it so much I'm selling my geared F/S bike.



SLinBend said:


> I see you don't have a tensioner to accompany the vertical drop-outs on that puppy. I've heard that you could do that as the spacing is perfect w/ a certain magic gearing if you have a slightly stretched chain, but have never seen it done. Out of curiosity, what gearing are you running? I'd like to give it a shot on my Bonty. Thanks.


I'm running 32:17 fixed right now - thinking about going up to 34:17 for more comfortable decents. Since I'm running it fixed I can't use a chain tensioner. I tried finding a magic ratio but couldn't find any that would work for me so I ended up going with an Eno Eccentric hub. It works absolutely flawlessly. I don have an 18t freewheel on the other side of the flip/flop hub but have only used it once - the masochist in me likes spinning like crazy as I'm bombing down a hill.

~Geoff


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