Do you name your bikes?

Yes. My Schwin is Wilma, and my Rodriguez Stellar is Betty. Didn't intend it that way, but when I saw the Stellar, she was immediately Betty without question.

My road bike (Orbea Onix) is "the bat bike" because the color scheme is similar to the batmobile from the old TV series.

The folder (Birdy) is "the clown bike".

I already put that I name mine but in the last week I have referred to both while riding by name.

Climbing a long hill last week on the roadie "Come on Miranda, I know we got it in us!"

Then I had a nasty wreck on the mountain bike "Alright Tess, I am not ready to give up, are you?"

I tend to think I am relatively sane but my car is named Gretchen and yes when she broke last month I begged her to fix herself. :rolleyes:

Ha, we call my husband's Bike Friday "the clown bike," too.
This started after some kids laughed at him while we were riding a few years ago. They made some reference to him being a clown, after screaming loudly, "What the hell?"

Oby...after my favorite beer, Bell's Oberon. :D

Yeah, I name my bikes. It feels more personal, makes it more of a friend.

I named my Trek 520 "Buckley" after Jeff Buckley the late singer/songwriter
I named my Jamis Aurora - "Starbuck" after the female lead in the modern re-make of Sci-fi classic Battlestar Galactica.

I think the bike either seems male or female because as humans we anthropomorphize alot of things - cars, bikes, wind, rain, etc. Other than that, I can't explain anyone else's reasons but my own. I find it comforting and charming.

My Kona is Firefly. She has lots of blinking lights for commuting. Fireflies always make me smile. The name suggested itself one night when I was biking around the lake and I saw the flashing of her lights on the water.

The new Giant MTB is Sliver. She is silver and has gotten under my skin.

I always named my guitars. I currently have Pete and Arlo. I have a little Yamaha mission trip/beater we refer to as the "guitar to be named later." At some point it will tell me its name.

I have one daughter who names everything, and two who don't. All our computers have names (it's a Mac thing, I think). My iPod is Elinore. Even my DH refers to these things by their names.

Deb

My Subzero is Artemis( blue and white) and the new Orbea Onis is supposed to be Nepthys( egyptian goddess of perfection, seeing shes a Orbea and carbon, hehe) but I have a feeling 'she'is a 'he'.
I dont call them by their names though, they are just 'the bike'.

I tend to name animals badly as well - being 'kitty' , puppy', 'bunny' and then nickname them( the rabbit was memorably - 'snuggle puff'!:D)
I tried naming my cars but that didnt work either.
However, the bike has a name that IS hers.
When I told BF, he said he thought of his bike as his 'mistress' - always needing little presents, to be taken out etc - he renamed her 'Ishtar' ( we both study mythology)but he just refers to her, as the 'bke'.

My road bike, a Cannondale Synapse full Dura Ace Fem 1: "Lucille Bike"

My Surly Cross Check, black with a pink-accented Ride Like a Girl Terry seat, the reliable second fiddle to Lucille Bike: "Ethel"

As in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q

I name everything that I can have a strong reaction to. So appliances that annoy me or machines that make me happy. All my computer and photo gear has cartographical names (Atlas, Maps, Legend, etc.).

As for my bikes I have Mary, Queen of Scots (an emerald green and gold pinstripes Motobecane Nobly) and Spooky. I had a dream that I had an orange bike with black accessories and it was the spooky bike. So when I got my Cross Check I reversed the colors for the black frame and it became my Spooky.

No I don't name them. Would like convince myself that I would...but it never occurred to me. Have been cycling for a long time now.

Maybe it's because I never had a doll or toy to give a name long ago as a kid. Dunno.

My bike got fitted to me today, and her name finally came to me. Jaguar is beautiful, fast, and she loves to go long distances

Here is her new profile, complete with Cat Eye Cadence computer, Light and Motion Stella headlight, and nice new Ergon grips! Her brake levers and shifters were also moved, along with just about every other part of her anatomy :)

Ok, so Jaguar didn't work :) Stella works much better... I love big cats and tried to pick one of those, but Stella fits. Reminds me of that movie (that I never saw) "How Stella got her groove back", or something like that...

Maybe Jaguar is her middle name? My bikes have first, middle, and last names, and nicknames. (I like naming my bikes)

Well, I didn't really do it on purpose, but my mountain bike picked up the name "el Diablo." Because, well, he's the devil :)