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I've noticed over the few years I've been reading the forums that it seems like a lot of TEers name their bikes. It never occurred to me to name the Bianchi anything other than "the Bianchi." So, DO you name your bikes? What name? Why?
It's not a serious topic, or a big deal. I'm just curious!
One person that doesn't & i don't understand why women name thier bikes???
Dogggiesss sure :)
Yes, only because DH and I have about 8 bikes between us, and it cuts down on some of the confusion during bike-related conversations.
That said, my new MTB (6 months old) and new commuter (a week old) are both nameless at this point. Nothing has really stuck yet, and I hate to force a name.
I do because they seem to take on personalities of their own, even though I know that's not possible! My Cannondale road bike is "Mike the Bike". He's named after a guy I knew once who was sleek, handsome and just a little bit rough around the edges, like my aluminum framed R6.
My new Surly will be named "La Chatte Noir" - "Cat" for short. I have cat reflective stickers and everything. :D
I only have one bike, but she has a name. I think people tend to name things that seem like more than just tools to them. I know lots of people who always name their cars, which I've never understood. But then, I don't much care what my car is, as long as it gets me from point A to point B. And my daughter anthropomorphizes freakin' everything, so everything has a name, from all of her stuffed animals to her bike to her backpack.
Sarah
I don't name inanimate objects, either. I also don't decide if my bikes are "men" or "women."
I call my bike, my bike, which refers to my road bike. If I am going to ride the others, I say "the Jamis" or my mtb.
This is really interesting! And I guess it's just a black or white thing, I love my bikes, they're pretty and I like to go fast (ummm... faster than walking at least), but they are just bikes.
So do you say things like, "I feel like going fast today, I'm taking Mike!", or "Bessie's better with hills." ?
I must admit, I DO talk to my plants, they're all named "Plantie."
One more question-Male or female? Seems like most are referred to as "she", but Smurf's latest is a boy (which got me thinking about all of this), Andtckrtoo has a Mike. How do I tell the sex of my bikes? ;)
My bike's name is Onyx. It's black with a hint of blue here and there.
I name everything, so it was natural for me to name my bike. My car's name is Snow White! Everything thing that I name seems to have a color reference..
I'm one that doesn't really name things that don't have a heartbeat, but I do plan on naming all my bikes (I have three...going to be four soon, but that one's a very old, used bike for my trainer only). I found a name for my Orbea Onix...she's Carrie, a little flighty and a chick that gets around, but she's totally loyal to her friends (ie. ME!). I haven't gotten around to riding my MTB or my hybrid enough to get a 'feel' for names, but that'll come by summer time I'm sure :p
Yes. I don't know why, but I tend to name things I really like and spend a lot of time with. *shrugs*. My bikes are officially "christened" when they first draw blood :rolleyes: There's:
Cougar (which left a very nice "claw" mark down my shin)
Prez (purchased on election day)
Oxymoron (the extra small Giant)
Vendetta (Vee for short)
I seem to stick to masculine pronouns for all but Oxymoron; no idea why.
O, yes, and I'm typing this on ShiKhar (Spock's birth city in Star Trek) the MacBook.
I do, but I'm not sure why exactly. I started calling my Bianchi "Sprout" after my BF at the time referred to her as the little green bike. I got a new bike just last week and haven't quite settled on a name. My current BF and I have thrown a bunch of stuff around. For whatever reason, he referred to the bike jokingly as "Nugget"--I think because it's really small--and I have a feeling it might stick, mostly because it makes me laugh.
I don't refer to my bikes all the time by name. It's much more sporadic than that. Usually, I just call it "baby" or "The Bike." I will say that I do feel very emotionally attached to them, in a way that I'm not attached to my house or car.
No.
I don't. But DH does.
I tend to name only living things. My bikes have handling quirks, but not real personalities. I'll refer to them as "the road bike", "the tri bike" or "the mountain bike".
But... a friend of mine had a Ford Expedition SUV that was a light gray. That car was so big it deserved a name. So it became "Moby".
Definitely !!!!
Since I always refer to my bikes by their names, and not the make, even the people at my LBS know who's who. They actually named one of them for me when I purchased it there.
Road Bike - Natalie Jean
Mountain Bike - Naomi Grace
Single Speed - Newton Henry
Love my ride! It's a thing of beauty -- still admire it every time I walk into the room. But, it doesn't have a name. After almost four years of waiting for the perfect appellation, I don't think it's gonna happen. I simply refer to it as The Bike.
My new bike is still kind of in between. It's real name is "My Alibi" (after my grandfather's boat) but it is generally referred to as "Bicycle", as in proper noun. "I'm taking Bicycle out". I would like something catchy, but it has to fit.
Carmine the mtb was a very bad girl--she threw me and caused my friend to have PE's. Bad girl! Bad, bad girl!
No, but I've tried. I even tried to name cars in the past, but the names never stuck. I loved my last car more than a human should love a hunk of metal (I cried when I traded it in), but yet I could not get a name to stick.
Same for the bikes. We just refer to them by their model names: Isis, Classic, Tricross, Roubaix, etc Luckily, there are no repeats at the moment. ;)
We suck at naming anyway. Our dogs have two of the most popular dog names ever. And our cat is named 'Kitty'. We really need to branch out a bit, I think. :p
GLC, lol. So the goat is known as "goat"?
Actually, one of them came with a name (Sasafrass) and the other one we just named 'Buddy' after we started referring to him as that. "come here little buddy....here you go, little buddy...do you like apples, little buddy?"
We aparently have issues. Good thing we don't kids or they'd probably be called names like "Sonny" and "Lady". :p
Yes. My Jamis is J'Aimesh, my GT mountainbike was named (not by me but by a friend) "Jewish bike" because it was given to me by a Jewish friend who put a hebrew decal on the side of it (and I have no idea what it says but someone told me it says, "this pleases me", my old Giant Cadex is the Wee Giant (it's a smallish bike) and the one I just traded was the Booberry.
The new one that's coming will be named upon arrival, but I was thinking, "The Changeling."
We just refer to them by their brand or model names...same thing with the cars.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pink Diva
My road bike is Miranda! SATC? Somedays I need a stern but caring voice to tell me I can do something. Plus she seems like she would be a spitfire. I name my bikes and my cars. My mountain bike is Tess because it is a Scott Contessa and she is small and nimble. My former roadie was Fiona, after the princess in Shrek. A bit of a pain but a heart of gold. :p:D DH embraces it and calls them by name.
DH's are the Cannondale (roadie), the Stumpy or the mountain bike (mtn Stumpjumper) and the Kona or the commuter or the cyclocross. But the Kona came with a name- Jake. So he doesn't name them.
I named our truck Clifford which had my brother howling. Our truck is Dodge Ram Quad Cab in red. It doesn't fit in the garage. Clifford the big red dog never fit in his house.
Certain pieces of mechanical beauty deserve a name.
For instance my Cannondale road-bike- Tangerine (it's orange)
DH's Raleigh road-bike - Silver Bullet
& our motorcycles - Thor & The Mistress
Others, like my Schwinn Mnt. bike from Target in all it's mass produced cheapness, do not.
Combine that with the amount of time these pieces are your sole companion for miles on end & I think it's fair to say for that reason as well they deserve a name.
But, maybe I'm just goofy in the head. :p
Bf's car is Christine based on her desire to lock me in or out, based on what would be the most inconvenient for me.
I've named my bikes, but nothing else inanimate.
I have:
Speedy (my triathlon bike)
The Tank (my touring bike- as in "heavy as a tank")
dirty (the mtn bike)
My grocery store mixte doesn't have a name. I don't know why- but it doesn't need one. I always say I feel like a granny when I ride it, so maybe it becomes "granny" one day.:rolleyes:
I often get made fun of by DH, but he's started calling my bikes by their names lately. We went riding one day last week and he asked if I was taking Speedy or the Tank. hee hee:)
Our tandem is the only bike with a name- Big Red.
The other bikes are called by their bike model names but "Trek" and "T2000" just didn't work. I did consider calling the tandem "Terminator" at one point.
I used to think it was kind of silly/cute that Dh named his car when we were dating. He hasn't named any of his cars since. They have been newer with less personality (read: issues). It was General Hirohito or something like that. The Japanese make car counterpart to the General Lee.
Now, here I am doing it with my bikes. My custom Rodriguez Adventurer is named Esmeralda, but is referred to more as Emmy, for her stunning color. Plus I feel "she" is my gem of a bike and the fact that "she" was purchased around my wedding anniversary. Even though it wasn't technically an anniversary present, in my mind, it kind of replaces my original wedding ring that I lost a few years back which had an emerald in it. Also, she's the one on which I can picture myself riding through the European countryside on a fully loaded tour - maybe Nice or Tuscany. (Hunchback of Notre Dame: Esmeralda is the name of the Gypsy woman).
I just purchased a step-through cruiser type bike that for some reason the name Tilly keeps popping into my head when I ride "her." (Okay, the quotes are getting annoying so I'm leaving them out starting now.) She just feels like a she.:rolleyes::o:D:p She's a plain jane of a bike. Not much to look at, but so fun to ride.
I have a mixte, but it doesn't have a name yet. I haven't had the time or funds needed to fix it up properly so it hasn't been ridden. I'm sure once I get to know the bike better, I'll get a feel for what his/her name should be.
I never named my bikes or any other inanimate objects before I really got into riding. 'Course, I was not overly fond of my Terry Classic. It just did not fit me right no matter how much fiddling we did it.
For me, I think has to do with that fact that I'm projecting a bit of myself on my bike because they feel like an extension of my body; which in turn is like an extension of self. So, you could say they are physical representations of my inner personalities.:eek::p Or something like that.:rolleyes::D;)
ETA: I think I only use their names about a third of the time IRL. Usually I just refer to Emmy as my Rodriguez or my tourer.
Our 67 Sperry teardrop trailer is called Esmerelda!
indigoiis - Cool! Did it come with that name? Or is there a story behind it too?
I usually call my Cannondale CAAD9 "Baby", but sometimes Caady (pronounced Caddy).
I think I've referred to her as Pinky before, since she's pinked out. But I guess I never settled on one name that I use often and exclusively. She's probably referred to most commonly as simply, "my bike". And she's fine with that. We do have a good relationship. I take care of her and she takes care of me. :D
All of our bikes are named. I figure anything that I am spending that much time up close and personal with needs a name.
Gidget-my Titus RacerX mtb
Bob-all mountain, a bit heavy but he can a hit
Trixie-road bike, Speed Racer's gf
Belle-my commuter
DH has
Babe the big blue ox-mtb
Gandalph the Grey-mtb
Road bike-yet to be named
I refer to all the bikes by name as do our riding buddies. It is weird, because I am not " cutsey", and nothing else is named.
I name things that I feel a connection to. And I definitely feel that w/ my bikes! Especially apparent now that I've sold my first bike, who I miss dearly. Her name was Sexy Purple.
Currently my road - the Look 585 - is affectionately known as Frenchie. I'm getting a Surly 1X1 setup like a townie this weekend. And I'm thinking her name is going to be Sparkle. Though we won't know til we bond. I also name my BFs bikes - Great White - the white giant mtb who has white richie bar and stem, and Super Sonic Speed Machine - the Scott Addict.
Its all about emotional connection.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I bet it's a strappy little bike. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by indigoiis
Got Shane, the road bike and Simon, the mountain bike... When me and a friend first got back into cycling a couple of years back, we had 2 BSO's called Rocky and Horror (they lived up to their names). Then I ended up with Clive, who was completely the wrong size, so Simon is actually his replacement. :)
Oddly enough, I thought of this thread this morning when i went past a street sweeping vehicle..named "betsy"
You know, I figured you couldn't have your private parts on something for long periods of time and not give it a name:D
mtb - rockhopper is Ba-Loo (like the Jungle Book)
road - trek 2100 is Marguerite (she stops for them!)
hybrid - diamonback is The Hulk. The name doesn't quite fit and may morph now that I put fenders and a rack on him. Makes him feel more femine:p
never thought about it, but "baby" would certainly be it!
Yep, Lightning is her name. I'm a nascar fan and by coincidence, my Trek bike is black and white (like a checkered flag). Lightning is the name of the lead "car" in the Pixar movie "Cars."
I'm convinced it works, because on our first ride, we attempted the hardest hill in our local ride. Halfway up, I said, "Lightning, get me up this hill." We made it! It stuck.