What car is your bike?

[jlnc]

The other day a non-cycling friend asked me what kind of bike I had. Being a child of the 70's-80's, she had 2 points of reference...a banana seat bike or a "10 speed".
I tried to explain my current bike (Trek 7.5 FX) to her, but she didn't understand. She finally asked, "Well, what kind of car would it be?" After thinking about it I decided it was a Honda Accord Coupe...kind of sporty but not a racing machine, a good, reliable, all around vehicle, lots of people own them. She immediately understood! Then I started thinking about my old DiamondBack comfort bike....that would definitely be an older, bare bones mini-van...built for comfort and convenience, but lacked style and couldn't get up a hill to save its life (or my legs!).
I'll probably never be a Porsche owner...but maybe one of these days I'll upgrade to something a little zippier...
So, what kind of car(s) are you riding?

[zoom-zoom]

Ooh, fun question!

Perhaps my SuperSix would be a lot like my Mazda 3...fun to drive (pedal), lightweight, not high end, but not stripped-down and cheap, either. Can go fast...but not so great in snow or during crappy weather (thankfully my 3 can actually take snow tires--the stock tires are wretched in snow). Not as sporty as better-equipped versions of the same bike, either.

My CX bike would be more like an SUV, I think (though I am not a fan of SUVs, on principle). Or perhaps a Subaru or Volvo wagon with AWD/4WD...relatively efficient, but not as much so as my dedicated road bike. But it can go places my road bike can't go.

The mtn. bike I'm getting is more like a Jeep Wrangler. Truly made to go off-road and not as ideal for pavement. Less efficient, heavier, rough tires...

[Owlie]

Ooh, fun question!

Perhaps my SuperSix would be a lot like my Mazda 3...fun to drive (pedal), lightweight, not high end, but not stripped-down and cheap, either. Can go fast...but not so great in snow or during crappy weather (thankfully my 3 can actually take snow tires--the stock tires are wretched in snow). Not as sporty as better-equipped versions of the same bike, either.

My CX bike would be more like an SUV, I think (though I am not a fan of SUVs, on principle). Or perhaps a Subaru or Volvo wagon with AWD/4WD...relatively efficient, but not as much so as my dedicated road bike. But it can go places my road bike can't go.

The mtn. bike I'm getting is more like a Jeep Wrangler. Truly made to go off-road and not as ideal for pavement. Less efficient, heavier, rough tires...

Oh?

I have no idea. I've only ever driven one car (mine!), so I have no real point of comparison.

[zoom-zoom]

Oh?

I have no idea. I've only ever driven one car (mine!), so I have no real point of comparison.

Tell us what you drive and we can tell you what kind of bike matches!

[Owlie]

Tell us what you drive and we can tell you what kind of bike matches!

I've also got one bike!
I drive an Accord.

[lph]

My car is just like my bike. Or vice versa. We have a beat-up old Toyota Corolla with dents and scratches, dark blue so I can never find it on parking lots, full of pine needles and sand inside, but it runs like clockwork

yesterday in a sports store a guy (the owner?) came up to me and asked if he could take a picture of my old Frankenbike and put up on the shops webpage, "because it's just so cool. An old Kona Cinder Cone, wow!" <3

[Bike Chick]

Fun question!!!

Let's see, my Luna would be like a Cadillac DTS--comfortable, smooth and good for long distances. My QR would be like a Mustang GT--fast with a little rougher ride. My Surly would be my SUV with AWD and my Schwinn would be a Buick Electra.

[redrhodie]

Maybe people who are into cars would think I'm nuts, but Sugar's a Porsche, Puddin's a Karmann Ghia, and Princess Ice Boogy is a Land Rover. All of them are way nicer than my beater car, a Nissan Maxima, which is going to the shop again today.

[jessmarimba]

I'm thinking the Fargo is...I don't know, an Expedition? It can go off-road but isn't the best choice for the crazy stuff. It's super comfortable, good in all conditions, but it takes a little extra gas to make it go. And it can carry a lot more than what I use it for

(I don't know SUVs really well, but that's what my ex-boyfriend's parents drove and I just remember car trips being pretty comfy even for long distances.)

[KnottedYet]

My Surly Cross Check is a Subaru Impreza wagon. Can haul, can zoom, high clearance, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, powerful, spry, do-it-all, sturdy.

Kinda like this one: http://www.subiegal.com/gallerymain/...llygallery.php

[WindingRoad]

Hmmmmmmm..... this is a fun thread Well the Salsa Vaya would be FORD (Fix Or Repair Daily) right now anyways, lol. No offense to Ford owners, just a funny analogy. I'm still working out the bugs in the drive train. Once I get it worked out it should be my bike version of a Landrover. The Lemond Roadbike... I'd say an RX7 because it's older, nice looking but still pretty fast. The Mountain Bike right now a Jeep Wrangler that sits in the garage. Really wish this rain would stop. Hasn't even had its maiden voyage yet

[spokewench]

The carbon fiber Giant racing bike is a lamborgini. The specialized FS mountain bike is one of those special 4 wheel drive racing cars like they drive at Baja. The old aluminum Klein is a Mazda Miata. The Bridgestone Steel road bike is a honda accord.

I think I need a clunker!

[Biciclista]

wah, i don't know. my orange custom steel bike with Brooks saddle and handlebar tapes and special randonneuring tires is kind of like a 1950s sports car, Alfa Romeo? Ferrari? but no, maybe it's a Fiat cinquecento... from the 1960's.

[Bethany1]

Hmm. Not sure. I've only owned Hyundais and DH has a Honda CR-Z hybrid (think updated CRX from the 80's). I don't think a Madone fits into the boring but reliable Hyundai mix and it's far better than a pretend race car of the CR-Z.

Since my Sirrus has been recalled for something about brakes and the fork, I'd put it into the Toyota family.

My Mamba might be like my Santa Fe SUV. It does pretty good but really isn't made for serious off-roading. My Trek Y-11 is probably a Jeep that needs fixed.

My Trek 1.2 would be your basic all around sedan car.


DH's full suspension mountain bike would be a fancy SUV.

His Townie and Trek Navigator would fit into the Buick line.

His Rat Fink Chopper bike would fit into a the old cars that have been restored. Look cool and rides great, but is more for looks than anything else.

[skhill]

Great question-- I've used the car analogy before with non-bike people, to explain the tendency to have multiple bikes.

My Trek 7.3 fx, with rack and panniers and the ability to carry a lot of crap, is like my nearly 10 yr old Subaru Outback. Sturdy, reliable, practical, but kinda boring. The other bike is a 1992 Cannondale R400, and I think of it as an older convertible, horribly out-of-date mechanically and not very good in bad weather, but fun and fast.