Do you name your bikes, and how did they get their names, if you do?

[Badgerdogmomma]

My favorite bicycles all have names. Mostly, this started when the family "bike stable" got some twin models that were very different after personal modifications. It just made the bikes easier to talk about, and we talk about our bikes a lot! There is Ronald, Sylvia, Bluebell and Rosy. These are all traditional (not electric) bikes. Ronald is a lightweight (for the time) xc fs mountain bike. It only came in one color, yellow and red. When I first showed up with it at the trailhead for a ride with our buddies, they said it looked like I mugged Ronald McDonald and stole his bike, so that is Ronald. Sylvia is similar to Ronald, but silver, so Sylvia seemed right. Rosy is a pink-and-silver cruiser bike, the pink reminds me of one of my favorite roses in the garden. Bluebell is a city bike, you guessed it, blue. My young neighbor likes the bell that came on it, and she is the one who named Bluebell. Perfect. My first ebike is on the way, and will be named after I get to know it. Do your bikes have names?

 

[Ann M.]

One of my customers picked up a used ebike on Craigslist; it had no decals, had been partially repainted and had a couple of odd looking components, so he called it his Frankenbike. I shortened it to Frank since the bike seems to have a guy-like personality! The customer thought that was a hoot and has adopted the name .

 

[Badgerdogmomma]

One of my customers picked up a used ebike on Craigslist; it had no decals, had been partially repainted and had a couple of odd looking components, so he called it his Frankenbike. I shortened it to Frank since the bike seems to have a guy-like personality! The customer thought that was a hoot and has adopted the name .

Long may Frank roll!
I have noticed that the ones I have named have developed distinct personalities over the years. Ronald can be a little mean, sometimes I am sure that he wanted to throw me off a cliff when I wasn't climbing a mountain fast enough to suit him. Let him fly over bumpy singletrack, though, and he is practically screaming with glee. Sylvia is sweet and steady, almost whispering encouragement when the going is tougher, and happy to go anywhere...I have had thousands of slower-than-Ronald but super-happy miles on Sylvia. Rosy is really pretty, but a little loopy and a bit of a tank. Rosy forces the rider to slow down and really enjoy the ride. Everyone I've shared Rosy with has had a big 'ol grin on their face while they roll around slowly. I put my chiweenee pup in Rosy's basket last week for her first bike riding lesson, and we both had such a good time that what was supposed to be a 20 minute ride turned into a 2 hour ride (tailwind, one ear up, headwind two ears up!). So Rosy's magic works on doggies, too. That one, anyway. Bluebell is relatively new, but has a love for smooth pavement, and makes me appreciate smooth pavement too, in a way none of the other bikes do, haha. Once you find smooth places to roll, Bluebell can make you forget for a while that life isn't all blue sky and roses. I am looking forward to naming the new one, when I get to know it.