One of the posts people read frequently on this blog is Say My (Bike’s) Name: On Naming Your Bike, in which I described my tandem partner’s affinity for naming bikes and my own tendency not to do so.
That bike naming post received great comments about people’s processes for naming bikes as well as their bikes’ names. I liked them so much that I thought they deserved their own post, rather than being an addendum to my original remarks.
Below you will find the “Baby Post of Bike Names,” a first attempt at capturing the bike names shared on Chasing Mailboxes. Thanks to all contributors.
Enjoy, and if you have a name to add please do so in the comments. I will update the post accordingly.
By the way, the name The Big Cat stuck so our Co-Motion Java Tandem is frequently referred to as such. Meow? Rawr!
Baby Post of Bike Names
Amelia — Cannondale Quick 3. Named after Amelia Earhart, she flies far and fast. @astridbear
Archie, short for Archaeopteryx – Blue 1974 Raleigh Professional set up as a fixed gear. Because I used that as my animal totem in the Furnace Creek 508 years ago, and somehow that became the bike’s name. Emily O’B
Audrey – Mixte named after Audrey Hepburn because she is a pretty little mixte that I ride to work or to the coffee shop/pub in my street attire/makeup. She even has a woven basket. @Vic_toria
Baby – Circe Helios Duo tandem. @velovoice
Battleship Stupid – Surly Big Dummy @I_am_Dirt
The Beast – Salsa Mukluk fatbike. It’s big and likes to roll over things. Christopher T.
The Beast – Specialized Crossroads Sport (very heavy) . Laura
Betty – Electra Cruiser. Because that’s the name she comes with (it’s model). @girlonabikedc
Big Blue – Blue Raleigh Grand Prix: Big Blue. Rootchopper
Big Nellie – Tour Easy Recumbent. So named because I yelled “Whoa Nellie!!” as I passed 45 miles per hour fully loaded on Big Savage Mountain. Rootchopper
Birte – Koga Named after the person who signed off on the QC tag checklist…but I just call it, My Traveller. @mujozen
Blackie – Black Trek 1200. Rootchopper
Bluey – Jamis commuter. @jerdlngr
Blue – Jamis. Her name is Blue because, well, she’s BLUE. pencilfox
Bridget – 2010 Surly Cross Check. @velovoice
Casper the Little White Moulton – Moulton. Judith S.
Clover – Surly Disc Trucker, dark green. Named after one of the workhorses in Animal Farm for color, dependability and ability to haul lots of stuff. Sally H.
Demon – 2010 cannondale F5. robyn
Doris – Specialized mixte. Named after the BMW satNav system, Drive On Roads Intelligent System. Take the bike rather than the car, any day. LisaEmms
My Dumpster Bike – rando/commute bike. Because that’s where my wife found it and insisted I go dumpster-diving to get it. Andy
Electric Dream Machine – Felt ZW5. EDM for short. Laura
Esmeralda – Surly Long Haul Trucker. Iron Rider
Esmeralda – Brompton. @MrTinDC
Esmerelda – 2010 Raleigh Venture 3.0. The 2008 Raleigh Venture 3.0. James R.
Essie – Raleigh SC30. James R.
The Fixie – Raleigh Super Course. An admittedly unoriginal name that reflects its conversion. MT Cyclist
Fleur – Linus Dutchi @seven2seven8
Frankie – Handbuilt frame from tube steel. @josephlrc
Frankie – Red 80s steel frame with lots of replacement parts including crazy mustache bars with black-and-white zebra tape. Named after Frankenstein, but androgynous. Sally H.
Free Spirit – Schwinn Free Spirit. Laura
Giant – Giant Innova. Pronounced: gee-aunt but with more of a French accent to make it sound fancier. Renee Christine
Giddyup – Salsa Vaya. Because it’s light and quick. Christopher T.
Greased Lightning – Jamis Ventura Race. @TurtleDub616
The Great White – Santana Noventa tandem. Named such due to its pearl white color, and also my penchant for singing the Jaws theme as we overtake an unsuspecting half-bike. – pearl white Santana Noventa tandem. Paul
Gregor – a stupidly big bike named for the mountain that rides (Gregor Clegane). TheAirgonaut
Idéefixe – Bianchi San Jose, a fixed-gear. Named as an homage to Idéfix, Astérix’s dog and as a quasi-joke about fixation with bicycles. @ricksva
Ivan – Dahon folder. Tim
Jealousy, the Green Dragon – Lemond Ventoux, repainted British racing green. @josephlrc
Jon Snow – Specialized Allez. He knows he’ll never inherit the title and lands, but he is noble and strong nonetheless and goes off to join the Black Watch, and does an honourable job defending the kingdom. @Vic_toria
Julek – Trek 8000 mountain bike. @seven2seven8
Julius – Peugeot folder, named after its color. “Orange Julius,” get it? MT Cyclist
Kermit – Velo Orange Polyvalent. Because he’s green and has an affinity for swamps. @girlonabikedc
Lady Raincorn – Peugeot Versailles (white with rainbow accents) . Laura
The Lead Sled – Cannondale mountain tandem, charcoal gray in color. Another bike Felkerino succeeded in naming.
Leela – Takara Tribute, 80s steel frame. Smart, sturdy, light purple, one eyed (headlight) so named after the Futurama character. Sally H.
Liesl – 1950s Puch Rugby Sport. @velovoice
Lil Bleu – 2008 cannondale six13. robyn
Little Nellie – Bike Friday New World Tourist. Named after James Bond’s kit helicopter in You Only Live Twice. Rootchopper
Lorelei – 1979 Puch Princess mixte. @velovoice
Lucy – 2012 Brompton custom S8L. @velovoice
Miss Persimmon Pimpernel — Electra Townie. With her deep orange paint, white fenders and rack, and a flower bedecked front basket, she is every inch a lady. @astridbear
Mongo – Surly Big Dummy. Tim
The Mule – Heavy as hell old Specialized Sequoia, a corruption of Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer that only he can lift. Rootchopper
Old Faithful – Specialized Expedition (mountain-y hybrid). Laura
Ole Red – 1995 Cannondale Super V-900. robyn
Old Ironsides – Specialized hybrid. Named to note its substantial weight and steel-like qualities, but in truth rarely use the term. Steve
Pauline – Surly Long Haul Trucker, because the silver screen like smoggy pearl color reminded me of old silent movies like “The Perils of Pauline,” in which the heroine goes on many adventures, as I plan for the bike to do. James R.
Pearl – Cyclepro Mixte. My husband rescued and rebuilt it for me. True love, my commuter! @JenBrenneman
Pig, short for Iron Pig – Novara Randonnee. Originally named for how it handles with a 60 pound load, it’s kept its name (fondly) for the way it got me across the country. Pat L.
Pilot Vanishing Point – Custom Fast Boy Cycles mixte. Named Pilot Vanishing Point (a certain type of fountain pen), after the lugwork. @justshinyorg
Puck – Jamis 26″ mountain bike. Tim
Rachel – 1996 Specialized Rockhopper. James R.
Riley – 2014 custom Enigma Etape.
The Radish – 70s Motobecane 10-speed. @seven2seven8
Resolute Ruby – 2007/2008 Cannondale Quick. The story of how she got her name is here. russtyred
Robin – 2011 Surly Pacer. @velovoice
Rocinante – CCM. This bike somehow made its way south of the border to Washington, Illinois in the late 1970s. Every part was worn out, I eventually added a third wheel to it so I could compete in a high-school tricycle race, and shortly thereafter, I retired it. It was politely exotic and pretty much shot. 16incheswestofpeoria
RocketGirl – Titanium Seven @LDMay, who also works for NASA)
Rollie – ’75 Raleigh Sprite, the bike that launched my bike-wrenching obsession. MT Cyclist
Rootie – Trek mountain bike, because of its root beer color scheme. MT Cyclist
Ruby – a ruby-red 2010 9:Zero:7 fat bike. Michael L.
Sandy – Bianchi Volpe. @TurtleDub616
Silver Bullet – anodized silver Santana Sovereign. The frame looks like it’s made out of aluminum (Coors) beer cans and it’s fast! MikeC
Speedy – 2007 Cannondale Supersix. robyn
Sweetpea – ANT mixte. Nancy L.S.
Sweetpea – Surly Long Haul Trucker. Because it’s an apt description of her nature and color. @kfront
The Tank – Specialized Sirrus. @WilyMouse
“Taxman Craig” (or simply “Craig”) – Shogun Ninja I bought off Craigslist the very day I received my tax return. Jordan L.
Thorp – Custom road bike (named after Jim Thorpe). Tim
Tiny – Bike Friday Pocket Rocket. Bob T.
Tropical Gail and Storm – 2008 Cannondale road tandem. Captain half is Tropical Gail; stoker half is Storm. robyn
Venture, short for Aventurine – Surly Disc Trucker in matte green. Julie S.
Veronica – 2008 Raleigh Venture 3.0. James R.
Violet – Specialized road bike. Because the first road bike I test rode was purple, and the name stuck. Apparently there really are reddish violets. @jerdlngr
Woody Anne – 2000 Surly Cross Check, named after a bar down on Winnebago Street. Michael L.
Yellow Submarine – Dahon Speed Pro folder, due to an unfortunate episode involving a (surprisingly deep) river, back when I lived on the Isle of Man. @WilyMouse
Zwijn – Schwinn World Tourist. Zwijn is Dutch for hog, sounds like “sfwain.” I’m Dutch by birth, as are most of the people in my corner of Iowa. Plus, the Netherlands is solid bikes from one end to the other, so it works. Nathan
chasingmailboxes.com 
Casper the Little White Moulton has got to be on the list. He’s a legend of his own tiny three!
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Added. Such a good name! Also, a bike I believe I have met… you rode it on the 2011 PBP, no?
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I have a 1960’s/70’s banana seat cruiser bike from the brand “President” which was in west germany. im not sure wat to call her. she is red and she has a sparkly yellow seat
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Miss Persimmon Pimpernel — Electra Townie. With her deep orange paint, white fenders and rack, and a flower bedecked front basket, she is every inch a lady.
Amelia — Cannondale Quick 3. Named after Amelia Earhart, she flies far and fast.
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My bike’s name is Resolute Ruby. The story of how she got her name is here: http://rustyredriding.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-suicide-sally-got-ner-name.html
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2007 cannondale supersix: speedy
2010 cannondale F5: demon
2008 cannondale six13: lil bleu
1995 cannondale superV900: ole red
2008 cannondale road tandem: captain half is tropical gail; stoker half is storm.
and yes, they each have different personalities. speedy is an effete racer, can’t change his own flats. demon looks slow but don’t mess with him. lil bleu misses gay paree. ole red is cranky, tired and do NOT piss her off, she will whip your a$$ and then bake biscuits for church dinner. gail/storm pretends to be a leisure loving tourist but put her in an A++ group and she’ll wink at you while doing 33 mph.
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Mongo: Surly Big Dummy
Thorpe: Custom road bike (named after Jim Thorpe)
Ivan: Dahon folder
Puck: Jamis 26″ mountain bike
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I’ve never actually named a bike before. Although I did refer to my Trucker as “Big Blue” on one Flickr picture when I first got it. I’m going to have to rectify that now. From this point forward it’s name shall be: Babe, the Blue Ox. It’s a fitting name for a Minnesota bike.
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Leela. Takara Tribute, 80s steel frame. Smart, sturdy, light purple, one eyed (headlight) so named after the Futurama character.
Frankie. Red 80s steel frame with lots of replacement parts including crazy mustache bars with black-and-white zebra tape. Named after Frankenstein, but androgynous.
Clover. Surly Disc Trucker, dark green. Named after one of the workhorses in Animal Farm for color, dependability and ability to haul lots of stuff.
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Wow, Clover! Who knew that Animal Farm would influence bike names? Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, actually.
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And, as of last week, my ride is now Blue Riot.
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My brevet bike is the only one that has a name. Its name is Archie, short for Archaeopteryx, because I used that as my animal totem in the Furnace Creek 508 years ago, and somehow that became the bike’s name. It’s a blue 1974 Raleigh Professional set up as a fixed gear.
My better half likes to name his bikes, but only two of them really get their names used regularly. They are Daisy, his commuter, and Molly Stark, his custom brevet bike, named after a park in Vermont that just has a cool name.
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Ooh, just had to add.. my dad had a bike named Rosinante at one point. I saw that on the list. 🙂
I’ve sometimes referred to my touring bike as Ugly Bob, but since it’s currently getting S&S couplers and a new paint job I guess I’ll have to call it something else.
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Violet the red Specialized got her name because the first road bike I test rode was purple, and the name stuck. Apparently there really are reddish violets.
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Pig, short for Iron Pig, my Novara Randonnee. Originally named for how it handles with a 60 pound load (http://pdlamb.wordpress.com/lamb-trans-am/into-missouri-near-ozora-mo/), it’s kept its name (fondly) for the way it got me across the country.
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“Taxman Craig” ( or simply “Craig”) shogun ninja I bought off craigslist the very day I received my tax return
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How apropos! Great name.
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I have one bike named Bip after @roadchickie’s (merider) Uromatsyx lizard (story here: http://onespeedgo.blogspot.com/2010/05/burple-bike-gets-name-on-charles-m.html), while my commuter is named Yasuko after the lead singer for the Japanese noise band Melt-Banana. Both namings were an attempt I think to give some personality to bikes I ride frequently, but they remain stubbornly unpersonified, although I do feel some emotional attachment to them.
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What type of bike is each one? Want to add your bike names into the post, but was not sure…
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Autodämmerung (Twilight of the Cars) because Wagnerian opera makes an excellent soundtrack for urban commuting.
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What kind of bike are you riding? Going to add it to the list!
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White 2011 Fuji Crosstown
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These names are so good! Love the stories of the bike names and the way people are describing their bikes’ personalities. Makes me see bike naming in a whole new way…
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MG, Bip is a purple Trek 950 mountain bike. Yasuko is a black Fuji mountain bike with fenders and a rear rack.
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Great list MG! By the way, Zwijn is Dutch for Hog, not hot 🙂 It’s a rather homely, heavy bike that doesn’t mind the mud puddles.
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BDM short for Bike Dork Magnet- VanDessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
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Thanks MG for adding mine! Quick explanations:
Riley the custom Enigma: A name to honour the frame designer Mark Reilly but easier to spell. 😉
Robin the Surly Pacer: She’s British Racing Green and I lived on Sherwood Park Road when I bought the bike, so it’s a nod to Robin Hood.
Bridget the Cross Check: The Cross Check is, to me, an odd mixture of old school and modern… sturdy but not without elegance… fun and always “up for it” yet loyal and reliable. Somehow all this put me in mind of Bridget Jones….!
Lorelei the Puch Princess mixte: A friend suggested Dora when I got her, but on one of our first rides, struck by how smooth and silent she is, a couple of lines from a song that I was really into at the time popped into my head (http://www.songlyrics.com/luka-bloom/i-hear-her-like-lorelei-lyrics/) and that was that.
Liesl the Puch Rugby Sport: Liesl was the eldest Von Trapp daughter. (Well, Puchs were Austrian too!)
Lucy the Brompton – all my Bromptons are named after characters from Peanuts. My memory may play me false, but didn’t the various TV animations show Lucy in a blue dress?
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Thanks, MG, for the trip down memory lane! I still have Old Ironsides and he/it often serves as the bike for my 17 year old, who occasionally is bitten by the cycling bug.
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Basil, a yellow/racing green M6R Brompton; Argyll, a racing green/sage green H6R Brompton.
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Sage green 2004 Surly LHT: Huckleberry
Silver 2009 Surly Pacer: Percival
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My commuter bike is officially Little Lord Fauntlero because when he was first built, he was pale blue with a lacy plastic basket on the back rack. Now he’s grown up and no longer lacy, still blue but with sleek black Nordic accessories.
My Cannondale Synapse road bike is Donnerwetter, German for “thunder,” because he’s matte black. The Mechanic’s Cannondale road bike is bright yellow, and named Blitzen, German for lightening. Plus, that gives us Donner and Blitzen!
My mountain bike-to-be will be the Sopwith Camel, and painted accordingly. The Mechanic’s red mountain bike will be renamed The Red Baron to match. : )
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My two bikes are named the tortoise and the hare. My commuter is the tortoise. My wife named them.
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What kind of bike is each? My homework is to update this post with all the names people have submitted. They’re just great.
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Civia Prospect: The Friesian, after the horse breed. Both very good looking, the horse is a light draft/work horse, the prospect is a light tourer, plus I’ve got roots in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands where the breed originates.
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Liberty: A forest green oversize Giant Innova hybrid. A button-down, clean-cut good looking guy who always elicits the comment: “That’s a nice bike!”
Liberty Grace: A Del Sol LXI 7.1 with orange frame and white Kenda tires. A thrill-seeking risk-taker who masquerades as a flirty beach cruiser, but pulls an Uma Thurman in Kill Bill by surprising you when you least expect it with her supension fork and 21 speeds to kick butt on the trails.
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Well, it’s official, that I have too many bikes, most of which have names:
Salsa Casseroll: Miss Tank
Trek Earl (a single speed): B.B.
Trek Chelsea District: Lady Bike
Trek Farley: Little Fatty (my husband’s is Big Fatty– not very original)
My road bike and mountain bike are unnamed.
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Too many bikes? I say not if you ride them all!
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Sammy – Specialized Camber, it’s red and it rocks
Albert – Spec Fatboy
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hah, cool post!
just happened across it while looking for inspiration naming a recent acquisition. (a Matt black road bike)
my other named bikes are as follows;
Goldilocks – bright yellow steel framed genesis road bike
langy longlings – specialized langster
SS clunker – old Saracen MTB parts bin singlespeed for town duties
thanks!
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Diamond Girl – my Scott CR1, very fast and lightweight road bike. It was a gift from the girl that I offered a diamond back in 1988, my very own Diamond Girl and wife. The bike frame is carbon, just like a diamond. I am a chemist, so I thought the nod to the periodic table was fitting.
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Love it!
I’ve had the following named bikes myself
Norco Screamer – The Screamer
Nakamura Phenom – Eleanor
Steve Bauer Sirocco – Steve
CCM Presto – Priscilla
Trek Y-26 – Margarita
Shwinn Biggity – Cinnamon
Kawasaki Sumo 4.0 – Black Betty
Retrospec Amok 16 – Rocinante (aka Veronica)
cheers & happy naming!
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Skinny Raven – Black 2016 Quintana Roo Tri bike
Snot Rocket – Green 2017 Quintana Roo PR 5 Tri Bike
Just bought a Giant Dual Sport Gray Talon with a few specks of orange….not sure what to name her. That is how I found this page. Great names!
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Thor Talon or Thunder Claw!!!! That is it!
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I went out to talk to my bikes this evening to tell them about this post. They couldn’t believe it! All the ladies cheered that I must tell their names and stories. I don’t talk to them as a group, often. The last time was early Oct when I told them I was flying to Louisiana to cycle tour…and I asked, “who wants to go? who’s turn is it?” It was Beauty who could barely contain her excitement, me! me! ME! She howled. Beauty is my light grey Specialized Fate Comp Carbon 29er hardtail who has recently been converted to a bike packing bike. She is my first true mountain bike. She and I raced the cranky monkey series and rev3 series cross country races together (she the Beauty, me the Beast) and she was neglected a bit after than. She came to Louisiana with me, it was definitely her turn. Sexy Baby came with me to the 6 days Bike Virginia Tour this past June. Sexy Baby is black with light blue and light green flames. She’s a Trek Project One with the skinniest tires I have ever seen. She is sleek and so sexy, sometimes I feel like a cow when I ride her. They say, always go out with ugly girlfriends when hunting guys. I’m definitely the ugly one with Sexy Baby around. My Sweet is my Santa Cruz Hightower full suspension mountain bike. My Sweet will be traveling with me to ride the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for 5 days next year. She’s literally quivering at the idea of this trip. When riding gnar, My Sweet will make you scream “SCHWEEET!!” Then there’s Precious. As in Lord of the Rings, Precious…I ride Precious every day to and from work. Precious feels like a part of my anatomy, that’s how close we are. Precious came with me on the trip from my driveway in Arlington up the C&O, GAP and to Pittsburg. She also came with me to ride in Black Hills South Dakota. Precious is traffic stop purple (which is a deep, dark pink and the same color as my nail polish), she is an all steel, rack integrated with frame, Tout Terrain with a 1:18 pinion gear box, gates carbon belt, dynamo hub front, chris king hub rear, integrated lights, USB port in the stem, Jones Bars. ‘nuf said! She’s Precious.
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I should receive my bike tomorrow (Friday) We had to order it from out of town to get
the color I wanted. It is a cobalt blue Schwinn adult tricycle. I am going to name it
SAPPHIRE. I don’t have a car and I hurt my hip last fall and am getting very tired of
having to try and walk every where with a major limp. Sapphire should help.
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Great name! I wish you and Sapphire many good miles together.
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My name is Lee. Female. I just bought a minty green bike. I’m nor with het right now so all I can tell you is that she is a 500. I gave this pretty little lady the name 💖Dream Boat Annie💕👩 I sold my car that I bought used and wanted to have something brand new. If. You listen carefully to the lyrics you will understand. When I hear SAD FACES PAINTED OVER WITH THOSE MAGAZINE SMILES or NO ONE KNOWS THE LONELY ONE WHO’S HEADS IN THE CLOUDS. I think of people sitting in traffic as Dreamboat and I wiz right past them. And of course the end of this beautiful song….HEADONG PUT TO SOMEWHERE. WON’T BE BACK FOR A WHILE. It’s a new freedom. I think I made the right decision. Come n Annie! Let’s go shopping!💛💙💜💚💋
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The Camel- it’s sluggish and carries all my stuff. Raleigh Clubman
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“Hexxus” – matte blacked-out Specialized Enduro Comp. Named for obvious reasons (any FernGully fans?). He’s my downhill baby! 🙂
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My Cervelo P5’s name is “OathKeeper”, as I (drunkingly at a bar) promised a buddy that I would do an Ironman race with him, bought the bike and trained with it, and she got me all the way to the finish line! (Ironman Boulder, 2016)
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I just purchased a red Brompton. I might call her Mighty Mouse after the superhero on whom I had a giant crush when I was a child, or I might call her Brunnhilde after Wagner’s heroine in the Ring of the Niebelungen (flight of the Valkyries etc.)
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My Trek Marlin 5 2020 Matt black – used for short weekend rides is called Black Betty
My Mach city Munich Single speed aka my errand bike is called Clunker Junker
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The Black Cat – Specialized Sirrus 1.0 name after The greatest of all time. Micheal Jordan.
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Repo. Repo in honor of letting my car get repossessed so I could buy a bike. 100% true story. And then my DH bike “Cash” cuz you know my credit went to shit.
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Froggy – It’s green and I’m French
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My cream Aveny Blix is named “Beatrix.” “Beatrix” means “bringer of joy,” which she does! Named for Beatrix Potter, a strong and gifted writer, as well as an amazing human! I also love the strong and independent character on “Call the Midwife” named Beatrix, Trixie for short. Just seemed right.
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I am still saving up for my “Dream Bike” (a 7-speed beach cruiser), which I plan to name “Mercedes.” Mercedes is Latin for “mercy,” which was an ancient appeal to the Roman god Mercury when one’s luck went sour. Plus, Mercury was the patron of travelers, messengers and merchants!
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CarbonElla
super sexy & unique frame design
2020 all carbon fiber monocoque frame with a high gloss finish so the carbon shows through on its entirety. 1500 watt bafang ultra motor w/160 newton meters of torque 26″×4-in fat tires, 203 mm hydraulic disc brakes and almost 900 watt hour battery Powers this beautiful beast of a bike! it’s the all new nireeka prime and I’m in love with her..
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I named my bike “Shasta.” Because shasta have a new chain, shasta have a new seat, shasta have new pedals…….get the idea?
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