Originally posted at my old blog geekcyclist.blogspot.com

Since announcing the purchase of my new ride an interesting phenomenon has occurred. Several people have asked what I have named my new bike. Did I miss something? Is this a requirement for being part of the serious cycling community?

I have always known there were people out there who named their bikes, cars and other important inanimate object. I have never been one of them. That’s not to say I don’t remember fondly the various sets of wheels I have used to transport myself around this fair world:

• A dark green Coast-to-Coast secondhand bike I got from my grandparents. My first 10-speed.
• A brand new Schwinn Le Tour Lux I bought with money saved from delivering newspapers (and some matching funds from my parents). I crashed the first time I did my paper route on it when a neighbor kid ran out in the street in front of me. I rode that bike everywhere for a couple of years.
• A blue and white 1976 Volkswagen Van that was my primary vehicle when I got my license, and that threw rods when I aggressively down shifted on the way to a date. Missing that date was the beginning of the end of my first ‘serious’ high school romance.
• A 1976 Datsun Pickup. Mustard yellow, this truck was backed into in the school parking lot by one of my best friends, and one of the only friends from high school that I still hang out with after 20 years.
• A red cruiser bike that I rode in San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil while on a religious mission. This bike had to have weighed at least 40 pounds, and was such a pain to ride that instead I would walk miles and miles each day.
• A tan Mercury Lynx, the first car I actually bought for myself, and the one I was sitting in when I gave Mrs. GeekCyclist her engagement ring.
• A woody side Plymouth Volare that belonged to Mrs. GC when we got married, that was always breaking down. My dad took pity on use when we moved from Illinois to Utah and bought it from us for $500.

There have been others, but I swear, I don’t think I ever consciously considered naming any of those vehicles.

Should I Conform?

So, now I am left wondering…should I succumb to the pressure and give my new bicycle a name? And if I do, am I required to name the other steeds in the stable?

Currently I have the following bikes:

• The new hotness - An ‘07 Specialized Roubaix Comp
• The tried and true, even if a little creaky - An ‘02 Novara Randonee Touring Bike
• The old and a little rusty beater - A ‘92 Mtn Tek Verticle - A rigid fork hard tail that I started commuting to work on.

If you name your bikes I like to hear about it in the comments. If you feel strongly about what I should name the new hotness I am open to suggestions. The obvious ‘Ruby’ has already crossed my mind but I am not sure it feels right. Maybe because bikes aren’t really supposed to have names…what do I know?