How do you name your bike?

[Ham]

If in fact, you do.

I would have said I didn't, except it turns out I do, but by function rather than ID. When a perfect name pops up, it sticks. Thus my tourer is named Rocinante which cannot be bettered, for me. That, which has now been on two bikes, was the only name I have ever used for a bike.

I have just realised my commuter also has a name, just as aposite. Charon.

[T42]

Watch out for windmills.

Don't really name mine, though there's the odd epithet that sticks.  My LHT was usually just that but often enough The Clunker.

My sister called all her bikes Henry. Don't think she got up to VIII, though.

[Whitedown Man]

Somewhat prosaically, mine are named "summer bike", "winter bike" and "commuting bike" 

[eck]

A good friend of mine has named all of her bikes:

Trudy: Surly LHT
Speccy: Spesh hybrid
Trekkie: Trek MTB
Sophie: Liv Avail
Phoebe: Cannon d'Allez Synapse

No, I don't get it either. 

[phantasmagoriana]

Somewhat prosaically, mine are named "summer bike", "winter bike" and "commuting bike" 

Similarly:
Summer bike
Winter/CX bike
Old winter bike (yes, I have 2 winter bikes )
Fixed
MTB

[Kim]

Similarly mine get boring descriptive names.  The Red Baron is the exception, on account of getting a non-boring descriptive name (it's an Optima Baron, and it's RED).

[Jurek]

Generally, by manufacturer.
So -
The Scott
The Van Nic
The Bianchi
The Brommie, aka The Folder

The one exception is the Pompino, invariably referred to as The Fixer. Rarely/never Fixie.

[Cudzoziemiec]

By their manufacturer and/or model or by their colour. So far I've managed not to have two bikes the same colour or the same manufacturer at the same time. I think this is equivalent to not naming them. I do know someone who calls her bikes "Princess" and "Happiness".

[JennyB]

If in fact, you do.

I would have said I didn't, except it turns out I do, but by function rather than ID. When a perfect name pops up, it sticks. Thus my tourer is named Rocinante which cannot be bettered, for me. That, which has now been on two bikes, was the only name I have ever used for a bike.

I have just realised my commuter also has a name, just as aposite. Charon.

I do that too. My longbike is Oli  (short for Oliphant) and my fast ebike is Shadowfax.

[Mr Larrington]

When I was picking up the Baron from Futurecycles, one of Darth Ian's minions commented "That bike's invisible to radar", while Cosimo was the name of the Baron in the Trees from Italo Calvino's novella of the same name. Ergo Cosimo the Stealth Baron.

Depravo the Rat was a character in "Bert Fegg's Nasty Book For Boys And Girls", so Depravo the Roadrat was an obvious choice.

[Kim]

When I was picking up the Baron from Futurecycles, one of Darth Ian's minions commented "That bike's invisible to radar"

I trust that you've tested this hypothesis with a convenient speed camera? 

[Mr Larrington]

When I was picking up the Baron from Futurecycles, one of Darth Ian's minions commented "That bike's invisible to radar"

I trust that you've tested this hypothesis with a convenient speed camera? 

Alas not as the somewhat limited view from the cockpit meant he was only ever used for racing.

[frankly frankie]

Bikes with names.   

[Kim]

When I was picking up the Baron from Futurecycles, one of Darth Ian's minions commented "That bike's invisible to radar"

I trust that you've tested this hypothesis with a convenient speed camera? 

Alas not as the somewhat limited view from the cockpit meant he was only ever used for racing.

Ah yes.  With the seat all the way back you do have to use the Force...

[Jurek]

Bikes with names.   

Agreed. Wossat all about?

[redshift]

Er...

The tourer.  The mountain bike.  The trike.

Occasionally, the trike is referred to as Speedy, but that's an accepted standard name for a Windcheetah, and nothing to do with me or how I ride it!

[fd3]

Two of my bikes don't have names, but they either have a lineage as shorthand or a long excuse as to why I have them.  A name would make it shorter in conversation.

[TheLurker]

If in fact, you do.

Not much point when you only have the one.

[Polar Bear]

Hmmm, by accident really.

The black Thorn Audax machine is called Sloe.

The blue Roberts Roughstuff tourer is called Robbie.

The blue Roberts tandem came to me as Margaret Hilda and in spite of attempts to rename it, that name has stuck.

The green Raleigh Twenty is Bessie.   Just felt right.

I have previously owned:

Airbie, the butchered Airborne Carpe Diem,
Peaky, the stolen heavily modified Marin East Peak,
Daisy, a cheap Orbita tandem in white
The Green Meanie, a Marin Muirwoods
The Mattress, a no brand full sus mtb with a yellow frame
Chocolate, a green and black Raleigh Road Race
Rusty, a very secondhand short term replacement for Pinky when he was nicked
Pinky, a pink and white cheap Raleigh road bike
Thomas, a black Raleigh Magnum atb
Frenchie, a BSA Tour de France.

I cannot recall giving the Challenge Hurricane a name.

I have a couple of projects which are also as yet unnamed.

My 'new' frame for my flat barred machine is apparently a Paganini and the previous owner called it Niccolo.   I guess that name will stick.