Would a name put you off a bike?

[токамак]

I used to share a house with a bicycle courier - he was from Birmingham and rode an Argos bike, I asked him if he had put the Argos transfers on himself to put thieves off nicking it!

[Greenbank]

I used to share a house with a bicycle courier - he was from Birmingham and rode an Argos bike, I asked him if he had put the Argos transfers on himself to put thieves off knicking it!

I'd quite like one from here: Choose a frame - Argos Racing Cycles

[токамак]

That's rather nice isn't it. The name certainly wouldn't put me off one of those!

[PaulR]

Definitely going to resurrect the BSO challenge and do a few 100s and maybe a 200 on an Apollo next year.

I rode 300 miles from Paris to London in the company of a chap on an Apollo "tour de france" racer.  He didn't seem to have any problems with it, nor did I notice anyone sniggering.

[spesh]

Were it not for the fact that some people seem to take it seriously, I would find the occasional bouts of snobbery that manifest themselves on cycling fora over such trival matters as clothing, handlebar width, wheel size and knobbliness of tyres, and now, the name on the frame quite amusing. 

In my time, I've owned a Trek, a Dawes Galaxy, two Specializeds and my current commuter bike is a Carrera.

Can you hear the sound of me not caring?

[clarion]

Re: Carrera.  Their Subway, and particularly the Subway 8, are good commuters. 

Generally, I'd avoid the brand because of what I know about quality.  But this thread is really about the sound or feel of the name per se.  I think there's a certain poetry to the name of past brands.

Holdsworth; Hobbs of Barbican; BSA; Carlton; Lincoln Imp; Wester Ross etc

[bobb]

Can you hear the sound of me not caring?

I can't, no! Probably becasue you do care and nobody else does! You ride a Halfords special for a start!! 

[Ian H]

I think there's a certain poetry to the name of past brands.

Holdsworth; Hobbs of Barbican; BSA; Carlton; Lincoln Imp; Wester Ross etc

The poetry comes from knowledge. If you know nothing about bicycle history the names mean nothing.

[HTFB]

The thread Hope Pro III front wheel saves life of Kamikaze Fox has been confusing me all week. I've never seen anybody ride a Kamikaze Fox, but it sounds like a bling bomb-dodger bike which I wouldn't want and couldn't afford.

[clarion]

I think there's a certain poetry to the name of past brands.

Holdsworth; Hobbs of Barbican; BSA; Carlton; Lincoln Imp; Wester Ross etc

The poetry comes from knowledge. If you know nothing about bicycle history the names mean nothing.

I plead sort of guilty.  Surely names like Lincoln Imp, Wester Ross & Hobbs of Barbican are evocative all by themselves?

[chris]

In the early seventies, my sister had a Dawes Daisybell, I used to ride it in the garden, but I wouldn't take it out onto the street.

[JT]

I think there's a certain poetry to the name of past brands.

Holdsworth; Hobbs of Barbican; BSA; Carlton; Lincoln Imp; Wester Ross etc

The poetry comes from knowledge. If you know nothing about bicycle history the names mean nothing.

I plead sort of guilty.  Surely names like Lincoln Imp, Wester Ross & Hobbs of Barbican are evocative all by themselves?

Yes but they're evocative of a bygone era. I've never heard of them but to me they could be makers of sensible shoes, confectioners or an bespoke tailor. They sound old-fashioned.

[clarion]

Who wouldn't want a bespoke bike?  

[Chris S]

Who wouldn't want a bespoke bike?  

Bespoked at least...

[Ian H]

I think there's a certain poetry to the name of past brands.

Holdsworth; Hobbs of Barbican; BSA; Carlton; Lincoln Imp; Wester Ross etc

The poetry comes from knowledge. If you know nothing about bicycle history the names mean nothing.

I plead sort of guilty.  Surely names like Lincoln Imp, Wester Ross & Hobbs of Barbican are evocative all by themselves?

Yes but they're evocative of a bygone era. I've never heard of them but to me they could be makers of sensible shoes, confectioners or an bespoke tailor. They sound old-fashioned.

I rest my case.

[Woofage]

I have 3 bikes all with silly names:
On-One
Ridgeback
Raleigh* (OK, it wasn't a silly name once but it is now)

OTOH, I have no desire to own a Giant, Specialized or Trek as I feel these are a bit common.

So I don't care...but sometimes I do.

* it's a proper Raleigh, BTW .

[clarion]

I forgot to mention my other bike (well collection of components ~ a bike):

Rudge Pathfinder

Doesn't the first vowel evoke thoughts of quality, dependability and tradition?  Though I think the marketing guys might these days be a bit flustered by a name so close to 'Drudge'.

[blackpuddinonnabike]

I forgot to mention my other bike (well collection of components ~ a bike):

Rudge Pathfinder

Doesn't the first vowel evoke thoughts of quality, dependability and tradition?  Though I think the marketing guys might these days be a bit flustered by a name so close to 'Drudge'.

Pathfinder, however, makes it sound like an American bomber...

[clarion]

It doesn't have a lot of positive resonance, does it?  Makes it sound as though you'd just get lost without it, thou numpty!

[Ian H]

I forgot to mention my other bike (well collection of components ~ a bike):

Rudge Pathfinder

Doesn't the first vowel evoke thoughts of quality, dependability and tradition?  Though I think the marketing guys might these days be a bit flustered by a name so close to 'Drudge'.

Pathfinder, however, makes it sound like an American bomber...

History again. The reference is to road and path bikes, a long dead classification.

[mr bunbury]

I harbour an ambition to own a Lemond some day, since he shares a name with me.

Better buy one quick, then, as they're no longer being made!

Yeah I know.  But since I recently bought a bike (a Spesh Allez Sport with some upgrades) I'm resigned to getting an old one off ebay in a few years for a commuter.

[Tom B]

For a long time the name alone would have put me off buying a Pompino. If they were black or BRG maybe it wouldn't have, tho. Then one day I realised they were just Italian Bob Jackson's     (yep, i'm slow on the uptake)

Still, names didn't stop me getting:
Dawes One-Down  - so daft i often cover  the 'One-Down' bit with tape
LeMond Fillmore  -   hmmmm... OK, it's a hill in San Francisco. So what? And it's grey. How does California go with grey?
Holdsworth Monsoon  -  a bike named after a wind associated with heavy rain?

Other bikes I own or have owned:
Brompton  - ideal for cocktails or oratory
Merlin L'Internationale  - a clarionesque name if ever there was one
Viking Severn Valley  -  redolent of a bygone age
Raleigh Courier  - no chance of being mistaken for a fake-enger
Trek Soho  -  vaguely disreputable

[rogerzilla]

If I made bikes, they'd all have hard "D" names like Destroyer, Desecrator, Demolisher, Dambuster and...er...Defibrillator.

[Greenbank]

LeMond Fillmore  -   hmmmm... OK, it's a hill in San Francisco. So what? And it's grey. How does California go with grey?

Have you ever been to SF? The bay makes for an interesting climate in/around the city.

Holdsworth Monsoon  -  a bike named after a wind associated with heavy rain?

Monsoon, Typhoon, Cyclone, Whirlwind and Zephyr. (Not in that order though).

I'd never buy a Dawes because everyone things they're really funny by giving theirs the name "George".

[border-rider]

. How does California go with grey?

been to San Francisco ?

It was grey as hell last week

Foggy too,  until it lightened a bit pm