Adagio Corse

Are folks here as fanatical about their bikes as car owners about their rides, to the extent that the bikes are not referred to as "it" but as he/she? And if so, then I have the following question:

Are bikes universally regarded as either male or female, or does it actually depend on the bike/individual? For example, do women call their bikes "he", but men call their bikes "she", or if you have more than one bike, are some referred to as "she" others "he" - ie/ MTB is a "he" but the road bike is a "she"?

Just wondering if there is a widely accepted usage that I am missing, and don't want to be making an embarrassing mistake if I name my bike "Annie", but it turns out all bikes are considered "he".

Yes I know, too much time on my hands, but certain questions can only be answered in forums such as this, right?

Also, with the anonymity of the net, I can avoid embarrassing myself at the LBS with this question

I know the easy solution is to just refer to the bike as "it", but I really do like my bike and it somehow feels wrong to refer to him/her as it!

fat_bike_nut

I've seen people refer to their bikes as everything you've listed and more

forensicchemist

I refer to mine as the "red" one, the "green" one, the "old blue" one, and the "new blue" one.....its a bike for crying out loud not your wife......

mark

bikecrate

Let me check under the saddle first and I'll get back to you.

M_S

Mine are more like dog breeds. The touring bike, for example, is a herd dog: Lively but loyal and responsive. All the rest are old mutts

JustBrowsing

I lifted up the back end and didn't see anything, so I'm guessing it's a she...

iamlucky13

That's an interesting way of thinking about them, all the more so since one of mine is a Kona Dawg. I would guess it's a border collie...not too big, a little mangy looking, not afraid of tough trails or bad weather).

My Trek hardtail is a mutt: Part Labrador Retriever, a couple parts various smaller breeds (aftermarket parts). Mild-mannered and dependable. Plays very well with others.

I generally think of both my bikes as masculine, because they're both mountain bikes and therefore play rough and get dirty. If I had a road bike, it would probably be feminine.

Allen

Any piece of machinery you love is a female.

redorchestra

if you take your cue from the french
it is La Bicyclette, which is feminine.

ephemeron

Now that you mention it, I do tend to think of mountain bikes as male and road bikes as female.

Blue Jays

I think of my bikes as being the Titanium one, the Steel one, the Aluminum one, and the Carbon Fiber one.

donnamb 

Even if one is female herself?

Allen

Of course, it's a parental love.

M_S

No cast iron?

Adagio Corse

I guess since the French and their Euro. counterparts use the feminine for "bicycle", I have my official answer.

kjohnnytarr

Mine is male. I think him of the way I'd think of a drinking buddy (I named my flask too ) or a faithful horse.

Nicodemus

Mine's a "he". His name is Big Jim Slade. I love to ride him. Am I gay?

East Hill

Good answer, although that doesn't necessarily make all the bikes female...

Some of mine are named after the colour: the "Dusty rose mixte".
Some of mine are named after the source: one of my bikes came from fellow member ChilliPepper, and it's a beautiful red, so naturally, what else could I name it? That's right, it's "ChilliPepper".
Some are named after the maker's model: my Specialized Dolce Elite, fondly known as "The Dolce".

But I don't really think of the bikes as male or female. They do all have names, though .

East Hill

rha600

mine was a he but found out he liked being a female more so now it's a she.

CdCf

My bikes are all "it"s...

I refer to them by general descriptions, depending on the circumstance. In one situation, I could refer to one as the "singlespeed" to differentiate it from the "27-speed". Or it could be "old" vs "new". Or "black" vs "green". Or "Crescent" vs "Surly". And so on, ad nauseam.

East Hill

I think it depends upon how many bikes are in the stable. One or two, those can be male or female. By the time you've got seven or eight--they're like children, you'll be lucky to remember all the names, never mind what sex they are.

Or, if you were like me mum, she would call for us thus: DaMarAnnElizJenniPhillip.

Until she hit upon the correct child .

East Hill

Bob Ross

Wow. The last time I anthropomorphized my possessions I was 11 years old and named my guitar "Wolfgang". (Note: this was in 1972, long before Eddie Van Halen was a blip on the music industry's radar, much less a father.)

My bike is an inanimate object. It's not "gender neutral", it's completely gender-less.

cerewa

In French, a bicycle is masculine if you call it "velo" and feminine if you call it "bicyclette".

baj32161

None of the above...it is my bike .

stapfam

Depends how Tough I am finding the hill. 15% with a headwind and it gets called something unprintable here.