Barney, Caesar, Goldie, Priya, Pippa, Trocket, Therapy

I swapped the RavX saddle from my tri bike to my new Argon 18 and took it for a spin this afternoon. It still needs a tune-up and a bike-fit, but I just couldn’t wait. I put some dry-lube, installed a bottle cage, swapped the saddle and away I went. Compared to my Trek tri bike, it is remarkably quiet giving me a sense of calm too. Therapeutic!

So I have this habit of naming my bikes (and cars). I feel that if I personify these objects I feel oneness with them. Treat them with respect and you will be rewarded. It is not about how clean I keep my bikes; it is about talking to them when I ride and taking them out to new and undiscovered territories. There’s a profound deeper lesson somewhere in there.

Anyway, here are my bike and car names:

Bike Names

I own two bikes. One is a Trek SpeedConcept 7.2 tri bike with SRAM Rival components and the other is the one I just bought; an Argon 18 Gallium Pro road bike with Shimano Ultegra components.
  • Trocket: My Trek tri bike is the first FAST bike I have owned. The first time I got on it and rode it, I couldn’t believe how fast it goes with little effort. I immediately thought it was as fast as a rocket and named her “Trocket” (combination of Trek and Rocket). Of course, now I know that I am hardly fast on it!
  • Therapy: When I took the Argon 18 for a spin for the first time today, I felt a sense of calm and peace. It was a gorgeous day and I had a smooth rhythm to my cadence and my breath. I have decided to call this bike “Therapy.”

Car Names

  • 1990s: I bought a Honda Accord when Binita and I lived in Michigan. I simply read reviews, called the dealership and bought it over the phone without ever looking at it or test driving it. The color I chose was “Black Currant” without realizing that currant is actually a grape color (purple). The car arrived in all its glory and was distinctly dark purple. It shone in the sun like a purple grape (thankfully, there is not much sun in Michigan). What did I name the car? Barney of course.
  • Early 2000: Mercifully, after driving Barney for about 5 years, Binita surprised me with a new car; a very sexy silver Honda S-2000 Convertible. It made me feel like the king of the world. I named the car Caesar.
  • Mid 2000: After driving the S-2000 for a few years, I was tired of driving a loud stick-shift sports-car. I wanted something more subdued; hence I bought a used Mercedes ML 320 SUV. In retrospect, it was a mistake! Anyway, since it was Gold, I named her Goldie.
  • Late 2000: I went from an SUV to a hybrid when I bought the silver 2006 Toyota Prius. I was obsessed with hypermiling and LOVED my Prius; hence named her Priya (which means beloved in Hindi and Sanskrit).
  • Last year, I finally sold my Priya and bought a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and have named her Pippa. Yes, she is white and has a nice-looking butt; hence she is named after Pippa Middleton.
Our other cars have had names like Stella, Bugs, Chugga, etc. Binita’s current car is named the Black Mamba and the Subaru Outback is called Walkabout.

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