True Cost of a Supermarket Bike

David Kerber wrote:

Anybody else give their bike a name?

I consider that any kind of Higher Machine deserves a name. They seem to
me much more clearly emanations of human intelligence and spirit than
children are.

Generally, they name themselves after a while, but it can take a long
time.

Desktop computer: Trismegisthos - the "Thrice Great", because he is 3
times more powerful than the desktop that preceded him. This is also one
of the names of the God Hermes, ruler of Information Technology.
Laptop computer: Iris - She has that wonderful Sony screen and is equipped
for visual work like e-photography, so named after the Greek goddess of
the Rainbow.
Palmtop computer: Luciole, French for Firefly
First kick-scooter: Silver Broomstick
Xootr kick-scooter: Pipistrello, Italian for Bat.
Dutch Bike: Behemoth on bad days, Blue Bicky on better, but definitive
name still pending

My parents have always driven named cars. Last I heard, they were driving
Siegfried, who signed himself by playing the eponymous opera on his radio
as they were transitting through a suitably Wagnerian landscape in skiing
country. Their computers, too, are Bronwen (the White Breasted) and Puck.

EFR
Ile de France

In article ,
says...
In article ,
David Kerber writes:

This thread got my mind wandering in a completely different direction:
how many of you give your bikes (and/or cars) names?

Heck, I've gotta call 'em /something/ when I goad or encourage
them. Yes, sometimes I talk (in a certain sense) to my bikes
like they were saddle horses. Like when winding up for a
sprint: "Gimme some of that juice, bike name!" I realize
bikes don't have ears or brains[*]. It's just for my own benefit.
I'm just externalizing goading or encouraging myself. But, it
works for me.

LOL! I do the same kind of thing with my arrows at an archery
tournament: If one of them gets out of the 5-ring, I tell it "I'm
putting you in timeout until you learn to behave", and put it into a
different pocket of my quiver for a few ends. Purely psycological I
know, but it helps keep me relaxed.

.....

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

Well, Elisa IDF, I actually bought a cheap bike at the mall, at a sport
chain called Go Sport. Less than 200 euros w/baby seat installed. I'v
put about 700-800km on her since September and could not be happier.
just dropped her off for a little revision and TLC, and am confiden
that 15 euros and 2 days from now I'll be back in the saddle again, an
happy about it

HOWEVER, I purchased a wireless counter at the supermarket (Carrefour
and realized that no one should by anything bicycle related in a grocer
store because you will get absolutely no help and the people workin
there know absolutely nothing about what they sell to you

That is why when I go to the supermarket to buy other items and I se
people looking at the bikes there (and they are attractive and cheap)
have gotten in the habit of going up to them and telling them NOT to bu
their bike there, that if they want to buy and maintain a decent bike
the should go to a sporting goods/bike store... I have discourage
atleast 2 from buying those bikes, and hope they went to see the helpfu
people where I bought mine

She doesn't have a name, but I really have strong feelings fo
her... I'd almost call it love and the mere thought of someon
stealing or violating her makes me shudder. But she's still just
cheap water buffalo

It's not Myrtle's fault..


-

"David Kerber" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...
In article ,
David Kerber writes:

This thread got my mind wandering in a completely different direction:
how many of you give your bikes (and/or cars) names?

Heck, I've gotta call 'em /something/ when I goad or encourage
them. Yes, sometimes I talk (in a certain sense) to my bikes
like they were saddle horses. Like when winding up for a
sprint: "Gimme some of that juice, bike name!" I realize
bikes don't have ears or brains[*]. It's just for my own benefit.
I'm just externalizing goading or encouraging myself. But, it
works for me.

LOL! I do the same kind of thing with my arrows at an archery
tournament:

I also tell my bike not to fall over when I've leaned it up against
something (and shake my finger at it at the same time) by saying sharply,
"Stay! Stay!". I also tell it not to fall out of the bike rack on the bus
nearly every time I load in there. The drivers think this is amusing.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com

Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky
My bookshelf: http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Cpetersky

"To forgive is to set the prisoner free and then discover the prisoner
was you."

less'go wrote:

Well, Elisa IDF, I actually bought a cheap bike at the mall, at a sports
chain called Go Sport. Less than 200 euros w/baby seat installed. I've
put about 700-800km on her since September and could not be happier. I
just dropped her off for a little revision and TLC, and am confident
that 15 euros and 2 days from now I'll be back in the saddle again, and
happy about it.

From the shop names you're apparently France-based too. So let's hope one of
the other posters, who mentioned that French supermarket bikes are a cut
above those in the US, was right, and that our frames, at least, will hold
up to upgrades. Go Sport is a little better than a supermarket though - at
least it is a specialized sports shop. I bought my bike computer at one
branch of Go Sport. When it did not work on my bike, I took it to another Go
Sport for testing. It was fine, and in the process I realized that I had
installed it wrong, and it has been working fine since I took it home and
reinstalled it. So I can't complain about after-sales bike service at Go
Sport. Cora and Carrefour are a different matter.

EFR
Ile de France

Claire Petersky wrote:

I also tell my bike not to fall over when I've leaned it up against
something (and shake my finger at it at the same time) by saying sharply,
"Stay! Stay!".

Be sure to follow that up with "good bike", but only when it obeys.
When I return to find that it has fallen over, I say "Look what you
did!" It seems to sulk for a little while afterwards.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

"Terry Morse" wrote in message
...
Claire Petersky wrote:

I also tell my bike not to fall over when I've leaned it up against
something (and shake my finger at it at the same time) by saying
sharply,
"Stay! Stay!".

Be sure to follow that up with "good bike", but only when it obeys.

I agree. Consistency on your part is very important if you want consistency
on your bike's part.

When I return to find that it has fallen over, I say "Look what you
did!" It seems to sulk for a little while afterwards.

Taking it out for a spin will cheer it up almost immediately, though.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com

Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm

Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky
My bookshelf: http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Cpetersky

"To forgive is to set the prisoner free and then discover the prisoner
was you."

(Tom Keats) wrote in message ...
In article ,
David Kerber writes:

This thread got my mind wandering in a completely different direction:
how many of you give your bikes (and/or cars) names?

Heck, I've gotta call 'em /something/ when I goad or encourage
them. Yes, sometimes I talk (in a certain sense) to my bikes
like they were saddle horses.

I've tried naming them, but it never sticks. Don't talk to them, but
after a hard ride they get a pat on the saddle.

Tom Keats wrote:

In article ,
David Kerber writes:

This thread got my mind wandering in a completely different direction:
how many of you give your bikes (and/or cars) names?


Heck, I've gotta call 'em /something/ when I goad or encourage
them. Yes, sometimes I talk (in a certain sense) to my bikes
like they were saddle horses. Like when winding up for a
sprint: "Gimme some of that juice, bike name!" I realize
bikes don't have ears or brains[*]. It's just for my own benefit.
I'm just externalizing goading or encouraging myself. But, it
works for me.

When you've got a bunch of 'em, names help to differentiate them.
Right now, my stable consists of ol' Pig Iron (the main, workhorse
bike -- a Norco Bigfoot), Gertrude (the black mixte Sekine), Rudy
(the white DF Sekine), and Cousin It (the Araya).


cheers,
Tom

[*] or /do/ they? hmmm.

My aging Norco Bush Pilot is "Phoenix" because it's been resurrected a
couple of times. It doesn't even have the original frame. It's like
that old Bridgestone cyclist told me once: "The wife says the only
original part is the nut holding the handlebars".

Bernie

In article ,
Kevan Smith wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 19:24:32 -0800, Ryan Cousineau from WAC
Bennett Review of Arts and Literature wrote:

No, it's a fair question. As I have shown, all the good bikes are found
at garage sales and behind bike shop dumpsters.

Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Ryan, I'm afraid I'm going to have to start a recall petition.

Does this mean you've joined the Club?

All the good bikes aren't even found in stores. You get them directly from
your
team's manufacturer, and then you fiddle with everything until you have not
only
a good bike but .... um ... something else, too.

Er, Damn right! Actually, though, the best bikes are the ones you ask
Antonio to build so you have something usable for the mountain stages,
and then re-label with your team's bike stickers.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club