What's in a name? - Choosing What's Next - CycleBlaze

What's in a name?

Choosing a good one is important

THE FINAL DECISION to be made regarding my newest mount is what his name will be.  All his stablemates' names reflect some aspect of their character or being.  He should have the same.

You're already acquainted with Scout and Odysseus so I don't need to rehash those.

In addition I have Spike, Mad Max, Elsie, Abner, and Quicksilver.  In the past there were Zeus and Potlatch too, along with The Princess.

So, what about the new guy?

"Son of Scout" would be an homage to a much-loved and illustrious forebear but would rob him of his individuality. 

"Trooper"?  Possibly.  It has a certain connotation of steady reliability coupled with a game attitude and willingness to tackle any challenge.  There are numerous law enforcement horses that share the name.

"Cochise"?  That's John Wayne's horse in El Dorado; he was a steady, reliable, sturdy, devoted mount for whom Wayne's character had clear affection. 

"Cincinnati" was U. S. Grant's favorite horse.  I love the description of Grant, sitting his horse at the side of the road and encouraging a column of troops marching past: "... a dusty man on a dusty horse, saying 'Push right along men, push right along.'"  How fitting for a touring bike. 

R.E. Lee famously rode "Traveler", a tall gray horse.  But I'm not a Confederate sympathizer so that's probably out, despite it being so apropos in other respects.

Similarly I will avoid "Sam", the name of one of Sherman's favorite mounts, because of Sherman's post-war record in regard to native peoples. 

And "Rienzi", mount of U.S. cavalry general Phil Sheridan, is far too splashy.  Besides, Sheridan was even worse than Sherman with regard to post-war record.  So that's out on several counts. 

Perhaps "Clyde", short for "Clydesdale" but not in reference to any historical person?

Departing from equine themes, "White Bird" or "Chief Joseph" (or perhaps simply "Chief" or "Joe") as a tip of the bike helmet toward the famous Nez Perce chiefs might be something I'd consider.  They were horse people, after all.

I've long admired Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, the Hall of Fame baseball player.  As he shares a surname with the bike's label, I could do worse than call the bike "Pudge".

Maybe "Mack", as in the trucks?  Rugged and dependable, nothing fancy or delicate about them.  Could be a winner.

Other names may suggest themselves in the coming months, as my thinking changes to new areas.  

"Lewis", "Clark ", "La Salle", "Desoto", and "Du Sable", among others, are names of noted explorers.  Perhaps there's fruit in that direction, but I'll avoid Cortez, Pizarro, Columbus, Drake, Magellan, and da Gama; they all share a certain stigma with regard to their legacies in relation to native populations they encountered.

Scott, Amundsen, Peary, Byrd, and of course Shackleton were explorers too, but of the polar regions where I have no intention of ever being and certainly not by bicycle.   So they're all out of contention. 

Columbia, Eagle, Discovery, Challenger... lots of good spacecraft names to choose from if I want to go that route.  I particularly like Voyager. 

I'm open to suggestions, too.  There's no rush.

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Comment on this entry Comment 12
Scott AndersonShackleton is such an inspirational figure. How about Endurance?
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo Scott AndersonOoh I like that! Definitely contender, though I hope it doesn't meet the same fate as its namesake, crushed by polar ice...
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsIt could just indicate what a crush you have on your bike.
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1 year ago
Kelly IniguezDid you name your other bikes before meeting them, or did they earn their name after some miles on the road?

I love your imagination!
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo Kelly IniguezSome of each, and some (Zeus and The Princess) had names when I got them.
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo Scott AndersonShackleton's leadership skills should be described, encapsulated, and taught in a class on effectiveness and inspiration. In my own modest way I tried to incorporate what I know of them during my stint in lower management.
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1 year ago
Charmaine RuppoltWell, today is 11-18 -- -did you get your new bike today?? :) :)
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo Charmaine RuppoltYep! I've spent the last two hours unboxing and photographing it. Look for a new entry, "Arrival", within a couple hours...
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1 year ago
Charmaine RuppoltHow about "Rod" or "Roddie" (for Rodriguez)? Or "Desire" since you've desired the bike for a long time... :)
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1 year ago
John PickettHere's a list of other Rodriquez-es. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodr%C3%ADguez_(surname). It includes a couple of Austrian darts players. I'm sure you've heard of them.
Personally, I like Chi-Chi. Has nothing to do with cycling but it's a cool name.
FWIW, The Mule has the same bottle cage problem. I just bent the cage and, maybe, used a longer screw.
Cool looking bike. I hope we measured you right.
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo Charmaine RuppoltRod is a possibility, though after today I'm leaning heavily in the direction of "Pudge". I'll be putting up a new journal shortly, detailing the maiden voyage.
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsTo John PickettSee my comment to Charmaine, above. Pudge has moved into leading contender status, at least provisionally.

FWIW and this may work for you and The Mule: I got a mini-pump bracket with tabs off the sides. It's intended to mount between (behind) the bottle cage and the frame. Being plastic the tabs are plenty thick enough to serve as spacers and lift the cage clear of interference from the derailleur clamp. I'll add a photo in my soon-to-be-written maiden voyage journal but it may not be until tomorrow: my camera battery is at critically low level and I didn't bring the charger. I also neglected to bring the card reader, so all of the photos I took today are marooned on the camera's SD card until I get home tomorrow
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1 year ago