naming

[Gravity Aided]

Mrs. GA calls my Electra 3 speed "Biscuit" because the dogs are obsessed with it.

 

[RichardB]

Is giving one's bike a human name and/or referring to it as 'he' or 'she' an instance of the pathetic fallacy?

Not unless you are Wordsworth A closer term is anthropomorphism. Ships have been 'she' since the Anglo-Saxons, after all.
Personally, I don't give names to cars or bikes. I don't think it's wrong, or silly. It just doesn't work for me. Since we got an MX-5 last year, my wife has been trying hard to get us to call it something. Yes, it's cute and quite feminine, but despite suggestions like Matilda and Myfanwy, it's still 'the Mazda' to me. The bikes are 'the Dawes', 'the Amazon' and 'the electric bike'. No imagination, I know.

 

[RedRider]

Mine often get an affectionate pat on the saddle but none have been christened. Mind, it took about a year to settle a name for our last cat so never say never.

 

[HLaB]

With the security issues with Strava and similar sites I've started giving my bike's names, An Fionnuisce, Arnie and the black and turquoise bike

 

[wheresthetorch]

My Bianchi is, of course, Bianca. My old Apollo TDF is, inexplicably, Cedric.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The nearest I get is nicknaming my Cannondale Street Ultra as my Ute bike

 

[winjim]

If I need to refer to them in conversation it's usually "my bike" sometimes followed by "no, the other one".

 

[Dogtrousers]

I ride a Dawes Dreadnought. So called because it is constructed from extremely thick steel, and can be difficult to turn once it has a bit of speed up.