One of the most important and / or least important parts of having a bike is giving it a name.........said no one ever I'm sure .

However in a few social media cycling groups I have joined over the last year I've seen lots of people with names for the bike. Initially I read a few fantastic names from fellow cyclists all conjuring up images of speed and strength, or deeply personal names for close friends with two wheels.

As previously mentioned I have given names to "Sat Nav" and one of my power banks, "Buble", and we already have a few adventures together as a team, but I had neglected the most important member of the cycling crew - my bike! I am happy to admit now that neither of these names is particularly clever or creative, but they have stuck and have really helped me on my travels (literally in guidance terms, but also mentally in terms of being slightly less alone).

Where should I begin in this epic side quest to name the bike ? Firstly I had a little think myself on one of my commute rides into work , or more accurately one of my rides home (less traffic, better time of day for my brain to think) and in my mind I started to form a very short shortlist.

Next step was to approach the most creative member of my family who would humour me, in this case not my incredible wife Jan , but my youngest daughter Chloe who did indeed humour me and provide a short list of potential names for the bike.

Lastly to increase the pool of potential names I asked a cycling group on social media for their bike names and of course this provoked a phenomenal response that included a steady stream of photos, names and back stories! I've been off some social media in 2022, but asking fellow cyclists this question was almost as fun as my previous social media highlight of asking the world if peanut butter was sweet or savoury .

The list of names currently in use was brilliant, the thread of replies would make a really good blog on its own, but in fairness no matter how good the names were none of them were better in my mind than the one name which I had in mind from the earlier brain storming cycle home.  

After further thinking time I decided on the name "Red"  -partly a nod to the colour of the bike, partly a nod to the Fraggles character of the same name (too young to remember the Fraggles? Check them out on Youtube!) , but mostly because I love the simplicity of the name.

Red and I have lots planned for 2023, together we have already smashed through over 950 miles of riding to date with lots of plans for the rest of the year, and given its only March 14th as I finish typing this blog there is at least 290 ish days left to cycle some more!