Have wheels, will travel. Far and fast.

So I recently got a bike that, quite frankly, I’m not worthy of. Yet. But I plan to be within a month or so. It’s a Trek Speed Concept 7.8, and it’s a tri-specific bike, which means it has aerobars–nearly horizontal bars where my forearms are resting in the picture above–instead of a straight-across handle bar, which mountain bikes have, or drop-bars, like road bikes have. Aerobars make you–surprise!–more aerodynamic, but they also up the danger factor a bit; I can shift with the arerobars, but there are no brakes on them. The set-up means I have to be really engaged when I ride and have improve my bike handling skills just a smidge.

I’ve got big plans for this bike. We’re going to do the Harvest Moon Half-Ironman together in September, and if that goes well, I’m going to gun for a full Ironman in 2013. In other words, I’m going to have a pretty serious relationship with this bike; its seat will be glued to my most delicate part for many, many miles over the next two years.

I am not the type to name my vehicles, but I’m taking my cue from the mother runner who nicknamed her treadmill Donnie Wahlberg; she likes to get on him and get in a workout. (The exact quote is in TLAM in the Best Signs at  Race sidebar if you need more details.) I’m still not sure if the bike is a he or she; it is a men’s bike because Trek’s Women’s Specific Design 7.8 is built for the more average-sized female riders.

A close-up, so you can have a better idea on what you’re voting on. (Notice I added light blue water bottle cages to make it a bit more girly.)

So far, I’ve got four options:

1. Dwight. This was my first thought, because the Speed Concept puts the emphasis on speed, and I needed a way to reign this bad boy in and keep him humble, and let him remember it’s the legs doing the pedaling, not the bike itself, who is in charge.

2. Sam. During my second ride on ___________, I rode with my husband, who happens to have testosterone. Which means I have to pedal hard to hang with–or ideally, stay in front of–him. We were riding on a pretty narrow bike path, going under bridges (read: there were a lot of shadows and light changes  was changing quickly) with pretty abrupt little hills and I was freaked as I tried to hang with the husband. So I thought of Sam. The reason why I like it: it can be drawn out, like Sam-U-EL! Like how you expand names when you’re punishing kids. Sam-U-EL! Let me not crash! It could also be Sa-MAN-THA! You control your turns!

3. Trixie. This was SBS’ addition this afternoon before we parted ways in Atlanta today. This could be a girl bike, and she could own her speed and power, as we always tell you’ll do do. Trixie the Trek could be one badass mother bike, piloted by one BAMR.

4. Alamimo. Researched this baby at the airport; a unisex name that means fast, quick, nimble. I kind of wish it were Alamino–seems to roll better off my Minnesotan tongue–but I do like the uniqueness of the name. I can hear the fake announcer in my head now: “Here comes Alamimo, piloted by Dimity!”

What would you name it? One of these four or something else?