Northern California - Nor Cal BF Fred Awards

I have no idea how to judge Fred-ness, but I'm pretty sure we'll get a bunch to chime in here. Here is my modest Fred entry.

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/photos/521330169_EorMA-L.jpg

Sidi road shoes, with dockers, dorky fashion glasses, and a head light blinker (even though it is bright daylight out there).

That's not fred-ness, that's just dorkiness. Freds buy all the $$ gear and have no idea how to use it.

Like this guy

http://eric.explosive.net/misc/utter-tool.jpg

He's wearing Assos top and bottom ($250 each) and has a $7000 pinarello over his shoulder because he either couldn't handle the rocks or didn't want to dirty it up. FRED.

Fred? or a Handsome Lesbian?

That's not fred-ness, that's just dorkiness. Freds buy all the $$ gear and have no idea how to use it.

Like this guy:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/6714330.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1240765909&Signature=SSWbeqdyoy%2BboD1iHjLT0KuqRcA%3D

He's wearing Assos top and bottom ($250 each) and has a $7000 pinarello over his shoulder because he either couldn't handle the rocks or didn't want to dirty it up. FRED.

I don't see him.:p

Sorry, link fixed. Twitpic doesn't allow offsite linking.

That's not fred-ness, that's just dorkiness. Freds buy all the $$ gear and have no idea how to use it.

Like this guy

http://eric.explosive.net/misc/utter-tool.jpg

He's wearing Assos top and bottom ($250 each) and has a $7000 pinarello over his shoulder because he either couldn't handle the rocks or didn't want to dirty it up. FRED.

I'm sure he was also concerned about the abuse his cleats were taking. Every step must have been agonizing! :lol:

From what I gather Fred takes on many definitions. We all cross that line one way or another. The accessory laden cyclists and extreme poseurs may be different types, but they are both Fred.

I felt pretty fredtastic during my recent double century. I had the light w/ battery, Forerunner 305, computer, and blood glucose monitor (diabetic) all in the cockpit alone. Top that off with frame pump, saddle bag, rear light, overstuffed jersey pockets, and arm warmers stapped by velcro to my top tube.... yeah I was Fred for a day :innocent:

Oh you had to go there. OK, here's mine:


--platform pedals/sneakers - check

--helmet on at a funny angle - check

--30lb hybrid - check

--strange mix of wool baselayer and canari jacket w/o sleeves - check

oh yes, pretty fred.

http://i321.photobucket.com/albums/nn384/RDW5980/ImportedPhotos00000.jpg


Dec 2007 FWIW, just before I got my road bike.

Oh, I forgot to put the snap on visor on the helmet to add to the fred-ness. I could always put a rack on my Seven Titianium bike :p

There are at least two types of somewhat incompatible Fred-dom:

a) The image-conscious, dressed in fully-matching team kit, riding a top of the line bike, can't ride worth a damn.

b) The guy who doesn't care and just rides. Unfancy and/or old bike, doesn't dress fancily, but oftentimes can ride you into the ground and keep going.

I guess the place where the two stereotypes overlap is that they can both be called dorks. :P

(And while I may draw some from each type of Fred, I draw deeply from the Well of Dork.)

Perhaps we should rename this the Nor Cal BF Dork Awards?

Perhaps someone should de-throne my fred-ness by posting how fred they are.

Perhaps someone should de-throne my fred-ness by posting how fred they are.Why should we do that when we can just leave you hangin' like that? :P

Oh, okay, okay. I don't have anything recent that's quite as damning, but I would have won a friggin' Fred contest with this one early last year, were I not disqualified for being a moderator.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/x136/people/me/IMG_0171.jpg

That's not fred-ness, that's just dorkiness. Freds buy all the $$ gear and have no idea how to use it.

Like this guy



He's wearing Assos top and bottom ($250 each) and has a $7000 pinarello over his shoulder because he either couldn't handle the rocks or didn't want to dirty it up. FRED.

Wait, thats not a fred. Thats a Poser.

I definitely qualify as a dork with hauling my backpack around on centuries. :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_(bicycling)

Check out the link above for Wikipedia's take on a Fred. I also didn't know they had a different term for women Freds.

"Fred" is a derisive term used by road cyclists to describe other cyclists, usually male, that does not conform to "serious" road cyclists norms and conventions with regard to dress and equipment, and appear amateurish to them. The rare female Fred is a "Doris."

Based on the definition above, here's my contribution:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/Mini1.jpg

Alan, you definitely need to retake that picture while wearing... those horrifically ugly plastic clogs that come in obnoxious colors, of which I can't recall the name.

^^ oh that's a croc

That's the one.

Oh sorry, I was just referring to your post, didn't read the bit about plastic shoes....:innocent:

Fair enough. Easy mistake to make. ;)

I stand semi-corrected. So can there be category (a) and (b) winners? Here's my (a) entry.

MTB shorts, "HHCMF" ANSI lime Alert Shirt, pannier.

http://explosive.net/albums/biking/campbell_btwd2.png

Some of these entries are indeed Fredly, but where are the helmet mirrors??? You can't win without the mirror!

(no offense to those that roll with mirrors. safety first!)

a) The image-conscious, dressed in fully-matching team kit, riding a top of the line bike, can't ride worth a damn.


I can finally qualify as a Type-A!

I just got a helmet mirror a couple months ago! It's great and I even wore it on Saturday ;)

My friend has one of these. It's a suprisingly effective, and very stealthy. I'm thinking about trying this out in a crit. I won't have to look back :lol:

http://brandscycle.com/images/library/large/cycleaware_viewpoint_03_m.jpg

a) The image-conscious, dressed in fully-matching team kit, riding a top of the line bike, can't ride worth a damn.

b) The guy who doesn't care and just rides. Unfancy and/or old bike, doesn't dress fancily, but oftentimes can ride you into the ground and keep going.

DANG! I'm not either one. My kit and bike aren't fancy enough for A, and I can't ride well enough for B. About the only people I can ride into the ground anymore either have training wheels, or weigh more than I do, and that takes some doing!

With the way I ride, especially just getting used to clip-less pedals, maybe I'm a Bam Bam?
:**

DANG! I'm not either one. My kit and bike aren't fancy enough for A, and I can't ride well enough for B. About the only people I can ride into the ground anymore either have training wheels, or weigh more than I do, and that takes some doing!Oh, don't worry, it's not a black and white distinction. There are shades of Fred.

I saw a pretty good one on Caltrain (I see them quite often on there)

- Carbon Cervelo - check
- Platform Pedals - Check
- Dork Disk - Check
- Riding the caltrain 6 miles from Palo Alto to Mtn View! - check (I guess that was too far to ride :rolleyes:)

Does riding a ss roadbike in Zoic mtb shorts or cutoff sweats count? No chance of me riding anyone into the ground. Almost forgot the platform pedals and leather Converse allstars.

I was checking out my Cervelo after having it looked at at lunch time at my LBS. I was dressed business casual, but with a helmet, Sidis and rubber bands around my pant legs. This may not be true Fredness, but I'm sure I looked pretty darn stupid.

One day I need to take a picture of the dude I see on BART all the time. If I had to classify somebody as Fred it would be this guy. I'll try to snap a picture on of these days with my phone.

Hard to see with the Photo Crazy letters all over it, but here's my last Tour De Cure.
My test ride on another bike is the second photo.