Commuting - Does being called a "Fred" offend/irriate you?

I'm curious about what commuters think about being referred to by others as "Fred" - I know the history of the term, and pretty much every sport/hobby has its own derisive terms, but Freditude has evolved to a certain extent and, we'll, I kinda like being referred to as a "Fred" when I'm rolling along on my commuter with bags full, and lights a'blinkin, mirror firmly attached to my left sunglass temple ...

So, what do you think? Offended, pissed, or smug sense of pride? After all, it's more about what one group of cyclists thinks about another ...

Don't even ask about flyfishermen, and their cutesy names for anglers from other states . ..

I'll be a Fred any day. I have the red panniers on a green bike and wear a red helmet. I've got the take a look mirror on my glasses and I ride with either tennis shoes in the summer and Gortex hikers in the wetter times of the year. I wear cargo pants that the legs zip off in the summer and when its cold I've got some REI Headwinds and my jacket doesn't match either. My bike has a kickstand too so thats really Freddy. Am I a Fred? I hope so. Oh yeah I don't give a rip that most of my co-workers think I'm nuts. I rather fancy the thought of being not like most of them, you know out of shape. What do ya use to catch a fly? Flypaper :)

A roadie once reffered to me as a 'fred' once. I blew by him on a hill. Anyway I don't consider it obnoxious in and of itself, afterall aren't freds the most truly serious cyclists. Everyone else rides for sport.

Say it long, say it loud. "I'm a Fred and I'm proud!" ;)


I know that "Fred" has two meanings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_(bicycling)). A cyclist who pays no attention to the dress code and can blow you away, and a poseur. From study, I'm pretty sure that the first definition is the original as the background story is more solid. I've read of at least two cyclists actually named Fred who could be the prototype for the concept. Fred Birchmore (http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/dlg/vang/meta_dlg_vang_clr050.html?Welcome&Welcome) and Freddie Hoffman (http://miles4melanoma.com/freddiehoffman/).

I think that Roadies just invented the second meaning trying to eliminate the original concept.

No one calls me a Fred. Non-cyclists don't know the term.

Freds are real.

My co-worker/riding bud told me my bike is looking "decidedly Fred-like!" after I installed white carbon bar ends on my new risers (but then, I also had 2 headlights on it at that time, too). I bristled just the tiniest bit, but blew it off. I've ridden through most of the winter, he hasn't been out of his apartment complex on his bike since before Halloween!

(BTW -- the 2nd headlight, a 61-LED, 10" long x 1-1/4" wide tubular affair, was a strict DIY thing; 1 LED provides flashlight-like illumination from the end, the other 60 are in a grid along the side.... The mount broke when I was trying to adjust it off my new carbon brake lever.)

i had never heard of this term before ...

I'm a Fred when I commute. I'm a Road Gladiator when I ride for fitness.

A roadie once reffered to me as a 'fred' once. I blew by him on a hill. Anyway I don't consider it obnoxious in and of itself, afterall aren't freds the most truly serious cyclists. Everyone else rides for sport.

Now that's being totally Fred-like. :thumb:

Btw, I was just thinking the other day that it's been a while since there has been a Fred discussion 'round here. Glad to see it.

I was trying to explain "Fred" to a fellow cyclist. It's an inexact term. We used to have a different term for it back in the day, but I don't remember it. Back then, there was a stereotype of slightly overweight, sansabelt short wearing cyclists that could probably be considered to be poseurs.

It's typically applied in the derogatory. So you should just punch the next guy who calls you one!

I really don't care what people call me, in fact I'm sure I get called worse on a daily basis.

That's one of the benefits of advancing maturity, Not really caring what other people think about you.

I've never been called a fred.. I probably wouldn't care if it happened, although, I doubt it will since I don't look like your typical 'fred'

I don't mind it. Especially when used by a poseur or a tridork. ;)

I've never been called that AFAIK, but I agree with the previous posters who've said they'd either be proud or would not care. Thinking about it now, I'd consider 'poseur' or 'roadie' to have much more negative connotations than 'fred', as they seem to imply a much more recreational style/manner, and conjure images of roof-racked bicycles (at least in my prejudiced mind).

If a roadie has ever called me a fred I wouldn't know, I wouldn't have heard it because of the i-pod..... and if they did, so what? I really couldn't care less.

I rather be Fred than Barney. Ha ha. However it will hard for them to call me Fred uless there is a term for women. Freddy? Fredda? Wilma?

Who called me a Fred?

I embrace my Fredeness and wear it with pride. Chicks dig Freds when they're looking for real loving :love:

I rather be Fred than Barney. Ha ha. However it will hard for them to call me Fred uless there is a term for women. Freddy? Fredda? Wilma?
The correct term for a woman Fred is "Betty".

....l(BTW -- the 2nd headlight, a 61-LED, 10" long x 1-1/4" wide tubular affair, was a strict DIY thing; 1 LED provides flashlight-like illumination from the end, the other 60 are in a grid along the side.... The mount broke when I was trying to adjust it off my new carbon brake lever.)

OK, you're a Fred.

http://www.fredsociety.com/

specifically, see this page: http://www.fredsociety.com/nofreds.html

I don't know what Fred means but there is an expression from my childhood that starts "Stick and stones..." that would appear to apply here.

Fred Birchmore (http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/dlg/vang/meta_dlg_vang_clr050.html?Welcome&Welcome)

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/vanga/photos/clr/jpg/clr050.jpg

Freddie Hoffman (http://miles4melanoma.com/freddiehoffman/).
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/1/6/1/7/i/3/0/2/o/Hoffman2.jpg

Perhaps flying a flag while you ride should be included in the definition of Fred. ;)

I am Fred. I am Fred-tastic. What is this "training" of which you speak?

I would be proud to be called a Fred, there just aren't any folks around here that know the term. Freds actually ride their bikes - often, and outfit themselves and their bikes according to their needs, not to some popular aesthetic that limits personal comfort and utility to blend in with a small segment of the cycling population.

Neat. Never heard the term. Still not really sure what it means. So am I a Fred only commuting, and a hipster on the fixie, and a roadie when I'm riding charity rides? How does all this work? Should I get a name tag? #notfamiliarwithcyclingsubcultures

Fenders and
Racks
Every
Day

Thats me, and I don't take offence.

i'm not familiar with the term, nor would i be capable of caring about it were i to be called "fred" in a derogatory fashion. i'm far too self-centered to care about what other people may think of me. it's my cross to bear.

Freds are real.

Like steel - which is totally Fred. No one has ever called me a Fred that I know of, but I wouldn't be offended because its kinda true.

I'm curious about what commuters think about being referred to by others as "Fred" - I know the history of the term, and pretty much every sport/hobby has its own derisive terms, but Freditude has evolved to a certain extent and, we'll, I kinda like being referred to as a "Fred" when I'm rolling along on my commuter with bags full, and lights a'blinkin, mirror firmly attached to my left sunglass temple ...

So, what do you think? Offended, pissed, or smug sense of pride? After all, it's more about what one group of cyclists thinks about another ...

Don't even ask about flyfishermen, and their cutesy names for anglers from other states . ..
I don't think too many people in Boise know the term.

Fred is my given name.

Fenders and
Racks
Every
Day

I love it!

I would be flattered if someone called me a fred in the "non-conformist but still a capable rider" sense. I don't really make time to talk to people that would want to disparage someone because of how they ride or what they wear... and they'd better hope they can back up their cycling prowess with real power... this fred would have no compunction about letting my frame pump slip into their wheel.

I embrace my Fredness.

191286

Does it get more Fred than this?

The correct term for a woman Fred is "Betty".

If Barney caught Fred with Betty, rubble would result.

someone should start a similar thread on the SSFG side to see how most of them feel about being called fixie hipsters. Down at the pub the freds and hipsters kid each other, and on weekends when the roadies come in they ignore the freds and the hipsters so we all make fun of them while wishing we had 3,000+ dollar bikes.

One thing about the fixie riders, the ones I know are the go to guys/gals if I need to find a part at a good price. And when they do a social ride the party is on. This may just be a local phenom, YMMV.

There's definitely a spectrum of fredly ---> poseurish, but what's interesting is that I've noticed that the roadies in the higher categories also display a bit of fredliness. You see mismatched tape, mismatched tires, frame pumps, big saddle bags, blinkies, fenders in winter. It's a function of having to put in so many miles, is my guess.

We're all Freds! So be it.
That said, when out on the road I would love to have a conversation with the small minded wannabe elitist who tosses that out without knowing anything about me. Does this mean I don't measure up?(gasp!)...
Who would say something that stupid? Are they really out there?

The correct term for a woman Fred is "Betty".

Actually I'm pretty sure it is "Doris."

Does being called a "Fred" offend/irritate you?

So, what do you think? Offended, pissed, or smug sense of pride? After all, it's more about what one group of cyclists thinks about another...
About two years ago, in response to “Your One Piece of Fred” I wrote my Fred Manifesto


…As I was riding this AM, contemplating these essential questions, I thought: certainly there are the roadies, who are indeed “Beautiful People” and are splendid in their spandex and peletons; and there are Freds, kind of clunky but sincere and loveable. But there is IMO, a large segment of noble cyclists, e.g. tourists and commuters who are neither BP’s nor Fred’s, but certainly serious cyclists.

I recalled how politicians in Massachusetts are derided as “hacks.” In a memorable speech to the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth, a former Speaker of the House proclaimed “I am not a hack, you are not a hack, we ought not be treated this way." Similarly, my manifesto is, "I am not a Fred you are not a Fred, we ought not be treated this way". So I propose a new name, currently applied to frequent business travelers—ROAD WARRIORS. I AM A ROAD WARRIOR—think Mel Gibson.

I envision RW’s as linemen on a football team as compared to the glamorous backfield, as the infantry on the ground compared the glamorous top guns in the military, or Mission Control as compared to the glamorous astronauts in space travel. All contribute in their own way to the success of the enterprise. In the 1980’s I told a secretary at work that I am road warrior a la Mel Gibson and she smiled and said, “Yeah, right.” Yet I still believe.

John Gardner once wrote: "An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” IMO, the society which exalts roadies and scorns Road Warriors (and Freds) will have roads only built for cars.

Fred Birchmore

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/vanga/photos/clr/jpg/clr050.jpg

Freddie Hoffman.
http://www.bikingbis.com/_photos/Hoffman2.sized.jpg

Perhaps flying a flag while you ride should be included in the definition of Fred. ;)


I embrace my Fredness.

191286

Does it get more Fred than this?
Yes
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=191288&d=1298652588

I Loved the Fenders & Racks Every Day comment

You're not a Fred until you have a large custom mount for something.

"Fred" includes, but is not limited to, anyone and everyone who belongs to, and posts on, Bicycle Forums (all sub-forums [forae??] included), without exception. Some may also fall into more narrowly-defined sub-classes, e.g. poseur.
That is all.

I, too, had never heard of the term. I guess (from Wikipedia) "Sacrificing some, or ignoring completely, concerns of speed or traditional roadie/sport cyclist style, these type of Freds are more concerned with practical concerns like comfort, safety, versatility, maintenance, being able to quickly transition to time and culture on/off the bicycle, etc." applies though. I'm certainly not going to overtake any racers on hills, unless they are the gravel hills that are the main reason I like my mountain bike.

And (quoting dedhed) "I really don't care what people call me, in fact I'm sure I get called worse on a daily basis.

That's one of the benefits of advancing maturity, Not really caring what other people think about you."

That's one of the benefits of being a sociopath too, but most of us don't talk about it all that much.

I don't mind it. Especially when used by a poseur or a tridork. ;)

Awesome!

I rather be Fred than Barney. Ha ha. However it will hard for them to call me Fred uless there is a term for women. Freddy? Fredda? Wilma?

Doris

Fred Birchmore (http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/meta/html/dlg/vang/meta_dlg_vang_clr050.html?Welcome&Welcome)

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/vanga/photos/clr/jpg/clr050.jpg

Perhaps it should be mentioned that this Fred cut the head off of an anaconda...at least that's what he wrote in his book. I don't doubt it.

So, what do you think? Offended, pissed, or smug sense of pride? After all, it's more about what one group of cyclists thinks about another ...

"Oh dear god I hope the roadies don't see me like this ... I look like a homeless person."


I think that Roadies just invented the second meaning trying to eliminate the original concept.

Any true roadie will tell you that Fred is goofy, but Fred is definitely not a poseur. We know Fred is likely to be one of the strongest riders on the MUP, flip flops, jeans, and all.

I don't think too many people in Boise know the term.

I heard it first last summer from a co-worker who used to ride with the Lost River club. He tells this awesome story about how they were all out on a ride one day near Marsing and (i quote) "out pops this Fred on a rusty old Trek with cutoff jeans, Chewbacca legs, an Incredible Hulk wife-beater, and Grizzly Adams beard who drops us like we're standing still, with a cool, two fingered-wave as he rode out of sight around a corner."

Guy's a bit of a BS'er so add salt accordingly, but a cool story, bro, nonetheless.