MulliganAl

I wonder sometimes if being a 'Fred' (or a bit Fred) is not such a bad thing, especially as I get older and really don't give a damn what other people think. Fred's seem to march to the beat of their own drum and don't let others dictate how they should dress, what they should ride, how they should ride, or how they should use this bike or that bike.

I'll admit I wear the nice jersey and riding tights when I'm on my road bike, but now I'm beginning to care less when someone says I shouldn't use this type of bike for that, or we shouldn't wear this or that.

There's something to be said for being a Fred, I think it's called 'Freedom' or Fredom.

We should all embrace your own inner Fredom.

mechanicalron

Well I most certainly identify with Fred and go solo camping on my bike with my stove and coffee pot for days on end. I do like passing people on bikes that match the race kit they have on that cost big bucks. Esp with my rig when I am 9 hours out and fall behind 3people with zipp wheels and $600 helmets. That must have looked so silly when they got mad and tried sprint me off but I had been riding all winter and the Fred inside me told me to leed the pack for awhile. My packed panniers and sleeping bag must have pi$$ed them off as they dropped back.

mechanicalron

+1000

mechanicalron

Hey anyone have a picture of your bike and or yourself that says Fred? You should post it.

anaheim flash

well, no pictures of the full kit (camera is a 5 year old kodak digicam that works when it wants to), but...
i have panniers, trunk bag (that has been known to be a milk crate bungied to the rack), pump, tool kit, spare tube, i do have a trailer, cup holder, several ways to carry water, home made light kit and mounts, home made heating/cooking stove (with chimeny so it can be used inside the tent), 2 types of lock sets (tho i only carry the u-lock them where i live now as bike crime is low), various spare parts, and my work clothes.

in another thread, someone asked "what does your bike weigh", and then wanted to know how everyone's bikes got so heavy.

chipcom 

Use the search...plenty of threads and even a contest.
But being a member for a year already, I am pretty sure you know that.

Allen

Sure, why not.
Fred in the good and bad ways.

mechanicalron

That looks like a good Fred ride and is that a Shimano dyno hub? I have been wanting a good dynamo hub.

nashcommguy

Read someplace...on here, I think that he'd passed last year. If not he's 98. That's great to hear. Thanks for the correction.

Allen

I live near Athens and actually know Mr. Birchmore. I haven't seen him in several years but he's still kicking.

Allen

Yep, Shimano dyno on the front, IGH on the back, fenders, and a rack, all on a road frame.

mechanicalron

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WOW! No joke!!! This is just a handfull but most all of them are on the road cycling forums and them people don't like me
You know you're a Fred when..... ( 1 2 3 4 5)
Written by Freds for Freds ( 1 2 3 4)
Would it be TOO Fred ...... ( 1 2)
With wisdom comes fredness....
Will I be a fred (105 level road bike + m324 pedals)
Why is this guy such a Fred? ( 1 2)
Why is it Fred to have the chain ring grease mark on your calf? ( 1 2 3 4)
Why is every other thread a "FRED" thread? ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... Last Page)
Why are chainring tattoos Fred?
Poll: Who's a Fred? ( 1 2)
Who was thee Fred? ( 1 2)
Who is Fred?
Poll: Which is more Fred? ( 1 2)
What's the difference between a Fred and an OCP? ( 1 2 3)
What's a FRED?.....I'll start ( 1 2 3)
what the heck is a fred? ( 1 2)
What the 'frick is a Fred?? ( 1 2)
What makes you as a cyclist, not a Fred? ( 1 2)
What made you feel like a total Fred? ( 1 2 3)
what is a FRED?
what is a fred ( 1 2 3 4)
What is a female Fred called? ( 1 2)
What is "Fred"? Some type of insider cycling lingo? ( 1 2)
What does the term "FRED KIT" pertain to..

apricissimus 

See, I'm skeptical that this ever actually happens, except in the minds of some Freds. I think most people don't care if you pass them, and that this anger or whatever is just the Fredly Fred projecting what he assumes the other cyclist is feeling. They want to feel superior about passing someone, and if the person being passed doesn't care, then that invalidates the feeling of superiority. (Moreover, I think this all stems from an inferiority complex that some cyclists have.)

I don't think I've ever noticed anyone getting upset about being passed by me. This may be because I don't feel like I've achieved anything by passing another cyclist when we're not racing each other.

And are people seriously turning around to see the reaction of the cyclist they've just passed?

apricissimus 

mechanicalron

OMG! You know Fred?!?!?! That is just,, well, so cool!

baron von trail 

Now that's a series Fred Set-up.

baron von trail 

I know several people, in several states (my dad for one), who ride various MUP's and feel every single person behind them is trying to catch up, while every rider in front is desperately trying to out-run them. I've even heard comments about how they just knew the person they passed was mad, or the guy who was a mile behind them was giving it his all but couldn't catch up.

I think of this as an obsessively self-centered mindset, to say the least.

mechanicalron

No THEY were turning around and this did happen on hines dr on my way home from camping on my butt for 4 days. They all matched and looked to be trainning or??? I just wanted the free ride but the unfriendly attitude from 2 of them and knowing I could pass was just to much so I did it and didn't look back. What would I do that for? They were to good to pace behind a rig so they fell back. I am friendly and always try to smile or say hello to other cyclists, I just like to see them out on bikes

yoder

Right. This is what makes this whole "Fred" thing so impossible, and people continue to use it radically differently. I would say the "who will kick your butt" part of number one is not really part of the original definition. It's just that when a roadie gets beat by a Fred, the roadie's buddy would say, "man, you can't even beat a Fred." Maybe that did become part of the definition for that reason. But a Fred is a guy on a beater with no serious gear in this definition. I also can see the morph from definition 1 to 2 simply as the type of bike guy a roadie sub-culture is annoyed with. At first they used it derisively of guys who didn't know or understand their gear. Then, as guys who don't even need the gear start using it, they become the annoyance, and they are called the same name (maybe also because they are the guys who used to be no-gear Freds or because they should currently be no-gear Freds).

I would also say the second definition is basically a roadie poseur, but it is more specifically to do with anyone who overbuys gear way beyond needs and ability, whether or not the "Fred" sees himself as a roadie or not. I would say the "roadie poseur" definition is 2b, because that is used sometimes, like Wikipedia has it as a third definition, "In the US the term is also used to describe the many bicycle riders who enter fun "tours" or "rallies" but tell everyone that they were in a "race" with actual knowledge that what they were in was not a true race." But I see 2a (overspending on roadie equip) and the guy who portays himself as more of a racer than he is as closely related.

So, you basically have two (and a half) totally exclusive definitions. You can't simultaneously be doing the no gear/ low-end thing while being over-laden with high-end gear you don't need. (Well, to the extent you can, that is actually becoming the new definition of the word "Fred" as explained below).

What's interesting is because you have two untenable definitions being used simultaneously, people are developing a third definition right now. BikeForums plays a not insignificant role in this definition change. In fact, it is this third definition, which is not even directly listed in Wikipedia yet, which is the most common use here on BikeForums.

This new third definition of Fred is a guy who uses a ton of gear (the more, the more Fred), but does so out of utilitarian motives, and will do it on the cheap or in a kludgey matter whenever possible. The new Fred is so utilitarian and thrifty (but he must have the gear he needs even if he's got to pay), he doesn't care about how he looks or whether he is "cool" to either normal people or any bike sub-culture.

Now you can see how the third definition is really a blending of the two established definitions, even-though they are at odds with each other. By the way, I would theorize that while the original definitions were derisive and formed primarily by people who didn't think of themselves as Freds, the new emerging definition is defined as much by the Freds themselves.

baron von trail 

If you were passing a "team" with a loaded rig, they were definitely p'd off. Since you have been car-less for a while now, I'm betting that you had many more miles under your belt than these guys did and probably smoked 'em pretty good. I'm quite sure they grumbled for a while about that.

Allen

He and my father are friends.

snowman40

Apparently I'm not as Fred as I thought. I have my moments though, if I have to change a tire or tube, I will hop on my bike after the repair and ride it around my apartment complex (.75 mile ovalish-circular shape) to check everything. If I'm out riding, I'm usually in jogging clothes from Target as that is what works for me. I also am not a fan of spandex/lycra (I'm a clyde), although I will unintentionally show some plumber cleavage.

Although I do go to the beat of my own drum because well, it is just better for everyone that way.

baron von trail 

I went "Fred" all weekend, breaking out the "Pick-up Truck", tossing on some sweat pants with a pair of cut-off sweats pulled up over the top of those (different color, of course), an old hoody sweater and hunter-green rain jacket, as I pedaled away in the rain. That's sort of what I want to do when I get home tonight...but, it's awful close to April 15, I'm not sure how much longer I can procrastinate on doing those taxes.

rnorris

We had a guy on our local MUP years ago who was the absolute definition of this. Tall, riotously healthy old fellow who sped past roadies and commuters alike. No helmet, often no shirt in summer; big leather shoes mashing away like Frankenstein on a heavy looking bike. Always waved at everyone with a big grin.

baron von trail 

Sasquatch?