Originally Posted by caloso
A Fred is a rider who doesn't care about cycling fashion sense and usually rides for utility and transportation.
Originally Posted by
umazuki
Alternatively, a Fred is someone who purchases a bicycle and kit far outstripping his/her ability.
Funny how these two things are complete opposites - a Fred is either someone who wastes too much effort on looking like a performance cyclist, or someone who spends no effort on looking like a performance cyclist.
I always thought a Fred was someone who sets himself up to look like a performance cylist but gets it totally and hilariously wrong - like wearing a complete European pro team outfit along with a black pleather fanny pack, a $9.99 X-mart helmet, and a $79.99 full suspension bike with underinflated tires. Or wearing spandex shorts, a backwards painters cap, and carrying a pack of cigarettes under the sleeve of the too-tight T-shirt while riding a carbon road bike with a kickstand.
Many utility and commuter cyclists, however, seem to have claimed the title 'Fred' as a badge of honour - they ride all the time for many reasons and intentionally try not to look like performance cyclists.