Originally Posted by surreal

Hogwash. Ours is a living language; common usage dictates the prevailing rules of the English language, and trumps etymology almost every time. Spend about a minute and see how many English words have seen their meanings morph over time. The shelf-life of any given slang term's definition is far more brief than words used in formal exposition..

Love him or hate him, BSNYC draws far more water in the online cycling community than Medic Zero, and probably anyone else on BF. Personally, I think that his "art" is imitating "life" in the case of how cyclists use the term "Fred". BITD, the Fred had strapped accessories to his bike that seemed extraneous to the typical aspiring road racer. For whatever reason, the aspiring roadies found this to be annoying.

Today, Fred straps himself to bikes that are excessively expensive/racy when weighed against Fred's performance as a cyclist. He'll also strap extraneous accessories to himself as well as his bike... as if the slow old guy needs team kit, heart rate monitors, and electro-shifting.

Am I a Fred b/c I have fenders, lights, racks, baskets, bells, etc? These things may seem useless to the neo-Fred, b/c they don't appeal to aspiring roadies and they don't scream "performance". Plus, terrifying as it may sound, they add weight to the bike! Horrors! But, I use those things to keep my rear dry, light my way for safety, carry food or work-related stuff from place to place, and "ding" at pedestrians who attempt to heckle me.

What's that Fred do with his cyclo-computer, heart rate monitor, and power meter? Those will only bring him/her is a precise measurement of his/her own inadequacy as s/he trains for a race s/he'll never win, and possibly never even enter....

I realize that the above seems like a rather negative depiction of the neo-Freds, but make no mistake: I appreciate and respect the neo-Freds. They are the driving force behind the US cycling industry. Moreover, most Freds are just new cyclists. the vast majority will eventually pupate into practical cyclists or (less likely, but arguably more glorious) they'll morph into actual competitive racing cyclists. The neotenic Fred is a rare and elusive critter, but even they deserve recognition for the hilarity they bring to the cycling scene.

Rant over.

I'll just add some cycling related slang: a mouse condom is the little jawn you crimp down on the end o your cables.