Originally Posted by stephtu

Why did "Fred" start being used to describe poseurs? To me they are complete opposites, so it confuses me why some people started using "Fred" for poseurs. "Fred" once was a term applied to commuter/urban cyclists who characteristically were unconcerned about appearances, who used and attached a lot of practical things to bikes that typically aren't on road racing bikes like bells, mirrors, racks, kickstands etc., and most certainly did *not* wear "full team kit" and did not shave legs. But they ride a lot and are typically quite fit. A poseur on the other hand is all about appearances, buying expensive blingy stuff, but all for show since they aren't actually riding all that much and are often rather slow. It makes no sense to me to use "Fred" to describe two polar opposite classes of riders.

Some history:
Fred (bicycling) - BikeParts Wiki