where's that like button?

Damn...So that means that not only am I not a real cyclist, but I'm also not a real Fred


The fact is that I'm a commuter (who has also done a few tours) and have been bike commuting since the mid-80's, at one point I had to do 50-mile round trip to work. Kind of forces one to become fast; I don't have the luxury of taking a leisurely ride.

I've been turned into somewhat of a lance-wannabe, or a speed demon...So I do admit, I do find a little satisfaction of passing the other types of lance-wannabes. Maybe one day I'll find the group of cyclists that I belong to...

My definition of a Fred is somebody who does not give a rat's ptootie what anyone else thinks of their bike, clothing, accessories or riding style.
I identify 100% with this.

Do a quick search for threads started by R600 duraAce. Ah, those were the days ...

What would you call someone who tries real hard to be a fred? You know, like a fred-poseur.

And: Is a female fred a "Wilma"?

I think I've transcended fredism. I've taken it to the next level. I hereby institute a new order of cyclist: The Barney! (Just picture a cross between Barney Rubble and Barney Fife, and you'll immediately understand.)

A fred-poseur**********

I don't know if I can get my mind around that. This is starting to feel a bit reminiscent of . . . .

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.

We all love to pass others ... even if the others are crippled old ladies on trikes. Most riders won't admit it, and a lot of us don't take any pride in it .. after all, if I can pass you, you are probably struggling to get to the hospital before you expire .... But even the least competitive of us still like to overtake someone, even if the thrill only lasts an instant .... that instant between when Iu draw even, and the one where I look over and see the other person is riding no hands, holding a drink and talking on the phone.

As for your problem ... I think you'd better start your own group ... maybe a 12-step program for failed Fred-wanabees? "Too fast for Fred? Don't despair. Help is out there. Call work4bike---he understands."

Passing is simply a necessity if you don't want to pace with the person that showed up in your path. There's no enjoyment to it - there's actually trepidation.

Alternative method of outing a BF brand poseur:
Posters that try too hard to be too clever/cute and cite one or more of The (Velominati) Rules on any list that is not the Road Cycling List.

That's always been my strong point: Knowing that I don't know, you know?

I have a neighbor who, for a greeting, always says "What ya know??!!" -I wish he'd just say hello- as it is, it can take me hours just to respond.

I think Steven Wright will be making an appearance here any moment.

There are those riders who pointedly refuse to consider wearing a jersey or using clipless pedals just because roadies do, which seems just as dumb.

A "Fred" sounds like an interesting person. To me it makes sense to evolve. Don't buy something without a need develops. The last thing you need is $5000 worth of something you really don't enjoy.

Not me, I like it when I look behind and see a group of racers coming up on me at the beginning of my ride, when I'm fresh. I put on the power and keep them at a distance, often it gets faster and faster so I know they've taken the bait. They just have to catch this big guy on his hybrid. I always try turn to turn off up a side street before I reach my limit though, sometimes I win, sometimes the racers catch me first but I aways give them a good run for their money. lol.

Do people who don't like getting passed on their bikes, also get upset if they get passed when driving their cars, and thus end up driving faster then anyone else on the road, because they constantly need to pass everyone who passes them?

No wonder I'm a fred; A guy named Fred taught me how to ride my first bike!

The Ur-Fred. We have found ... The Source.

Fred Central Hq.


https://www.rivbike.com/


fight on Freds

I like it! Very good definition.

See, to me that's ur-Fred as defined back in the late seventies. Modern Fred has evolved.

I think Grand Petersen, and all things millennial steel are Fred/BoB.

When mountain bikes went full suspension and frames went aluminum, Fred went adventure/gravel and blurred the line between road, touring and mountain bikes (which are rarely used for their intended purpose, anyway).
Of course, the price of being Fred went up.

So, does riding an Ogre qualify me as a Fred?

If only we could bottle it- like Poland Spring!

No, they're just dorky. (They're basically the same bikes, but they cost 10x as much as ours, and look just a little too perfect. And someone who pays $80 for a sheet of polyethylene and calls it a poncho, isn't a fred...they're just stupid!)

Now true, us freds "just ride"....but WE DON'T SAY THAT!!!!

Sadly, Stucky, the very fact that you knew/know who Grant Petersen is, and can even throw in an allusion to Just Ride makes you, like the rest of us posting here in Bike Forums on this subject, a faux-Fred (not to be confused with NüFred).

It is our tragedy as post-Modern 'unracers' that we can never actually be Fred. Being Fred is a state of being that is not conscious of itself; one can no more 'aspire to be Fred' or measure the state of one's Fredliness than one can 'plan spontaneity'. We are in a state of permanent alienation from our true identity -- living on the far side of a gap in our consciousness that forever condemns us to subject Fred to our gaze -- thus making Fred the object of our cycling desire.

We long to unite with, to be at one with, that-which-we-are-not. In this respect we are more alike Poseur than we would care to admit -- we are as it were the obverse of the Poseur counterfeit coin, condemned to a false existence. Indeed, one might argue that NüFred shares this essential quality with Fred: he/she is blithely unconscious of his/her ontological status.

Fishing is cycling!

Just for those unfamiliar with ancillary terms lol.

Fred = Non conformist to a cyclist, simply enjoys life.
Ethel = Female Fred
Cyclist = Lance wannabee with those silly clothes, contingent on riding with traffic, cant afford blood doping.
Poseur = Brand new equipment, never rode a bike, cat 1 Lance wannabee, loves the internet.
Idiot = Walmart employee who puts bikes together and rides them directly out of the store.
Caffone = LBS employee who scratches your bike when they put it on the hoist and dont tell you.
Wrencher= One who doesn't need the Idiot or Caffone...
Muppet = One who Is not interested in getting rear ended by riding in traffic but rather multi use paths where they can rear end an old lady walking after leg surgery.
Zone = A term used by the "cyclist" (see above description) describing their mental state as to why they never acknowledge another "cyclist".
Holding the line = One foot to the left your dead, one foot to the right your in a ditch.
Gears = Something a "cyclist' needs that a "fred" does not.