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What is a Fred?

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Old 01-12-17 | 10:41 AM
  #201  
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Originally Posted by NoPhart
Clearly using your fresh self as "bait" for Lycra packs and turning off before they catch you isn't Fred behavior. A Fred won't even notice them behind him as he pedaled away in front of them and never looked back...

Fred's have been known to parallel pace a Doris they come up on and start a conversation. I guess that's a kind of fishing.
ROTFL! Brilliant!!
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Old 01-12-17 | 11:30 AM
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Originally Posted by NoPhart
Oops, I thought he was looking for the Fred equivalent of fishing on a bicycle.

I've seen a bunch of those on the grass at Irvine park here in Orange County CA. The blossom style hats without the flowers were rampant!



There's a Fred on my greenway I've met and see almost every time I ride there who wears an Outdoor Adventure fishing hat.
He rides fast on a vintage road bike and only recently added a headlight.

Last edited by bulldog1935; 01-12-17 at 11:50 AM.
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:11 PM
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you guys keep mixing up Fred w poser. they are NOT the same thing. a Fred is a geek, where as a poser is someone who pretends to be something he is not
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by bulldog1935


There's a Fred on my greenway I've met and see almost every time I ride there who wears an Outdoor Adventure fishing hat.
He rides fast on a vintage road bike and only recently added a headlight.
But who'd have the guts to call him a fred? Look at the size of that frame and stem! He must be HUGE! Uber-fred! (And not the kind who gives people lifts in his car)
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
you guys keep mixing up Fred w poser. they are NOT the same thing. a Fred is a geek, where as a poser is someone who pretends to be something he is not
What if one is pretending to be a fred, but isn't?
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Stucky
But who'd have the guts to call him a fred? Look at the size of that frame and stem! He must be HUGE! Uber-fred! (And not the kind who gives people lifts in his car)
that's not him, that's me. Morris Ranch road at the headwaters of the Pedernales mixes some of the best cycling with the absolute best fishing in Texas



also, the water there is not legally navigable, so the landowners own the stream bed. They freak if you park a car, but most don't care if you lock your bike to a tree.
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Stucky
What if one is pretending to be a fred, but isn't?
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
you guys keep mixing up Fred w poser. they are NOT the same thing. a Fred is a geek, where as a poser is someone who pretends to be something he is not
I thought this was a 12-step thread for geeks

Last edited by bulldog1935; 01-12-17 at 12:31 PM. Reason: serenity for rumrunn6
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
IMO, "Freds" don't obsess over showing off boutique brand bicycling gear; most if not all probably don't even know the brand name of the bicycle accessories on their bicycle, let alone the first name of the artisan who fashioned them into stylish objets d'art.
Yeah, I don't even know Mr. Huffy's given name!

Originally Posted by bulldog1935
The fishing equivalent of a Fred uses a fiberglass fly rod and is described in detail in John Gierach's humorous essay, "Bugs"
(as well as fly fishing poseurs)
And the fishing version of a Lance is the guy who uses $10K worth of electronics and $5K worth of tackle on a $120K boat, to catch a fish he could buy at the fish market for $7.
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:25 PM
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and let it go

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Old 01-12-17 | 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by bulldog1935
12-point thread
is that like 3D chess? or like a 12 step program for addiction?

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

SERENITY NOW!
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Old 01-12-17 | 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
SERENITY NOW!

Insanity later.
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Stucky
Yeah, I don't even know Mr. Huffy's given name!



And the fishing version of a Lance is the guy who uses $10K worth of electronics and $5K worth of tackle on a $120K boat, to catch a fish he could buy at the fish market for $7.

The fishing comparison does it for me....


A poser has all the latest and greatest reels and rods with his name on the rods. His tackle box is full of the latest gear and he has a ton of it. His boots are newly bought and not stained from bloody decks and he wears all the high tech fishing gear. But he cannot cast live bait, has no idea what the tuna shuffle is and freezes when an angler yells out hot rail.


Fred owns 10 year old well maintained reels and rods. His tackle box is beat up but functional and only carries the gear he knows he will use. His boots and clothes are cleaned but stained from successful past trips but they still work as intended. He can fling a live bait 20 yards off the stern and is usually the guy yelling hot rail.
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:34 PM
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Originally Posted by stoplight
The fishing comparison does it for me....


A poser has all the latest and greatest reels and rods with his name on the rods. His tackle box is full of the latest gear and he has a ton of it. His boots are newly bought and not stained from bloody decks and he wears all the high tech fishing gear. But he cannot cast live bait, has no idea what the tuna shuffle is and freezes when an angler yells out hot rail.


Fred owns 10 year old well maintained reels and rods. His tackle box is beat up but functional and only carries the gear he knows he will use. His boots and clothes are cleaned but stained from successful past trips but they still work as intended. He can fling a live bait 20 yards off the stern and is usually the guy yelling hot rail.
Obviously a SoCal poster. No one else would know what the tuna shuffle or hot rail are.
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by adamhenry
Obviously a SoCal poster. No one else would know what the tuna shuffle or hot rail are.


guilty!!!

Poser has the gear


Fred has perfected the fundamentals
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:44 PM
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My theory on the Etymology of "Fred" ...

When the Railroads quit using Cabooses, they were required to put something on the last car (coupler) of the train, with a flashing light... Officially, this is known as an "EOT", or "End-of-Train" device... But it has another name, that name is FRED, or Flashing Rear End Device...

Whether this is truly the origin of the term "Fred", it surely is a sign that a fellow might be a Fred, if he has a Strobe Light of some sort on the rear rack or seat-bag of his bike... Originally these devices were yellow and had a Xenon bulb... now they are almost all red LED's...
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:46 PM
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In the desert we would call some guys a Barney. Short for Barney bolt-on. They had every accessory known to man attached to their truck.
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Old 01-12-17 | 01:50 PM
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Originally Posted by hotbike
My theory on the Etymology of "Fred" ...

When the Railroads quit using Cabooses, they were required to put something on the last car (coupler) of the train, with a flashing light... Officially, this is known as an "EOT", or "End-of-Train" device... But it has another name, that name is FRED, or Flashing Rear End Device...

Whether this is truly the origin of the term "Fred", it surely is a sign that a fellow might be a Fred, if he has a Strobe Light of some sort on the rear rack or seat-bag of his bike... Originally these devices were yellow and had a Xenon bulb... now they are almost all red LED's...

that's pretty good

In our downtown group ride, they love my Sigma brake light, and it can be very handy on greenways/MUP

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Old 01-12-17 | 02:06 PM
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I am proudly and profoundly fred....
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Old 01-12-17 | 02:07 PM
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Fred
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Fred "The Real Fred"

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Old 01-12-17 | 02:14 PM
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Fredbike.

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Old 01-12-17 | 02:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Mark Stone
Fredbike.

Needs a license plate
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Old 01-12-17 | 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
Needs a license plate
From https://biskey7.wordpress.com/2011/0...re-you-a-fred/ -----

A third use of the term that is a hybrid of the earlier two main usages has arisen most recently and become increasingly popular relative to the older definitions. In this usage, a “Fred” is a cyclist who has a ton of cycling gear, especially of the utilitarian “uncool” kind, like mirrors, powerful lights, fenders, bells/horns, heavy leather seats, racks, reflective gear, bags, baskets, etc. The gear and bike may be put together by kludgey homemade solutions, like duct-taped flashlights to the handlebar. This type of Fred is a bike geek who likes/needs lots of gear (even if it is modified stuff not intended for bikes) that a racer would never use, no matter what roadie cyclists or others think. Sacrificing some, or ignoring completely, concerns of speed or traditional roadie/sport cyclist style, these type of Freds are more concerned with practical concerns like comfort, safety, versatility, maintenance, being able to quickly transition to time and culture on/off the bicycle, etc. Freds of this type can be well aware of their fredness, once they are aware of the concept, and often embrace it wholeheartedly.
I don't see license plate listed, although I agree it may be a good idea.
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Old 01-12-17 | 02:28 PM
  #224  
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Originally Posted by Mark Stone
From https://biskey7.wordpress.com/2011/0...re-you-a-fred/ -----

I don't see license plate listed, although I agree it may be a good idea
.
Fie! Don't say that too loudly. I'm sure there must be a bureaucrat or two amongst us!
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Old 01-12-17 | 02:29 PM
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Reading through this thread makes me proud.
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