What is a Fred?
#201
Old Fart
Joined: Dec 2014
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From: Bumpkinsville
Bikes: '97 Klein Quantum '16 Gravity Knockout
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.
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.

#202
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From: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Bikes: '74 Raleigh International utility; '98 Moser Forma road; '92 Viner Pro CX upright

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.
#203
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From: 25 miles northwest of Boston
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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
#204
Old Fart
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From: Bumpkinsville
Bikes: '97 Klein Quantum '16 Gravity Knockout
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)
#205
Old Fart
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From: Bumpkinsville
Bikes: '97 Klein Quantum '16 Gravity Knockout
#206
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From: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Bikes: '74 Raleigh International utility; '98 Moser Forma road; '92 Viner Pro CX upright

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.
#208
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From: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Bikes: '74 Raleigh International utility; '98 Moser Forma road; '92 Viner Pro CX upright
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
#209
Old Fart
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From: Bumpkinsville
Bikes: '97 Klein Quantum '16 Gravity Knockout
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.
#211
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#213
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Joined: May 2012
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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.
#214
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Joined: Jun 2012
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From: Oceanside, CA
Bikes: '19 Trance 3, '17 Defy Adv 2, DK Legend, Electra Verse 21D
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.
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.
#216
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From: Long Island, New York
Bikes: a lowrider BMX, a mountain bike, a faired recumbent, and a loaded touring bike
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...
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...
#217
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From: Oceanside, CA
Bikes: '19 Trance 3, '17 Defy Adv 2, DK Legend, Electra Verse 21D
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.
#218
Banned.
Joined: Jul 2016
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From: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Bikes: '74 Raleigh International utility; '98 Moser Forma road; '92 Viner Pro CX upright
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...
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
#223
Tractorlegs
Joined: Oct 2011
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From: El Paso, TX
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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.
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.
#224
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.
I don't see license plate listed, although I agree it may be a good idea.










