Fred?

First off, I think the term Fred is funny if it's taken how it was intended, to refer to someone who is clueless.

If you've made a conscious decision to skip fashion for function for whatever reason, you're not clueless and not Fred. IMO.

The whole elitest cyclist business is why I don't go on club rides. It frustrates me when people make fun of others who might have a very good reason for doing things the way they do.

Having said that, the triple combined with the full on TT gear cracks me up.

Starfish, you have a very good reason to run your bike the way you do. But the dude that aicabsolut described is clearly clueless.

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Originally Posted by silver

So soon in my venture into road cycling, I learned that "roadies" refer to things that are "roadie faux paux" as "Fred." I subsequently learned what "roadies" regard as "fred."

However, my personal feeling is that function trumps style. In other words, even if something is considered "fred" I'm not going to adhere to that if it's something that helps me. (i.e. I'm not a snob)

For instance, I was told that for a roadie to wear a visor on their helmet was fred, but I felt that the visor helped shield my sensitive eyes from the sun. So I wore my visor anyway. However, as time went on, I found that the visor really did restrict my vision, so I eventually did away with it and prefer not having it now.

In any event, apparantly, I refered to using a mirror as being "fred" and Mr. thinks I told him couldn't use one because of that. My perspective was that roadies consider it to be "fred, " but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't use one if he wants one.

Oh, and another thing, I considered turning up your shorts elastic to be fred (and not functional, I mean why did they put that expensive elastic there if it wasn't to keep the shorts legs from riding up) but Fred (the real guy named Fred who sold Mr. his bike) told Mr. to turn it up. :eek:

so, I wanted to know what others thought.....

and maybe a list of all things "fred"

Fred list:
visors
reflectors
turning up your shorts elastic

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My helmet is a mtn bike helmet and I use it for everything, I love the visor-even for road trips, I usually ignore those petty comments. I'm also prone to wear my camelbak on the road too, even if it's more mtn bikish. I like to have water, so that's more important than "style". I do want a new helmet though, soon. I want a bright color-yellow would go. Jennifer

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Chain ring tattoos?....TOTALLY SEXY! When I occasionally get one, I NEVER wash it off in the shower! :D

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Lisa, I've found that my chain ring tattoos last for a week. Ivory Soap won't get it off!

:eek: :eek: I use Ivory since my skin remains sensitive despite the abuse I took during my early membership on this forum:eek: :eek: :D

;) ;) Silver uses the more manly "Safeguard";) ;)

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Originally Posted by velocilex

Occasionally I pass a group of cyclists who are likely the type to point the Fred finger at others and I always make sure to wave and say "Hi!" as I go by. :D

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Slight Hijack:

OK, I know I'm new. But whenever I pass cyclists, I wave, nod, say "hi"...something. Even if I'm working hard....

Half the time I get a friendly response, half the time...I'm ignored. What's the deal? Are these the real FREDs who are so self-absorbed that they're rude?

So, is the 50%/50% experience common or unusual to my area?

OK, so it appears we all have a little Fred in us. I remember my first group (friends) ride on my road bike and I had the reflectors and camelback - so I am a Fred as well. I will never forget my friend David for delicately pointing these things out to me.......mind you he has red round reflector dangling off the back of his seat that I call the hemrrhoid reflector......

Has anyone ever listened to the podcast called the "Fredcast"?? It is full of wonderful and funny cycling information. I thought for the longest time the guy doing the podcast was named Fred.....duh - then someone told me what a "Fred" was and I got the name of the podcast...........

This thread is really funny - we can all identify!!!!!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Silver

So, is the 50%/50% experience common or unusual to my area?

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It's not unusual....but wait! Don't assume they are being rude! It's quite possible that these poor roadies are struggling mightily to keep up with their group and impress each other- struggling so hard, in fact, that they become totally absorbed in their own private agony. Don't resent them, instead, they need your sympathy and understanding! :)

Too funny about the Ivory and the Safeguard...

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

OK, I am SO Fred that I don't even know why either of these things are "Fred"!!! :eek: :eek: :D

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I understand the bathroom ease of wearing your bibs outside your jersey, but it's like wearing your underwear on the outside.

As for the TT bike...the setup was screaming hotshot OCP cyclist, but why worry about shaving off a few grams here and there and getting more aero with all your gear if you're, presumably, going to be switching into the granny gear for a TT not involving anything approaching a mountain.


As for the camelbak, someone DID race with one on Sunday. And she almost beat me!

Of course, I have a "dork disc," stock wheels, and my bottle cages aren't carbon. ;)

Dawn dish detergent takes off the tattoos!

Simple Green does, too. :)

Karen

I guess I am fred too because I don't even understand why a triple and TT gear is bad? Is a triple fred-like? I WISH I had more gears on the triple on my road bike, especially on the last hill home....

I like my visor because I can't wear sunglasses.

I still have the cheater pedals on my clipless pedals.

Mr. Silver - I only smile and say hi to half the people I meet but only because I'm shy, and/or I'm so focussed on climbing a hill or keeping up with DH.

Ok, I think the Fred thing about the triple in the TT is this.....The cyclist was gone to great lengths to make himself as light and aerodynamic as possible but he's got extra weight on the bike in the triple cassette that he doesn't need. I believe that in general, Serious "elitist" roadies would consider using a triple as Fred.

I think....

I don't think it is a FRED-thing to wear a visor on a helmet ... there is a VERY practical reason why visor's are not advised with road bikes, assuming the drop bar position, because you are lower on the handlebars and with a visor on your helmet, it forces you to lift your neck higher, causing possible excess muscle neck strain or shoulder strain ... on mountain bikes, you are more upright and it is not a problem. :cool:

A cycling cap under a helmet is advised for road riding because the cap bill is smaller than a visor but can still shield sun, rain, heat, etc., but not force a road cyclist to lift neck up as far ... so is the theroy. :eek:

IMO ... Fred is fun and willing to take a chance to PROVE cycling elite is NOT "all that" ... individuality and showing who is "boss" is ALL THAT -- that is why FRED doesn't conform to cycle elite protocal, but will happily wear white tube socks with a chainring tattoo, a tucked-in jersey, and flatfoot pedals, all the while LEAVING the peloton in the dust ... you gotta LOVE FRED! :rolleyes: :cool: :D :p :eek: :)

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Of course, this is pretty funny coming from a guy who is well over 250 lbs and yet rides on fancy racing wheels to save weight.

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this always cracked me up, a guy i knew who was always bragging about buying new stuff to shave a few grams off his bike and he also carried about 50 extra pounds on his person.

but y'know what? to each his own, he had the same amount of pride in his bike and his riding as anyone else, so who am i to demean him? i'm sure people think i'm touched to spend so much time and money and energy on my bike when i'm not near racing caliber. but i just totally enjoy it.

i'm thrilled when i see ANYBODY out riding. i think "you go girl!" and wish them every happiness like i get from my bike.

so i'm fred. but i'm way happy.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

As for the TT bike...the setup was screaming hotshot OCP cyclist, but why worry about shaving off a few grams here and there and getting more aero with all your gear if you're, presumably, going to be switching into the granny gear for a TT not involving anything approaching a mountain.

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Perhaps he doesn't intend on using the granny in his TT but cant afford a separate bike for this discipline. Maybe his one bike has to fit all riding situations. If people are riding and having fun then thats all that matters at least to me.:)

Can someone please explain to this clueless Fredette what the heck TT and OCP means?? :confused: (top tube? obsessive compulsive paceline?...)

This thread makes me laugh because:
Not only can I never make it back from a ride without a chainring blob (from getting out the door, getting the bike on the rack, or just leaning the thing wrong when I stop)...

but I ride with two mismatched shoes (one Sidi, black w/ red & yellow highlights, and one royal blue Specialized)...the result of 2 very different foot sizes and a puny budget that only allows purchasing on Ebay!

:)

But my shoes make me smile every day!

I am Fred, hear me roar!
I ride my bike, that's what it's for!

;) :D

(ok, someone post the next rhyming couplet)

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Can someone please explain to this clueless Fredette what the heck TT and OCP means?? :confused: (top tube? obsessive compulsive paceline?...)

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Close
TT = Time trail - form of racing where you race by yourself (vs in a pack) for best time over a course riders usually start a minute apart
OCP _ obsessive compulsive poser an example would be someone with a Trek Madone, full Discovery Channel kit (outfit), down to gloves and helmet, but gets dropped within a block on a group ride

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

I am Fred, hear me roar!
I ride my bike, that's what it's for!

;) :D

(ok, someone post the next rhyming couplet)

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White tube socks keep ma' legs clean.
Tucked in shirts keep some parts from bein' seen.

I wear my visor to protect my face
And turn up the elastic when I race.

I remember reading an article in Bicycling about 20-25 years ago where the writer was describing a "Fred" (not the term he used, though) he encountered on his ride who was wearing BLACK socks. Cuz then white sox were fashionable, so black socks were the faux pas.

Mr. Black Socks kicked the author's butt, so he was appropriately chagrined for judging someone based on their appearance.

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Originally Posted by Wahine

Having said that, the triple combined with the full on TT gear cracks me up.

Starfish, you have a very good reason to run your bike the way you do. But the dude that aicabsolut described is clearly clueless.

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LOL, well, I do not wear a skin suit or TT helmet on my junkets, it's true! ;)

And, Mr. Silver, I think I agree with you on the maybe 50/50 split of responses. I admit my own acknowledgements of other cyclists can be pretty subtle if I'm really struggling up a hill, or working hard, or really just concentrating to myself. I do try to make some gesture, usually, and definitely if someone says something to me first.

Hee hee. As I was riding the brevet last weekend, I saw many bikes with fenders, lots of reflective tape, and Big Whonking Saddlebags.

I quipped to SadieKate, "I'm among my people!!!" :cool:

[QUOTE=KnottedYet;183276]I am Fred, hear me roar!
I ride my bike, that's what it's for! QUOTE]

Yes, my setup is quite dorky,
though I need it 'cause I'm porky.

Going long leaves me all smiles;
so aerobars shred headwind miles.

And strangely I still love to climb,
(with my pie plate it's sublime)!

So, despite a look that's sappy,
check my smile: it means I'm happy!

:p

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

I saw something very interesting a few weeks back that may be the ultimate Fred: TT bike with Zipp 404s and all sorts of aero bling...bike's owner in aero helmet, booties, and skinsuit. ... *drumroll* .. Plus a triple. (this was not an uphill TT).

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

OK, I am SO Fred that I don't even know why either of these things are "Fred"!!! :eek: :eek: :D

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I see Aica has responsed to this one, but when I read it (in catch up mode, boy has THIS thread taken off!)... but when I read what Aica wrote I guffawed out loud and had to read the post out to those whose TV watching I had interrupted by snorting loudly! :p :D

Anyways Lisa... this is a funny Fredism because in a Time Trial (yup... thats a TT as answered in another post to another of your questions) you try to get into the biggest gear you can "get on top of" and stay there. Ideally you do not change gears unless you are changing into a harder gear.

So... not only is the low gear of a triple superflous and useless, but the extra width of the chains/extra cog makes the bike more wind resistantless therefore less aero...

And of course, as Aica alluded to, its extra weight you don't need to be carrying with you and pushing into the resistance in the air...

So basically, I shouldn't get that new aero helmet for my weekly B-group rides??

:D

Stereotypes of 'posers' exist in every sport, and the characteristics that define a poser in each sport never cease to crack me up, but I'm as guilty as the next of judging people by what they look like. I guess its something about being human!

K.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

I remember reading an article in Bicycling about 20-25 years ago where the writer was describing a "Fred" (not the term he used, though) he encountered on his ride who was wearing BLACK socks. Cuz then white sox were fashionable, so black socks were the faux pas.

Mr. Black Socks kicked the author's butt, so he was appropriately chagrined for judging someone based on their appearance.

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I remember that article...or something like it. "In pursuit of Black Socks" stays in my mind. The author spent his entire lunch ride chasing him down -- "I think he was drafting off a truck" -- with no luck. A classic piece of pro-Fredism.

So...after skimming this thread....it seems that Fred is humanity. Fred is us. And if we can't poke a little fun at ourselves once in a while, what's the point?

Regina, that little bunny bottom in your avatar is TOO CUTE.

I am a Fred/Doris/Wilma or whatever you want to call me, but I don't care! :p I do what I do because it works for me.

- My helmet has a visor. I need all the sun protection I can get, if I have to look up a bit further to see from my position on the bike, fine. It also works well in the rain for keeping drops off my glasses because I cannot do contacts. My helmet also has a mirror! :eek:

- I will wear a Camelbak on rides longer than forty miles. Where I ride, I don't often have the option of stopping at a Kwik Mart for water, 'cause they don't exist.

- I wear black socks! :eek: I have a 'thing' about wearing white socks on the bike. Most likely because by the time I get home, they aren't white anymore. Black hides dirt, grime, and whatnot better.

I embrace my Fredness! :D

This is why I only ride with groups that have a higher percentage of "Fredisms." Seriously, I don't think I commit any Fred like things with my attire, but I do have a carbon bike with a triple. So does my husband (he has gone from a double to a compact double to a triple). I wear a mountain helmet because it's one of the few that fits me, but I rip the visor off as soon as I get it. I have one reflector on the back of my bike, in case I'm out at dawn or dusk. Right now I have a fender on my bike (see my previous ride reports), but it will probably come off today.
On my ride Saturday, the chair person of the bike committee was wearing regular baggy shorts. His underwear was showing out of the top. Since I was sweeping, this was not a pretty sight. He rides a clunky hybrid, with a huge pannier. I'm pretty sure he could leave me in the dust on this bike, which is why I never say anything about Fred....

Robyn- If a triple on carbon makes you a Fred, then I am one too! But you know, the hills in Texas are STEEP and when I drop some *manly* guy on one because I have a triple I am proud to be a "Fred". :D Somehow I think men find it okay for women to ride a triple, like we aren't strong enough to keep up on a double.

Why I love Rivendell...

Oh my oh my, they have all the cool bike stuff that is so hard to find because it's "out of fashion!"

Someone posted about the current trend of "Rivendellizing" other bikes, which just gave me a warm cozy glow and made me smile.

Sounds like Nerdy-Fred is in style enough (anti-style?) that Poseur-Fred is wafting toward us?

(seems as though there are two definitions of Fred, so I shortened them to Nerdy <out of fashion and functional> and Poseur <slave to fashion for appearance not function>)

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Originally Posted by Tater

- I wear black socks! :eek: I have a 'thing' about wearing white socks on the bike. Most likely because by the time I get home, they aren't white anymore. Black hides dirt, grime, and whatnot better.

I embrace my Fredness! :D

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The "Black Socks" article we were talking about was 20 or 25 years ago! Tain't nothing "wrong" with black socks nowadays!

Socks are so much cooler and more interesting now than when I was a young 'un. When I was a kid we didn't have nifty pictures and colors on our socks! And we had to pedal uphill thru the snow barefoot both ways to school...:p

I too have a triple on a carbon.

As to the speaking thing that Mr. Silver bought up:

Sat. before last I decided to ride to my not so LBS, about a 50 mile out and back. About half way there I heard 'on your left' the front end of a bike club group ride. They had a regroup on up, so I stopped to chat as I had ridden with one of them before. As other riders came up to the re-group, all were very friendly and they invited me to join them. I told them I would tag along for a few, but not to worry about dropping me. The last riders trail in, including a woman who is very active in the local club and prides herself on keeping up with the fast guys. All she said to me was , "Who are you?" (the inflection was who the hell are you).

In retrospect it's funny, but sad.

I hope she's not the membership chair.

I have read this thread with great joy and laughter!

I too must be a Fred since I ride my carbon bike with a triple and have a visor on my helmet!

I do agree with the Fred is humanity comment. If we can't poke fun at ourselves, why are we here?

Hello, my name is Thorn, and, I am a Fred. It has been more than 40 years since I last was cool :)

But seriously, ain't it grand that there is a forum where Fred-ness isn't disparaged, but accepted and embraced?!?!?!?!?

Yes, I left the reflectors on my bike. They don't weigh much and if I'm caught out at dusk, they will be there. I even left that big pie plate thing behind my rear cassette. I wear lycra shorts because they are comfortable and bright jerseys because they are fun. Decked out like someone fast, I take my nice road bike, complete with triple and <shudder>rear rack</shudder> and speed off at 12mph. Yep, I fit. Hey, if the whole world conformed, what a boring place this would be! Be yourself. Embrace your non-conformance.

Oh, and as to the "Hi" thing....I always acknowledge and around here most people respond or initiate--even if it is just a struggling-for-breat, mini-hand wave (just the fingers lift from the handle bars).

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Originally Posted by Trekhawk

Perhaps he doesn't intend on using the granny in his TT but cant afford a separate bike for this discipline. Maybe his one bike has to fit all riding situations. If people are riding and having fun then thats all that matters at least to me.:)

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This was a TT geometry bike. From frame to seatpost to aerobars. Not a standard road bike. We were all thinking...daaaamn, look at that pimped out bike. Teammate goes up to videotape it. Comes back laughing. Tells us to take a closer look. Yep. Triple. The only question: WHY?

I was doing the same TT with my basic road bike with no aerobars or anything because it was my first one and I didn't have time to practice or the cash. Of course, for a guy who has shelled out that much on parts (even if it wasn't a TT-specific bike), I don't think the money for new chainrings was an issue.

On any other bike, we wouldn't have cared. If you need a triple, go for it.

Raven explained my point better.

Who knows, maybe Mr. TT has knee issues that prevent him from pushing big gears on an uphill, but likes to do time trials anyway? He especially likes very hilly time trials? There has to be a reason why that triple chainring is there, because the shop people have certainly tried to talk him out of it!!

I tend to find good reasons to everything.

I find this a pretty good conversation. :) It makes me think that I wish my bike club (a women's club) was more Doris-friendly. It's been pushing real hard to develop female racers, which is GREAT, but I think it makes us look inaccessible to a lot of riders. I'll keep meditating about that.

Could be. Who knows. I think he was racing in the ultra-newb men's collegiate category. Why you need Zipp 404's for that, I dunno. Maybe he likes to spin 150rpms :D. Some guy wearing jeans and riding a fixie schooled a lot of people in that TT. :p

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Some guy wearing jeans and riding a fixie schooled a lot of people in that TT. :p

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Oh, yeah...

Another triple on a carbon checking in. I also have black socks!!