Diff between Mtn bike shorts and road shorts?

[Cari]

What is a FRED? Does it stand for something? I keep reading bout this reference in another forum.

A Fred (or sometimes Frieda, for females) is a newbie, but the term can be confusing because it's used to refer to two ends of the spectrum: one one end, a poseur who wears expensive uniforms with lots of logos for companies who pay him nothing for it and who has expensive equiment but can't ride and doesn't know much about cycling; on the other end, it can be a person who doesn't look the part, either because they don't know any better (white cotton socks, chainring tattoos, t-shirt tucked into bibshorts) or because they don't care (touring cyclists, for example).

I hear the term used a lot more by MTBikers than by roadies, for some reason. MTBikers tend to make fun of people who dress up too much, whereas roadies seem to tease those who don't look the part. Then again, roadies will definitely smirk at those who "overdress" in comparison to their skills or their bike. Think: short, overweight guy wearing full polka-dot Tour de France King of the Mountains Rabobank uniform while pushing his 10 year-old KMart road bike up a tiny hill. You might smirk too.

You may want to check out a column in Bicycling Magazine called "Style Man". It's pretty funny.

For reference, here's a definition of a Fred, taken from the Mountain Bike Dictionary:

Fred n. 1) a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but still can't ride(Poser). Occasionally called a "Barney". 2) (from road riding) a person who has a mishmash of old gear, doesn't care at all about technology or fashion, didn't race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf socks. Myth has it that "Fred" was actually a well-known grumpy old touring rider.