Fred?

[Grog]

Hmm..good point. But if you were a guy, would you still use a triple, or would that be "Fred"? (seems us women can get away with them a little easier huh?) Still, as far as weight and aerodynamics, a compact double makes the most sense if you need the smaller gears.

Compact doubles are nice for the lower end of the gear spectrum, but they suck on long descents. Even I like to be on 53X11 for those.

In all cases, I was just trying to say that we have no idea why this guy has a triple on his bike, and there are good chances that he's not clueless.

[aicabsolut]

maybe I will deck out a beach cruiser with a fixed gear, my speedplay pedals, and replace the wide comfy spring loaded seat with a sella Itallia racing saddle. Ofcourse, I would need to attach a streamer on the bar plugs and a small bicycle bells on the handle bar. A generator with a head light and a tail light, a kick stand, fenders. Did I miss anything??

Handlebar basket.

[aicabsolut]

triple on his bike, and there are good chances that he's not clueless.

Aha! But how far down the clueless spectrum is "Fred"? That's what I'm wondering.

Those who have had their chain go into their spokes may think a "dork disc" isn't clueless. But they still may admit it's Fred.

Just for giggles, I looked up some nice TT / Tri bikes, like a pimped out Felt (which I also saw at this race). The standard rings on them run something like 54/42T. with 11-23 cassettes. Wow.

[liberty]

I'll admit it; I'm a Fred. Or a Fred-ette. Not a racer, but I have a road bike. I bike slow, and I have aero bars. I granny gear up hills and ride the brakes down hills. I have yet to change a flat on a ride (but I've done two in the house. Nice when they blow indoors ). I have a helmet mirror. I say hi to people when I pass them.

FYI: aero bars are wonderful! No, I don't use them when riding with other people. But they help my back tremendously, thus the reason for the purchase. The helmet mirror keeps me safe when I ride the hills around my house. Too dangerous to turn around and look behind you on those backroads. The road bike is much easier on my knees than the hybrid. And the hills... That is a testament to my utter avoidance of them for the past several months. So I am paying the piper now... Ugh. But yes, I am a Fred. And I like it.

[Aggie_Ama]

I had no problem with the "dork disc" but it was driving me crazy making noise. The manager of my LBS said that after 300 miles (when I had her first tune up) it wasn't going to be a big issue. My old bike didn't have one so I trusted him on this.

I roll up the elastic on one pair of shorts I have. They are a team kit that only came in mens (whatever), so they are too long for this petite gal. I fold them over and they are still grazing the top of my knee.

[Mr. Bloom]

There is a tipping point at which being really uncool (Fred) suddenly becomes Uber Cool. Ideally, we should strive for this. It's sort of like movies that are SO bad that they then fall into the Great category.

Yep...check this out...that's the richest guy in the world in the lower left hand corner:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/microsoft.html

If I had invested $8,800 in Microsoft back then, rather than a brand new camaro, I'd be retired right now!!!

Ponder that

[Starfish]

I have a helmet mirror.

Oh, I forgot, I use a glasses-mounted mirror, too. I can understand not wanting a mirror on low traffic rides, but out on the highway, with loaded logging and chip trucks and tourist 5th-wheels coming by all the time, I really like seeing who is coming up behind me. When traffic is thick, I'd be turning my head every few seconds.

[KayTee]

[QUOTE=Aggie_Ama;183546]I had no problem with the "dork disc" but it was driving me crazy making noise.

Um, what's a "dork disc"? I know what a disc wheel is, but it doesn't sound like you mean that - ?

Thanks for educating another Fred...

[Thorn]

Um, what's a "dork disc"?

The circle of plastic or metal that sits between the largest gear in your rear sproket and the spokes. The purpose, I believe, is to prevent the chain from dropping into the spokes if you overshift.

I have yet to remove my dork disc. Maybe if I get a Seven, I'd feel different, but mine doesn't make any noise. There was a previous thread that talked about cutting it off. I'm so mechanically dis-inclined I'd probably succeed in cutting a spoke.

[KayTee]

OK, got it now - thanks!

[Celeste]

Yep...check this out...that's the richest guy in the world in the lower left hand corner:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/microsoft.html

Oh my gosh! Sorry to say this, but they look like serial killers!

[Brandi]

That's funny, I thought Fred was the guy with the super race bike,
the team jersey/shorts/race helmet, all the bells and whistles that
rides 10 miles on a flat road and doesn't know how to fix his own flat tires.

I concur with the added note. I thought everything had to be the same color i.e. colthes, helmet, shoes etc.. had to all be the same color. I thought that is what a Fred was?

[mimitabby]

Yep...check this out...that's the richest guy in the world in the lower left hand corner:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/microsoft.html

If I had invested $8,800 in Microsoft back then, rather than a brand new camaro, I'd be retired right now!!!

Ponder that

geez, If I had $880.00 dollars in 1978, I would have thought that i was rich!

1978: Married in March to unemployed cute Raleighdon. Got temp job until July, then helped DH with his gardening business until I had baby in November.
DH found job at sugarbeet factory and quit 2 weeks later. In December he bought me a vacuum cleaner with 75% of our money. we had 25 feet of carpeting in our 65 foot mobile home.
Ah, yes, there are GOOD reasons why I didn't invest in Microsoft that year.

[smilingcat]

The circle of plastic or metal that sits between the largest gear in your rear sproket and the spokes. The purpose, I believe, is to prevent the chain from dropping into the spokes if you overshift.

I have yet to remove my dork disc. Maybe if I get a Seven, I'd feel different, but mine doesn't make any noise. There was a previous thread that talked about cutting it off. I'm so mechanically dis-inclined I'd probably succeed in cutting a spoke.

You don't have to cut off the dork disk. That's really dorky. Just remove the cluster and the disk should just come off.

Speaking of which, one of the fuuniest sight I've seen over the years back in the days of freewheels. A FRED was happily riding his bike, it was making some fuuny sound as he rode. It was sounding rather odd, so I rode next to him for a while listening and looking for the sound. The smallest cogs screwed into the rest of the freewheel body and it had unscrewed itself. So there it was two sets of cogs just dangling on the skewer... It turns out he never rode in the smallest of cogs. The four lowest gears were fine. Top two was unusable in that state.

[Mr. Bloom]

Speaking of which, one of the fuuniest sight I've seen over the years back in the days of freewheels.

What is "freewheels"?