What’s a Fred Bar? Well, there is a nice little write up by Brendan on the Siren Cycles’ blog about what they are and why he’s making them after the break…
“What are Fred bars you ask? Well, first you need the definition of “Fred,†from Bicycle Source dot com: actually, it’s their second definition that I had in mind:
2) n. a person who has a mishmash of old gear, does’t care at all about technology or fashion, didn’t race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf socks. Used by “serious†roadies to disparage utility cyclists and touring riders, especially after these totally unfashionable “freds†drop the “serious†roadies on hills because the “serious†guys were really posers. This term is from road touring and, according to popular myth, “Fred†was a well-known grumpy old touring rider, who really was named Fred.
The idea for a more upright, totally Fredular hand position came to me during a ride with Mary that had extended waaay past my comfort zone. I’ve seen some setups with a short, DH stem mounted above the primary handlebar setup- a comfortable way to keep it real after a long day in the saddle. Trouble is, these setups are heavy & ugly. A real Fred wouldn’t mind heavy & ugly, but I figured all the non-Freds out there might prefer light & slender…”
The picture above shows Fred bars ready for powder coating. Click here to see more photos and read the rest of Brendan’s post. Check out their website while you’re at it.
