metric/imperial units...

In article <[email hidden]>, Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india)

() said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for this
(I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

It's coz we is Audaxers. Audax being a thing of Frenchish (WOCAB)
origin, distances are expressed in kilometres.

Quoted message said:

I'm curious as even though I am younger and I try to use metric units as
much as possible (I was mostly taught in metric) I would find this practice
to be confusing as road signs etc are listed in miles.

is it something to do with racing and that statistics are collected in
metric units so people can compare them more easily with other countries?

Also, what is "a 100", "a 200" etc? some sort of long ride, but in which
units?

When it's Audaxers talking, almost invariably kilometres - see above.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Dead journalists make excellent objets d'art.

in message <[email hidden]>, 2.30 zulu-india\ ('"Mr R@t \'😉

Quoted message said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for
this (I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

The audax people tend to have their distances measured in Km. It makes
them comparable to audaxes in other lands, but a lot of the reason is
psychological - it's very nice to be able to say '100' when you really
mean 60, or '200' when you really mean 120 :-)

I've currently got the computer on the Dolan set to Km/h - I can't
remember why. But it is nice when it tells you you're doing 30 on the
flat without really trying!

Quoted message said:

Also, what is "a 100", "a 200" etc? some sort of long ride, but in
which units?

Audaxes, _normally_ Kms. There are still a few 'imperial centuries'.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; part time troll.

Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for this
(I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

It sounds more impressive to say you were averaging 25 than 14..
Or to go and ride 200..

At least that is my excuse. It also gives the brain something to do,
the mental arithmetic to convert miles to kilometers and back.

...d

Dave Larrington said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india)
([email hidden]) wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also, what is "a 100", "a 200" etc? some sort of long ride, but in which
units?

When it's Audaxers talking, almost invariably kilometres - see above.

That's right. I've got into the habit now of thinking of largeish
chunks in kilometres, but I still tend to picture smaller sections in
imperial. So it'll be "turn left in 400 yards", or "a couple of miles
up the road", but "only 10km to the finish".

--
Dave...

Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for this
(I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

I'm curious as even though I am younger and I try to use metric units as
much as possible (I was mostly taught in metric) I would find this practice
to be confusing as road signs etc are listed in miles.

is it something to do with racing and that statistics are collected in
metric units so people can compare them more easily with other countries?

Also, what is "a 100", "a 200" etc? some sort of long ride, but in which
units?

Alex

I am 40 and was tought exclusively in metric. The real world is the
confusing thing. Gallons, pints, miles, yards, stones, fluid ounces,
whats that all about. Audaxers use kilometers, time trialers use miles.

2.30 zulu-india\ said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for
this (I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

I suspect one reason is that bicycles move more slowly than cars and tend to
be used over shorter distances; therefore, metric is preferred as the units
are smaller and offer a greater number of sub-divisions for a given range.

--
***My real address is m/ike at u/nmusic d/ot co dot u/k (removing /s)
http://www.unmusic.co.uk - about me, music, geek sitcom etc.
http://www.unmusic.co.uk/amhs/ - alt.music.home-studio

Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units. Is there a particular reason for
this (I've noticed others just talk about miles and miles per hour).

The UK's best maps, from the Ordnance Survey, have their grid in metric,
so estimating distance on them is easiest in metric.

All the bike computers I've got associate time on the 24-hour clock, which
I prefer, with metric.

I was taught everything in metric from entering grammar school in 1960, so
that's the way I fundamentally think.

The speeds and distances seem more impressive.

It makes it easier to understand mainland Europe's road signs, which I am
more likely to see than those of the USA.

If I really want to know my average speed in furlongs per fortnight I wait
until I get home & ask the computer....
22:32:45 <mikec@lugh> units
2084 units, 71 prefixes, 32 nonlinear units

You have: 22kph
You want: furlongs/fortnight
* 36745.333
/ 2.721434e-05
^D
22:33:06 <mikec@lugh>

Mike

Mike Causer said:

It makes it easier to understand mainland Europe's road signs, which I am
more likely to see than those of the USA.

Presumably, though, you're still more likely to see British road signs,
and if you want to understand them then you're better of thinking in miles.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Subscribe to PlusNet <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/referral/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units.

It's going to take an awfully long time for the whole British population
to go wholly metric. These quirks will 'grow out' in time. My son only
knows feet and inches as words, but he weighs himself in stones and
pounds. When I bought architrave from my local builders' merchant, they
priced it by multiples of '30 cm'. It'll all change in time, and for
the better too (coherent units - lovely!).

But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

Richard

Danny Colyer said:

Mike Causer said:

It makes it easier to understand mainland Europe's road signs, which I
am more likely to see than those of the USA.

Presumably, though, you're still more likely to see British road signs,
and if you want to understand them then you're better of thinking in
miles.

Nah, I get 25,000 OS maps for everywhere I go, can read them, and
don't bother looking at road signs [1] which are deployed to herd
cagers, not to convey information to cyclists.

[1] For the benefit of the uk.r.c trolls: except "Stop", "Give Way", "No
Entry", "Cyclists Dismount" (yeah, well maybe there's an exception!), etc,
of course.

Mike

wot the others said, 200 sounds better than 125.634etc. I also abhor
the 12 hr clock, as we are the only country in the EU that uses it: I
even write my info controls off post boxes in 24hr. My computer equates
12 hr clock with miles for some strange reason ('merkins maybe?)

A lot of UK races and reliablity trials are now in km thobut.

of course another reason Audax use km is so you won't be fooled into
believing signs which say "Upper Badger 6 miles" when in fact the route
you are following will take you 35km ;-)

"Mike Causer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

....

Nah, I get 25,000 OS maps for everywhere I go, can read them, and
don't bother looking at road signs [1] which are deployed to herd
cagers, not to convey information to cyclists.

....

Haven't you been told a million times not to exaggerate ?

Gippledocks said:

Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) said:

I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
Britain still retains Imperial units.

It's going to take an awfully long time for the whole British population
to go wholly metric. These quirks will 'grow out' in time. My son only
knows feet and inches as words, but he weighs himself in stones and
pounds. When I bought architrave from my local builders' merchant, they
priced it by multiples of '30 cm'. It'll all change in time, and for
the better too (coherent units - lovely!).

When I complain about being fat, 82kg is far too much for a 173cm high
person (BMI 27 1/3 - I have a computationally convenient height.
Weighing scales claims 23% fat). Many People ask whats that in
English? So I have to do a translation of the weight times 2.2 divided
by 14 remainder. 12st 12lb and 5' 8".

Buying metal is interesting Steel is metric. Brass is imperial.
Aluminium is mostly metric but can be imperial. People like me can be
heard asking for brass with phrases like a metre of 3/8 square bar.
When I make something I am entirely metric.

Quoted message said:

But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

I noticed in Les Arcs (a French Ski Resort) that a restaurant was
selling draft beer in Petit, Demi and Grand quantities. Petit was
33cl, Demi was 50cl and Grand was a pint.

Beer did not seem to standardised. Belgian ales are usually sold in
250ml 330ml and 750ml bottles. German and Czech largers used to come
in random sized bottles of around 390-500ml but they seem to have
standardised on 500ml now.

In article <[email hidden]>, Gippledocks

() said:

But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

I'm quite happy to drink BEER by the litre...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
If you are choking on an ice cube, simply pour a jug of boiling water
down your throat and presto! The blockage is almost instantly removed.

Gippledocks said:

But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

Oh I can! Try 16th September, and the draught beer will be in litres.
Pints is for girlies...

Gippledocks <[email hidden]>
wrote:
|
| Mr R@t (2.30 zulu-india) wrote:
| > I've noticed a lot of people here use metric units when describing how
| > far/how fast they have ridden; whilst (at least for distance and speed)
| > Britain still retains Imperial units.
|
| It's going to take an awfully long time for the whole British population
| to go wholly metric. These quirks will 'grow out' in time. My son only
| knows feet and inches as words, but he weighs himself in stones and
| pounds. When I bought architrave from my local builders' merchant, they
| priced it by multiples of '30 cm'. It'll all change in time, and for
| the better too (coherent units - lovely!).
|
| But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

I like the idea of having a day in the middle future when we redefine
the old names to the nearest metric units e.g. "new pint" will mean
0.5l, "new mile" will be 2km (or perhaps 1.5km giving interesting
factors). Over time the "new" will drop off, like it did for "new
pence", and then we'll be /really/ confused.

--
Patrick Herring, http://www.anweald.co.uk/ph

In article said:

I like the idea of having a day in the middle future when we redefine
the old names to the nearest metric units e.g. "new pint" will mean
0.5l, "new mile" will be 2km (or perhaps 1.5km giving interesting
factors). Over time the "new" will drop off, like it did for "new
pence", and then we'll be /really/ confused.

Some years ago I was on holiday in the south of Ireland, and found
older signposts had distances in miles, and newer ones in kilometers,
and neither of them had units.
(And a schoolfriend of mine told the story of asking directions and
being told "it's about a mile down the road, but that's an Irish mile,
and an Irish mile is a mile and a bit, and the bit can be as much as
a mile".)

Dave Larrington said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Gippledocks

() said:

But I find it really hard to imagine a day when draught beer isn't in pints.

I don't know why they can't just sell us 500ml in a pint glass and
scoop the froth off with a special knife like in NL; only problem is
many "pints" pulled in pubs aren't even 500ml ;-(

Quoted message said:

I'm quite happy to drink BEER by the litre...

une formidable in Frenchish I believe, or a stein in Cherman. Holsten
used to do Oktoberfests in Battersea Park in the '80's; they weren't
allowed by law to sell litres of BEER so had to sell it in 2 pint
glasses....Shame ;-)