Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

No stefan, one user here, who is actually English, explained it's a generational thing.

As much generational as the left hand side traffic and the steering wheel on the wrong side...

What is UK legal, miles or kilometres?

Answer (1 of 8): Both lol. Speed limits are given in Miles per hour, distances are given in Miles, petrol is sold in litres, petrol tanks are rated in litres, but car mileage is in miles per gallon. We have a very weird system and most drivers get used to converting it in our heads. Luckily our ...

www.quora.com

Besides, I am from the continental Europe that solely uses metric units. (This is why we do write "km/h" instead of "kph". "k" itself is for 1000 not for the kilometre).
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Let me tell you a story.
On my first UK trip, I and my manager were about to travel by coach from one London airport to another. When I saw the "60" distance on the road-sign, I thought it was kilometres and assumed we had a plenty of time. Not. It was miles. I realized that when I saw speed limit signs. We were barely on time at the other airport.

 

[kahn]

All I know is that when I drive in Canada (if that ever happens again), I have to look at my speedometer's other markings.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I would like to ask the British participants of this thread to inform other users what the official unit of measure for road distances and speed in the United Kingdom is.

 

[kahn]

In the good ol' USA Congress got involved when, if I recall, the National Park Service started using METRIC on maps. THOU SHALT NOT EVER USE METRIC.

 

[reed scott]

Guys, guys. I like metric. It's a wonderful system. But it's gonna be really hard for me to stop calling a 2 x 4 a 2 x 4 and switch to a 5.1 x 10.2. Just sayin.

 

[RabH]

I would like to ask the British participants of this thread to inform other users what the official unit of measure for road distances and speed in the United Kingdom is.

I have been driving on our roads since 1975, in 1975 the signs were imperial...in 2021 they remain imperial! Maybe we can just drop this now and get back to cycling...

My new power switch arrived yesterday from the Netherlands! Such a brilliant service from https://www.e-bike-parts.com/en/giant-e-bike-parts/

It took me 5 minutes to fit the new switch and it had the added bonus of a rubber sleeve which covers the bullet connector, this should make it more water tight! I tried a quick trip round my local scheme and it worked flawlessly, the buttons seem much more precise now!

 

[DiggyGun]

The absolute worst of the whole thing is threads.
There were dozens of Imperial standards and local standards and industry standards.
Now its all metric, you replace an exact part, but the threads dont fit.
Sometimes you can long spanner them on.
I reckon half of the UK is held together with slightly stripped threads.

Don’t go down the thread route, you’ll never come back.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

and get back to cycling...

Too tired after 110 km on Vado SL to write a report!

 

[kahn]

Don’t go down the thread route, you’ll never come back.

Oh, screw that! Actually, when I first saw the THREAD issue I was thinking in terms of cotton/etc threads and thread-count and thought to the British also do that differently!

 

[Chargeride]

I have walked it..a field of washing machine sized boulders blocks most of of the trail. .

I would like to ask the British participants of this thread to inform other users what the official unit of measure for road distances and speed in the United Kingdom is.

My question is.
Do you measure bike tyres in mm height?
It seems that 26 27.5 and 29 inches are an industry wide standard

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My question is.
Do you measure bike tyres in mm height?
It seems that 26 27.5 and 29 inches are an industry wide standard

The ERTRO standard is metric. The tyres in my SL are 37-622, and the ones in Vado 6.0 shall be 51-622. Tyres in Trance E+ are 66-584. All in mm and no chance for any ambiguity.

28 and 29 inch tyres are confusing. Both refer to 622 mm wheel diameter but the former use skinnier, and the latter take fatter tyres.

 

[Chargeride]

Yes thats the problem with watching/reading so much american/british centric media.
But I see our journalists visiting large European ebike industry events and the talk is always tyre size in inches, are we just converting..or are there different rim sizes from the mainland.
Im confused.
Its always inches wide as well..but the rims are in mm!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yes thats the problem with watching/reading so much american/british centric media.
But I see our journalists visiting large European ebike industry events and the talk is always tyre size in inches, are we just converting..or are there different rim sizes from the mainland.
Im confused.

We recognize the inch sizes of tyres as it is easier to understand 27.5 x 2.6" than 66-584. Typically, tyres have three sizes moulded on them: ERTRO, Imperial, and French.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Interested bystanders: or nothing much else to do?

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
Fairney View
8:05 am; 13 km​

Saturday mornings = regular group ride with my TOP (Tyred Old People) friends. We start at 9:00 am from Lowood which is an hour up the trail from our home, so I manage a ride before the ride… and, of course, another ride after the ride!

The first photo is before the group ride, and those below are of a few of my friends having fun at the Cooragook Trestle Bridge which is the furthest point. Almost everyone (about twenty of us) rides an ebike.

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
Cooragook Bridge
10:05 am; 45 km​

Note the 'safety' platforms on the old bridge: nothing new about workplace safety concerns!

 

[Chargeride]

We recognize the inch sizes of tyres as it is easier to understand 27.5 x 2.6" than 66-584. Typically, tyres have three sizes moulded on them: ERTRO, Imperial, and French.

Ok this is my last post on the subject.
The inch size is also gloriously irrelevent..nothing actually lines up to the measurement.
If I buy a motorcycle innertube for my 26x4 fat tyres, I have to buy a 21 inch tube

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Note: almost everyone (about twenty of us) rides an ebike.

That is really something!

 

[DiggyGun]

Oh, screw that! Actually, when I first saw the THREAD issue I was thinking in terms of cotton/etc threads and thread-count and thought to the British also do that differently!

Other old measurements include;
- Bushel ((liquid / dry)
- Gill (liquid)
- Furlong (length)
- Grain (liquid)
- Peck (liquid)
- Dram (liquid)
- Rod (length)
- Cord (volume)
to name but a few. There were endless different types.

 

[Chargeride]

A wee dram.

 

[DiggyGun]

A wee dram.

Good choice Sir. Talisker for me.

 

[Art Deco]

A wee dram.

I thought you were English not Scottish...smallest Scotch I've ever had was a wee dram in Scotland. Smelled wonderfull even though I couldn't actually see it w/o my glasses.