Cycling UK Forum

Jdsk wrote: ↑8 Apr 2024, 6:15pm

rareposter wrote: ↑8 Apr 2024, 6:06pm

rogerzilla wrote: ↑8 Apr 2024, 5:57pm Because 90% of Brits would refuse to use km. It's not a vote-winner.

That plus the vast expense of replacing all existing road signage, street markings etc with the equivalent in km / kph and so on.
Also most cars sold in the UK prioritise the mph reading on the speedo display although with modern digital displays, the driver can choose settings.

Australia changed. Ireland changed. Sweden even changed which side of the road.

I think that my country could probably handle it. The first step would probably be to elect a competent government.

Or is there something special about the UK which would cause us to fail where others have succeeded?

Jonathan

Britain has a long tradition of tradition, which often means just adapting something that exists in a semi-systematic way. Add a bit, bodge a bit. Postcodes are a good example. For a start they include spaces (Canada does too). Then they tried to incorporate all the odd practices of cities that already had some coding. Then they invented yet another two-letter abbreviation system with so many exceptions that it couldn't be called a system. I could continue but I've lost the will.

The same approach has been used for the remaining imperial units - just take the line of least resistance never mind the resulting mess: it will be traditional. Germans love all these English oddities. They are so quaint! Sash windows that rattle and let draughts through - oohh!

plancashire wrote: ↑10 Apr 2024, 8:43pm Sash windows that rattle and let draughts through - oohh!

Haha – sash windows are simply the victim of their own superb design. If they’re rattly and draughty, it’s likely because they’re well over a century old (maybe two), and haven’t needed replacing. They worked well when they were new, and modern timber sash windows are fully capable of complying with today’s stringent building regulations. (I know, I’ve made them.)

This is the first house that I have lived in which has sash windows. The dont rattle and as far as I can detect they dont let draughts in. They are a wonderful invention, you can open them at the top or the bottom and get perfect ventilation. Ours are 9ft 6 high. I do wish they were double glazed but up until recently that wasn't allowed here. It would cost a small fortune to replace them.

Al

plancashire wrote: ↑10 Apr 2024, 8:43pm ...
Britain has a long tradition of tradition, which often means just adapting something that exists in a semi-systematic way. Add a bit, bodge a bit. Postcodes are a good example. For a start they include spaces (Canada does too). Then they tried to incorporate all the odd practices of cities that already had some coding. Then they invented yet another two-letter abbreviation system with so many exceptions that it couldn't be called a system. I could continue but I've lost the will.
...

Thanks for that example.

I've just been rereading the British postcode format. I have a professional interest in big systems for coding and classification and it's always nice to be reminded that in other domains we avoided some of those traps!

Nil desperandum...

Jonathan

al_yrpal wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 9:39am This is the first house that I have lived in which has sash windows. The dont rattle and as far as I can detect they dont let draughts in. They are a wonderful invention, you can open them at the top or the bottom and get perfect ventilation. Ours are 9ft 6 high. I do wish they were double glazed but up until recently that wasn't allowed here. It would cost a small fortune to replace them.

Al

I think that's an example of what plancashire is talking about!

No, sloppy sashes cause draughts. Ours are close fitting - no draughts! Glazing is a different matter. Anyway nothing to do with measurement systems.
Metrication of the currency was a financial disaster for the public. We got royally screwed by retailers. Stupid litres on petrol pumps, yet everyone still calculates mpg! As for km You can stuff it. Kids give their heights in ft and inches America sticks largely to sort of Imperial units, doesnt seem to had adversly affected them? I can think and measure in both...am I bothered - not really.

Al

al_yrpal wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 11:15am No, sloppy sashes cause draughts. Ours are close fitting - no draughts! Glazing is a different matter. Anyway nothing to do with measurement systems.
Metrication of the currency was a financial disaster for the public. We got royally screwed by retailers. Stupid litres on petrol pumps, yet everyone still calculates mpg! As for km You can stuff it. Kids give their heights in ft and inches America sticks largely to sort of Imperial units, doesnt seem to had adversly affected them? I can think and measure in both...am I bothered - not really.

Al

Plancashire was talking about the "tradition of tradition, which often means just adapting something that exists in a semi-systematic way." Not allowing double glazing is an example of that.

Missed that... The listing people are little demi gods afraid to allow any modern innovations, but, I think you can now get double glazing that isnt obvious. But....its at an eye watering price. It would save going round with window vacs every morning

Al

What really annoys me is when something is clearly dimensioned in round feet and inches, but sold in metric. House doors are 6'6" tall and between 24" and 36" wide, in steps of three inches. But I have to work out that I need four 762mm doors and one 686mm door. Would you want to buy a 28.575mm headset for your bike?

al_yrpal wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 11:15amYou can stuff it. Kids give their heights in ft and inches

I work with lots of 20 somethings, not one uses feet and inches, many don't even use British shoe sizes.

It's over 40 years since I was at school, feet and inches were never mentioned in any classroom then. Why we keep Britain using an anachronistic, pointless system is beyond me. Let's just add to manufacturing costs by forcing manufacturers to produce special things for the UK.

Let's redesign doors and headsets so they don't fit any existing houses or bikes? To be fair, the bike manufacturers are doing pretty well on that second one!

It's not just the UK and US, by the way - toilet float valves on the Continent, where used, are often 3/8" BSP and there are some curious bike threads that are a mixture of imperial and metric (German FG and Campagnolo).

None of it is a great problem if you have a reasonably agile mind, although my father once confused thou with hundredths of mm when adjusting the tappets on the car, and it wouldn't run at all! Nm and lb-ft are also close enough to cause torque wrench mishaps.

Sheets of plywood (but not sheets of plasterboard), threads on plumbing fittings, bicycle chain pitch. Square studs on socket wrenches? What else is still universally sized in imperial units?

nirakaro wrote: ↑12 Apr 2024, 12:41pm Sheets of plywood (but not sheets of plasterboard), threads on plumbing fittings, bicycle chain pitch. Square studs on socket wrenches? What else is still universally sized in imperial units?

Man-hours?

mattheus wrote: ↑12 Apr 2024, 1:15pm
Man-hours?

staff hours or person-hours, please

Vorpal wrote: ↑12 Apr 2024, 1:22pm

mattheus wrote: ↑12 Apr 2024, 1:15pm
Man-hours?

staff hours or person-hours, please

I was waiting for that ...

Fair point, of course, but I stuck with the old term, as doing so fits the spirit of the thread, and IMO the question!

(kilometres are so woke, doncha think?? )