Why are some road bikes sized in inches ?

My brother, Alan, in the UK is looking at buying his first road bike and is looking at THIS one.

Can anyone tell me though, why some bikes are sized using imperial inches rather than cm ?

Alan is looking for an entry level bike and wanted to spend a max of 600 UK pounds, so if anyone knows of a good bargain ( near the London area) we would be interested to know. ( Preferably 9 or 10 speed Tiagra, with a compact crank in a size 56cm)

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Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on April 27, 2012 at 13:40

Scientist Gilbert Newton Lewis defined a jiffy as the amount of time it takes light to travel one centimeter – 33.3564 picoseconds (a picosecond is a trillionth of a second, by the way). In electronics, a jiffy is the time between alternating current power – usually 1/50 or 1/60 of a second.

 

Permalink Reply by Simon Lownsborough on April 27, 2012 at 13:56

In my house, its the time taken for one 8 year old to travel from the couch to the dinner table. Sometimes called 'I'm just …', this time is variable, but never less than 3 minutes…

Permalink Reply by heather on April 27, 2012 at 19:14

Martin, interesting to discover that jiffy is a measurement, although when one says "in a jiffy" referring to a longer time span.

Permalink Reply by David Southern on April 27, 2012 at 23:49

A few years ago, I was doing a computer hardware course at TAFE.  Part of the course involved low-level programming, and included number-base conversions from decimal to binary (base 2), octal (base 8) and hexadecimal (base 16).  The older students, such as myself, who had grown up using bases 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 22 etc., had no difficulty at all, but the younger ones, who had grown up with base 10 only had considerable difficulty, even with the concept.

Permalink Reply by GlenM on April 27, 2012 at 15:19

For those people that complain about the USA not being metric.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States

"In the early 19th century, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (the government's surveying and map-making agency) used meter and kilogram standards brought from France. In 1866, Congress authorized the use of the metric system[2] and supplied each state with a set of standard metric weights and measures.

In 1875, the United States solidified its commitment to the development of the internationally recognized metric system by becoming one of the original seventeen signatory nations to the Metre Convention or the Treaty of the Meter. The signing of this international agreement concluded five years of meetings in which the metric system was reformulated, refining the accuracy of its standards. The Treaty of the Meter established the Bureau international des poids et mesures (BIPM, International Bureau of Weights and Measures) in Sèvres, France, to provide standards of measurement for worldwide use.

Under the Mendenhall Order in 1893, metric standards, developed through international cooperation under the auspices of BIPM, were adopted as the fundamental standards for length and mass in the United States. The U.S. customary units such as the foot and pound have been defined in relation to metric units ever since.

The 1895 Constitution of Utah, in Article X, Section 11, originally mandated that: "The Metric System shall be taught in the public schools of the State." This section was, however, later repealed.[3]"

Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on April 27, 2012 at 16:14

They've talked the talk......but they haven't yet walked the (metre) walk.

It's one thing to establish standards..it's another to actually adopt and use them. The US "customary units" are colloquially referred to by some as FFU's....Fred Flinstone Units.

Permalink Reply by heather on April 27, 2012 at 19:18

Martin, most Australians are confused when I give my height in metric. Wonder how the average person works out their BMI (Body Mass Index) when they know their weight in kilos and height in feet & inches.

Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on April 28, 2012 at 7:38

Since 1967 when NZ went metric I've always used metric for my height.  Even in the 1960's when metric wasn't around I found working in pounds and pence and feet and inches a P in the A and when metric finally came around it was like a breath of fresh air.

Most BMI calculations use either all metric or all imperial measurements. If you're input data is in mixed units then you need to convert to either all metric or all imperial.

A point I made in an earlier post was that when you start having to convert from one unit to another you introduce the risk of error and in some cases errors leading to very costly mistakes (NASA Mars Climate Orbiter). In my job I spend far too much time converting units and checking other peoples conversions....it's just straightout inefficient use of time.

Permalink Reply by heather on April 28, 2012 at 13:37

Before the intro of all metric to all Australia, I worked in a lab and used SI units. A form of metric but not Australian Standards, e.g. temperature scale can be Centigrade or Celsius (did not use Kelvin).

Later I did a software project of Fuel Log for a Classic Car (not veteran) and could enter data from 14-Feb-1966 when intro of decimal currency. Allowed for mix of imperial and metric -- when odometer in miles and petrol pumps not changed instantly. Considered the home mechanic familiar with metric and working on a vehicle using an imperial car manual. Might not use a metric spanner on an imperial bolt, but would use the same tools for tightening torque and mercury pressure for carbies. Included a screen to enter a number, and convert from one unit to another, from memory about 100 items in the lookup table.

Martin, do you use a semi-automated system like this?

Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on April 28, 2012 at 14:48

Some of the reporting packages I input to out on the job can be set up for different units but there are always still problems when mixed units are being used. Alot of the time you still end up doing conversions manually on a calculator...thank god for my HP and RPN.

Things get really bad when you get a room full of Scotsmen from the North Sea and baccy chewing Louisiana good ol' boys from the Gulf talking in different units.

 

Permalink Reply by Michael Bland on April 28, 2012 at 15:49

Even thinking about unit conversions is giving me a headache , Im glad I don't have to do it .
It amazes me that the industry can't just impose one standard ,, but I maybe that is like wishing for world peace ?

Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on April 28, 2012 at 16:27

World peace would be easier.....it's perfect regardless of how it's measured.

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