T-Mar

Even if you consider it faulty, there is some logic behind most of these terms. I find that if you're aware of the logic, it makes the terminology more amenable.

Bottom bracket come from old British bicycle terminology. In engineering terms, a bracket is simply a mechanical device to join to two pieces, typically at an angle. What we call lugs, the British used to call brackets. So, the bracket at the bottom of the frame became the bottom bracket. That definition was misconstrued and applied to bearing movement, so we know differentiate between a bottom bracket and a bottom bracket shell.

Clipless pedals refers to pedals that have a shoe retention system that does nor use toe clips and cleats. They are clipless, in that they do not use toe clips. Toe clipless pedals would be more accurate but people have gotten lazy.

The misnomer that is my personal pet peeve is the clincher tyre. When pneumatic tyres became popular during the 1890s there were four major types; the single tube, the double tube, the clincher and the wired-on. What to-day are called clinchers, used to be called wired-on. The two are similar but incompatible. Both use beads to hold the tyre to the rim but clinchers have a very large, all rubber bead that fits under a very prominent lip in the rim. By contrast, wired-on tyres use a metal or Kevlar hoop encased in rubber to create a very small bead and the rim has very little or no lip. Over the decades, the term clincher has been appropriated and applied to what were historically called wired-on tyres.

ksryder

Another pet peeve of technically incorrect usage that seems to have been superseded by common practice:

Referring to the tire width as "c". I.e., 32c tires. It's 700c x 32mm. 32c means nothing.

But even the manufacturer's spec sheets fall into this usage. I was just looking at the Trek website and they list the Domane as having clearance for 32c tires.

Irregardless, I guess language changes.

madpogue 

Yes, the language could use some preventative maintenance.

scarlson 

Oh god, tires. It seems that at least once a month, someone comes to me asking how tire sizing works, and I patiently explain ETRTO and everything else to them (often using a whiteboard for visual aid), and then half the time they _still_ get the wrong size.



Let's not even get into how people pronounce some of these words. SRAM (shram) and derailleur (derail-yer), for example, really get my goat.

T-Mar

You must be be 7th heaven listening Bobke's "Tour Day France" coverage.

southpier

or even preventive.

now you'll have to excuse me, I have some holes to pre-drill.

qcpmsame 

At least you came back, this was beginning to sound like a combination of an engineering department section, and English faculty meeting.

Bill