There's a possible positive benefit to all of us out of this. Agree, we should not try to make people call things what we like to call them, with the possible exception of clarifying communication. But as old race bike freaks and nostalgists, it is better to know the terms than not to. Possibly Ted could type up a list of terms and what he see them to mean, such as in one of his early posts in this thread.
Do I have a lot of experience with bikes? Yes. Do I know what those words he asked about mean? No, not even half of them. (yes,I know, "fixie" is on the Sheldon site" Do I want to know? Uhh, YEAH!
So please, Ted, fill us in on some of the formerly common terms in our field.
Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of InchPitch@aol.com Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 10:43 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]RE: Ted Ernst and proper terminology
Kudos to Ted! "Fixie" is an abomination. And so is "skip tooth." This is a California beach term coined by the ignorant to describe inch-pitch. "Yo dude, lookit da skip-tooth front sprocket."* It grates on my ears every time I hear it, and has done so for nearly 30 years.
BTW: In regard to Ted's comments on the merit of block chain over roller chain, when Reg Harris came out of retirement in his mid fifties he made the statement, "I have complete faith in the new alloy cotterless cranks, but a sprinter must ride block chain!"
* While we're at it, what else was incorrect in that sentence?
Bill Curtis: _inchpitch@aol.com_ (mailto:inchpitch@aol.com) Costa Mesa, CA