Bicycle-centric American to English dictionary

capt_slog

Jez mon wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

And Yanks are a bit mad anyway as per their use of ass-falt (and for that matter 'gas').

Gas, as a shortened version of Gasoline is arguably more correct than petrol as a shortened form of petroleum, as petroleum really means crude oil...

Not quite.

The word comes from petra, which means stone/rock; and Oleum meaning oil. "Rock-oil" as opposed to vegetable or fish oils which were the only ones around at the time.

Mike Healey

rodgers73 wrote:

Mike Healey wrote:

Median - no equivalent

Central reservation?

Ooops! I stand corrected :oops:

Mike Healey

Ben6899 wrote:

Pross wrote:

Mike Healey wrote:

Pross wrote:

Surely Gran Fondo is a European term? It differs slightly from a sportive I believe as they are more of a race (which obviously we know sportives aren't ).
Correct

Likewise Randonee / randonneuring comes from the Europeans.

Correct

Pavement is the correct terminology used in UShighway engineering for the surface of a carriageway as opposed to a footway so the Yanks are correct there I'm afraid. I wish more Brits would realise this!

Corrected. Worked in local Highways Dept for nearly 5 years before retirement. Not once did I hear the word "pavement" used for anything except the correct thing, i.e. footpath alongside road

Sorry, you're wrong - I'm a (UK) highway engineer and have been for 20 odd years. The first thing we were taught was the correct definition. If you don't believe me have a look at the Highway Agency's design guides

http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol7/index.htm

I'm with Pross here. "Pavement" is the correct term for the material from which the carriageway is constructed. Most folk could be forgiven for making the common mistake that Pross mentioned, but I'm staggered that someone who claims to have worked in highways would disagree. Staggered.

Just my 2p worth.

Ben6899 BEng CEng MICE

PS. "median" is the central reservation. This term is used in the Republic of Ireland as well.

Oh well, I was employed for my cycling "expertise", not my non-existent engineering qualifications