I observed:
>"Most automobile parts as well as many bicycle parts have different
>names in U.S. vs British usage, since these devices were introduced
>
>after the Revolutionary War.
>
>It doesn't mean that one is wrong and the other is right, might as
>well complain that the French have different names too!"
Peter Kohler wrote:
>Well now, Sheldon.. we don't call a derailleur that "widget that changes
>gears" do we? Or say that "bunch 'o bike guys" instead of a peloton?
[additional straw man arguments snipped]
Actually, the term "derailleur" (or my preferred spelling "derailer") is hardly ever used in British English...they tend to prefer the term "changer."
http://sheldonbrown.com/
In U.S. usage, the term "pack" is a common and totally acceptable synonym for "peloton."
Brits also use such terms as "seat mast" "sprint" "fixed wheel" "PCD" and "inflator" where a Yank would say "seat post" "tubular rim" "fixed gear" "BCD" and "pump" just to pull a few items out of the top of my head...
Sheldon "Sometimes Prescriptivist, Sometimes Descriptivist" Brown
+---------------------------------------------------+
| If you oppose making marriage legally available |
| to all adults, you are promoting promiscuity. |
+---------------------------------------------------+
--
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com