I think it was bizarre in a technical sense that they adopted as a standard English dimensions they had been calling archaic for decades. OK, they officially list the dimensions in mm, but it us usually a mm number to 3 or 4 decimal places, because it is in fact just an English measurement converted to mm. Someone reading the standard for the first time with no knowledge of the history would think "Why the hell didn't they make it an even number of mm rather than xx.3862?" Such a detached observer would probably conclude the entire standards committee must have been drunk the day they decided on bicycle standards.
In a purely technical sense, French thread, a purely metric standard with most dimensions in even mm, would have made much more sense, but by the time the standard was adopted, French thread just didn't have enough market share to prevail. Actually, Swiss thread, which properly uses left hand thread on the fixed BB cup, would have been even better in a technical sense, but of course the market share of that was miniscule.
I remember in first grade in the mid-50's reading in our weekly science reader how the world was changing to metric and how the US would be on the metric standard within 10 years. In fact, I doubt I will live long enough to see that actually happen.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
gpvb1@comcast.net wrote: The ISO (based in Geneva, Switzerland), after a decade or so of Global discussions, came up with the ISO Standards for bicycle components. Here's a quote from 1990, from Sutherland's Manual: "Standards, standards, standards. Why doesn't soebody come up with a set of standards? Somebody has. Manufacturers and representatives from other groups from countries that manufacture bicycles met in Geneva and over a period of years came up with standards for the International Standards Organization or ISO. The ISO is an international agency, a meeting ground for representatives of national standards organizations such as the US' American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The ISO attempts to standardize dimensions, markings, and safety requirements to increase compatability, help international trade, and reduce product hazards. Standards are introduced slowly to avoid disruptions in trade. The ISO tries to make new, standardized equipment work as often as possible with existing equipment. For this reason, despite the trend elsewhere toward metric standards, many of the ISO bicycle standards are based on English measurements. ISO thread form (the shape of the thead itself) is slightly different from English, but parts are still compatible. Axle threads, wrench flats and the like, which require the use of standard tools in manufacture or srvicing, are metric in the new ISO standards." What's bizarre about that? Greg Parker Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 04:51:29 -0700 (PDT) From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos To: Raymond Dobbins , Classic Rendezvous Bike List Subject: Re: [CR]What does ISO mean on a Regina Oro freewheel
ISO threading is essentially the same as English. The ISO some years ago sanctified the English standard by adopting it as the "official" international standard for bicycle threading. Technically this was a bizarre decision, since as early as the mid-50's, most international technical organizations were pronouncing the English system of measurement in general to be archaic and obsolete, and predicting its imminent replacement with the metric (now referred to as SI) system. But the ISO decision was all about economics and market power. By that time the Japanese component makers, especially Shimano, had become huge players in the market, and they had gone primarily to English threading since the US was their biggest market. So the ISO bowed to this reality, and adopted a standard which they or their predecessors had been decrying as obsolete for decades. I had thought that the ISO standard was adopted more recently than 1985, but time flies, I guess.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
Raymond Dobbins wrote: hi all,
i have a 1985 6 speed regina oro freewheel nib. the freewheel does not indicate what the threading is, but the box is marked "ISO." for some reason i thought this meant the threading was english - is this correct? if ISO has nothing to do with the threading, how can i know what the threading is?
thanks in advance for your help,
ray dobbins
miami, florida