Comment

Comment by Alan Lloyd on December 23, 2010 at 6:12am

Knarps worked for me, filling for Raleigh brake cables with nipples on both ends (tut-tut: he said "nipples"), but my son (Owen) kept pulling his off - maybe he just brakes too hard, expecting modern braking performance?

Comment by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on December 23, 2010 at 5:58am

She's a runner.  I just got the cable knarp installed so the front brake works fine, and a 22T rear cog on the back.

 

When is the next tweed ride?

Comment by SlyRed on December 23, 2010 at 1:51am

I really enjoyed yesterday's Britain by Bike episode, The Cotwolds.  It's the only one I had seen when the series was previously broadcast.  Only one more episode to go.  I'll be sad that it's over, but it was a nice holiday gift.  Worth every bit of the two shilling & sixpence!

Comment by Alan Lloyd on December 22, 2010 at 6:10am

Put another way, you could buy all six of those cycling guides and still get change from a pound ...

 

5/- change, in fact, a crown or a dollar, or 25p in new money (oops, there I go again).

Comment by SlyRed on December 22, 2010 at 5:53am

OK, that's perfectly clear to me now . . . {walking away, scratching head . . .}

Comment by Alan Lloyd on December 22, 2010 at 5:48am

Okay: I was being sarcastic! Or is it ironic? 12 pence to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound, so 240 (old, physically big)pennies in a pound. 2/6 is shorthand for two shillings and six pence, so it is an 1/8th of a pound or 12-1/2 pence in new money (100p, new, physically smaller) to the pound after decimalisation in 1971; only of the currency, though: not weights and measures).

 

Before devaluation in the 1960s (IE: to 1 GBP = $2.80, me-thinks, before being devalued again to $2.40) the (fixed) exchange rate was 1 GBP = $4.05 or thereabouts ...

 

A crown was 5/-, five shillings or a quarter of a pound (we came way before Burger King and MacDonalds) and, therefore, the slang for it was a dollar - because, of course, that was just about what it was worth.

 

Half a crown was 2/6, half of a crown or 5/-, and the basis of the slang "half a crown" for it is obvious?

 

Imagine what it was like at school having to do maths on that form of currency, as well as pounds & ounces for weight - although we still suffer from that in the US of A. The UK is now all metric, except miles are still used for road distances.

Comment by Alan Lloyd on December 22, 2010 at 5:38am

Half a dollar, of course!

Comment by SlyRed on December 22, 2010 at 5:34am

Just how much was 2 & 6 in old money?  Have any idea Alan?

I thoroughly enjoyed the Yorkshire episode.  Of all the places in England I'd like to cycle Yorkshire is my top pick.

Comment by Alan Lloyd on December 21, 2010 at 9:53am

Watching "Britain by Bike" (episode#4, Yorkshire) right now. Yesterday's around the Isle of Wight amused me when the barmaid recognised one of the obscure cycling guides, the one Clare Balding was working from. After this TV series they are changing hands on eBay fpr 20 or 30 GBPs, or more, so much for 2/6 each!

Comment by SlyRed on December 21, 2010 at 3:55am

Just a FYI for any of you BBC'ers who started watching Britain by Bike on BBC iPlayer.  Episodes 3,4,5 & 6 are available on iPlayer the 20th through the 23rd, this week.  Watch 'em while you can.

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