why Km

[Iainj837]

i as wondering why do you use Km instead of miles, the reason I ask is on signposts the distance is in miles and not in Km ?

Another question on my cycle computer is in miles I know I can change it to Km but the mileage I have already done will that also change to Km or do I have to reset and lose what mileage I have done

 

[Iainj837]

As for changing your computer, I think the information will be lost.

I have swapped the computer to miles to km and i have not lost the data

before the swap I'd done 26585 after the swap the computer reads 42783 is this correct

 

[Randochap]

I have swapped the computer to miles to km and i have not lost the data

before the swap I'd done 26585 after the swap the computer reads 42783 is this correct

Google is your friend.

Wow! that's an astonishing total, for less than 2 weeks into the year!

 

[mickwood]

Erm...does it matter? I have mine in Miles as well. Always will. I always work with miles so see no reason to swap?

 

[HLaB]

Mine are in miles as thats the way I've always worked but sometimes figures are a tad more impressive in Km. Although if I was following something like an Audax route I think I would change.

 

[Will1985]

I have always used km when running and cycling. When I started cycling properly I was living in Europe so it made sense. On top of that, I find it easier to do arithmetic on the move in 1000s.
It has the added bonus of giving you higher figures and eventually I'm sure the UK will switch over to metric distances.

Maybe we're just being too Eurocyclist...

 

[bonj2]

'cos it's what they use in france, and the french are more important/bossy than us.

 

[Iainj837]

Google is your friend.

Wow! that's an astonishing total, for less than 2 weeks into the year!

No that's the total mileage since I bought the bike not what i've so far this year

 

[CotterPin]

I use kilometres when I want to impress people on how far I have cycled. I use miles when I am trying to get home at the end of a long ride and I am trying to convince myself I haven't got far to go.

 

[Greenbank]

Audaxes are in km because the standard ride lengths are multiples of 100km. It all started in Italy and so they were using metric measurements.

Converting between km and miles, and vice versa, is easy to do in your head and helps wile away the hours on the bike.

 

[mr_hippo]

I use kilometres when I want to impress people on how far I have cycled. I use miles when I am trying to get home at the end of a long ride and I am trying to convince myself I haven't got far to go.

That's my system as well - 5 mile from home is not as long as 8km!

 

[Randochap]

No that's the total mileage since I bought the bike not what i've so far this year

Obviously!

I was just taking the mick. I zero my computers every New Years Eve. It's a ritual. Then I start again, logging my yearly distance.

Some of our randonneurs who are still stuck in mile land (Canada changed to metric in the 70s) use two computers on brevets -- one in mi, the other in km.

 

[Jonathan M]

OS maps are metric nowadays, so grid squares are 1km references. I've recently changed to a metric computer on the bike only becuase it was the cheapest replacement at the time for what I wanted.

 

[Scoosh]

I much prefer Kms - they add up and count down quicker, making me feel better

 

[zzpza]

i use SI units because...

* metrication was over 30 years ago
* i studied physics
* standardised magnitudes

the only time i use imperial units is for speed when i am driving because speed limits are in imperial. on the bike it's kph.

this may be of use: guide to converting to metric