Bit sizes

[AliJo]

Do some bit sizes differ according to what sort they are? It's just that my French link eggburt snaffle seems longer than my jointed eggburt snaffle but is the same size. The French link seems to lie to one side of the mouth more and so the link isn't in the middle and it looks too big. Any ideas?

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

It shouldn't be, possibly one of them was labeled up wrong when you bought it?

 

[loobylu]

Many,many bits, for some unknown reason, are uneven in this way. Have never got to the bottom of it but I have always found soublke joints (such as the french link) to be even. Odd indeed....
Could possibly be a difference in siszing with full cheeks- I think i remember something buried deep down but can't dredge it up at the moment. then again I could be talking utter rubbish.

 

[flyingfeet]

Overall mouthpeice size varies accross manufacturers depending on whether its an imperial or metric mould.

So if your bit was made for the European market, its generally an imperial mould. If made for (old) UK and US then it will be imperial. However a 5" and 12.5cm are both sold as a 5" in the UK, but aren't quite the same length.

New UK bits are also now moving to metric, as they are mainly made by the Chinese and lets face it the metric system makes a lot more sense.

Where it sits to one side in the mouth, is either a design fault where the two arms of the mouthpeice aren't the same length (most single joints are lop sided). Or when you put the bridle on you didn't get the brow band & bridle totally square (easily done)

More useless facts to follow if anyone needs them! Only learnt this as have my very own bits arriving any day (Metric).