What sides are your brakes on??

tonytiger81

Every bike I've ever raced or built up had right rear and left front. As others have said its more muscle memory than anything but to me, as i'm right hand dominant, if i want to grab a brake lever in a hurry i'd rather skid out than launch over the bars. Makes sense to me at least.

magicbastarder

i would have assumed that the main concern there would be motor control than strength.

07Lapierre

I have 4 bikes…not sure which ones are rear left or right TBH. I put it down to me been left handed so I’m used to things being different for me. I tend to apply both brakes at the same time and go by feel, so it’s something I’ve never really thought about it.

TheBlaaMan

Left - front , right - rear. 4 bikes all built the same (by me....)

Given that a right hand turn is the riskier here, having full braking on the left while being free to signal on the right makes sense to me. I try not to me changing gears while in complex manouvers, but if I have to, I can change down easily too

saccades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574301#Comment_118574301

Only with a derailuer, IGH doesn't care 😉

saccades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575147#Comment_118575147

Why would you want even braking?

Weight distribution alone means the braking is different and if the ground was slippy you could lose traction on the front (and back) instead of just the safer back.

And if your jumping you lose fine control of your fore/aft rotation.

Rechuchote

Good God!

I thought left rear, right front was the only way to do it, like left hot, right cold for taps - anything else is sacrilege.

(Gear down when approaching traffic lights, what, what? I'd do that driving, when I used to drive; I've never done it on a bike.)

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575147#Comment_118575147

This sounds like a terrible idea.

positron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579310#Comment_118579310

Actually that's a good point. I think the linked braking in motorbikes works by distributing a percentage of the power to the other wheel. For instance, if you apply the front brake, some power is applied to the rear as well which will help stop the rear stepping out as well as reduce the nose dive perhaps - and if you are applying the back brake, some power to the front will help reduce the squat perhaps.. I am not sure.

I guess linked braking is probably a useful thing once you have ABS too - which is all very much non-pedal-bike territory. Anyway, I am plenty happy with the brakes that we have at the moment, it's the "getting going" where I lack the power!

Elvis Hammond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118580516#Comment_118580516

Weight transfer is just caused by slowing down; nothing to do with the brake used, & you're certainly not going to get 'squat' while braking.

Choosing how much front/rear to use is a matter of traction.

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574110#Comment_118574110

Spin on planet x today and lo and behold it's set up opposite to the Treks, right lever is front and left lever is rear brake. Never noticed it was opposite to the other bikes 😃

68 lost souls

only ever ridden left front brake. If you have right front oldies your right operate front or rear derailleur too?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588595#Comment_118588595

No gearing is universal the world over as far as I know. Left for front mech, right for rear.

68 lost souls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588662#Comment_118588662

See that’s where I would get very confused if my brakes were reversed. It makes sense to have front brake and front derailleur on the same shifter otherwise I’d get confused over which was which

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588662#Comment_118588662

i guess in theory it could vary between manufacturer, but definitely not geographically, as the shifters definitely are 'handed' - you couldn't put a left shifter on the right hand side of the bars. wel, you could probably try but it'd just be weird.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588885#Comment_118588885

Could you imagine the gymnastics involved if you put a right sti shifter on the left etc. so you had to shift out ways and not in 😂

With the old friction shifters I had on the bars of an old mtb you could swap over? Doubt many did though.

Actually watching the winter Olympics snowboarding here, I'm reminded of terms from my skateboarding days. Regular and Goofy.

Could you imagine a regular rider getting a goofy bike from neutral service at the tour before a mountain descent 😮

magicbastarder

Type 17

UK law specifies that new bikes must be sold (ie: leave the shop) with Right-Front/Left-Rear brake setup, but there is nothing to stop an owner changing it (or asking a bike shop to change it after purchase) to the other way.

The reason is that, in left-traffic (UK, Irl, Aus, etc), when you're out in the centre of the road, stopping to turn right, and signalling with your right hand, you want your other (left) hand on the rear brake (ever try pulling the front brake with only one hand on the bars?). Bikes sold in right-traffic countries (US, most of EU, etc) have their brakes set up the other way because the same issue applies when stopping to turn left.

BTW, before Brexit, Irish Trek dealers used to get stock from both the UK and the Netherlands, and the bikes for the UK had the UK-specific brake-setup and one single white spoke reflector per wheel, whereas the continental ones had Left-Front/Right-Rear brakes and two orange spoke reflectors per wheel. (Now you won't be able to look at a Trek without checking...)

If you look at old English-made bicycles with roller-lever brakes, they are made with the Right-Front/Left-Rear brake setup designed in, and many cannot be changed without re-making some parts in the reverse orientation.

Richard Hillman

Cube - Left/Front. I had never had a Left/Front before and it took about a week to realise that it was. Luckily I didn't have any hard breaking to do 😆

My last bike was a Right/Front (Giant)

07Lapierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579721#Comment_118579721

Left/Front (For Rim brakes) gives, in my view a cleaner/straighter cable routing from the caliper to the lever. If connected to the Right Lever, there is a significant bend in the cable, which doesn't look right!

triggermortis

All my bikes are rear on the left. Rose asked me which way I wanted it when I ordered it, so I went with what I knew. It's the only bike that I'd brake and change gear at the same time on, but that's because its got Di2. I bought a Giant MTB years ago from Germany and that was set up rear on the right so I got it changed straight away. Only ever had hire bikes abroad that where rear brake was on the right and I had to keep reminding myself about it during each ride..

seantobin43

My Trek domane is front left lever, can it be switched over easily?

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118597569#Comment_118597569

Why though ?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118597569#Comment_118597569

It's not a front left lever, the cable for the front brake is going to the left lever you just need to move it to the right lever if that's you preference. Brakes can be swapped over gears usually can't.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598019#Comment_118598019

Because it is Right and Proper

seantobin43

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598019#Comment_118598019

I have a mbt and it's left rear and right side front brake, I'm so used of the front brake on that side. Every bike I've ever riden before is always been that way. Every Motorbike in the world is right front brake.

secman

Never had a motorbike...

I've only realised since reading this thread that 3 of my bikes , Treks are set up front /left and the 4th bike is front /right. I put it down to the fact that I tend to ease on both brakes to slow down. Anyways it seems it matters to some folk, so set it up to suit you.. wrongs and rights though ! What's normal to some is not normal to others..ride safe though.

Jonesy101

Got my road bike in Canada which is opposite. Mtb and other bikes from Ireland so the other way around. no issues switching between the two at all. wouldnt be interested in unwrapping bar tape switching changing legths of cables etc etc.

magicbastarder

the only time i can remember being on a bike where the brakes were not set up the way i am used to, i noticed instantly. so i was surprised to read that people could take days or weeks to realise.

cletus

I have just acquired my first a la mode francais bike...

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604543#Comment_118604543

Days or weeks ! TRY years and years 🤣

Idleater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604543#Comment_118604543

Re "so i was surprised to read that people could take days or weeks to realise."

I was surprised that so many people use their brakes in a way that finding out that they are "backwards" means they fear crashing.

magicbastarder

as per someone else mentioning above - if you're indicating with one hand and pulling the brake with the other, i reckon it's useful information to know which brake you're pulling.

Idleater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118605819#Comment_118605819

Indeed, but it's prudent, before, or very early on operating an unfamiliar bike/car/piece of machinery, to have an understanding of the workings, and not leaving that until indicating and braking in such a manner that it results in crashing.

Breezer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604820#Comment_118604820

Bienvenue à la Dark Side

MyDarkArts

My brakes are on the right side of history.

patrickc

My Lapierre is left front brakes and gears, right rear.

MojoMaker

Bit like renting a car on the continent - you adjust/adapt to the different orientation very quickly and you get on your way. To someone not actively switching between the two orientations it might sound complicated or a recipe for disaster but actually at a subconscious level I reckon our brains silently parse the motor control messages quite effectively so that you never really notice it.

My daily rothars are set up in opposing fashion and I can't say I consciously think about it at all - not even a reminder to myself, 'today my front brake is on the left' - it just kicks in silently and unconsciously.

Taking an 'Irish' bike to the continent for a race or for holidays - you'd never actually change the orientation of your brakes, yet nobody gets into trouble do they?

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118627777#Comment_118627777

I think it is really user dependant for whatever reason.

I've bikes set up both ways and it doesn't cost me a thought, and I was always a bit sceptical of people saying how important it was until a friend said it to me about a new bike he had.

The man is a former national champion and even now has brilliant bike handling skills yet nearly got caught out by the reverse set up

JMcL

I've been reasonable used to riding rental bikes in France over the years so had gotten used to left front (albeit having gotten a fright first time I grabbed the "rear" brake). Then about 5 years ago I was changing the group set on the road bike, and through being tired/rushing to finish managed to fit the cables front/left, right/rear and couldn't face unwrapping the bar tape to swap them over.

I've never had any issues since with the brakes being that way (they're the opposite on my other bikes) and can swap between the two comfortably. Signalling hasn't been a problem either. My commute home involves a fairly steep gradient on a dual carraigeway finishing with a roundabout where I have to turn right, and I can manage the braking/signalling fine regardless. That said, I've developed the muscle memory to shift my reasonably substantial bulk back when braking, and extremely rarely grab the brakes, so I would agree that locking the front brake inadvertently while going downhill probably wouldn't end well