front brake which side left or right?

z000m
z000m Posts: 544
edited June 2008 in Workshop
which side should a front brake be on a racer. should it use the left or the right lever?
and is it a general rule or is it just personal choice?
reason i ask is i just finished taping up my bars and noticed the brakes are different way round to my tourer,
so im not sure which is correct.
New Build

Comments

  • shazzz
    shazzz Posts: 1,077
    For some bizarre reason the norm in the UK is front brake = right lever. I have front brake on left lever as that is what makes most sense to me (so I can control brakes when signalling right). It's up to you but probably best to have all bikes set up the same way!!!
  • beatsystem
    beatsystem Posts: 118
    if your right handed put it on the left,then you will tend to use the back more because your right handed.Thats my take on it anyway.
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    Generally in the UK most road bikes will be set up with the front brake on the right hand side.

    On the continent it is the other way round.

    Naturally all the campag / Italian fetishists should maximise the Italian experience by setting their bikes up like the Italians, but most don't.
  • fluff.
    fluff. Posts: 771
    Front brake being right makes sense to me, most of your stopping power is from the front brake and most peoples strongest hand is their right, no?
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    beatsystem wrote:
    if your right handed put it on the left, then you will tend to use the back more because your right handed.Thats my take on it anyway.
    But the front brake has much better stopping power than the back (it's physics innit).

    It's also more controlled on the front (less chance of a skid).

    So to my mind, having the front brake on the right lever is the way to go.

    However, it's horses for courses at the end of the day, so just go with what feels right!
  • FSR_XC
    FSR_XC Posts: 2,258
    Glad mine's on the right.

    It would feel very weird switching between motorbike & cycle otherwise.

    I always understood it 'should be' on the right.
    Stumpjumper FSR 09/10 Pro Carbon, Genesis Vapour CX20 ('17)Carbon, Rose Xeon CW3000 '14, Raleigh R50

    http://www.visiontrack.com
  • z000m
    z000m Posts: 544
    both bikes are campag equipped, anyway i have swapped the front brake over to the right on my racer, now it is the same on both bikes, i really didnt want to unwrap the tape again. but its got to be right, right.

    thanks all.
    New Build
  • beatsystem
    beatsystem Posts: 118
    i thought it was better to use the back or both in an emergency to stop one from going over the handlebars.
  • Simon Notley
    Simon Notley Posts: 1,263
    I run mine the continental way round (left=front) and I use Shimano! You get a better cable line that way I find. It seems perfectly fine to use either to me.

    Simon
  • andrewgturnbull
    andrewgturnbull Posts: 3,861
    Hi there.

    Mine are left == front because:

    - My right hand isn't as strong as my left after a bit of orthopedic surgery...
    - You can brake with your left and change gear with you right as you enter a corner, ready for getting back up to speed quickly when racing
    - You can brake and signal right when commuting (I don't signal left)
    - The cable runs are cleaner (as the manufacturer intended them)

    Cheers, Andy
    http://www.andyturnbull.co.uk
    http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    The late, lamented Sheldon wrote quite a bit about it, about which side should be on which, about why you should mostly use the front brake and not the rear
    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html
    There is considerable disagreement as to which brake should be connected to which lever:
    Some cyclists say it is best to have the stronger right hand (presuming a right-handed cyclist) operate the rear brake.

    Motorcycles always have the right hand control the front brake, so cyclists who are also motorcyclists often prefer this setup.

    There are also observable national trends:
    In countries where vehicles drive on the right, it is common to set the brakes up so that the front brake is operated by the left lever.

    In countries where vehicles drive on the left, it is common to set the brakes up so that the front brake is operated by the right lever.

    The theory that seems most probable to me is that these national standards arose from a concern that the cyclist be able to make hand signals, and still be able to reach the primary brake. This logical idea is, unfortunately, accompanied by the incorrect premise that the rear brake is the primary brake.
    For this reason, I set my own bikes up so that the right hand controls the front brake, which is not the norm in the U.S.

    I also do this because I'm right handed, and wish to have my more skillful hand operate the more critical brake.

    No way would I have two bikes set-up differently !
    I hired a bike set-up 'the other way' in Italy last month. I tried to concentrate on using the front brake with the unfamiliar hand, hoping I'd get used to which way round they were.
    All went fine until, coming down a hill at 50-60kph, I hit a pothole I hadn't seen in the shadows under trees and the bike got into a bit of a wobble.
    I instinctively grabbed a bit of back brake just for a moment to straighten it up...except it was front brake and I made the wobble into more of a shimmy.
    I'd only grabbed the brake for a moment and it all straightened itself out pretty quickly, was all over by the time I realised what had happened, but was a bit of a scary moment... :shock:
  • Simon Notley
    Simon Notley Posts: 1,263
    One of my friends tried to pull off a stylish rear-wheel slide on my mountain bike a while ago...

    ...only to find himself face down on the floor after rather forcefully applying the hyraulic disc brake attached to my front wheel... :lol:
  • MartinC1
    MartinC1 Posts: 12
    This question comes up again and again. Racing brakes are made with the cable alignment to suit left hand/front brake best. You can set them up the other way - it really doesn't matter. The logic for the front/left arrangement is simple. Most people are right handed and use their right hand to change gear (remember DT levers?), drink, wipe their nose, scratch their arse etc. When you ride in a bunch you need instant access to the best brake so it's normally best on the left 'cos the left hand is more often available.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I have mine set up as the designers intended - left hand front, because with a short headtube and stem, you get a very twisted cable run otherwise. I brake on feel and have never had a problem swapping between different set-ups. The British Standard is purely an anachronism to perceived way of days gone by and I think was an underhand way of the UK cycle industry to try and fend off foreign imports.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    beatsystem wrote:
    i thought it was better to use the back or both in an emergency to stop one from going over the handlebars.

    If you use your back brake only in an emergency you will either fail to stop anywhere near quick enough, or lock up the back wheel and skid at near enough full speed into whatever you're trying to avoid!

    Obviously it is possible to go over the handlebars if you use the front brake incorrectly, but it isn't hard to learn good braking technique. As such, the front brake is the one that actually stops the bike (it has 5 times the braking power of the rear brake) and in an emergency situation focusing on using the front brake correctly will give you the quickest and safest stop.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • andrewgturnbull
    andrewgturnbull Posts: 3,861
    Hi there.

    I'll agree with biondino here, with one proviso:

    If you're halfway round a bend and realise that you're not going to make, the back brake is the one to use.

    Cheers, Andy
    http://www.andyturnbull.co.uk
    http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    I am very right handed but I ride left hand fromt right to rear. Although my let hand is weaker than my right I never had an issue with being unable to apply enough force to my front wheel. If I wanted to I could easily lock it up, also modulation is not an issue.

    You really dont need that much strength and grip to pull the front brake all the way in. I think that argument is a nonsense.

    IT makes sense also to control the main braking contriol with one hand and main gearing (rear) with the other. It feels natural.

    However its what you are used to, most of my rides in the past have been italian and french so thats what I got used, I set up my mountain bike the same way. Whatever you choose make sure that all your bikes (if you have multiple bikes) are set the same way.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    Brakes are for wimps !



    (left = front for me. Better cable run)
  • bishbish
    bishbish Posts: 22
    if you are right handed front right if left handed front left
    strongest most articulate hand on most important brake
    one fist is worth a thousand words
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    I have mine set up the "normal" UK/Ireland way with front on the right. I have rented bikes with the other setup and it certainly takes some getting used to, there was a definate amount of wrong brake application on the first day.
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    I have mine set up the "normal" UK/Ireland way with front on the right. I have rented bikes with the other setup and it certainly takes some getting used to, there was a definate amount of wrong brake application on the first day.

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