front/back brake vs. left/right hand

dicky ticker

i know its mainly personal preference but was just wondering what people have set on their bikes.

i am right handed and prefer to have my rear brake on the right.

this may be that my raod bikes years ago were set this way but i feel i brake quicker with my right and feel less likely to go a over t (esp with discs)

whats your preferences?

bluechair84

Strange how the front gears are associated with the rear brake on the left hand side in Europe. Being right handed, I'd rather have the front brake there for all the delicate feathering and heavy anchor hauling it does. I lived in the US for a year and I had to swap the brakes around on my bike there... hated it.

nicklouse

it comes down the the rules of the road and covering your "safe" brake.

Drive on the left side of the road and your "safe" brake is the rear. for when turning across the traffic.

also as your main brake is the front brake it makes sense to have your main hand controlling it.

Also it is the same as the MC's.

bike-a-swan

curses, I was going to feel nice and smug explaining that!

I've spent fair size chunks of summers in France as a route leader/spanner waggler for 'tootling round the countryside' sorts of bike trips and the trip bikes now have a mix of brake setups, which is always fun when testing them- you've been fettling the back brake, get on to test it and smack somewhere uncomfortable on the top tube....

hard-rider

When I bought my bike the front brake was on the left (I live in the Algarve). After a couple of weeks of trying to get used to it I swapped it over to the right (so front on right, rear on left). I just feel a lot more comfortable feathering the brake with my right hand being right handed. It's also the way it was when I learned to ride.

Raymondavalon

My son bought a Mongoose HT in December he lives abroad and that had a "Yankee" brake setup where the rear is on the right. It freaked me out totally.
Her has a BMX background so he adapted to it no issue at all.
He does own a motorcycle and quad bikes which have the "traditional" front/right lever but he can switch from the bikes to MTB with no drama unlike me as I envision myself doing a world class faceplant as I wash the front end out by grabbing a fhand full of what I believed to be rear brake..

Anonymous

Makes no sense having the rear brake on your strongest hand. It's the front brake that does all the work, not the rear.

phz

you just get used to whatever setup - as a leftie my 'weak' hand is on the strong brake and i dont have any power / modulation issues at all

slainte :arrow: rob

Anonymous

pHz wrote:

you just get used to whatever setup - as a leftie my 'weak' hand is on the strong brake and i dont have any power / modulation issues at all

slainte :arrow: rob

I'm not arguing with that, but putting your rear brake on the right side, simply because your right hand is strongest doesn't make any sense. In fact, given the reasoning, it's counter-intuitive.

phz

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I'm not arguing with that, but putting your rear brake on the right side, simply because your right hand is strongest doesn't make any sense. In fact, given the reasoning, it's counter-intuitive.

wasnt responding directly to your post - just making a general observation

as it happens i tend to agree about strength <> control but then the counter argument would be dominant hand has finer motor control for modulation ?

slainte :?: rob

nicklouse

pHz wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I'm not arguing with that, but putting your rear brake on the right side, simply because your right hand is strongest doesn't make any sense. In fact, given the reasoning, it's counter-intuitive.

wasnt responding directly to your post - just making a general observation

as it happens i tend to agree about strength <> control but then the counter argument would be dominant hand has finer motor control for modulation ?

slainte :?: rob

and that is needed on the brake not the steering aid.

Northwind

pHz wrote:

s it happens i tend to agree about strength <> control but then the counter argument would be dominant hand has finer motor control for modulation ?

Maybe initially but over time I bet even with really right-handed riders the learned reflexes will be just as good with either hand.

For me, it'll always have to be right hand front brake I think, because of motorbiking, I'm sure I could adapt to either but I reckon I'd have problems if I was constantly swapping around.

submityournentries

randomly, when i was poor and only had a front hyraulic front (cable rear), i had it on the left, but now i have both i have swapped to front right, rear left. however once i have put longer cable on the rear (as its too short to go on the right at the moment) i will be going back to backwards braking, as i prefer it. but this just shows it what you have got used to riding.

so yeah, i just have front left as i find it more comfortable, and means that both hands are equally busy, rather than my right doing everything, and poor old lefty being abandoned.