Which side of the bike do you mount from...

prj45
prj45 Posts: 2,208
edited October 2012 in Commuting chat
The right? No, the left right? Even if you're left footed, of left handed but right footed? And do people in right hand drive countries mount from the right even if they're right footed? And have you tried mounting from the right or the left if you mount from the right?

Comments

  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    edited October 2012
    Depends upon her mood. Usually from behind. :wink:

    More sensibly, I encourage the kids to always keep their legs away from the chain-line for obvious reasons, so always mount from the left (riders perspective). This has the added bonus that the step for the person on the kerb to the bike on the road isn't so high.

    Also I dress to the left, so mounting from the left reduces the likelihood of gnashing the crown jewels.
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    both. but on the fixed right leg over.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Which ever side I happen to be on, my wife though can only mount her bike on her right, But she is very sided i'm to use a blood nurse's term greedy ie ambidextrous
  • I'm give my right arm to be ambidextrous :roll:
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,314
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • mtb-idle
    mtb-idle Posts: 2,179
    depends which side of the equator I'm on
    FCN = 4
  • Agent57
    Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    I get on from the left, and get off on the left. Makes sense.
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    The left. The side the greasy shiite ain't.
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    On and off from the port side
  • Widgey
    Widgey Posts: 157
    Right. Left leg swings over. I tend to get to dismount the opposite way..
  • Left for me, feels weird on the right
    Cannondales
    SuperSix Hi Mod Sram Red
    Super X Ultegra
    Tourine XT / XTR
    CX 1000 Disk Ultegra (Winter Hack)
    And an Empella SL Bonfire
  • exlaser
    exlaser Posts: 266
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    On and off from the port side


    what do you sail?
    Van Nicholas Ventus
    Rose Xeon RS
  • exlaser wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    On and off from the port side

    what do you sail?
    Mounting from starboard apparently does not give you right of way.
  • Paul E
    Paul E Posts: 2,052
    Left, it's a left over from mounting a horse and it also ended up influencing the side fighter pilots enter the cockpit too going back to ww1
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    I tried mounting from the right once, I fell on the floor. The wife was very upset.
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,768
    SimonAH wrote:
    The left. The side the greasy shiite ain't.
    That's why you got a bike with belt drive you ninny.
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Always clamber aboard from the left; bikes, horses, tractors, wife, train leaving the station, bandwagons etc...
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    I am a lefty, not sure why - but i'd end up facing the wrong way if I mounted from the right.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • t4tomo
    t4tomo Posts: 2,643
    Paul E wrote:
    Left, it's a left over from mounting a horse and it also ended up influencing the side fighter pilots enter the cockpit too going back to ww1

    horses flying planes?

    whatever next?!?!
    Bianchi Infinito CV
    Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Ultegra
    Brompton S Type
    Carrera Vengeance Ultimate Ltd
    Gary Fisher Aquila '98
    Front half of a Viking Saratoga Tandem
  • BigLights
    BigLights Posts: 464
    Left, habitually. On the grounds that I was told once (and it makes sense) to ALWAYS unclip your left foot when stopping in order to make sure that, in the event of a clip failure or somesuch, you fall left out of the traffic instead of putting your head down in traffic.