bike-izle

Sorry for any lame questions, but this is the first time I've had this type where both shift and brake cables are taped to the handlebar.

Any "official" way to route them? I'd imagine brake cables going to opposite sides of head tube, rear over front. And shift cables going down same-side down tubes? Or can I criss-cross these too?

thanks

FBinNY 

Sharper bends increase cable friction, so whatever makes for more open, graceful curves is better. Some people prefer to cross the gear cables to the wrong side with the bare wires crossing back under the down tube. Generally, I don't but may do so on smaller frames. However, some frames don't lend themselves to this because the wires will be rubbing on the downtube, so check for this if planning to cross.

HillRider

I've never installed the current Shimano brifters but have a fair bit of experience with Campy's that use the same cable routing. Yes, brake cables cross over the headtube with the rear brake cable to the front as you mentioned. I always routed the shift cables to the same side of the downtube and never had any problems. You want to be sure that all of the housing runs are long enough that the bars can be turned fully to the stops in both directions without stressing the cables.

alcjphil

+1 a lot depends on the actual frame. The way your frame is designed often dictates how you run your cables. On one of my road bikes, I run my derailleur cables to the opposite sides of the frame and the wires are crossed inside the downtube. On another with external routing I can't do this because the wires would rub on the frame. Brake wires are your choice. I used to run my rear brake to my left lever back in the days of exposed brake wires but that is a bit more difficult with cables under the bar tape. Not to say impossible, my brother bought a bike last year that was delivered with the left lever controlling the rear brake

trailangel

No, brake cables do not cross the head tube.
Rear brake on the left, front on the right.
Any other way is incorrect.

HillRider

Very interesting. I guess the vast majority of riders and their bikes are wrong and I've been in violation for 30 years. You'd better get the word out soon before we hurt ourselves.

trailangel

So 'muricans ride with front brake on the left and the rest of the world rides front on the right.

fietsbob

If you are riding a motorcycle the left lever is the Clutch..

Pasadena California in not in the rest of the world Is It ? just LaLa Land...

If you want to rig your brakes up right front or right rear, It is your choice, just dont leave the cable in a line that will have too much friction,

[side pull (mine, old Campag) the left Bar side to the caliper which squeezes on the right side, gives the Best, smoothest, Line.]

NB: the fashion police dont have the power of the Courts to enforce their Opinions.

FBinNY 

Eons ago, I set up my race bike with the front brake lever to the left. Everyone kept telling me I was wrong. I did it that way because when I ride one handed I carry stuff in my right hand, and want the one brake to be the front. I still ride that way.

At that time youth bikes sold in the USA with single hand brake and a coaster brake were set up with the lever to the left, leaving room for the 3-speed trigger (if one) on the right. Later on when the CPSC established bike standards, they were concerned about reports of endos (among many issues) and they mandated that all new bikes be set up with the front brake to the left. Part of the thinking was that this would eliminate a switchover when children moved from a single hand brake to two.

As far as anyone's personal bike is concerned, there's no rule. You may follow my logic based on how you carry stuff (if/when you do) or any other reason that makes sense for you, or simple personal preference.

alcjphil

The bike My brother bought last year was built for the British market,front braking with the right hand is very common all over Europe. When I used to set my old Raleigh up that way I found using my dominant hand for the front brake was better in many ways. My brother however is left handed

HillRider

The original thinking here was that the front brake is "dangerous" and you wanted it operated by your weaker hand, hence the left for most people. I like it that way since i'm also left handed. I know that Europeans often set the brakes the opposite of our convention but I don't know how it's done in Asia. Either way works and neither is "incorrect".

easyupbug 

When am flossing the cassette or giving the chain a wipe I like a right hand rear brake to easily stop the rear wheel to wipe the rim or the RD without getting whacked by spokes.

migrantwing

I'm in England and I run the left lever to control front brake and front DR. The right lever to control rear brake and rear DR. I criss cross my cables for a cleaner run, too. This is a mongrel set up, as it's part US, part me. The bike is German and came with the brakes set up in the opposite way. I criss crossed the shifter cables myself. In the blink of an eye, my brain will remember 'Right - Back / Left - Front' for brake AND shifter if needed in a split second emergency. Why confuse things and risk an accident by having it any other way?

Some info from Sheldon on the matter makes for an interesting read:

https://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html

• "Ćro" brake levers (cables run under the handlebar tape.)
  • The usual set-up involves running the cables along the inside of the upper part of the handlebar, tightly secured to the bar with tape. It is important that the housing be tightly wrapped against the handlebar, or the braking may be spongy. To ensure firm contact of the housing against the stop inside the brake lever, the cables should be fully connected and put under tension before they are taped down. One good way to do this is to use a toe strap to hold the brake lever tightly applied while securing the section of housing that runs along the handlebar. It is good practice to use electrical tape or other adhesive tape to secure the cable housing against the handlebar. If you do so, it is easier to apply the normal handlebar tape afterwards, or to replace the handlebar tape at a later date.
  • The rear brake cable can go on either side of the head tube. When the handlebars are turned as far as they can go in one direction, they will pull the cable tight. In the other direction, they will create more slack in the housing. In the case of bicycles with side-pull brakes, the upper arm of the front brake limits the handlebar turning scope in one direction, as the brake arm comes into contact with the down tube. The rear brake cable should go on the side of the stem opposite the front brake cable...this way you will not have to allow so much extra slack in the rear cable, since the handlebars can't turn as far in the direction that will tighten the rear cable.
    
    ***
    
    Right Front or Left Front? The usual system is to have the rear brake controlled by the lever on the side of the bicycle that corresponds to the side of the road that it will be driven on, i.e., right in most of the world; left in the British Isles, Japan, and other places where they drive on the left. (The European Union, however, has standardized on having the right-hand lever control the front brake).
    • Nobody knows exactly why this is. My theory is that it is based on the reasonable idea that you should be able to have your primary braking hand on the handlebars while making a turn signal with the appropriate hand -- coupled with the erroneous idea that the rear brake is the primary brake.
      I prefer to set my own bicycles up with the front brake controlled by the right lever. This allows me to signal and stop at the same time, and also lets me use my stronger, more skillful hand for the more critical front brake. (I rarely use my rear brake.)
      Since this is the opposite of the prevailing national standard in the USA, I would never set up a bicycle this way for a customer without a specific request to do so. I have an article on Braking and Turning which addresses these issues in more detail.

trailangel

Migrantwing, thanks for that info and links..
I will counter with my thoughts.. against what others think. not saying who is correct of course, but something to think about.
I do not agree with Sheldon brown or others that the front brake is the most important brake.
I say rear brake is most important.... as does many vehicle codes.
One brake on a bike.. it calls for the rear brake.
Anybody here ride motorcycles as well?
Where is your front brake?? it's on the right.
In a panic stop what do you do... I grab the clutch on the left, go to the rear brake, which is ON THE LEFT (old british here) and then go to the front brake.
Doesn't matter which side of the road I am on.
I am also left handed so my strong hand is on the back brake, which I consider the more important brake.
It's just my way.

alcjphil

Whether or not you think that your rear brake is your primary brake, your front brake has by far the most braking power. Your front brake alone will stop you more than twice as fast as your rear brake. You cite motorcycles as an example, but any motorcycle I have seen in the last few years has much more powerful brakes on the front wheel

trailangel

Try it on wet pavement, on a corner with sand on the road. Then come back and tell me which brake is better regardless of stopping power.
I didn't say which brake had the most stopping power did I?

alcjphil

On wet pavement, you wouldn't want to brake with either wheel in the corner, you would do your slowing down before you got there. To slow down you need your more powerful brake

fietsbob

Anecdotal point: Touring, I had the rear on the left , really steep Get off and Push Hill, I could grab the near side lever and stop roll-back
so I could catch my Breath and let my heart-rate subside .

If it were the front I was grabbing it may have just skid back on the front wheel.. it was that steep.


Simon Burney, Cyclocross national coach UK, and author of 3 books on the topic, suggests Rear on the left,
so if already having both feet on the left side in preparation for a running Barrier Jump,

You may drag the rear wheel to slow down at the last moment.

UK does seem to set up that way .. that's how my Brompton remains.. R>F. L>R "moto"

How do you tune your (4 string) Tenor Guitar ?

bumbles

Not everyone can agree on what is best, but I'm happy with my routing...Plenty of room to turn the wheel more than 90 degrees, cables run smooth and to my eye it's tidy. The cable bosses mounted to the head tube help with this.

HillRider

In a slippery corner, a locked rear wheel will put you on the ground just as quick as a locked front brake.

fietsbob

Put that foot down on the inside of the corner and Flat Track the corner , like the Motor Bikes do on oval tracks ..

FBinNY 

The reality is that brake modulation, including properly balancing the force applied to front and rear brakes is a rapidly learned habit, and we do so unconsciously after very little "training". I don't believe that it makes any difference at all which hand the front brake is on except that you want all your bikes the same way. If it did, we'd see a pattern of more endos in some countries vs others depending on how brakes are routed.


I suspect that the thinking behind all bikes the same way (either) standards is that users replacing bikes shouldn't be surprised by the brakes being reversed. Imagine if the arrangement of basic controls in cars were all different. Interestingly the arrangement of gas, brake and clutch pedals is identical in all cars, both in the UK and US.

fietsbob

Demonstrates my Point , Made before , install the cables to take the best Line to least drag.

Note: there are right squeeze and left squeeze side pull Brake calipers.

hueyhoolihan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3f...etailpage#t=45

migrantwing

Most welcome, trailangel