wfofromthegetgo

hi guys, my first post here...just wanted to say hi to everyone first.

i used to ride mountainbikes back in the day but have been out of it for years. I'm 27 now and I'm just getting back into it...getting fit again is one of the reasons...that and I can't afford insurance on my streetbike anymore so I want something to do in my freetime.

anyways, my question is this: for you guys that also ride motorcycles, does having your front brake on different sides on your bike and motorbike affect your riding? I keep finding myself pulling the right lever for my front brake which is where it is on my motorcycle. I changed the cables over so my front brake is now on the right but I was wondering if they were setup like that for a reason? should I put them back to where they were and just try to get used to it or will it be fine either way?

thanks!

Walkafire

Whatever works for ya... never bothered me.

phidauex

Swapping brakes like you did is fairly common. Its called 'moto' cabling by some. The best guess for why bicycles have the front brake on the left side is that you're expected to use the primary brake with your primary hand, which for most people is the right hand. That coupled with the wrong idea that the rear brake is your primary brake means brakes are cabled 'backwards'.

Keep in mind that borrowing other people's bikes might be odd for you, so give yourself a few minutes to 'readjust' when riding someone elses bike.

I wire all my brakes with the front on the right, since I'm right handed, and ride motorcycles as well, and I want my best hand on my primary brake. My fixed gear only has a front brake, and that is installed on the right side as well.

peace,
sam

wfofromthegetgo

cool, thanks man! i was hoping for that!

now I have to figure out how hard I can brake with my front on dirt...but that another thread altogether

-=(8)=-

It bothered me at first but you get used to it.
JUst like shifting an old Spanish bike.
I was going to change them on my mountain bike but
it became uneccassary after a few rides.

danch

Doesn't bother me, but I'm pretty good with my left hand, and I guess the two are different enough that they've got different habits and muscle memory patterns.

Although now that you mention it, maybe I should do some emergency stop practices on the push-bike just to make sure my reflexes are right. I'd hate to grab the back brake out of habit in an emergency!

motomickey

Switched mine over-not a big deal at all. I perfer them on the same side for both, because in a panic, you tend to react the way you are most used to, and I don't want to have to think about which side is which.

wfofromthegetgo

the panic situations were exactly what I was thinking of. I'm sure I could get used to both but if I get in a jam, I don't want to have to think about which brake to squeeze...

SoonerBent

It has never bothered me. Seems the brain just insantly adapts to whichever I'm on. Same as when I had an automatic truck and a 4-speed Fiat, I never thought about the difference.

SS

genec

Actually front brake on the right hand makes sense from a signaling stand point too... freeing up your left hand for signals to traffic.

edp773

[the panic situations were exactly what I was thinking of. I'm sure I could get used to both but if I get in a jam, I don't want to have to think about which brake to squeeze...]

What about your right toe pushing down for the brake and your left hand pulling in the clutch. You can adjust after just a few rides.

desmobob

To me, it makes sense to do what you did. I was tempted to do the same thing. Your brain would easily remember that your bicycle is the opposite of your motorcycle except maybe in a panic situation where you need the best reaction time possible.

Good riding,
desmobob
former WERA motorcycle roadracer and current motorcyclist (Ducati 900SS SP)

dynaryder

Never bothers me. The extra 620lbs on the Harley,now that bothers me!

Bikewer

way back when I was riding motorcycles a lot, they had not yet standardized the shift/brake lever situation.

Thus, at one time, I owned bikes which shifted on the right, and the left. To make matters worse, I then bought a Hodaka, which had a shift pattern backwards from the Honda I owned. Made for some interesting moments....

Nothing like charging up a hill in the woods, and stomping a downshift that was actually an upshift. You sure look silly trying to hold that bike on the side of the hill.

lemurhouse

God... never occurred to me, I just "do it". Now that you've got me thinking about it, I'm going to get all confused!

slvoid

Nice... that's always one of those fears, freewheeling your sport bike into the back of someone's car cause you thought the clutch was the front brake.

wfofromthegetgo

I never touch my rear brake...I ride a sportbike so the thing never gets used. I step on it once in a while to make sure its still there and to keep my brake light on sometimes thats it

slvoid: never thought about that...ha ha! good thing I switched them over!

edp773

[slvoid: never thought about that...ha ha! good thing I switched them over!]

That was the point of my post, to make you think. Whatever you are the most comfortable with should be good. I seriously thought about switching my brakes, but adjusted quickly. Just like Bikewer, I ridden and raced too many different setups.
No one wants to be like Ulrich crashing into a car, on a bike or a motorcycle.

LordOpie

I have no issues with the different controls between my three bikes -- motor, road (STI) and mtb (rapid fire). But strangely enough, I always unclip my right foot when stopping while mtbing, but always put my left foot down when on my motor or roadie.

KirkeIsWaiting

The brakes were never the problem. Just instinct I'd guess.
It was the clutch, I kept reaching for on the road bike!
Same probelm I have with a rental car. I keep reaching for the third pedal!

LordOpie

hahahahaha, yesterday, I slammed on the brakes with my clutch foot! I stopped hard and fast. People were looking at me funny! My jeep is auto, but I used to have a mustang and by law, mustangs must be manual!!



You ride/rode a motorcycle?

Siu Blue Wind

It's funny you asked. It never occurred to me (until now) that when I ride my bike that has grip shift, I do brake differently. I figure it's because I hold the bars the same as my motorcycle - two fingers on the "throttle/shifter" two fingers covering the brake. On my other bicycle, I hold the handlebar normal, I brake normal. (Oh, and on the first bike I go "vruummmm vruummmmm" as I ride.)