mac

I've been riding motorcycles recreationally for the past 8 years and finally switched the brakes on my bicycle so front brake = right hand just like my motorcycle. I thought this was a no-brainer: using the same hand for the same brake. However, I now find it awkward. Granted, I've only ridden 40 miles with this new setup, but I find my right hand to be "busier" than my left since I'm shifting the rear cog a lot. Does anyone else ride with brakes set up motorcycle style? If so, did you switch back to bicycle style? Or maybe it's just a new habit I need to learn after a couple of decades of the old way?

twahl

The Australians ride their bikes set up this way. While it seems like it would make sense, I would argue that you mentally switch from one vehicle to another. I mean you don't find yourself trying to squeeze the turn signal lever as if it were the clutch when you drive a car do you? And you don't use your right foot for the rear brake on a bicycle either...nor do you use your left to shift gears. It's completely up to you, if you get used to it it's not going to hurt anything.

LordOpie

I've never understood why people bother. Is it that big of a deal?

62vette

It's all what you're used to, I've always had right lever = front brake and wouldn't like to change.

Having said that, I can switch from European to Japanese cars and cope with the indicators being on the opposite side of the steering column OK.

gurana

Sheldon Brown has written in great length about how it makes more sense for people to control their front brake with their dominant hand, because that's the one you should be using more. That makes sense to me, but I don't think it's worth switching things around for. Most people, once they've got the association between front brake and left hand, aren't going to have issues stopping this way.

I would also say that it's not worth switching unless you're going to also switch your gearing around too. The way you have it now is right hand= front brake/rear der.; left hand= rear brake/front der.

In sum, you'll eventually get used to just about any set up, it'll just take some time, but I don't think it's going to make anything more efficient or easier in the long run.

mac

Yeah, I was wondering about that. In the countries where the bicycles are setup by default: right hand = front brake; left hand = rear brake, are the shifters also switched? I think I'll take my bike in and get my shifters swapped as well. I've got the right hand = front brake modulation down fine on my motorcycle. And I also had the correct modulation on my bicycle where left hand = front brake.

SoonerBent

I've never understood the "where the brakes are" thing. I've ridden both MCs and bicycles for 30+ years. Everythings different on a MC. You have a throttle, only one shifter, a clutch and brake with one hand and one foot. On the bicycle you shift with both hands, brake with both hands and accelerate with your legs. They are not easily confused.

SB

Cyclist01012

Alot of pro level cyclocross races switch. I was told that it has do do with braking during dismounts and mounts.

62vette

You can't switch the shifting from side to side, you have left hand levers and right hand levers. The rear is always the left etc. You can change the braking arrangement around because it is only cable routing you are changing.

mac

I thought the shifters worked the same way? You press inwards on the big handle and it shifts to a bigger gear. You press inwards on the little handle and it shifts to a smaller gear. Is the internal gearing mechanism on the shifters designed specifically for a chainring and for a cog?

bennyk

The right-hand one has more "clicks" i.e., if you have an 9-speed system, the RH shifter has 9 stops, while the left hand only has 2 or 3 if you have a triple.

I wouldn't like having my right hand be the front brake because I'm often gearing down at the same time that I'm braking with the front brake, so I'd have to be doing two things at once, and that would make me wobble.

AstrayCliche

I nearly flipped myself over the bars of my friend's motorscooter because I didn't know the brakes were opposite. Oy.

TRaffic Jammer

Is that why my right hand grip is all twisted?

Gummee

To make matters more fun, I toss a cross bike into the mix! It has the reversed (right = front) brake lever and the rest of my fleet is 'normal' (left = front). I switch back and forth with no issues.

I do know some guys that just can't adjust to the difference tho.

M

grolby

I ride my bikes with a front brake to right lever set up. I greatly prefer it to the left-front set up I used to have, before I got my current bike. I have better control of my braking and deceleration. Shifting hasn't been much of a problem. I liked it better right away, but some people may just be unable to get used to it, or at least will take longer to adapt. I definitely don't think that having multiple bicycles with the brakes arranged differently is a great idea. Again, some people won't have any problem with switching, but when I need to slow suddenly, I tend to automatically grab with my right hand. For normal, gradual braking, I'm able to think about it and use my left, but for emergency stops I switch over to autopilot, and I'd really rather be grabbing the correct brake lever in those situations than make a mistake and skid right into whatever it is I'm trying to avoid!