Originally Posted by
tatfiend
Sheldon Brown mentioned on his web site that he preferred right lever front brake operation due to the right hand having better control for right handed people, the majority. Definitely preferable for motorcyclists who are bicyclists too IMO.
The reason given for left hand front brake setups is the first I have read that makes sense to me. Probably unnecessary if you keep your wheels well trued or have a bike with disc brakes.
How far back does the left-front convention go? Not many caliper braked bikes in the states prior to the Paramount so far as I know. Something else to blame on Schwinn?
You go back to the 1950's and earlier, and you will find a lot of bicycles, and motorcycles, that were not standardized. Sometime in the 1960's the Feds (USA) passed laws about where the brakes, clutch and gearshifts were supposed to be. In case you are wondering, if you bike shop puts the front brake on the right, they are in violation of federal laws (sort of like disconnecting air bags); it is another one of those laws that apply to manufacturers and dealers but not owners.
And, the rear brake is the primary. The issue is controllablity by a non-expert, not braking power (the laws do not even require a front brake on a bicycle), front wheel skids are dangerous especially in traffic.