Another left-front lefty here. I generally signal before starting to brake, then put both hands on the bars while decelerating. I use the front brake alone on dry, level pavement and both brakes together on wet, gravelly, or otherwise slippery surfaces. I use the rear brake alone to check my speed on a long descent, to avoid overheating the front rim. If I were strongly right-handed or rode a motorcycle, I probably would go with right-front, which is how my first (1962) Bianchi was configured at the factory.

I think right-rear traces back to Schwinn and the typical American fear of the front brake.

I'm old enough, set enough in my ways, and guaranteed to never operate a motorcycle, so I'm leaving things as I've always known them ... right = rear. The whole hand signal thing... might make a difference to some folks, but I'm nearly ambidextrous when it comes to a number of activities (eating, frisbee, hand signals). Not an issue here unless I borrow a bike, or someone sabotages my bike. :)

I have a mix of 'right-front' and 'left-front' on my bikes.

On the bikes which are close to, or completely original, I leave it as left-front (I'm in the USA). However, when I make changes to the bike, I will usually also change the brake setup to right-front.

I just find it easier to control and brake one-handed with my right hand (I'm right handed), so, since my left is used for signaling, I want my right hand on the more powerful brake.

I don't seem to have any problems adjusting to the different brake setups on my bikes.

When my '73 Nishiki Pro was assembled new, the mechanic was an old, exbike racer from Italy. He set me up with R hand -front brake and I have set up every subsequent bike this way. It seems the most logical and I am a right handed person.

As has already been posted, when the side pulls are routed this way you get the shortest, most direct cable routing.

Also if you are running DT friction shfter (as in Campy NR) and are shfting the RD you can still slow in a group w/o going over the bars as you can engage the rear brake with the left hand while shifting with your R.

Confused either way.

Glad I'm not riding in your group.

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.

The rules of the Road drivers license bookets do not even mention hand signals these days (you can get a ticket for not having working turn signals on your car). So most younger drivers have no idea what standard hand signals mean, so pointing with the hand towards where you are going is probably safer.

And before us older guys, and gals, sneer; what is the standard hand signal for "I am about to brake"? And did you realize that signals indicate intention, they are not needed and too late once you actually start to do it.

Another thing I noticed is the number of posters who say they have to be able to break hard to make that turn, they not only do not know what they are talking about, they are suicidal.

Speaking of which there is another suicidal one that always bugs the crap out of me. Near my home is a rather steep hill with a bank on one side of the road and a drop off on the other no shoulder at all. Most of the bicyclists stupidly ride along the side of the road at 3-5 miles per hour. Now the road is too narrow for a car to pass them with out going partially into the on coming lane anyway, so the bicyclist should be out in the middle of the lane simply for safety's sake. If someone starts to go around them and an oncoming car appears they are going to pull right into the cyclist rather than have a head on collision with another car. On the other hand if the bike is taking up the lane, they are going to make sure it is clear before pulling fully out into the oncoming lane in a normal passing maneuver. Riding at the side of the road there is not safe. Heck, walking at the side of the road there is not safe. Luckily only an idiot is driving more than about 25 mph there, I forgot to mention the curves, even though the limit is 55. Oh yes, and to make things worse ,the Blue Ridge Parkway is being detoured along that road while they do some bridge work on the parkway.

I did not say "paceline". I meant as the group slows or comes to a light, one can shift and slow. If your L hand is working your front brake and you need to adj your speed while most of your attention is on shifting then you would be at risk of an "endo".

Well, I certainly had the hand signals in my book when I took driver's ed. This would have been 1999 if I remember correctly. Although, many of the students just didn't get it. The teacher (who I am convinced is completely insane) had several students come up and demonstrate hand signals. One student (who I think was stoned) put his left arm straight out for a left turn. The teacher told him to then signal a right turn. "Uh...Ok," and put his right arm straight out.

I started riding as a kid in the UK in the 1950s and remember that the front brake was always on the right side. Decades later, when I got back into cycling in Canada in the late 1970s, I found that te bikes being sold had the brake positions reversed. I just put it down to ignorant LBS mechanics and always switched my bikes. Over the years this situation always bugged me. The more I tried to rationalize it, the more confused I became. It seems that the "left front" convention was decreed in North America by the U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION based on inexperienced riders feeling that the rear brake should be the primary brake. This probably harks back to the first half of the last century, when balloon tired bikes with coaster brakes were the norm and front brakes were unknown. The safety aspect for inexperienced riders is probably a big factor too because our safety laws are designed to defeat Darwin. I went over the handlebars only once as a kid due to grabbing the front brake too hard and I never did it again. Sheldon Brown was absolutely right when he said: "The theory that seems most probable to me is that these national standards arose from a concern that the cyclist be able to make hand signals, and still be able to reach the primary brake. This logical idea is, unfortunately, accompanied by the incorrect premise that the rear brake is the primary brake." Considering the rear brake as the primary brake is flawed logic coming from bureaucrats, not experienced cyclists.

The thing is, until the advent of aero brakes in the early 1980s, it was a quick, simple job to switch front and rear brakes on a road bike. After that, it became a much more complicated, if not impossible job. Today you'll only see people with vintage road bikes switching brakes around.

As for which countries put brakes on which side before being influenced by the U.S. CPSC, it's not entirely clear. Looking at pictures from old classic road races, one sees a mixture, not necessarily connected to the rider's country of origin and on which side of the road they drive. Since the brake cables could be switched from side to side, I started searching for pictures of roadsters with rod brakes. Since the rod brake linkages can't be switched from side to side, these pictures would indicate the original brake location intended by the manufacturers. These were popular in England in the first part of the last century and are still very popular in many Third World countries. Invariably these roadsters had the front brake on the right, except on a few rare French bikes where I found a couple that were the opposite. Based on tis observation, I would conclude that the original position for the front brake was on the right.

yes, all japanese bikes come with right-hand front brake. Although i still use my right hand for the rear brake, i am thinking to switch. The whole motorcycle argument makes sense.

Yes, but American cars have the steering wheel on the wrong side and the driver has to sit in the "passenger seat!"!!! Similar thing with bike brake levers???

Actually, that's a common misconception you English-type people make all the time. Actually, the driver is on the correct side, it's just the car is turned backwards.

Right front on all my bicycles. Started when I switched between motorcycles and bicycles, now I only ride bicycles but kept this setup. Also, I like to think it's the traditional Italian and English setup.

Left hand front brake, as roughly translated from the Italians- Sinistere

But at least in good company, Leonardo Di Vinci and a few other famous artists.

That is because all you limeys are postal (US postal vehicles traditionally had the controls one the right so the delivery person could reach rural mailboxes from the drivers seat).

I've always preferred right = front. My rationale is that when coming to a stop, I can down shift with my right hand while using my left hand for braking with the rear. I know the rear wheel is less effective for braking, but its easier to control when only one wheel is breaking. Somehow, in one of my less then lucid moments, I currently have left = front. I will rectify this when my new handlebars arrive.

Motorcyclist, Right Rear. From riding motorcycles I tend to operate bikes right handed. My left hand I'll use to adjust lights with, ring bells, wave at the girlies. When I need to stop for whatever reason, at whatever speed, both brakes are usually used. If one hand is off the bars I want the rear engaged first, because the rear doesn't affect steering or balance. It starts to scrub off speed immediately and slow the bike in a straight line. It's just a split second before I've got both hands on the bars and am using two brakes to stop anyway. I use suicide levers also, because I always like to have my fingers on the trigger.

Graywolf,

Without looking it up: I say it is the left had extended downward at 45 degrees below horizontal with the open palm back to the trailing vehicles.

TysonB
Cushing, OK

Hand signals for cyclists and motorists are the same in North America. Yo won't see too many drivers using them unless they're conscientious and know their flashers aren't working. But this takes us right back to "which brake". You have to use your right hand to brake while signalling with your left. If you're a back brake dragger, you use your back brake; if your front brake is your primary brake, you use the front. Of course, you should have your braking and signalling done before you actually start to turn. Both inexperienced drivers and cyclists get that part screwed up.

I just recently received my Winter 2008 issue of Bicycle Quarterly and it contains a couple of pages on this very discussion. Editor Jan Heine and contributor Mark Vande Kamp have opposing views on the subject and each puts forth a valid argument. So, whichever it is you prefer, you probably have good reasons.