Guys,

After finally getting around to it after many years of pondering, I have changed my handlebar brake levers on my '91 Merckx MX-Leader so that they operate just like my motorcycles. The right lever grips the front and the left, the rear. In panic stops, I want all my two-wheeled vehicles to operate similarly. Also, I like having the right hand control the critical front tire. Even a ham-fisted left hand can lock the back.

Is there anyone else out there with this preference?

TysonB

The British.

The reason the rear brake operates from the right hand lever is that when you are braking while using hand signals, you only have one hand on the handlebars (the right hand in the U.S., if using traditional hand signals used when driving a car, to be exact). If that brake lever is operating the front brake, imperfections in the rim are more likely to jerk the handlebars and make you steer erratically or even crash. Pulsing on the rear wheel is far less likely to have this effect.

I have an old Raleigh that has the British convention, and also has rod brakes (which pulse if the rim is out of true, bent, or out of round). Braking is an adventure; one-handed braking even more so.

The funny thing is that before buying the Raleigh I never even considered which hand operated which brake or why.

I agree wholeheartedly with Sheldon Brown on this and all my bikes have a right handed front brake as do my children's.

Which Brake Which Side?

There is considerable disagreement as to which brake should be connected to which lever:

*Some cyclists say it is best to have the stronger right hand (presuming a right-handed cyclist) operate the rear brake.

*Motorcycles always have the right hand control the front brake, so cyclists who are also motorcyclists often prefer this setup.

There are also observable national trends:

* In countries where vehicles drive on the right, it is common to set the brakes up so that the front brake is operated by the left lever.

* In countries where vehicles drive on the left, it is common to set the brakes up so that the front brake is operated by the right lever.

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.

For this reason, I set my own bikes up so that the right hand controls the front brake, which is not the norm in the U.S.

I also do this because I'm right handed, and wish to have my more skillful hand operate the more critical brake.

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?

I have the front brake on the right setup when I first started cycling again.

I really like it, cause its just more responsive and intuitive. I have no issues with signaling here. If you are right handed you should give it a try! Most people who've tried my bike switch theirs over too. Its a pretty easy change unless you have aero brake cable routing.

I've always swapped my brake levers because of riding motorcycles/atvs all my life. Although, my last 2 road bikes I've left the way they are and I've gotten somewhat used to it. I may end up switching them out when I rewrap the bars even though I don't really ride motorcycles anymore. I'm just afraid that in a last second emergency situation my brain would revert to those years of instinct.

I think one of the only reasons that makes sense for having the front as the left is that it is a little easier to manipulate the controls when setting gear alignment, etc, during bike assembly or maintenance, especially with brifters.

right-front for me (motorcyclist, plus much better modulation and control on the right hand)

Being a southpaw, I've left the setup as-is (left=front). I never rode motorcycles, so that switch was never an issue.

This bike was owned by a local gentleman who bought it new in 1955 and rode it regularly until he was in his seventies... it has a right hand front brake.

His death was thought to have been caused when he bought a swanky new racing bike and ended up crashing and going otb. He was a very experienced and skilled rider / racer and his friend (who facilitated the sale of the bike to me) was sure that the crash was caused by his friend forgetting which brake was which and this confusion caused the fatal crash.



When I got this bike I switched all my bikes over to a right hand front (my fixed gear bikes have always been set up this way) and now have to pay attention to the brakes when I am test riding repaired bikes at the shop as right for me = front.

My 1948 Rudge (English) also came with a right hand front (rod) brake and most English bikes of this era I see here are similarly set up as many were brought here from across the pond.

I always have to warn anyone who rides my bikes that the brake setup is reversed and many folks here have also adopted this reverse setup.

I have mine set up for right hand front, if not just because of stopping distance, but also so that I still have great brake control while signaling to get over into the left turn lane.

I always teetered on going right front until in a panic situation, I braked hard with my right back and promptly rear ended a car in front of me because I was skidding. After that I switched all my brakes to right front.

It also made braking my Raleigh Sports much easier by having my strong hand on the front.

Hey Tyson if you ever want to sell that MXL please let me know.

Mutt

I changed mine over after commuting with standard left-front setup for two months....two months of brake hard, let go, signal, hand back on, brake hard again, let go, signal again, etc.... dangerous, especially downhill! not to mention the fact that I'm pulling my daughter in a trailer behind me so stopping distance is greatly increased due to the increased momentum. I did the switch to right-front and will never go back. I suppose I could have just started signaling with my right hand instead, but that's illegal.

Allan

I have a right-front set-up on a couple bikes... and I really should change over several others too. First of all, it is pretty easy to quickly remember this switch-over on a bike so it's not a problem at all if you're concerned about having to "re-think" how you brake.

Most of my bikes have center-pull or cantilever brakes so this is never a problem, technically speaking.

Yes! Exactly as LucasA just mentioned, I find this orientation is a MAJOR advantage when making fast left turns onto a side street... across on-coming traffic... and while keeping toward the center of the road... and continuing to signal with my left hand/arm - which also clearly alerts any following traffic of my intention so that they need not hesitate to pass me on my right side. This really makes great sense on the single lane suburban streets close to where I live. This is one of the most critical braking situations which I ever encounter. It is great when my right hand can remain modulating the front brake - which is far safer to use during turns than a rear brake and I can continue my hand signals with my left. A sharp 90 degree left turn is definitely NOT something I am happy performing with a rear brake alone. Maybe I'm just odd, but I really have to slow down considerably when I'm required to do this --- anyone else?

I'm actually rather surprised that this is the more common traditional orientation on British bikes because of the right side driving over there, precisely because of the reason stated above.

With my bikes which have side-pull brake calipers, the typical orientation for cable entry on the caliper is on the right side of the stem for the front brakes [this is true of most brake calipers]. With conventional levers (with top-exiting cables) I think this makes the Left-front somewhat more logical "mechanically" at least - since it seems to allow the cable to exit the lever and loop the cable over the stem in a gentler, less constricted, arc. It also allows an aero-lever routed brake cable to follow its line more naturally from the bar and across toward the front caliper... rather than having to curve awkwardly back again after exiting near the center of the handlebar. But, I suppose an aero brake routing for front-right could simply exit the cable from farther out on the handlebar, maybe dropping down from near the corner of the bar. I've never tried this, but it seems like it would make the bar feel cluttered with such an odd cable exit location.

But, what about STI/ERGO controls?

With modern integrated shift/brake levers you are really locked into and limited by the preferred right/left routings designed into the shifter function of the levers. It seems there is no possibility for easily reversing shift operations on these levers. And, since the derailleur functions are designed for Left-Front, it would probably not be at all wise to separate the brake function of the lever. Especially since both the brake and shift functions are actuated without moving the hand from the lever at all, this actually could cause some serious confusion... but, maybe I'm wrong.

--- Has anyone ever switched their brake cables over on modern integrated road lever controls?

I switched over on a set of dura ace 7700 brifters. It doesn't cause me any confusion or anything when braking or shifting. I don't find it hard to remember which does which, as both shifter and brake retain in the configuration I am used to.

As an avid motorcyclist myself, I might switch my bikes to front brake right side orientation. I know I am using the rear brake too much and the front not enough on the bicycle. In an emergency, I would be better off with the motorcycle orientation.

Of course, the left side hand lever on a motorcycle is the clutch, so there still is a significant difference in the two braking systems. Most motorcyclists will pull in the clutch while braking, but they do not modulate the lever action.

I might try that on my next project.


thanks!

I've ridden motorcycles almost as long as I've ridden bicycles and I've never suffered any confusion with the standard right/rear bicycle setup, or switching from one to the other.

Two comments.

First, more important, to me, than which side operates which brake, is which brake I use on which bike. For instance, on a road bike I use the front brake much more than the rear brake. Hard braking with the rear brake only slides the rear tire, causing excess tread wear, and doesn't do much to slow the bicycle. However, when on my trail bike where it is much easier to slide a tire, I use the rear brake because I want the rear to dig in and slide. I can control that with the steering. A sliding front usually leads to a crash (been there, done that).

Second, the safety issues associated with being able to brake, in a corner, with only one hand (left or right) on the handle bars seem pretty scary. Doesn't matter which hand has a tight grip on which brake lever -- if you have to brake hard you are toast either way.

Right front for me, every time! It's what I started out on and have used ever since. if I buy a bike with left front I simply switch the cables over between the levers, it's no big deal to do but mixing up the brake levers in an emergency stop could be a tad embarrassing at best. Therefore I stick to what I know.

To All from the O.P.:

Thanks for all the posts. Apparently it is true that "There is nothing new under the sun." I thought I was on my own here. TONS of company.

All my bikes will be right=front from now on and apparently I won't even have to warn some of you!

Thanks,

TysonB

when I signal, I point out to the following cars which way I am turning, using whichever hand that is. I've gotten enough WTF looks from teenagers when signaling a right hand turn with my left hand, that I've given up. Pointing always seems to get the point across.

I'm left-handed and so prefer the "conventional" setup, but in a fit of boneheadedness (late-onset dyslexia?) I set up my new bike backwards last summer, and I kind of like it...I very seldom use just one lever, and apparently that brake modulating feeling is ambidextrous. The cable routing is surely cleaner.

Also the bike has carbon rims, and an OTB stopping experience may not even be possible

I'm right-front.

Kind of.

I'm left handed, left-front.

So that's very similar to right-handed, right-front.

Right?

(pun intended.)

I've been riding motorcycles for almost as long as I've been riding bicycles, and I've never pushed down on the pedal thinking it was my rear brake in a panic situation.............

At one point between three motorbikes I had one British right side shift 1-down, 3-up. One British right side shift 1-up, 4 down. And one Continental left side shift 1-down, 5 up. I rode all of them every few days and never had a problem keeping it all straight.

I'd keep my bicycle "continental" style, if just for the cable routing (assuming Campy calipers).

My Miyata was bought in Japan so it came with right-front brakes. I rather like it.

I prefer left, but I'm a no motorcycle lefty!