Front Brake to Left or Right Lever?
 

I thought I would redirect another thread that was starting to go off topic. The question here is which lever (left or right) controls your front brake? Here are the pro's for each side:

Left lever to front brake:
1. This is the way just about all bikes in the world are set up (only exception is Italy, that I know of). So most people are used to this and if you ride anyone else's bike, or rent a bike anywhere but in Italy, it will more likely be set up this way.
2. Most people's stronger hand is the dominant one, which is usually the right. So you want the stronger hand controlling the rear brake so that you don't flip the bike in a panic stop. This liability issue is probably the biggest driver for right/rear in North America.
3. As in the quote above, you usually signal with the left arm, so you want the right hand on the rear brake so you don't flip the bike should you have to suddenly brake.
4. The right lever also controls the rear derailleur, so it makes sense that all the rear stuff is on the right side, all the front stuff is on the left. So in a race, when you raise your right hand, there is absolutely no doubt that you need a rear wheel.
5. What's interesting is that back in the 60's/70's, Swiss Weinmann sidepull calipers attached from the left (for front brake, from rider's perspective). This created a very direct non-aero cable run from the left lever to the front brake. When Campagnolo came out with their sidepull, it attached from the right - a direct run from the right lever. The Japanese blindly copied the Campagnolo model, even though the rest of the world would at that time have benefited more from the Weinmann model. Thus, the front brake cable had to cross over the stem to reach the front brake in North America. But when aero routing came along, the cable attachment to the right actually made for a smoother cable run if the left lever controlled the front. As well, many bike frames have the cable routing braze-ons optimized for a rear brake attachment on the left side of the bike.

Right lever to front brake:
1. Motorcycles are set up this way, so if you ride a motorcycle, your right hand already knows which brake it's controlling.
2. The dominant hand is capable of greater control. In a panic stop or in threshold braking, you need to modulate the front brake. You apply constant pressure to the rear brake, and when the rear wheel starts to skid, you ease up on the <front> brake to stop the skidding. This is the fastest, most effective (best control) way to slow down. in a big hurry, since it's the front brake that does most of the stopping. Thus,if you're right-handed, you want the right lever going to the front brake.
3. The main reason people signal with their left arm is because signals were designed to be used by drivers of cars. Since the driver is on the left side of the car, he must use his left arm to signal. Now, because when you are on a bike there is no reason to limit your signalling to the left arm, it makes way more sense to signal a right turn with your right arm, no? (Not to mention that when you're in the "down" position on a bike, singalling a right turn with your left arm is biomechanically very difficult to do - and from behind it looks like you're just sticking your elbow out to the left since the forearm is hidden by the upper arm.) All of which makes brake lever configuration due to signalling a moot point. Personally, I think the signal should be made before the brakes are applied. You want to signal before the turn, not while you're in the turn! (Too many dumb drivers start signalling while they're turning. Go figure...)
4. The main reason I initially switched to right-front was because I used to race cyclo-cross. Often, you'll be coming down a hill, and there will be a fence at the bottom of the hill. You need to get off the bike, shoulder it, and hurdle the fence. Typically, you'll dismount to the left (because you don't want to shoulder the bike on the greasy chainring side), so as you're rolling downhill, you'll unstraddle the bike and stand on the left pedal. Your right hand grasps the downtube, ready to pick up the bike, and your left hand is in the left drop, controlling the brake lever. Because I'm on mud or gravel, I want that lever going to the <rear> brake, which means the right lever must go to the front.
5. If someone tries to steal my bike by riding off on it, they're in for a big surprise when they slam on what they think is the rear brake... (And if it's my fixie, they're in for an even bigger surprise when they try to coast, heh, heh.)

Anyway, I happen to think that right/front is the way to go. Other opinions? - L.

Only if you're riding a motorcycle.

Left-Front ........ Right-Rear

Left-Front. Don't use the rear brake as much, nor the front derailleur as much as the rear der. So with the front brake controlled by the left lever, leaves the other hand free for the rear der. Or at least that's the rationale I'll put forward. Most likely just do it as that's how my first bike was set up and I'm used to it. And I used to ride motorcycles, but no adjustment problem.

Interesting question-- my fixie has a front brake, and I have it set up for my left hand to use. I took the bike in because it needed a new bottom bracket, and the shop owner (really great guy), lent me his fixie as a 'loaner' until the part came in. His was pretty much the same as mine, except the brake was on the right hand. It was wierd... a couple of times I grasped with my left hand--and there was no brake--then I remembered, and grabbed with the right. I got used to it. I prefer the brake on the left side though. I was glad to get my bike back--even though his was better equipped-- I guess the big thing was the bars and the saddle-- very personal things. His were similar-- but not the same-

At any rate, if you are setting up your bike, use the side that you are most comfortable with--

train safe-

great analysis!
I'm left handed. so for years I used the left lever for rear brakes, for all reasons you said in #2 (dominant hand).

Fast forward and I finally get a bike with brifters. And I switched to what the rest of the world was doing for the reasons you said in #4 (match rear/rear, front/front)

Works OK, I've adjusted OK, and my dominant left hand hasn't yet inadvertently flipped me over the bars.:D

My story is identical, except for the brifters. My 1962 Bianchi was factory-wired right-front. My 1971 American Eagle / Nishiki was factory-wired left-front, which I swapped. Whenever anyone borrowed one of my bikes, I got tired of warning them that the brakes were reversed. By the mid-1980s I also realized that the front brake is the important one and that left-front cabling makes alot of sense for a quasi-ambidextrous lefty who never rides motorcycles. I also like to be able to downshift while slowing to a stop, as someone else mentioned above. (By the way, my 1981 Bianchi was factory-cabled left-front, but perhaps this was for American export.)

Hand signals are problematic, but frankly I often need both hands on the bars for maximum control, stability, and confidence while slowing, even when using just the front brake, so reversing the brake cabling wouldn't help.

Sheldon Brown prefers right-front, as does Jim "CyclArt" Cunningham, who also happily notes that Ugo DeRosa refers to right-front cabling on custom bike orders as "normale."

I agree with your last sentence, but I'm not sure where you got the data for your first statement. I lived in the UK from the 1950s until I moved to the USA in 1983, I never ever came across a single bike which was not set up Right-Front, and Left-Rear. I set up my brakes Right-Front, Left-Rear because that's what I'm used to. Read what Sheldon Brown has to say about the argument…

- Wil

I don't know about BC, but signaling with the right hand isn't legal in most of the States--if not in all States. If I were in a car and saw a bicyclist pointing to the right with their right hand, I wouldn't automatically assume they were turning right (of course we know what 'assume' means). It's a foreign gesture to driving in my experience.

It would be interesting to know the history of the front/left, rear/right combination. Does it come from England where riders would signal with their right hands and brake with their left? Has the advent of affordable motorcycles and their technology made us rethink brake hand location, or hand braking? Has braking technology changed how we view and do things? After all, disc brakes were used in aircraft by the second world war, in many European cars in the 50's (I owned a 1958 Renault with 4 wheel discs) but not in American cars until the late sixties and then only on the front brakes.

When you think about it, some things about bicycles haven't changed a lot in the past century. Hand brakes on bikes go back well over a hundred years. There may have been a very good reason at that time to set the combination up the way they did. Shoot, it may still make sense. But I question whether it's just a tradition and whether with the information we're working with today should make us re-evaluate it.

John in Oregon
Right/front

Right hand signals make a lot more sense on a bicycle, and they are legal in California


California Vehicle Code 22111. All required signals given by hand and arm shall be given
from the left side of a vehicle in the following manner:
(a) Left turn--hand and arm extended horizontally beyond the side
of the vehicle.
(b) Right turn--hand and arm extended upward beyond the side of
the vehicle, except that a bicyclist may extend the right hand and
arm horizontally to the right side of the bicycle.
(c) Stop or sudden decrease of speed signal--hand and arm extended
downward beyond the side of the vehicle.

backinthesaddle
I appreciate you pointing this out. To me it's a foreign concept, but one I obviously need to adjust to. I guess this old dog has learned a new trick.

JiO

Stand on the left side of your bicycle facing forward with your hands above the bars, now rotate your upper torso to the right 90 degrees. Your right hand will be over the rear derailer and rear brake, your left hand will be over the front derailer and closest to the front brake. Now rotate your torso back and your left hand will be over the front brake lever and front derailer shifter, your right hand will be over the rear brake lever and rear derailer shifter. Show this to a newbie and they will grasp (pun not intended) the concept of which lever does what instantly. So, maybe that is why they are laid out that way.

In the UK, as we probably all know, traffic travels on the left and the steering wheel is on the right; before the advent of direction indicators on cars or if an indicator (semaphore-type in those days) was broken, the accepted ways of indicating intention to turn were as follows: right - right arm horizontally out of the window; left - right arm horizontally out of the window but making a circular motion. For bikes, the same signals were to be used, according to the UK Highway Code. This meant that in either turning situation the right hand was used and the left hand was free for braking. Consequently the back brake is controlled by the left lever. In the US it's the opposite, for obvious reasons.

Wouldn't it be obvious if a cyclist stuck his/her right hand out horizontally, palm vertical, they were intending to turn right?? Or am I missing something? This signal is legal in FL and GA as far as I know.

thanks, it makes sense, but I don't know about Oregon law, suggest you check it out (although I doubt any of this is really enforced)

After riding a motorcycle for 30+ years I always have front/right. I'm too old to rewire my grey matter
when I need to stop NOW I grab a fistfull of right. BTW I have never had an incident caused by too much front. Is that an old wives tale, or is it due to the fact that I'm a clyde?

In the Uk we drive on the left. You can always tell an imported bike because the brakes are front brake on the left lever. All bikes- except the ones that have been stripped down and reassembled wrongly in the UK, have the front brake on the right.

On effective braking--- I have effective brakes now and with forks that do not squirm about under heavy braking.(Offroad bike with front suspension and when I was a cheapskate- I just bought the cheapies) When I had the cheap forks- I always used to use more rear brake- Now I am faster, have brakes that do work and a bike that stays in line when braking- I use a lot more front brake than rear. This all depends on conditions of course, but under braking, weight is thrown onto the front wheel. If I brake hard equally on both front and rear, then all I get is a skid from the rear wheel, unless I purposely transfer my body weight rear of the saddle.(Very effective way of taking 45 deg. slopes by the way.)

I don't think it matters which side you have the front brake- but it is easier if you have it the conventional way for your country. One thing I hate is riding a friends bike and finding that the brakes do funny things in emergencies.

On the signalling we use sense and it is right arm out or left arm out. Doesn't matter too much though as cars don't see bikes till they are parked on the bonnet. There is more danger in looking round to see if the road is clear to turn than braking.

back: I did, and Oregon does allow (recognize) the right hand signal. I admit that I'm surprised. OK, let me retract my statement about being legal in "most of the States." I stand corrected (and slightly embarassed). :o

I wonder then, like Big Paulie, whether the right hand signal is instantly recognizable to other non-bicyclists?

JiO

Let's just go back to coaster brakes! Problem solved. :D

It would be hard to find more rationalization and fuzzy logic per square inch than what's in this thread. Set it up any way you want and go riding.

I have heard that there are secrete documents deep within the vaults of the Vatican Library that discuss this in detail and give a through accounting for the real reason that the right rear was ordained the correct configuration. It has something to do with a signatory handshake, the ability to freely cross borders, a compass, the sign of the cross and the queen of cups.

I run ALL my bikes with right-front (always have and always will). I'm right-handed and like having the front on my best hand. Also, if I'm drinking or fiddling with something on the bike & need an emergency stop while my right hand is busy, the left-rear lever won't toss me over the handlebars.

I (and Sheldon Brown) may be in a minority on this, but we're doing it for good reasons.

Ihbernart,

You asked a question I have had for years. Although I have not rerouted the cables to give a righthand front brake, I have thought about it. I ride a motorcycle often and believe strongly that the front should do most of the stopping. However, because the Mafac Racers on Mimi take a full squeeze now without any threat of locking up or otherwise stopping fast enough for significant weight transfer, it is academic anyway!

If I get a modern bike with real stopping power, I will change to right hand. (Gee, I rode a friend's new Cervelo around the block the other day, I about flipped over the frontend at a smooth 10mph!)

Tyson

I have my primary brake - the rear - on the right. Since I don't use the front brake much that should theoretically give me more chance to signal with my left hand. I rarely signal, but if I need to, its there.

I looked up Sheldon Brown, who several people mentioned in this thread, and found something I didn't know: he claims that most "experienced" cyclists use the front brake as the primary and like so many other things you need to train and learn to stop quickly and safely with the front alone, or with the front and a weaker rear supplement.

this is all new territory for me, I've always used rear as primary with front as supplement. do I need to completely relearn techniques for optimal braking, take a cycling clinic on a skidpath?

Ironically, using Sheldon's logic, my brake setup is now correct. I'm left handed and I have the front on the left, so primary brake (at least as defined by Sheldon) is in the dominant hand.

Here's the link: http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html#whichside