a77impala

Ever try to put the kickstand up from the right? I know alot of people don't use them, if they lay their bike down it's a lot easier to pick it up from the left side. I assume they don't lay it down on the gear side. At least that's my opinion>

gudel

Because I'm right handed. Yeah I went up my truck from the left. as you said, it's safer mount from the right so you don't get hit by cars, so it's safer to go into your car from the passenger side.

Cyclaholic

I'm happy to mount from whichever side she prefers

Eatadonut

Sounds good to me - I didn't ride a bicycle until I was 18, and I mount from whatever side I happen to be closest to, rolling or from a stop.

patrick07

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/108428-how-do-you-mount-your-bike.html

Here, I found this. It even has a poll and it says its still open until May of 2006. Hopefully this will give you statistics to look at.

edp773

I mount from the right for different reasons. 1. My left leg is now dominent so it goes in the clip first. 2 Curbs are on the right and I can use them for a height advantage. 3 I like it like that.

redmonster

I do because; first of all it is natural, and second there isn't anything to get in your way and the left.

biodiesel

I actually leave my bike parked right outside the bar and jump from the balcony right onto the saddle!
Or leave the bike parked and do the running jump from behind into the saddle!


Really though, i think it's a kickstand thing, though then chicken or the egg comes to mind. (And to that i think they're two totally unconnected things.)

Now all i need is the two fingered whistle that makes my bike come so i can hook an arm over the handlebars while it's rolling and swing into the saddle!

Gurgus

Funny. I never noticed this until this post. It also made me think about the fact that whenever I lock my bike up somewhere, I subconsciously lock it so that the drive side is facing out. Then I thought about my garage. All the bikes in there, whether leaning or hanging, are parked so that the drivetrain shows. Hmmmm, neat!

CPW

I think it's a horse thing and the fact that the kickstand needs to be on the opposite side from the chain.
There's another possible explanation: Do you men "dress" to the right or left? Huh?
CPW

Pedal Wench

Shoot - I can't even walk with my bike on my left side.

lala

Left side, due to my equestrian past.

DataJunkie

Left side for whatever reason. That and I can raise my right leg higher than my left one. However, I occasionally jump on via the right side. That fact does not mean much since (for some odd reason) every once in a while I lead with my non dominate foot when getting off the bus. That tends to almost make me fall. Mildly emberassing to say the least.

MichaelW

Maybe the drive side is on the right so it doesnt interfere with your horse-wise mount.
The question then is, why does everyone mount a horse from the left? Could be so it doesn't interfere with your sword?

budster

See, that's why I wear my sword in the middle of my back. Makes it easy to draw with either hand, too.

townandcountry

This is the most interesting post I've read in a long time. As for me, I mount from the left side. Why? Dunno. But the horse theory and chain drive theory are both good.

AndrewP

The safety bicycle was invented in England, so the chain was put on the traffic side and you mount from the non-traffic side, like mounting a horse. You ride the horse on the left side of the road so you have your sword hand towards approaching riders.

Kabloink

This is like one of those old puzzlers.

When is right not right, but right is not wrong?

I always thought mounting a bike from the left side was due to kickstands being on the left side.

Dizzy

Yea, mount it from what ever side, get creative with the dismount.

Solar

Thanks for all of the responses. First of all, I am impressed by the number of people who seem to have no trouble mounting from the right (although to caloso, who doesn’t know anyone who can’t do it from either side, all I can say is that I am not one of them -- I haven’t even gotten up the nerve to try it from the right yet). I just assumed everyone does it from the left. Guess I was wrong and I stand (or sit?) corrected.

I found the thoughts about placements of chains, drive trains, kickstands, and our childhood training all very interesting points.

The reference to mounting horses (sorry how that sounds) was getting close to my premise – although I would like to see which way Elvish Legion is facing when he/she gets on a horse from the right.

But it was MichaelW and AndrewP who hit on the most pertinent word – the sword. Since most of us are right-handed, as we have been through our violent past, sabers have almost exclusively been sheathed on the left hip, making it easier to remove in battle. And with the weapon positioned thusly, getting on a horse from the right side would be practically impossible, meaning equestrian mounting was logically done, historically speaking, from the left. Which is probably also why Brits drive on the left side (before you complain, I know the drivers’ seats are on the right in the UK, meaning they have to brave traffic to get in their vehicles but that is a subject for another forum).

But most of all, thanks to Patrick07, who put me in my place by pointing out that the subject had already been breached in the past (see: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=108428). And here I was thinking I had come up with such a novel question.

patrick07

Nope, not a bad question but now you have poll data to use. I re-read my post and it sounded bad. I kind of expected the poll to make a comeback to get more input. Sorry.

* jack *

so do they win a prize?

FastFreddy

I agree that it has to so with right-handedness. My right foot is more coordinated than my left – I kick a ball with my right foot (hopeless with the left) – I also kick over the bike with my right.

I also believe that this is the reason that bikes are laid out with the chain on the right side – to accommodate right-handed people. Notice that one poster (a lefty) said that he found it hard to kick over from the left side.

TCNJCyclist

I'm right-handed (and right-footed) and mount from the right. For some reason, I like clipping my left foot first and only unclipping my right foot when I stop (that might be from coordination).

I have an easier time stopping on my right side (left foot leads right foot) when I'm playing ice hockey, so that may explain why I do it.

Terex

Cause : Effect The "handedness" people win. Or "footedness". Actually both. Brain function allows many alignments - right handed/footed being in the majority. As a former high jumper, I had a "plant" foot, left, and and extension foot, right. Form follows function, so most people's "plant foot" for mounting a horse, bike or set of stairs in left foot. This whole issue of alignment and dominance is why Michael Jordan CAN'T hit a baseball (very well, at least) and why he CAN hit an off-balance 3-pointer. Michael is right eye dominant and right hand dominant. This alignment works perfectly for shooting a basketball, but is sub-optimal for hitting a baseball. Major league hitters are usually LEFT eye dominant, RIGHT hand dominant - left eye closest to/in alignment with the pitcher for a righty. Opposite for lefties. Of course, many variations to dominance (insert joke). Switch hitters are cross dominant - at least to a fair degree. My son - total Klutz - is right eye, left foot dominant. Oh, and regarding driving in England, Australia, etc. I can only assume that origin is based on something other than biometrics, as almost everyone in those countries follow normal convention of WALKING to the right, absent instructions to do otherwise.