Front Brake on Left or Right?

[pamplemuse]

This will put you straight... (read the whole thing or just the article at the end)

http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html#bikeculture

I agree Sheldon's article pretty much covers all the physics involved. But after recently reading it for the first time I wanted to immediately respond (unfortunately can't now Sheldon is no longer with us) cos I believe Sheldon overlooked the main point made by RDV4ROUBAIX's above (although also an important fact in non-race scenarios). The point is that with modern STI levers it is very useful on open roads to be able to brake suddenly with full grab front brake using the left hand (thus achieving better stopping power) and to be able to change down gears quickly with the right hand such that it is possible to accelerate again in a reasonable gear. An example is when approaching lights changing to red or when avoiding a car that's braking in front of you. As Sheldon pointed out in a situation where you need to brake quickly then having both hands on the bars to brace yourself (a necessity for rapid deceleration via front wheel braking) is far more important than throwing an arm out to indicate a right turn.
I have never heard of right vs left front brakes being enforced as a requirement in Australia though. That is is news! Never knew I was ridin' outlaw. However the Bicycle Victoria link provided by Argon Man appears to not be working anymore.

 

[kiwirider]

... cos I believe Sheldon overlooked the main point made by RDV4ROUBAIX's above (although also an important fact in non-race scenarios). The point is that with modern STI levers it is very useful on open roads to be able to brake suddenly with full grab front brake using the left hand (thus achieving better stopping power) and to be able to change down gears quickly with the right hand such that it is possible to accelerate again in a reasonable gear.

As someone who rides right front (combination of being from "one of those other small countries who drive on the left" and a number of years spent riding motorbikes) and races cross - so has had many an "oh s**t" incident of the type referred to above - I can tell you that it is very, very easy to change and brake at the same time ... And that's both with Shimano and Campag systems ...

Similarly the comment about left front being the only "proper way" to set up side pull brakes (my interpretation of the phrase "campag, shimano and SRAM brakes" in the original post) - again I've ridden that way for years and never had any problems. I have friends who run the same gear as me but with left front braking and their brakes work and feel exactly the same as mine ... so I'd suggest that poster's comment is a bit uninformed too ...

As I see it, the answer to the original question is this - as with the vast majority of things on bikes, unless there's a biomechanical or (bike) mechancial reason to do otherwise, the only right way to set your bike up is the way that makes you feel safest and most comfortable ...

 

[42coppi]

Reading through the discussion and wondering what all the fuss is about.
Front brake rightside. Always have and always will - broight up on it in UK from trike to fixed TT bike ( one front brake ) through till now.

What is far more important is that I notic everyone has the date the wrong way round. Who ever heard of the expression "The seventh month of the eight day of the two thousand ninth year" ???

 

[davidg]

What is far more important is that I notic everyone has the date the wrong way round. Who ever heard of the expression "The seventh month of the eight day of the two thousand ninth year" ???

Good point but what do you expect from a country that drives on the wrong side of the road

 

[Milessio]

Reading through the discussion and wondering what all the fuss is about.
Front brake rightside. Always have and always will - broUght up on it in UK from trike to fixed TT bike (one front brake) through till now.

What is far more important is that I noticE everyone has the date the wrong way round. Who ever heard of the expression "The seventh month of the eight day of the two thousand ninth year" ???

The whole point of this thread is the reasoning behind having the arrangement you do.

You can try changing the date format if you like, but it's automatic.

 

[RightWingNutJob]

Clutch on the left, front brake lever on the right on motorcycles...in the US and here at least (is it the opposite in the UK and Australia?).

I know a lot of MX racers and motorcyclists in general that have picked up cycling for various reasons (all of which are great if you ask me), and have the brake levers swapped to be more in line with what they're used to on their motorcyles.

Was just thinking about this. Last time I rode a push bike was 15-18 years ago and remembered that my front brake was always left. Since then I have probably 5 years on a motorcycle and wondering when I buy my new push bike which way is going to feel more comfy.

 

[badboyberty]

Try being a hire bike operator...

To meet Australian standards all our hire bikes have to have their brakes left -rear/ right-front by default. And what we find we have to do is listen for accents to work out where in the world hirees come from and inform them that the brakes are probably 'backwards' to what they expect. It's interesting that the people who have the hardest time with it are those who ride the most.

The scariest thing I've heard is one of our bike-shop regulars went to the US to race with a smallish American team and one of the team mechanics decided to 'fix' his brakes without consulting him. First corner of his first race in the US and it was boy meets ground.

 

[danyela]

This is so strange! I'm from NZ and everyone here has their front brake on the right. I thought this was just the worldwide standard thing and never thought any differently til now!

 

[Rock7586]

If you are right handed, you gotta go right front, unless you are 6 years old and don't know how to modulate your front brakes. I made the shift after riding with a few pro Motorcycle racers, and was getting spanked on twisty decents. Once I made the shift the gap closed real fast, now they are struggleing to stay with me

 

[Tugboat]

This is so strange! I'm from NZ and everyone here has their front brake on the right. I thought this was just the worldwide standard thing and never thought any differently til now!

Nope... When a now top level Kiwi pro (Greg Henderson if I remember correctly) first went to the States, a team mechanic decided to "fix" his bike for him and then failed to tell him. I'll let you guess what happened on the first corner of the crit they were racing when he went to grab what should have been the rear brake.

 

[Tugboat]

The scariest thing I've heard is one of our bike-shop regulars went to the US to race with a smallish American team and one of the team mechanics decided to 'fix' his brakes without consulting him. First corner of his first race in the US and it was boy meets ground.

Mechanic "knows best" isn't just a one off thing then!

 

[TheDude]

Here in the states, Cyclo-X is the only place you will find front-right, based on a left-side dismount and that you don't want to slam on the front brake while swinging over the bike. I'm set up right rear becaise that is what I learned as a 5 year old and I'm a bit old to learn a new trick.

 

[Dermie]

****** th Australian standards I think the cops have more things to do than apply Aust standards to cyclists.
Or even what the poms or the yanks do, I have my front brake on the left because I am very right handed from years of being a carpenter.
So with this thought I put my front brake on the left so that In emergencies I would probably react hard with my right hand first, (my back Brake) then my left hand. I figured I would rather fishtail or have a bit of a tailslide rather than go over the bars or have my front wheel disappear in a split second. I am not sure if this is the correct approach but it seems to keep me out of trouble on my road bike at least.
Trouble on my mtn bike appears to be more closely related to my heart rate, my speed & the terrain.

Cheers Dermie

 

[Anonymous]

As we indicate using both hands (left with left hand & right with right hand), I'm not sure how indicating can really be the determining factor?

as a brit, front on the right, rear on the left...

that way i can indicate right across traffic using my rear brake..

indicating left... hmmm... not usually.. if theres someone (a car) behind me i dont bother, if there is something coming out of the junction im turning left into i wave him out with my right hand pointing that im turning left..

if theres a bike behind me i brake with my front, but it aint pleasant

 

[blaxland]

To meet Australian standards all our hire bikes have to have their brakes left -rear/ right-front by default. And what we find we have to do is listen for accents to work out where in the world hirees come from and inform them that the brakes are probably 'backwards' to what they expect. It's interesting that the people who have the hardest time with it are those who ride the most.

The scariest thing I've heard is one of our bike-shop regulars went to the US to race with a smallish American team and one of the team mechanics decided to 'fix' his brakes without consulting him. First corner of his first race in the US and it was boy meets ground.

I here you load and clear badboyberty,as someone who owns a bicycle retail shop and bike hire store,tourists from certain countries drive me mad......i am for ever swapping over cables from left to right.....

 

[Anonymous]

I here you load and clear badboyberty,as someone who owns a bicycle retail shop and bike hire store,tourists from certain countries drive me mad......i am for ever swapping over cables from left to right.....

see now in paris, we rode hire bikes, hired from an american company, in france, and the front brake was on the right...

 

[Anonymous]

as a brit, front on the right, rear on the left...

my new kona has turned up with the brakes the other way around.. now i got to get used to left=front right=rear all over..

i could swap them i suppose..

 

[TheDude]

dimspace,
you got a US build. Sorry about that if you are planning to use it for cross (nice to have the rear brake on the left for dismount). Pretty easy to switch them over.

 

[Anonymous]

i will swap them over at some point.. easier to have rear on left here in uk as you spend half the time looking over the right shoulder for traffic etc, or indicating right..