What sides are your brakes on??

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 9:19am

am curious now what the standard in the US is; does it follow the assumption that the deciding factor seems to be the side of the road which is driven on?

Large bottle small glass · 03-02-2022 9:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574123#Comment_118574123

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/over-the-bars.html

Wildly Boaring · 03-02-2022 9:36am

2 cubes in the shed. Both left front brake.

Either is fine with me.

Not sure how people end up going head first off it though. Unless they're trying to skid to a stop on the rear

Damienmac · 03-02-2022 9:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574138#Comment_118574138

I've always wondered about this too. So the logic was to move the dangerous thing away from your good hand. That's nuts if true.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 9:40am

without doing rigorous experiments, the same pressure applied to the front brake and the rear brake create different levels of deceleration; so people are used to being able to pull on the rear brake harder than the front. so if they do that out of muscle memory, it's easier to come a cropper.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 9:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574138#Comment_118574138

quoting the relevant section:

Formerly, bicycles in the USA had their front brake on the right hand, as do motorcycles. A concerted effort by right handed safety advocates, moved the "dangerous" front brake to the left hand, where it could do less harm, and there it remains today.

Tim76 · 03-02-2022 10:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574006#Comment_118574006

Clearly they do. But pulling the break lever toward you while also pushing it to the side to drop gears just seems to be adding a level of awkwardness that doesn't need to be there - not in LHD countries anyway. I get why you would have the right/rear set up in RHD countries, i.e. for signalling but I think the left/rear set up is still the better option when you need to stop relatively quickly - otherwise you're stuck in a big gear.

Remember its the main lever that moves the derailleur up the cassette not the little paddle underneath. To add to the digital dexterity required, you are trying to pull and push this lever towards the bike at the same time. Again, I've never ridden this way before so perhaps it becomes instinct after a while - and a couple of very slow accelerations at the lights :)

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 10:11am

you just think ahead. coming to stop at lights, you'd change gears to an lower gear before braking.

Tim76 · 03-02-2022 10:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574271#Comment_118574271

But why do that when you can do both at the same time ;)

Each to their own I guess, but a very interesting thread reading everyone's comments. I'm surprised there was such a split. I wonder if Ireland will go the way of the UK at some stage and try and regulate the set up?

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 10:17am

least i think you do that. all muscle memory to me now; either that or i brake first and as i'm coming to a final stop i change at the last second when there's no pressure on the gears. you should be pedalling while changing gears anyway.

Tim76 · 03-02-2022 10:30am

I would normally start to slow the bike with the left lever/rear brake, start changing gears with the right lever at the same time, keep on slowly rotating the cranks until the gear change is complete, clip out and then bring the bike to a full stop with the right lever/front brake.

I've a bad feeling I'm going to be overthinking this on my next spin and end up on the ground! 😄

Edit - I should add that I would do the above when I would have to stop moderately quickly. With more warning I would initiate the gear change first, slow with the left and then coast in to a full stop. With little or no warning, it's slamming on the left lever a millisecond before the right and keeping my weight at the back of the bike - no gear change then!

cletus · 03-02-2022 11:02am

You seem to be overthinking it as it is.

I honestly couldn't walk anyone step by step through my stopping procedure. Muscle memory and feel.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 11:12am

easiest thing to do is learn how to wheelie properly so you don't worry about front wheel braking.

Wildly Boaring · 03-02-2022 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574557#Comment_118574557

Maybe that's my issue.

If my brakes were the other way around I'd be a wheelie master!!!!

cletus · 03-02-2022 11:27am

You should be good at the nose manual, though...

DaveyDave · 03-02-2022 12:45pm

Two Canyons, one front left/rear right, one front right/rear left. Easy enough to differentiate. You'd notice very quickly while out on the bike which is which.

positron · 03-02-2022 1:12pm

All my bikes - many bikes in India, Boardman and Specialized here in Ireland - are all the same "left-rear, right-front" brake setup. Of course any motorcycle I have ever ridden is also the same way (left-clutch, right-front brake).

However I recently picked up a Trek hybrid and noticed that the brakes are the other way around. I will see if I can change it around but I am not too keen to keep it.

What we really need are linked braking systems - pull either lever and both front and back brakes evenly. It can't be that to design especially with hydraulic disc brakes?!

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 1:15pm

there are some occasions where you would not want to engage the front brake at all, i suspect. if i'm on a road surface i think might be slippery, i'd defintely want to try rear brake only first.

03-02-2022 1:23pm

It’ll probably become more common as more bikes are from continental supply chains due to Brexit, but it’s trivial to swap them.

You should keep them the way you’re used to as there’s a lot of automatic response, muscle memory involved.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 1:48pm

yep, i don't want it to be 'easy enough' to differentiate which braking system is set up on the bike - i want to know automatically, because reflexes will take over in an emergency which could make an emergency worse.

tonytiger81 · 03-02-2022 1:55pm

Every bike I've ever raced or built up had right rear and left front. As others have said its more muscle memory than anything but to me, as i'm right hand dominant, if i want to grab a brake lever in a hurry i'd rather skid out than launch over the bars. Makes sense to me at least.

magicbastarder · 03-02-2022 2:10pm

i would have assumed that the main concern there would be motor control than strength.

07Lapierre · 03-02-2022 2:51pm

I have 4 bikes…not sure which ones are rear left or right TBH. I put it down to me been left handed so I’m used to things being different for me. I tend to apply both brakes at the same time and go by feel, so it’s something I’ve never really thought about it.

TheBlaaMan · 03-02-2022 10:01pm

Left - front , right - rear. 4 bikes all built the same (by me....)

Given that a right hand turn is the riskier here, having full braking on the left while being free to signal on the right makes sense to me. I try not to me changing gears while in complex manouvers, but if I have to, I can change down easily too

saccades · 04-02-2022 12:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574301#Comment_118574301

Only with a derailuer, IGH doesn't care 😉

saccades · 04-02-2022 1:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575147#Comment_118575147

Why would you want even braking?

Weight distribution alone means the braking is different and if the ground was slippy you could lose traction on the front (and back) instead of just the safer back.

And if your jumping you lose fine control of your fore/aft rotation.

Rechuchote · 04-02-2022 9:16am

Good God!

I thought left rear, right front was the only way to do it, like left hot, right cold for taps - anything else is sacrilege.

(Gear down when approaching traffic lights, what, what? I'd do that driving, when I used to drive; I've never done it on a bike.)

CramCycle · 04-02-2022 11:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575147#Comment_118575147

This sounds like a terrible idea.

positron · 04-02-2022 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579310#Comment_118579310

Actually that's a good point. I think the linked braking in motorbikes works by distributing a percentage of the power to the other wheel. For instance, if you apply the front brake, some power is applied to the rear as well which will help stop the rear stepping out as well as reduce the nose dive perhaps - and if you are applying the back brake, some power to the front will help reduce the squat perhaps.. I am not sure.

I guess linked braking is probably a useful thing once you have ABS too - which is all very much non-pedal-bike territory. Anyway, I am plenty happy with the brakes that we have at the moment, it's the "getting going" where I lack the power!

Elvis Hammond · 05-02-2022 9:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118580516#Comment_118580516

Weight transfer is just caused by slowing down; nothing to do with the brake used, & you're certainly not going to get 'squat' while braking.

Choosing how much front/rear to use is a matter of traction.

What sides are your brakes on??

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