mikey23 Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 (edited) Now i realise this is probably a stupid topic, but i'll go ahead with it anyway...Here in Australia, bikes you buy at your LBS all come with the levers so that the back brake is on the left and front on the right, and i've noticed that in the UK its the same (?), but in the US and most European countries its opposite.Now on my trials bike i prefer to ride with the levers opposite to the way they come in shops, i.e the US way. I figure that i am right handed, so naturally that hand feels alot stronger to me, so having it controlling the back brake, makes me feel alot more confident in my riding knowing that my "strong hand" is stopping me. Now I read somewhere that a greater percentage of people are right handed than left handed, so it made me think, why do Australian and English right handed people ride with their left hand controlling the back break?Sorry if this is a pointless topic, but i'd still like to hear your thoughts Edited January 12, 2007 by mikey23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ra964 Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 you will need both brakes it`s more on how you get used to it...it`s better to get used the US and rest of europe stile because most brakes come with default righthand back lefthand front Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan6061 Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I grew up learning with the rear brake on the left.Also, I don't think it matters what hand you use, for writing etc, because it's your fingers doing the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 because the british are intelligent and realised that for slowing down the front brake is the more effective and decided the best hand should control that brake ie the right.US and the rest of Europe probably copied the french who just wanted to show off and do skids .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 because the british are intelligent and realised that for slowing down the front brake is the more effective and decided the best hand should control that brake ie the right.US and the rest of Europe probably copied the french who just wanted to show off and do skids ....Haha, the french just wanted to show off and do skids, that made me chuckle, I must be in a weird mood today because the forum is cracking me up!Davey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisboats Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 As most others have said, its what we're used to. However, just because your better at writing with one hand doesn't mean its the better hand for braking. I can pull the rear brake much more forcefully with my left hand despite being right handed. And i feel i'm much more competant at doing front wheel moves with my right hande as the braking co-ordination on the left hand is either on, half-way on, or off. I can feather with the right hand much more easily and so its perfect for wheelswaps and stoppies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concussion Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I guess it's just what UK riders are used to. I ride with my rear brake on the right, as I too found my left hand to be weaker and less coordinated, and I'm getting on well with it that way. (only once have I forgot and looped out, that was not fun!)Although I do agree with Kris regards front wheel moves being easier with the UK set-up though. Meh` whatever feels right for the individual I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy d Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I think everyone in the world should have their brakes the same way round as me (front=right and back=left) so that I can ride their bike without having to rewire my whole brain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janson Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 i ride rear brake right hand because it's what bikes come with here.though it is not uncommon that kids crossing over from motorbikes ride with the front brake on the right hand, just like a motorbike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I used the same theory on my old jump bike when I had one break, right hand = stronger, right hand = breaking hand.Anyway....The actual reason for all of this:In the UK we drive on the left, in the US they drive on the right.In the UK when you turn right its important to indicate, as it requires cutting through the traffic, but not so much when turning left, and visa versa in the US.When you only have one break, its a lot safer to only have a back break, as all jump riders and most cyclist know. so... When you turn across the traffic indicating you only have one hand on the bars and break, and you want that break to be the rear break. Meaning in the UK you want the rear break on the left, so you can indicate right safely, and in the US you want it on the right, so you can indicate left.I can't remember if you drive on the left or right in Australia though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE trials commentator Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I used the same theory on my old jump bike when I had one break, right hand = stronger, right hand = breaking hand.Anyway....The actual reason for all of this:In the UK we drive on the left, in the US they drive on the right.In the UK when you turn right its important to indicate, as it requires cutting through the traffic, but not so much when turning left, and visa versa in the US.When you only have one break, its a lot safer to only have a back break, as all jump riders and most cyclist know. so... When you turn across the traffic indicating you only have one hand on the bars and break, and you want that break to be the rear break. Meaning in the UK you want the rear break on the left, so you can indicate right safely, and in the US you want it on the right, so you can indicate left.I can't remember if you drive on the left or right in Australia though.i like your posts,they always seem pretty informative anyways,i ride with back-left,front-right,cos i grew up racing motocross,and you cant very well have the clutch on the right you se,it just wouldnt work,unless the throttle was on the left,which could all get complicated... but anyways,thats why i ride like that.Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I ride right hand = front because a) it's how all the bikes I've ever ridden came and I'm used to it.However I think this way is still the best, because at the end of the day unless you do a lot of manuals, the back brake is pretty much just on/off most of the time, whereas I would say the average trials rider needs controlled modulation more on the front than on the back, which is why right hand is better on that brake - I can't feather with my left for shit. I have no control. With my right I can do it though.Of course you can rip the can of worms right the hell open and ask: "How many left handed riders here swap their levers over?" Maybe I'll be proved wrong...Either way I seriously doubt I'd be able to ride the wrong way round now. I've been riding right = front for about 20 years now, so changing it would just f**k me right up. Braking is just a subconscious thing for me, I don't think about it. It just happens. So switching the levers would require some serious concentration on braking for me to ride it...and therefore less concenctration on balance and moving my weight around (which is what I really need to get on top of at the mo). Hence, I would be shit(ter) if my brakes were that way round.How right handed people get used to riding right=back though confounds me. Each to their own I guess. Not having my "strong" hand on the back isn't an issue for me because my V brake doesn't slip (unless I want it to) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey23 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 I can't remember if you drive on the left or right in Australia though.On the left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 On the left Wahey! It works, so I'm guessing the Japanese have the left as the back break too? and it's just everyone else being awquard buggers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavyn. Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 Wahey! It works, so I'm guessing the Japanese have the left as the back break too? and it's just everyone else being awquard buggers. lol we're the awquard ones every where else is right. all because the king at the time when roads came about was a left hander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paolo Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 I personally run right as my back brake. I right with my left hand but I'm stronger with my right one. Also to keep in mind is your chocolate foot, the hand with the brake lever on can't move as much without loosing power, so when your'e in a weird position, having to move the hand that doesn't use the brake is easier.Maybe the UK uses the rear brake on the left, if you were to hit someone on the other side of the street, you wouldn't go endoing about... pwahahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted January 13, 2007 Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 on my racing bikes my fornt brake is on the left rear on the right,it is just the english have to be different that is probally all but that what 'dont you just hate it when' is the most logical answer to the question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downhill_rob2@hotmail.com Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 I nearly killed myself when i went on peter backgrens bike! lolHe could have told me the levers wre back to front lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simpson Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 I use my left hand to brake and have always found it more logical because my right arm is alot bigger than my right and so i can use it to control the bars better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waynio Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 funny funny replies.ride how you wish to, but i think your main problem is going to arouse when your LBS says "sorry mate it comes with the brakes as it is" a good LBS would say "ye thats fine we will swop them for free and get it sorted for when you want it" but in a perfect world not everything is that complex.who cares what side its on? as long as YOUR comfortable with it there isnt many special countries in the world but england and auz are 2 of a very few that are special. a couple of SPECIAL things that england and auz have in common are: england is full of "immigrants" and Auz as it is full of "english immigrants" (Pommes) wanting to get away from this S**T hole!!that is full of bad immigrants, so to confuse them we put the brakes on their bikes the "wrong" way round so that they hopefully end up under a bus/in front of a car/or purely just cant stop going downhills top thinking if you ask me Waynio.......................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 funny funny replies.ride how you wish to, but i think your main problem is going to arouse when your LBS says "sorry mate it comes with the brakes as it is" a good LBS would say "ye thats fine we will swop them for free and get it sorted for when you want it" but in a perfect world not everything is that complex.who cares what side its on? as long as YOUR comfortable with it there isnt many special countries in the world but england and auz are 2 of a very few that are special. a couple of SPECIAL things that england and auz have in common are: england is full of "immigrants" and Auz as it is full of "english immigrants" (Pommes) wanting to get away from this S**T hole!!that is full of bad immigrants, so to confuse them we put the brakes on their bikes the "wrong" way round so that they hopefully end up under a bus/in front of a car/or purely just cant stop going downhills top thinking if you ask me Waynio..........................sounds like what we do where i work waynio we offer to change the brakes on all new builds including road bikes, and that is a pain in the arse to change them around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Yeah, where I used to work we'd do that too. Even from the normal way round to the foreign way if that what they wanted. If I remember right, all the cannondale's and lightspeed's came the wrong way around, but the cannondales didn't have bar-tape yet so it wasn't a big deal really.Anyway, yeah, if you want the actual answer to why there the way they are, read my last post, but I can't remember why the English drive on the left in the 1st place, something to do with stage coach hi-jacking and the coach driver wanting to be able to use a pistol in his right hand to fight them off think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paolo Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Anyway, yeah, if you want the actual answer to why there the way they are, read my last post, but I can't remember why the English drive on the left in the 1st place, something to do with stage coach hi-jacking and the coach driver wanting to be able to use a pistol in his right hand to fight them off think.I think it's because you use a sword with the right hand normaly, so you are in a better position to slice people coming from the other direction. I probably am wrong, I'm not from the UK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yeah, its something like that.I though it was that they would rather drive/ride/whatever on the left as that would force the hijacker to come up the right, where they can defend themselves with there better hand, and the hijacker would be fighting with the left hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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