From home I am used to bicycles where the right break works on the real wheel while the left one is for the front.
This makes perfect sense to me. Being right handed, it means that in situations where I apply full force my rear wheel will use more breaking force more than my front wheel. Which is pretty vital when riding in winter on icy and slippery ground, where you really don't want the front wheel to block.
Correct my if I am wrong, but the bicycles in this country seem to have it the other way around: Right hand to front wheel, thus usually more breaking force on the front wheel.
What's the reason for this?
It may not be to do with braking but to do with setting up the rear derailer.
If you use left hand to turn pedal and adjust derailer you can change gear with the right hand. If the rear derailer changer was on the left side of the bar this would be a more awkward manoeuver.
Nonsense. If that were so why would bikes in France and Italy (including racing bikes) have the front brake lever on the left? In any case with downtube derailleur levers you can easily shift either lever with either hand and indeed I almost always use the right hand.
Yes its nonsense. I did'nt think it through properly. Sorry. In fact I meant to say something different.......
When I have been adjusting my deraileur I have often thought that I would prefer the rear brake to be on the right changer to stop the wheel whilst adjustments are made.
And now I'm really glad I stopped using hindsight....... Sean.
"Robert Kiessling" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
From home I am used to bicycles where the right break works on the real wheel while the left one is for the front.
This makes perfect sense to me. Being right handed, it means that in situations where I apply full force my rear wheel will use more breaking force more than my front wheel. Which is pretty vital when riding in winter on icy and slippery ground, where you really don't want the front wheel to block.
Correct my if I am wrong, but the bicycles in this country seem to have it the other way around: Right hand to front wheel, thus usually more breaking force on the front wheel.
What's the reason for this?
Robert
I would have thought it has a lot to do with which arm is used for hand signals, in the UK we drive on the left, so, we use our right arm more to signal to other road users and as the rear brake isn`t so fierce it is placed on the left :-) I think.....
Case in point, I'm half way through a training to be a cyle trainer course (second half tomorrow and Tuesday) and in the first practical session we (10 of us, as you'd expect generally fairly frequent cyclists) were asked which brake was most effective. Something like 7-3 front, and we had a "find out for yourself session" on the wet grass we were on. Yes, front brake much better. At this point the instructor throws in some variation, and takes us to the reasonably steep slope in the corner of the park and asks us which will be best there? Only 3 of us stick with the front brake option, and the others have to find out the hard way that they shouldn't have changed their minds...
Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
When I moved to the USA and bought a new bike, I switched to the Contintental/American convention. It took a few rides to get used to it, but it seemed easier than having a bike that is set up differently than everyone elses.
FWIW, the cable runs from drop bar levers are slightly better (wider radii) with the brakes set up in the Continental way.
When I moved to the USA and bought a new bike, I switched to the Contintental/American convention. It took a few rides to get used to it, but it seemed easier than having a bike that is set up differently than everyone elses.
FWIW, the cable runs from drop bar levers are slightly better (wider radii) with the brakes set up in the Continental way.
that's a recent thing; they used to do (and still do for some makes) different sided calipers.
When I moved to the USA and bought a new bike, I switched to the Contintental/American convention. It took a few rides to get used to it, but it seemed easier than having a bike that is set up differently than everyone elses.
I think the problem is less normal riding than a panic or emergency stop when instinct takes over.
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
I have been told it is illegal to sell a bike in the UK with the continental brake config;
That's true - it's because that is the setup described in British Standard whatever-it-is and it's illegal to sell a bike that doesn't meet the standard. But, of course, it's not illegal to change them round after you've bought it.
I have been told it is illegal to sell a bike in the UK with the continental brake config;
That's true - it's because that is the setup described in British Standard whatever-it-is and it's illegal to sell a bike that doesn't meet the standard. But, of course, it's not illegal to change them round after you've bought it.
makes sense I suppose. According to a previous post the Australians have copied the standard. I wonder what they do in Eire?
Back then it was during many days in winter months. It saved me many times. Despite breaking carefully, the wheels do block. It's quite an experience to slid 180deg with the rear wheel yet remain sitting, and then continue driving the opposite direction 😉
That's because the back wheel locks up very easily and you are sliding because it is locked. Easy to do on slippery off-road as well if you brake too hard at the back
Quoted message said:
My theory was that for emergency breaking situations my hands have to be trained in one way. Two ways (one for normal and one for slippery roads) wouldn't work since in those situations I'd react instinctively.
You need to train your hand to properly control the front brake, whichever side it is on. Swapping sides is a bad idea.
Why? I have three bikes with a left hand operated front brake and one bike with a right hand front brake. I have no trouble swapping between bikes.
Why? I have three bikes with a left hand operated front brake and one bike with a right hand front brake. I have no trouble swapping between bikes.
Similarly, one of my bikes (a tandem) has the front brake on the other side compared to the other 5 bikes. However, I'd be pushed to tell you whether it's on the left or the right and vice versa, IYSWIM.
I rarely use a hand signal these days, relying on road positioning instead.
However, my stoker has informed me that the tandem signals rather more than I am aware of...
Do the signals telepathically correspond to the subsequent actions of the unaware captain?
Of course she has a well-developed ability to read my mind, but I'm not sure there is much need for telepathy when we have followed the same route roughly 3 times a week for the past 4 years!
Although now I come to think of it there have been one or two occasions where I have surprised her (and presumably the rest of the traffic) by going the wrong way...but that just serves to keep everyone on their toes :-)
Similarly, one of my bikes (a tandem) has the front brake on the other side compared to the other 5 bikes. However, I'd be pushed to tell you whether it's on the left or the right and vice versa, IYSWIM.
Not much chance of going over the bars on a tandem though if you grab the wrong brake.
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
Of course she has a well-developed ability to read my mind,
My SO is the same (I can't reciprocate unfortunately - it would save me loads of problems ;-) ) but I do notice it fails abysmally when my opinion is needed on clothes, hairstyles, holidays..... which I am required to verbalise.
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
Similarly, one of my bikes (a tandem) has the front brake on the other side compared to the other 5 bikes. However, I'd be pushed to tell you whether it's on the left or the right and vice versa, IYSWIM.
Not much chance of going over the bars on a tandem though if you grab the wrong brake.
But it ought to be a sight worth seeing if you do.
Daniele -- Apple Juice www.apple-juice.co.uk Chapter Arts Centre Market Road Cardiff CF5 1QE
I have my front brake on the left for the following reason: The front brake gives most braking force and therefore gives most control. The time I want most control is when I am putting myself in a postion of most risk. For me, the position of most risk is turning right across oncoming traffic, when I'm positioning myself just to the left of the center line, signaling with my right arm and slowing down, so logically my left hand needs to control the front brake.
So signalling and you want to do an emergancy stop with only one hand on the bars. you brake and your body is thrown forwards with your left hand steering your bike right into the line of oncomming trafic. -->
Martin.
-- Typed by monkey #27662472869676 on typewriter #7552416572242 When emailing me, please include the word Banana in the subject line.
So signalling and you want to do an emergancy stop with only one hand on the bars. you brake and your body is thrown forwards with your left hand steering your bike right into the line of oncomming trafic. -->
Assuming you bothered with signalling during an emergency stop, how would you signal with your left hand anyway?
-- Tony
"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't" Anon
I have been told it is illegal to sell a bike in the UK with the continental brake config;
That's true - it's because that is the setup described in British Standard whatever-it-is and it's illegal to sell a bike that doesn't meet the standard. But, of course, it's not illegal to change them round after you've bought it.
makes sense I suppose. According to a previous post the Australians have copied the standard. I wonder what they do in Eire?
I've just had a thought (it happens sometimes). Surely, the same proviso must apply to complete bikes as does to lights - they must comply with the relevant British Standard *or an equivalent standard of another EU country*. In which case, if there's another European standard that says brakes can be t'other way about, then it's perfectly legal to sell them that way in the UK. Of course, they'd have to be marked as complying with the appropriate standard. This is, presumably, what Decathlon does.
