Brake levers: left or right??

[Theo42]

I've borrowed my mate's Cannondale Synapse and the rear brake is controlled by the right lever...

WHY? I've never ridden a bike with the levers this way round. Why would it be this way round? Is it a rider preference or something else?

I've already found it a little annoying... I prefer to use my left hand to slow down and right hand to change down the gears.

(btw my mate whose bike it is doesn't know either)

 

[ianrauk]

That's the standard US way rather then the Brit way.
My recumbent which came from the US has the same set up as you mention.

 

[Theo42]

ah i see. i'm looking at part ex bikes with him... so i guess i'll have to see if i get used to it.

 

[Ian H]

You can easily swap them over. I set up all my bikes with front brake left.

 

[Globalti]

It's the way bikes are set up where people drive on the right. The idea is that you use the rear brake while signalling a turn across traffic with the free hand.

It's a 10 minute job to swap the cables to the other side.

 

[Theo42]

cool. i'll have a look at swapping them over.
thanks for the info.

 

[4F]

If you don't want the faf of changing just cross arms when riding

 

[MontyVeda]

It's the way bikes are set up where people drive on the right. The idea is that you use the rear brake while signalling a turn across traffic with the free hand.

....

thanks for that.. I've always wondered what the logic was.

When I was cycling round New York last November I was petrified I'd get the brakes wrong... and having V-brakes on the bike I'd borrowed I really didn't want to mistakenly hit the front brake whilst going at speed.

All went well for 60km until I nearly rode into a taxi and whacked the brakes on... somehow i managed to stop myself going over the handlebars but did bounce the bike on it's front wheel a few times!

 

[Smokin Joe]

That's the standard US way rather then the Brit way.

That's the standard everywhere except the UK. I have mine set up like that because it gives a smoother cable run and they don't rub against the head tube.

 

[jdtate101]

I was always taught:

"Be right at the front or be left behind", which is the Brit way.

 

[Ian H]

It's illegal to sell a new bike with the front lever on the left. It used to be that most club riders would swap their levers over, possibly to conform to continental standards. I've just got used to them that way round.

 

[subaqua]

It's illegal to sell a new bike with the front lever on the left. It used to be that most club riders would swap their levers over, possibly to conform to continental standards. I've just got used to them that way round.

references please.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Front brake has to be on the right. It is a safety issue.

As you grab the brake lever, you roll the hand forward and this movement closes the throttle.

If the front brake were on the left, the clutch would move to the throttle side and smooth gear changes would be impossible.

Johnny Foreigner can be an audacious creature and is given to unhelpful mechanical eccentricity.

The front brake belongs on the right and traffic belongs on the left.

No wonder our jails are so full!

 

[Ian H]

references please.

Er, Construction and Use laws somewhere googlable.

 

[Enid Agnus Dei]

Many moons ago I had an old Pegeot racer and not only were the brake levers the wrong way round to me but the gear levers too, a sod as it was a 12 speed, spent loads of time in error swapping rage changes rather than selection a higher gear!