Chain set query

[steveoo]

Iam sure this must have been asked before but
Why is the chainset always on the right side of a bike?

 

[Dave 123]

Because it's not on the left.......
Poor answer, but totally accurate!

 

[machew]

If it was on the left it would be very sinister

 

[youngoldbloke]

So that the forward pedalling action tightened the cog at the rear? Early bicycles having a single fixed sprocket it would have been much more straightforward to use a standard thread on the hub and the sprocket.

 

[Gary E]

If it was on the left it would be very sinister

I see what you did there

 

[Alien8]

Why is the chainset always on the right side of a bike?

If it was on the left the chain line would be just awful.

 

[Sittingduck]

It would be on the wrong side in photos, if it was on the left! Only way around it would be to have the bike pointing backwards... against convention (I believe it's to do with writing left to right).

 

[TheDoctor]

I can see no technical reason not to have it on the other side, but you'd need to build dérailleurs to suit and make the freewheel freewheel the other way.
A fixie could be done, but you'd need to re-thread the cranks the other way round or really welly the pedals up tight.
I suspect it just became a de-facto standard, like the pedal arrangement in cars. There's no particular reason why you couldn't swap the brake and throttle pedals over, but why would you?

 

[TheDoctor]

I've posted this before, but my self-esteem could probably take a bit more of a kicking...

After a glass or three of wine, i started building up a singlespeeder.
I fitted the chainset, then the wheel (just loosely in the dropouts) then the chain, adjusting it to length. I then tried to tighten up the quick release, as which point I noticed the unused rear mech hanger, on the opposite side of the bike. I'd assembled the entire transmission on the wrong side...

 

[Gary E]

Have to say - it does look a bit weird

 

[Ian H]

It's perfectly possible to build a fixed wheel mirror-image. Rather more difficult to do the same with gears.

 

[TheDoctor]

You need to fit your cleats back-to-front, though.

 

[Theseus]

I am not sure where I saw it (probably Sheldon Brown), but someone put together a bike with 2 chains, one on each side to produce a sort of fixed gear. Each side had a chain-ring and a single speed sprocket. I think the gearing was set up so it was easier to apply braking force.

 

[Gary E]

You need to fit your cleats back-to-front, though.

Not necessarily......Just needs a bit of radical thinking

 

[Gary E]

Sorry forgot the obvious....