Continental brakes - Wrong way round
- Thread starter levarg
- Start date
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- brakes continental
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humboldt
Well-Known Member
I have the coaster brake/front brake lever on the left setup and got used to it pretty quickly, but then I suppose it was easier with only having the one lever and not having any chance of mixing the two up. The front brake is not great to be honest so most of the time if I use it I know I need to fully stop and I'm giving it a good yank.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
+1. You also don't want to grab too much front brake when one hand is off the bars signalling.
Great to see threads from the CTC forum getting a repeat here(!)
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
[QUOTE 5398942, member: 9609"]my first ever go with disc brakes was on a german bike, first junction I come too I went straight over the bars[/QUOTE]
Have you considered braking before the last minute? It'll trash your "average moving" speed, but can be somewhat safer when on an unfamiliar bike
Have you considered braking before the last minute? It'll trash your "average moving" speed, but can be somewhat safer when on an unfamiliar bike
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
What side do you get on a horse from? I think that may be the reason. In to the whole Continental thing, but I'm from the States, and have 4 Merican made bicycles, a Japanese bicycle, and an Italian Bicycle. I have a Raleigh, but a USA Produced one, at that.
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
My servants lower me on from above.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
WWII kicked off over this entire issue. Hitler was incensed that the Germans couldn't have their brakes set up the British way, and thus wield a sword while riding to the lederhosen and frankfurter shop. Duelling was still very popular at the time, and Hitler knew that he wouldn't be able to build enough KDFwagen Beetles to be able to equip every duellist until at least 1962.
Therefore, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland in order to secure a new factory which had been built to manufacture bikes for the British market, and thus secure a supply of bikes with the brakes set up the British, or "correct" way.
Churchill was very anti duellist, and was keen for the supply of Correct Bikes to be reserved for the British people, so they would be able to smoke cigars and still ride safely. In the end Churchill and the right handed British forces won. However, with the anti smoking sentiment of recent years the use of Correct Bikes is declining, and it is projected and that by 2032 only "stupid" bikes will be sold in the UK, leaving only a resistance movement of enthusiasts to keep the tradition going.
Therefore, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland in order to secure a new factory which had been built to manufacture bikes for the British market, and thus secure a supply of bikes with the brakes set up the British, or "correct" way.
Churchill was very anti duellist, and was keen for the supply of Correct Bikes to be reserved for the British people, so they would be able to smoke cigars and still ride safely. In the end Churchill and the right handed British forces won. However, with the anti smoking sentiment of recent years the use of Correct Bikes is declining, and it is projected and that by 2032 only "stupid" bikes will be sold in the UK, leaving only a resistance movement of enthusiasts to keep the tradition going.
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
I believe both Britain and the Boers had bicycles in the Boer Woer.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol041dm.html
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol041dm.html
Lozz360
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Someone's already pointed out Australia have the same, right-hand front wheel configuration as we do so it must be down to whichever side of the road the traffic drives on in that particular country. I'd be interested to know if the countries that have changed the side of the road they drive on (mostly it's been transferring from driving on the left to driving on the right but there are a few exceptions that have gone the other way), whether their bike brakes have also changed.
As an aside it is odd. and correct me if I am wrong, that motorcycles all over the world all brake with front wheel right hand.
As an aside it is odd. and correct me if I am wrong, that motorcycles all over the world all brake with front wheel right hand.
Slightly off topic, but when I first started driving, the indicator stalk on a UK car was on the right hand side, so in the UK, you could change gear with the left hand and turn the indicator on/off with the right hand. A sensible approach for UK drivers. Somewhere along the line, all cars now have the indicator stalks on the left making the simultaneous actions of changing gear and indication at the same time impossible.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Some Japanese-made cars still have the indicator stalk on the right. It's endlessly entertaining driving along and then unexpectedly starting the windscreen wipers as you approach a junction. It really teaches you to signal early, to give you time to recover and wash the damn window clean of the bugs you just smeared over it.
Motorcycles have indicators not hand signals.
