Front brake lever - which side...Left or right?

[GLuvsMtb]

It may have something to do with STI's or the MTB integrated shifter and brake lever, and the rear derailluer was always controlled on the right lever, so the rear brake then ended up on the right hand side too....... Just guessing

<snap>

[nigelhicks]

For as long as I can remember we always had our front brakes on the right hand side of the handlebars. Recently I have noticed more and more bikes with the brakes the other way around

 

For as long as i can remember i have always had my brakes with back brake right hahaha

 

There is no correct way to run them - just what feels right for you. I started with BMX and there you only have one brake and its generally on the right hand side - so thats how i started. If you come from MX you will often ride back brake left as your front brake is your right hand lever on a motorbike.

 

BUT - just be sure to check thats its to your liking before jumping on a bike and going for a ride - i went over the bars while testing a customers bike when i used to work at a LBS - cost me a selle italia seat, pedals, and bars! OUCH - oh and got no sympathy from the owner who was only worried about the bike! hahaha didnt give a crap about me and my road rash!

[sometime]

I agree with this logic, it's how I roll.

 

Logic? Your relative strength of your hands is meaningless - one finger on either your left or right hand is enough to send you over the handlebars no matter which hand is the dominant one.

 

There is however a big difference in relative sensitivity/feel/dexterity of your left vs. right hand so which hand you chose to activate which brake depends on which brake you require more feel on.

 

For me carrying speed into and through a corner is about carrying as much front brake as I dare heading into the corner's apex. To do this without losing the front end and falling requires more feel than carrying the back brake into a corner which if you over brake which mostly results in a slide not a fall.

[Seeker911]

I have always ridden my rear brake on the right.

I find it's the motorcyclists who love it the other way around.

 

 

Spot on. I ride motorcycle to work everyday so to me its natural to have the brakes the same side on my motorbike and bicycles.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Logic? Your relative strength of your hands is meaningless - one finger on either your left or right hand is enough to send you over the handlebars no matter which hand is the dominant one.

 

There is however a big difference in relative sensitivity/feel/dexterity of your left vs. right hand so which hand you chose to activate which brake depends on which brake you require more feel on.

 

For me carrying speed into and through a corner is about carrying as much front brake as I dare heading into the corner's apex. To do this without losing the front end and falling requires more feel than carrying the back brake into a corner which if you over brake which mostly results in a slide not a fall.

 

Which is exactly wh you should not, under any circumstances, brake IN a corner.

[nigelhicks]

Its not the crux of this thread, but i have seen the comments about "hand strength" and using the back brakes rather than the front etc ....

 

I love the great fallacy that is ingrained into almost every noobies mind by other riders (MTB ... not road) .... that "when you riding down a hill, dont touch your front brake as you will go over the bars!!" ...... **** i laugh everytime ...

 

In actual fact your "strongest hand" should control your front brake ... as 95% of your slowing down is done with the front brake whilst the rear brake is there for control and stability - if you just jump on the rear .... you will inevitably lock the rear wheel and start sliding, not really an effective way of slowing down (Fun though it may be). Thats why when i've been coaching the noobies to DH the first thing i tell them is to trust their front brakes - and then show them how with correct body positions and effective pull on the levers you can stop using just your front brakes on almost any slope without going over the bars.

 

But then again - its all personal preference and what you grew up with as to which side your brakes should be.

Edited August 21, 2012 by nigelhicks

[Woolf]

For me it's right back as I used to klap lank broadies with the right leg on the backpedal brakes many moons ago. Pedalpedalpedal eeeeeeeecccccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

[slowpoke]

 

 

Spot on. I ride motorcycle to work everyday so to me its natural to have the brakes the same side on my motorbike and bicycles.

 

Hmmm, Randpark Ridge... We've most probably passed each other at some or other time (although this winter I was caged due to a stuffed up hip, but back on proper transport as of next week)

[sometime]

Which is exactly wh you should not, under any circumstances, brake IN a corner.

 

That's the whole point. You can brake later and therefore make up time if you carry front brake into a corner but only if you have the feel to moderate the front brake pressure appropriately. Have a look at the TV coverage or even the telemetry from a MotoGP rider and you'll see they carry the front brake right up to the apex of almost every corner.

[RockCoach]

 

I totally disagree, you never tell them, do you know how funny it is to see your mate go over the bars thinking the brakes were the other way around? I have witnessed this first hand with a mate, his girlfriend actually, was classic, we were even drunk at the time, oh the memories...

 

When you hold the brakes to get on a bike you can instantly feel which is front and rear.

 

You shouldn't go over the bars anyway if you brake both hands and rotate your weight back as you apply more lever pressure.

[PhilipV]

There is no right answer.

I ride front brake on the right. But it is also the brake I use the most by far. Pads on the back lasts almost twice as long.

 

I use mostly your front brake to slow down, with the back brake helping me to slow down.

[Stretch]

why do you need a strong hand to control a disk brake lever? you just got to touch it

 

for me - i like to use my strong left hand for controlling the bike while i am digging for water and food with my right. if i need to suddenly slam on anchors while doing this i would rather it be my back - so my back is on my left.

 

also, grew up with front-right, back-left...so it might just be that.

 

I have found that most people have it the other way to me to be honest

[Brian Fantana]

If you are familiar with the concepts of modulation and smooth braking, you will very rarely be in a position of going over the bars. But if braking to you means grabbing a hand full of brake lever and pulling it hard, then you might need to consider using the weaker hand to control the front.

 

Once the skill smooth braking is mastered, you can easily use any hand for any of the two brakes, as you really need mess it up completely to go over the bars.

 

Unfortunately many beginners never really learn the skill of braking smoothly because in SA people tend to ride endless gravel roads, and call it moutain biking.

 

At Norm-Hudlin trails in PE the effects of poor braking skills can be seen on almost every corner(hopefully the floods sorted it out), in the form of braking bumps. People cannot corner properly, and the they grab a handful of brakes midway through a corner, which creates bumpy corners.

[akneethling]

<snap>

Just by a minute........ Sorry bud :-)

[Mackie]

When you hold the brakes to get on a bike you can instantly feel which is front and rear.

 

You shouldn't go over the bars anyway if you brake both hands and rotate your weight back as you apply more lever pressure.

I hear you, add booze....

[Mackie]

It all comes down to how you feel, science and logic aside, had my first bike been back/left and front/right, I would have argued that, that is the correct set-up, but for me my first bike was right/back, front/left so thats how I got used to it, I was never a bike rider so that never came into it. The overiding factor here is what makes sense to you I guess.