Front brake on right or left?

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iliveonnitro
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by iliveonnitro

So when i reach to grab my water bottle with my right (dominant) hand I still can brake quickly with my left.

chrism
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by chrism

1centaur wrote:When I learned how to ride a bike in England as a child I was told the rear brake should be hit first and the front brake immediately after to avoid an endo.

Which is of course a load of rubbish.
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Gazelleer
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by Gazelleer

Brake calipers are laid out for left=front. Even thinking about switching is only an issue in non-cycling countries like the US & UK...

BW
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by BW

jvs wrote:Brake calipers are laid out for left=front. Even thinking about switching is only an issue in non-cycling countries like the US & UK...


I wish that wasn't true!! :D

rustychain
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by rustychain

jvs wrote:Brake calipers are laid out for left=front. Even thinking about switching is only an issue in non-cycling countries like the US & UK...

Oh that is so last week. :wink:

My interest was more along the lines of cable performance and function. I think I will keep the setup the same as I have as I'm sure bad things would happen to me (a night time raid by the Campy police perhaps leading to possable injury or even death for failure to use the method discribed in the official Campy instruction guide?). :shock:
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Gazelleer
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by Gazelleer

rustychain wrote:My interest was more along the lines of cable performance and function.

But left=front is about cable performance and function; having the front brake cable enter the front caliper from the left side ensures a nice gentle curve whereas a tight bent is required when operating the front brake from the right (=wrong) lever. The same applies to the rear brake cable. The rear brake cable stops are on the left side of the top tube, resulting in a gentle curve from the right lever.

The Specialized Tarmac SL is an exception, having the first rear brake cable stop on the right side of the top tube. This results in bad front cable routing for right=front as well as an awkward bend in the rear brake cable for right=rear. Obviously a design flaw. But then again, aren't they American? :wink:

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Miller
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by Miller

michael wrote:
Miller wrote:As a right-handed person I prefer right-front. The main consideration is that you know which lever to grab when things are rapidly going pear shaped.

? very smart to brake front only..... you will be catapulted, that's why front=left.


Well, not exactly. At the braking limit only the front brake matters because the rear wheel is unweighted, all the weight being on the front wheel. So for maximum braking force the rear brake is irrelevant.

KB
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by KB

It doesn't matter so much nowadays, but I always had my front brake on the left for one reason alone and that was because of downtube shifters. It was impossible to change gear and brake at the same time using your right hand.

Now with Ergo and STI it's not so important. The idea that you have your strongest hand as for the brake is erroneous at best. The way brakes work nowadays are better than they have ever been.

I still have my front break on the left.

chrism
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by chrism

jvs wrote:
rustychain wrote:My interest was more along the lines of cable performance and function.

But left=front is about cable performance and function

Indeed - that's exactly why I changed mine round back when I was a teenager.
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