Those running a single brake lever: which side?
08-26-16, 01:47 AM
#27
Senior Member
I considered putting the lever on the right, but the cable routing didn't work well due to cable entering caliper on the right. So left it is.
08-26-16, 02:41 AM
#28
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Left on two of my track bikes, right on one. No preference, obviously.
08-26-16, 08:51 AM
#29
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I haven't ran a brake in a long time, but when I did, it was always left.
On road/mountain setups, your left side controls the front brake and derailleur. Why would you want to trick your mind by setting up a front brake on the right hand side?!
On road/mountain setups, your left side controls the front brake and derailleur. Why would you want to trick your mind by setting up a front brake on the right hand side?!
08-26-16, 10:52 AM
#30
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
Is there something tricking some people's minds into thinking that their left hand has some kind of relationship with the front of the bike?
If people are right handed, wouldn't it make sense for them to use their most coordinated hand for the most important brake?
Last edited by SquidPuppet; 08-26-16 at 10:56 AM.
08-26-16, 11:28 AM
#31
Your cog is slipping.
Who cares, really?
08-26-16, 01:32 PM
#32
Fresh Garbage
What relationship is there between a front derailleur and a front brake? None that I'm aware of.
Is there something tricking some people's minds into thinking that their left hand has some kind of relationship with the front of the bike?
If people are right handed, wouldn't it make sense for them to use their most coordinated hand for the most important brake?
Is there something tricking some people's minds into thinking that their left hand has some kind of relationship with the front of the bike?
If people are right handed, wouldn't it make sense for them to use their most coordinated hand for the most important brake?
08-26-16, 02:34 PM
#33
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I've decided to rig mine so it's in the center. Now should the lever face up or down?
08-26-16, 02:59 PM
#34
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I mean, I'm not the most knowledgeable in road bikes, as I've ridden solely fixed for the past 10 years. I have one road bike now, and I've ridden a few hear and there. Every single one has integrated shifters where the left controls both the front brake and derailleur, and the right controls the rear.
08-26-16, 03:46 PM
#35
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
See this is where I think you are stuck on tradition. That's not a jab at you, just an observation of how you are perceiving things. If you read what I wrote again, I asked about the front derailleur and the front brake. Neither of which is on the left side of the bike, and they have no relationship to each other. You are talking about the derailleur controller and the brake controller.
Yes, they are set up that way from the factory. But why? And why keep it that way if something else is more comfortable?
Another way to look at it, just to see where I am coming from, might be like this. The front derailleur is in the middle of the bike, not the actual front, and on the right side. The front brake is at the front of the bike, in the left/right middle. What sense does it make to put the controllers together, on the left, when their slave devices have nothing to do with one another mechanically, or operationally, or by location?
That's why I think people should customize their cockpit to whatever works best for them. Some people mount a bell on the left, some people on the right. Some people grab their water bottle with their right, and some people with the left. Why not set brakes up optimally as well?
Every single one has integrated shifters where the left controls both the front brake and derailleur, and the right controls the rear.
Another way to look at it, just to see where I am coming from, might be like this. The front derailleur is in the middle of the bike, not the actual front, and on the right side. The front brake is at the front of the bike, in the left/right middle. What sense does it make to put the controllers together, on the left, when their slave devices have nothing to do with one another mechanically, or operationally, or by location?
That's why I think people should customize their cockpit to whatever works best for them. Some people mount a bell on the left, some people on the right. Some people grab their water bottle with their right, and some people with the left. Why not set brakes up optimally as well?
08-26-16, 04:47 PM
#36
Fresh Garbage
And with my downtube shifters I shift the front with my right hand 
cycling has a lot of tradition and "proper" ways of doing things that dont have to be taken so seriously.
cycling has a lot of tradition and "proper" ways of doing things that dont have to be taken so seriously.
08-26-16, 05:04 PM
#38
Fresh Garbage
I just reach to the left side through the frame to shift. My hands are large enough to shift both levers at the same time.
08-26-16, 07:44 PM
#40
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Right front.
That's the UK standard, and it makes a lot more sense because it groups your controls by importance. You use the rear derailleur and front brake most often, so they go together. That leaves the mostly ignored front derailleur and rear brake lever condemned to purgatory on the left hand side.
That's the UK standard, and it makes a lot more sense because it groups your controls by importance. You use the rear derailleur and front brake most often, so they go together. That leaves the mostly ignored front derailleur and rear brake lever condemned to purgatory on the left hand side.
08-28-16, 06:45 PM
#42
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I tried to be a europro and run right/front left/rear for a season and I hated it. You almost never touch the front brake in cross here so my right hand is my dominant so I'd rather be working the rear with right. Swapped back and it's so much easier to dismount at speed since the bike isn't wanting to front flip.
08-28-16, 07:00 PM
#43
~>~
No idea what your dis-mount technique is but have at it and as always, suit yourself
For those who have never raced 'Cross dismounting for barriers at pace and running over them carrying the bike and re-mounting is part of the deal.
It's all done on indifferent/wet/muddy/off-camber natural terrain where traction is "limited".
A smooth technique means lots of time saved/gained over the clumsy.
Not SS/FG but really excellent racing that has produced some of the best bike handlers ever.
Having all machines w/ the same brake set-up regardless of drivetrain flavor is SOP for me.
-Bandera
Last edited by Bandera; 08-28-16 at 07:30 PM.
08-28-16, 07:59 PM
#44
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I dismount on the NDS also but I also have pretty bad nerve damage in my left hand so it works best for me to still use the right hand for rear. Also, you keep your left hand on the handlebars when you shoulder it so moving your right hand off the brake to scoop the bike isn't that big of a deal.
