Sidepull cable entry - right vs. left
10-09-23, 06:33 AM
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Sidepull cable entry - right vs. left
This started out by looking for a nice rear brake to fit a nice frame that has cable stops on the right side of the top tube.
The major Italian brands (Campag, Modolo, Universal) are all (?) left.
Dia-compe made some of each, so did Weinmann and Shimano.
Most of the right-side entry brakes are older designs.
Here's the list so far:
sidepull brakes with right-hand entry
AGnltenberger all
Ballila 50, tourisme
Bowden touriste
Burlite
Chang DSar deluxe 730
CLB 650,700,750,alp,competition,GL,high-life,ville
Clem
CMP
Diacompe 500 gx,812,G, N500, 883, 500, gran compe, svx
Doherty
Eliad
Excel
Falco
Favorit
Follis (some)
Formos
Freimax
GAC
GB
Genya
Gloria
Huret luxe
Jolli
JYP
Lam
Lamisto
Lytalloy
MDL
Monitor
Nadir
Olimpic
Rota
Shimano 105 golden arrow, bb300, br6200, tourney, bb200, bb210, bb250
SMG
Sova
Strata
Super Rapid
Weinmann symmetric, AGn except (405, 570, 605, carrera)
The major Italian brands (Campag, Modolo, Universal) are all (?) left.
Dia-compe made some of each, so did Weinmann and Shimano.
Most of the right-side entry brakes are older designs.
Here's the list so far:
sidepull brakes with right-hand entry
AGnltenberger all
Ballila 50, tourisme
Bowden touriste
Burlite
Chang DSar deluxe 730
CLB 650,700,750,alp,competition,GL,high-life,ville
Clem
CMP
Diacompe 500 gx,812,G, N500, 883, 500, gran compe, svx
Doherty
Eliad
Excel
Falco
Favorit
Follis (some)
Formos
Freimax
GAC
GB
Genya
Gloria
Huret luxe
Jolli
JYP
Lam
Lamisto
Lytalloy
MDL
Monitor
Nadir
Olimpic
Rota
Shimano 105 golden arrow, bb300, br6200, tourney, bb200, bb210, bb250
SMG
Sova
Strata
Super Rapid
Weinmann symmetric, AGn except (405, 570, 605, carrera)
Last edited by oneclick; 10-09-23 at 09:16 AM.
10-09-23, 07:02 AM
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I vote to control the front with the sinister hand.
Merckx by the way over time used the left or right.
Merckx by the way over time used the left or right.
10-09-23, 09:48 AM
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I believe the question is about which way the caliper is oriented, which side has the cable entry. Not about which lever is for which caliper.
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10-09-23, 10:41 AM
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‘those who have Paramounts with the top tube cable stops shifted to one side have to decide to keep the center pulls or be awkward to route the rear brake cable for a Campagnolo Record caliper.
10-09-23, 11:13 AM
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What does this even mean? On my front brake, the cable enters on the right side; on the rear caliper, it's on the left. The calipers are both DA 7700. 
10-09-23, 11:30 AM
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10-09-23, 12:18 PM
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Are those the same model caliper? If so, that's definitely an outlier. Most Shimano brake sets have the cable entry on the "same" side (which will be on opposite sides of the bike once mounted).
10-09-23, 12:22 PM
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10-09-23, 12:35 PM
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I remember the first time I saw a Campagnolo brake set on a bike back in 1969 or 70. I thought they made a mistake with placing the entry on the right for the front. Up until them I only knew of front lever front brake with entry on the left for the front. Of course, the bike i was riding at the time had center pulls.
So now 50 years later I am looking at the picture in post 9 above and thinking, 'Campagnolo was saving manufacturing cost by using the same part front and back and charging a premium!"
So now 50 years later I am looking at the picture in post 9 above and thinking, 'Campagnolo was saving manufacturing cost by using the same part front and back and charging a premium!"
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10-09-23, 12:57 PM
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It was all this that made Gösta Pettersson come in at only third place in the 1970 T d F. Look at Eddys eyes. He saw Göstas front brake cable routing and thought "hey - this guy...!"
Or...Gösta Pettersson refused to use other than his right hand for the front brake. Whatever Tullio thought about it...
Or...Gösta Pettersson refused to use other than his right hand for the front brake. Whatever Tullio thought about it...
10-09-23, 01:20 PM
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I like to have my brakes attached to a lever, one for front, one for back.
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10-09-23, 03:51 PM
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Above examples Shimano 600, single pivot sidepulls.
Era of mixing was easy to accept and a model year or two difference didn't matter much.
600 EX (Arabesque) ~ left pull
600 (6207) ~ right pull
Selling dealer stock "you want -600- brakes, take these, says right here on the box."
Era of mixing was easy to accept and a model year or two difference didn't matter much.
600 EX (Arabesque) ~ left pull
600 (6207) ~ right pull
Selling dealer stock "you want -600- brakes, take these, says right here on the box."
10-09-23, 03:52 PM
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It was all this that made Gösta Pettersson come in at only third place in the 1970 T d F. Look at Eddys eyes. He saw Göstas front brake cable routing and thought "hey - this guy...!"
Or...Gösta Pettersson refused to use other than his right hand for the front brake. Whatever Tullio thought about it...
Or...Gösta Pettersson refused to use other than his right hand for the front brake. Whatever Tullio thought about it...
10-09-23, 05:44 PM
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How about mounting a "wrong entry" caliper on the front side of the seat stay?
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10-09-23, 06:09 PM
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I like the idea of the cables, front and rear, coming into the calipers on the same side of the bike. Preferably the right, drive side where virtually everything else is. (Derailleurs, drive train, seat pin.) Having to walk around the bike and stand to get to the rear brake cable bugs me. On my second custom, I had the modern recessed bolt bridge installed backwards so the rear brake is in front of the seat stays. Looks cleaner and is easier to work on. Even seems to stay a touch cleaner.
Edit: John E beat me to the post but I pulled the trigger 15 years ago.
Edit: John E beat me to the post but I pulled the trigger 15 years ago.
10-10-23, 02:36 PM
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10-10-23, 03:02 PM
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Seems to me the hand that controls the front brake could make a difference, but the side on which the Bowden cable pulls the levers together doesn't matter, unless cable length matters or some kind of interference occurs.
I prefer to control the front brake with my left hand, but I"m sure that's just force of habit. I think the handed-ness of the cable-to-caliper interface doesn't matter if the action is smooth.
10-10-23, 04:21 PM
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10-10-23, 11:52 PM
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10-11-23, 07:26 AM
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Yep, looks dumb.
So either you go with obscure side-pulls with the arms on the "right" (when facing the brake), or if you're using any side-pull rim brakes made in the last 50 years--the majority of which have the arms on the "left"-- then you can either install them on the forward side of the brake bridge, if possible, or you upgrade to a frame with either center-positioned cables along the top tube, or if internally routed, to something meant to be used with "normal" side pulls with the arms on the "left."
So either you go with obscure side-pulls with the arms on the "right" (when facing the brake), or if you're using any side-pull rim brakes made in the last 50 years--the majority of which have the arms on the "left"-- then you can either install them on the forward side of the brake bridge, if possible, or you upgrade to a frame with either center-positioned cables along the top tube, or if internally routed, to something meant to be used with "normal" side pulls with the arms on the "left."
10-11-23, 08:37 AM
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Wouldn't it look a little less dumb if you weren't wrapping it over the seat stays? That is, if you just ran the housing directly from the stop around the left seat stay, just as if the stop were on the left underside of the top tube?
10-11-23, 09:14 AM
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Ss are bad in cable runs.