front / rear brake which lever ?

Steve Kish":41z540cv said:

My hybrid and off-road with straight bars use front/right but on my road bike, it's front/left.

This stems from my early racing days when this was the continental style and actually made changing down with downtube shifters and front wheel braking able to be done at the same time.

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Legally new bikes have to be sold this way, although you're allowed to change it yourself.

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terryhfs":10s8rpz1 said:

Legally new bikes have to be sold this way, although you're allowed to change it yourself.

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Erm, that's just not true. Hop on a Trek at your local bike shop and look at what way round they are. There's no law that says "left/back"

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4.6 Brakes

4.6.1 Braking-systems
A bicycle shall be equipped with at least two independent braking-systems. At least one shall operate on the front
wheel and one on the rear wheel. The braking-systems shall operate without binding and shall be capable of
meeting the braking-performance requirements of 4.6.7.
Brake-blocks containing asbestos shall not be permitted.

4.6.2 Hand-operated brakes

4.6.2.1 Brake-lever position
The handbrake levers for front and rear brakes shall be positioned according to the legislation or custom and
practice of the country in which the bicycle is to be sold, and the bicycle manufacturer shall state in the
manufacturer’s instructions which lever operates the front brake and which lever operates the rear brake (see also
Clause 5 a)).

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That makes sort of sense. I just use my left hand for both shifters - reach through the frame.

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Steve Kish":axh75jox said:

That makes sort of sense. I just use my left hand for both shifters - reach through the frame.

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Sure, but in my early racing days, you had to use a bit of finesse, as this was prior to the first Shimano indexed system.

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