I know they drive on the wrong side of the road..

[Geoff]

I think there is actually an Australian Standard that covers this for bike shops selling new bikes - similarly there is one that says all new bikes sold must have pedal, wheel and front and rear reflectors fitted.

...and a bell! :roll:

 

[hahanna_sgp]

Hang on... do you guys in the UK mean to say that just about all your bikes are setup with the left/rear right/front setup?

I live in the colonies (singapore) we drive on the same side as the UK but all our bikes are definitely setup in the opposite left/front right/rear.

I remember when i was younger and had a road bike (old popular Motioncraft road bike) i especially requested the LBS to swap my brakes to be in the configuration you use in the UK.. at that time, i just figured that i wanted my masterhand (with finer motor control) to be able to modulate the fronts better.... well what i remember was that the mechanic was saying something about how the brake wires should cross each other in front of the stem or something like that. (probably nonsense anyway)

now sitting and thinking about it a bit more, i think the left/front makes sense as since its not out master hand, we will hopefully not squeeze it as tightly. Additionally our right master hand with the finer motor skills would actually be better at ABS-ing the rear which is more prone to skidding.

so i'm sorry boys... but the boys from the colonies are requesting that riders of the United Kingdom, wheel your bikes into the garage tonight and swap your brakes.... Health and Safety you know.

 

[legrandefromage]

Hang on... do you guys in the UK mean to say that just about all your bikes are setup with the left/rear right/front setup?

I live in the colonies (singapore) we drive on the same side as the UK but all our bikes are definitely setup in the opposite left/front right/rear.

I remember when i was younger and had a road bike (old popular Motioncraft road bike) i especially requested the LBS to swap my brakes to be in the configuration you use in the UK.. at that time, i just figured that i wanted my masterhand (with finer motor control) to be able to modulate the fronts better.... well what i remember was that the mechanic was saying something about how the brake wires should cross each other in front of the stem or something like that. (probably nonsense anyway)

now sitting and thinking about it a bit more, i think the left/front makes sense as since its not out master hand, we will hopefully not squeeze it as tightly. Additionally our right master hand with the finer motor skills would actually be better at ABS-ing the rear which is more prone to skidding.

so i'm sorry boys... but the boys from the colonies are requesting that riders of the United Kingdom, wheel your bikes into the garage tonight and swap your brakes.... Health and Safety you know.

theres 61,000,000 UK residenta that say you're wrong

 

[LeeDevelopment]

*pops hand up feebly*

I run the rear brake with right lever, always have done since I was a wee nipper.

 

[cchris2lou]

Being an immigrant to the uk , I use my brakes continenetal style . but my road bike is set up the other way round .

not really an issue .

 

[ededwards]

I recall borrowing a fellow Retrobikers bike in Holland, riding for two hours and only at the end realising that it was set up with front brake on the left

Obviously my technique is flawed but doesn't it suggest that it doesn't matter too much as long as you don't have a deathgrip?

 

[Kestonian]

Brakes? I took those off to keep the weight down to 23.5lb

(sorry Wu)

 

[hahanna_sgp]

Brakes? I took those off to keep the weight down to 23.5lb

(sorry Wu)

23.5lb.. why does that number ring a bell... were you the bloke who expertly set up 2 or 3 bikes to exactly the same weight ?

 

[WD Pro]

*pops hand up feebly*

I run the rear brake with right lever, always have done since I was a wee nipper.

+1

My Marin actually suits it like that as the offset cable guides on the top tube prevent any cable rub with a right hand rear. Not sure how the cables will thread through the vectors but the ProFlex also lends itself to the same theory

 

[Easy_Rider]

theres 61,000,000 UK residenta that say you're wrong

It seems Sheldon Brown also agrees with us Brits

# Right Front or Left Front?
The usual system is to have the rear brake controlled by the lever on the side of the bicycle that corresponds to the side of the road that it will be driven on, i.e., right in most of the world; left in the British Isles, Japan, and other places where they drive on the left.

Nobody knows exactly why this is. My theory is that it is based on the reasonable idea that you should be able to have your primary braking hand on the handlebars while making a turn signal with the appropriate hand--coupled with the erroneous idea that the rear brake is the primary brake.

I prefer to set my own bicycles up with the front brake controlled by the right lever. This allows me to signal and stop at the same time, and also lets me use my stronger, more skillful hand for the more critical front brake. (I rarely use my rear brake.)

Since this is the opposite of the prevailing national standard, I would never set up a bicycle this way for a customer without a specific request to do so. I have an article on Braking and Turning which addresses these issues in more detail.