• This topic has 56 replies, 42 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by hora.
Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 57 total)
  • Running your brakes t'other way round- experiences? (lefthanders?)
  • hora
    Free Member

    I’ve ordered a set of brakes from Germany with the levers set euro-style. Before I swap the hoses over:

    I’m lefthanded. My first proper mountain bike back was back in 2001 and a RockyMountain with the levers lefthand front/righthand rear). I actually liked it..

    Since then though I’ve run lefthand rear.

    I’m lefthanded- does this make any difference at all?

    Anyone tried this? I imagine for the first few rides I’ll GRAB the wrong brake.

    Or I could just swap the hoses over and keep running what I’ve grown used to but then it wouldn’t be tinkering..

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    tbh in terms of braking I doubt either hand has that much more feel – then again I play guitar so many have more nimble fingers than most

    DO you really think you have greater control with your left…if so do it but be very carefull for the first few rides as you are bound to do it wrong at some point

    Peyote
    Free Member

    You get used to it pretty quickly.

    I’m right handed, I picked up a cheap set of Deore hydros on Ebay. It wasn’t ’til they arrived that I realised they were the wrong way round (international shipping so I should’ve twigged really!). Anyway, put them on thinking I’d swap the hoses when I got round to it, three years later I still haven’t got round to it!

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    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Rented a bike in the alps 10 years ago with euro brakes, you do get used to it but you WILL crash, as a result of forgetting, once.

    tinsy
    Free Member

    You could or would get used to it I guess, but if you have another bike or a motorbike, or even ride someone elses bike now and again then you are going to struggle.

    Pukeko
    Free Member

    You get used to it pretty quick. Did bit riding USA and Mexico last year and was on borrowed bikes.

    That said, in a panic moment instinct takes over… over-cooked a manual in a bad spot.. a big handfull of front brake did not help much 😳

    hora
    Free Member

    😆

    m1kea
    Free Member

    As a lefty I’ve always run my front brakes on the left hand lever. My warped logic is if I need to indicate a right turn on the road, I have better (braking) control with my ‘strong hand’ – no sniggering at the back.

    catfishsalesco
    Free Member

    Unless you have a monster sized bike & some downhill forks the Hoses will be too long & look daft (As well as potentially catching on stuff), so you will have to shorten them anyway, at which point you may as well run them the right way around.

    bhmartin
    Free Member

    I live in Spain and ride a spanish BH that is the wrong way round.Like others have said you soon get used to it and unlike when braking on a motorcycle you do not get the same fork dive.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Wot most of them sed. Most of the time it will be fine, but it’s when things get a bit squiffy and you’re reacting on instinct that it’ll go pear-shaped

    I rented a bike in Canada, Back In The Day* and it didn’t take me long before I decided it would be best to swap the cables over, easy to do, rockin’ the v-brakes.

    Did the same when we rented bikes in moab last year, easy with the cable BB7s on the fat bike, flip flop Avid levers made it easy on the Spesh.

    *Are there time limits on how long ago something needs to be before it can be referred to as Back In The Day?

    forexpipz
    Free Member

    I did same. It takes ages to get used to them. Your muscles are hard wired and it takes some breaking through that programming m8.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    I did it my accident on my road bike once whilst wiring them up back to front. Made chuff all difference after the first 5 minutes. Bit like (if you ride motorbikes) swapping between left/right gear shifters and 1down4up and 1up4down boxes. Although maybe because it was whilst I was learning to ride road bikes that the muscle memory wasn’t there, maybe it would be harder now.

    Edric64
    Free Member

    I put the only brake on my fixed on the left to allow braking and signalling right at the same time

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    most disturbing muscle memory experiences I’ve had were both on the same holiday in France

    First was setting off on a quad bike under the eyes of the supervisor/instructor. Don’t know what he must have thought, watching me picking up speed, eyes popping out, heading for the bushes with every muscle straining, fighting the steering, because my body was expecting the counter-steer/flop reaction.

    The other was stoking on a tandem, doing exactly the same thing, with the pilot (?) swearing at me, asking me what the hell I was doing back there!

    gee
    Free Member

    I’ve always run my brakes the American/Euro way round. Started doing it when we had cantis and the frame bosses were always designed for the brakes to be run this way round, so doing so made the cable routing smoother and the cables don’t rub the paint off the frame. I’ve just stuck with it ever since.

    Sam
    Full Member

    My warped logic is if I need to indicate a right turn on the road, I have better (braking) control with my ‘strong hand’

    This is kind of the inverse of why brakes are the way around that they are – in left side driving countries brakes are routed left rear so that you have control of the rear brake (which though weaker won’t put you over the bars) when you are signaling to turn right. Fortuitously for us non-sinister types, this also means your strongest and more sensitive hand is controlling the more powerful brake. However for a lefty it would make sense in terms of performance to go to a ‘continental’ set up. How quickly you adapt to it is personal.

    atlaz
    Free Member

    You mean the RIGHT way around surely. My first mountain bike came with euro brakes and I’ve never gone back. Which makes it easier now I live in Europe.

    That said, it’s only when you panic brake that you’ll forget for the first couple of times. After that, no worries.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    What upsets me is that those of us who right front brake don’t also get left rear shifters so that we’re not trying to do brake, downshift and signal for a right turn at the same time with our dominant hand.

    jkomo
    Full Member

    It’s fine as long as you don’t mind constant face plants.

    Duane…
    Free Member

    Does this count? Would look silly to have the brake and shifter on different sides.. 😛

    discoduck
    Free Member

    I rode a hire bike in Canada and whilst trying to impress the townsfolk I whipped myself over the bars in an instant !
    Stupidly thinking I’d grabbed a hand full of rear brake I was slammed on the deck smashing my Oakleys, nose and couple of Teeth !
    None of which mattered tho as the humiliation more than made up for my lack of both skill and common sense,

    I wouldn’t do it simply because I’m too stoopid to remember and altho you never forget how to ride a bike I bet you would forget that the brakes were the wrong way round ?

    tymbian
    Free Member

    I’ve always run my back brake on the right. This stems from riding/ racing BMX in the 80’s and only having one brake…on the right ( my stronger hand ).

    Nowadays I just think its logical, seeing as the front brake is responsible for approx. 70% of overall braking, that I don’t need it on my strong hand. I find it gives me a more balanced braking feel.

    Just my tuppence worth.

    sicklilpuppy
    Free Member

    Its your bike, set them up how it feels best for you. Don’t let too many people know you’re left handed, We still burn wrong handers as witches in west Yorkshire. 😈

    gmex619
    Free Member

    Do it. Like it. My experiences.

    bol
    Full Member

    My only experience of it was with a rented bike in Italy. No-one explained it to me and I didn’t realise until I took a big handful of front brake going into the first switchback out of the cable car. Suffice to say I always get them swapped round now if I rent a bike. I’m a leftie, but I still nearly soiled myself.

    oldgit
    Free Member

    It was normal years ago, look at the oldies road bikes. Then it changed.
    I think bikes ‘have’ to leave the shop with front/right rear/left nowadays?

    Singlespeed_Shep
    Free Member

    Do it, its what the pro’s do.

    You’ll be able to brake and change gear at the same time, that’ll earn you a few more sec’s on strava.

    (also done it because I bought brakes from abroad and i’m lazy)

    senorj
    Full Member

    I have mine Euro stylee too.
    I hired a bike in Chamonix years ago – (v brakes) and I felt more comfortable and stronger with the back brake on my right hand.
    Swapped them over as soon as I got back and continued when disc brakes arrived.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    I live in Spain and ride a spanish BH that is the wrong way round.Like others have said you soon get used to it and unlike when braking on a motorcycle you do not get the same fork dive.

    Sorry, but WTF are you dribbling on about?

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    catfishsalesco – Member
    Unless you have a monster sized bike & some downhill forks the Hoses will be too long & look daft (As well as potentially catching on stuff), so you will have to shorten them anyway, at which point you may as well run them the right way around.

    This. Altho, after a year of running embarrassingly silly long hoses, I’ve just finally had them shortened.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    IMO keep them consistent over other bikes you have. I’ve done a superman OTB dismount on a rocky fideroad in Canada when hiring bikes with reverse setup. Not an experience I’d like to repeat 🙂

    Dales_rider
    Free Member

    Do “Foreign” Motorbikes have the brakes the “Wrong” way around ?

    northernerindevon
    Full Member

    Aye, replaced the cables ‘wrongly’ on my V brakes way back when I was an inexperienced teenager and loved it (once I realised what I’d done) – I have done it ever since on all my bikes & wouldn’t go back now. Plus you get the hilarity of letting mates borrow your bike and watching them sail over the bars after you ‘forget’ to remind them 😉 (not that I’d condone such irresponsible behaviour…)

    D0NK
    Full Member



    D0NK
    Full Member

    Fortuitously for us non-sinister types, this also means your strongest and more sensitive hand is controlling the more powerful brake.

    hmm both my lads are lefties, wonder if it’s worthwhile setting up their brakes euro style from the start (neither riding yet) or would it just cause them a heap of trouble borrowing mates’ bikes?

    hora
    Free Member

    How often do you borrow mates bikes?

    D0NK
    Full Member

    How often do you borrow mates bikes?

    when I was a kid loads, maybe just riding up and down the street but that’s still long enough to faceplant if you try to do a big skid with the wrong brake 😉

    Had a quick go on someone else’s bike last night too, to try out his brakes funnily enough.

    danrandon
    Free Member

    what brakes did you order? if they are avids no need to swap the hoses over just flip the lever and mount them on the english 😉 side of the bars

    hora
    Free Member

    The 2014 SLX brakes. Apparently all you need is a 8mm spanner and its a pull out plug in.

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