Front brakes

And back. There's two brakes, front and back, controlled by either left or right levers.

So they make you speed up in the UK?

I meant the article is talking about front handbrakes, rather than rear foot brakes.

No, you apply them after you've stopped.

One of the few examples of UK being correct where Europe got it wrong, people are predominantly right handed, you need to pull harder on the front brake, so the right brake lever should operate the front brake, it also matches nearly every motorcycle in the world.

Australia too.

Left hand for rear.

Nah, if you need to break the front wheel hard you’ll go over the handle bars and into incoming traffic. A back break results in a skid that can, to a degree, be controlled or more safely dismounted from.

Because I want my front wheel brake controlled by my much stronger dominant hand. What could go wrong with that?

Foot brake on a bicycle?

Ya wtf who's instinct tells then to lock up the front brake?!? Learned this the hard way as a kid lol

It’s breaks at the same time is best but always work the back break harder. It’s more than science, it’s common sense.

My first Huffey had coaster brakes that engaged when you pushed back. Such great skids!

Nothing, if you're an adult capable of applying only necessary force. In fact, as most people are better at fine motor control with their dominant hand, this should be safer than the alternative.

Brake. Not break.

Ah, then it must be to do with the side of the road we drive/cycle on.

Yep, good catch.

>One of the few examples of UK being correct where Europe got it wrong, people are predominantly right handed, you need to pull harder on the front brake

Im sure some bike accident statistics analysis should be out there to prove this hypothesis.

That is why you are supposed to shift your weight backwards to reduce the chance of going over the bars. It is about how hard you have to squeeze to achieve a lock up and how much retardation that can be achieved before the wheel locks, not how controllable the bike is when it's locked up. A locked up wheel has less grip than a rolling wheel and gives less retardation. The fastest way to slow down is with the primary effort through the front wheel, end of story, the mass of rider and bike are thrown onto the front increasing the effective weight through the tyre onto the road and increasing the contact patch and therefore the grip. Watch some moto gp or superbikes, they brake into corners with their rear wheel off the ground and that must be the fastest way to slow down otherwise they wouldn't be doing it and they are operating under the same laws of physics as everyone else.

No just the laws of physics.

The problem with this is I can signal with my left arm and break with my right hand on a North American bike but breaking on the front wheel with one arm sigbaling is kinda sketchy.

Most bicycles had them on the rear wheel.

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>It’s more than science, it’s common sense.

Wow :)

As in kids know this through lived experience, they don’t need science lessons to know this.

Hell no. The right brake is the main one you use. You have to be much more careful and lighter with the front brake, otherwise you'll go flying.

Same in NZ. Discovered that when I applied what I thought was the rear brake and went ass over teacup over the handlebars.

That’s how one of my friends broke an arm, had a European bike and used the other type, went over the hangers

Common sense maybe but it’s not science. Predominately using the rear is certain safer and too much front brake will result in going over the bars. But to stop the quickest, you need to use the front brake more as weight transfer forward means the front wheel can withstand more brake pressure before locking up than the rear. This is exactly the same on motorcycles and cars for the same reason - Physics.

Do you only have an on and off switch on your dominant hand? 🙂

About 70% of the stopping power comes from the front brake. It's why higher end bikes generally use bigger front rotors compared with the back. Same thing with motorbikes, they usually use a pair of large front disks.

The rear brake really only slows you down, it's the front brake that stops you. You just need to shift your weight back as you stop, otherwise you will fly off the front, it's a simple fact of physics.

I don't even have a front brake on my bike.

Don't believe me, from the master:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Hence "nearly", I am fully aware there are some exceptions, especially with older motorcycles, some only have one brake, and some had two on the same wheel!

Properly controlled front wheel braking is better: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Interesting they consider the front brake to be the primary due to pulling the rear one too hard can make you skid, having pulled the front one too hard downhill and been sent flying over the handle bars, I think I'd rather skid!

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But you use your right hand more because of the rear derailleur so the left hand can focus on the braking and because it will have less to do will be less tired.

Rule #5

Because us and Europe are stupid...what side is the front brake on all motorcycles..? Why change it for a bicycle? It is that simple.

Same as the side of the road they drive on, so Japan is likely the same? I've looked it up but it's not weird, just how folks used to steer their wagons behind the horses, based on their view of the middle and sides of the road.

Everything to do with handedness then, we drive on the left because we rode horses on the left because the people who rode horses also wore swords which are worn on the left so it can be drawn by the right hand which is the dominant hand in humans and that would be the side you want any oncoming person to be on. It is also easier to mount and dismount a horse to the left when you are wearing a sword, and you want to be on the "pavement" side of the horse not the "road" side when doing so. TL:DR you ride/drive on the wrong side of the road too.

No, it's not only to hard its also annoying, it's just good that one hand can focus on the braking and one on the gear shifting, heck why has every single 1x the shifters on the right side?!

So when you said "science" you meant "science lessons". Gotcha.

UK contrarianism strikes again!

I broke my collarbone because of this. I was a mountain biking enthusiast throughout my childhood and youth in Australia where the front brake is on the right. Fast forward to a couple of years ago, I’m riding a bicycle down the street in Vienna and 3 people walk out in front of me from between parked cars. I instinctively grab a big handful of the left brake lever thinking it’s the rear brake. It’s the front brake.

I fly over the bars and land on my shoulder. Broken collarbone ahoi.

They start out in the braked position and then you hold down the handle to start going? Like a deadman switch. Is that to prevent runaway bicycles? Is there a problem there with that in the UK? Runaway bikes?

Yep. Rented a bike in Kyoto for a self-guided tour, brakes were reversed.

The comment wasn't wrong, though. If you break the front wheel you will go over the handlebars.

Why would anyone expect different. From what I understand this is to allow the rider to make hand signals with lower risk & is thus dependant upon which side of road is correct in the country.

Most adult bikes don't use footbrakes

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Quite probably.

Back brake hand always on the bars leaves roadside hand free for signalling.

That’s what I wanted to know.. I understand RHD vs LHD cars in those regions but motorcycles have their brakes (both foot and hand) brake on the right side of the bike, and their clutch and gear shifter on the left.

Very strangely China also has it on the left.

Got to learn to use both brakes!

Rear brake = skid.

Front brake = over handle bars.

Both + leaning back = very fast stop.

You can use front brake without going over the handle bars by moving behind the seat, damn near impossible unless you’re trying to and crank your brake pressure right up

Is this so you can use the rear brake with one hand while signaling with the other, appropriate-for-the-side-of-the-street-you're-on hand

While correct for the UK you aren't thinking past that and assuming any other way is incorrect.

The reason driving on the right hand side of the road became popular in America is similar to left hand drive in the UK.

When the Americas were being colonised wagons and carriages were use extensively for shipping and transport. These had multiple horses to draw them. With the right hand being dominant it was benificial for the driver to be on the left of the wagon so his right arm was in the centre to control the animals. Because of this it was easier to see the road if you were on the right as it put the driver closer to the centre of the road. Therefore the roads and facilities were constructed to accommodate this.

I'd assume most people learn to ride a bike like at least a decade before a motorcycle. So I don't see why bikes should switch. And bikes came first.

It's for signaling on different sides of the road. Motorcycles have signals so hand signaling isn't needed.

I added the +leaning back trying to imply just sitting still and not countering the rotation would definately send you over the handlebars if you had to brake hard with front only :D

I used to bike to when and would tear it my breaking distance at red lights. Throwing myself behind the seat gave me less than a car length stopping distance from about in good weather.

Also don't balance on your pedals at the lights, it destroys the crank bearing very quick...

Is this really til material?

I of course used the other brake. The problem was that I was going downhill trying to do an emergency stop with brakes on opposite sides to what I was used to.

Maybe its the same thing with zippers in mens cothes?

Well I was told you make hand signals with either hand. So which side of the road you're on is irrelevant.

The front brake should be on the right. It's the more important one because you can actually stop with it rather than just skidding. Sure, excessive force will put you over the handlebars, but that's why you need your dominant (most people are right handed) hand to get the fine control required.

And look at motor scooters. Not bikes, automatic scooters with no foot controls and only levers. The front brake is always on the right wherever they are in the world. Why should it be different for bicycles?

Coaster brakes. You pedal backwards for only about 1/8 of a rotation before it applies

My first bike as a kid had those

They also drive on the wrong side of the road, so what?

The front brake does 75% of your shopping, I prefer to have that under my Smarter, and more dexterous right hand..allowing my left hand to be used to sign, as we ride on the right..and hand signals are required for your motorcycle road test.

It would make sense for Hong Kong, being a colony, but idk about China

And then when they do ride a motorcycle, the first instinct isn't to grab a handful of front brake, when you get into a quick stop situation.

I agree partly, but there is a ton of subtlety about signalling a move out into traffic should leave a hand for the rear brake. Here is a good answer to that issue from Quora.

I can't speak to scooters if you mean the modern uprated kids toy device, but for mopeds which were also called motor scooters in the UK the brake layout seems to have settled down internationally to I think rear on left, front on right. But since almost all of these today have turn signals that can be operated by the thumb there is no need to hand signals, see above.

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Sounds blood terrible. Glad you’re okay. I, as an American was dumb going down some steps (railroad tie height with 10’ landings) and only used the front when I went down, learned real quick what a pivot point was.

I’ve always hear it’s ass over tea kettle (upper central US). Is that different too!?

Thank you for posting this. I seriously thought this was saying foot brakes. So I kept think how the hell does a bike work in England. Peddling backwards to go forwards. My hung over brain wasn’t working

Many regional variations, arse over tit is the first one that comes to mind for me in the UK

Brittish ppl keep making this weird things just to differentiate themselves from the Perfectly Splendid American stuff

It's pretty easy to swap, though.

> You have to be much more careful and lighter with the front brake

Which is why — assuming you're right-handed — it should be on the right.

They do in Germany, where I first encountered them

And my gf reading over my shoulder says they do in Czech Republic

Been there, done that, tree still bears the mark (mine healed)

South US and Ass over Tea kettle is what Ives heard too.

It's also been shown repeatedly that the 'off' hand should be the one for gear changes, fiddling with indicators and radio etc. while the hand that has better control grips the wheel

For most people, that's the right hand

Hence the safer way is to drive on the left

UK early standards ignored by others again!

Yes

No

Exactly, and to slow down you pedal forwards on the pedals.

The UK, as well as all other LHD countries, put safety first

It's been shown repeatedly that when driving a car the 'off' hand should be the one for gear changes, fiddling with indicators and radio etc. while the hand that has better control grips the wheel

For most people, that's the right hand

Hence the safer way is to drive on the left

Apart from the going over the bars thing from a mountain biking perspective if you lock up the front wheel you have no control over the bike anymore, you can afford to lock up the back wheel though and still maintain control over the bike, same reason why generally you will run a more aggressive tyre on the front of a mtb.

You switched your two nationalities there, my good man/woman/person/thing/small furry creature from Alpha Centauri

Depends what you’re riding…

Most of my mountain bikes have been set up as front brake = death

The problem with irony is that when other people dont get it, you're the stupid one.

The other problem with irony is it comes across poorly in a written medium, especially to those of us who can't spot non-verbal clues :)

That’s crazy. I only have a front brake on my bike. Your stopping distance is significantly compromised without a front brake

I ride my single speed bike with only front brakes, never had any problems stopping.

Does anyone else remember that episode of Happy Days when Fonzie had to go to jury duty and was able to figure out that the guy didn't steal a purse because the brakes on the British motorcycle were reversed?

Fonzie is the hero we need.

I'm from the UK but lived in America for a couple of years as a kid. My dad switched the brake levers on the bike he bought me while we were over there so I wouldn't have to re-learn which brake was which.

Wait? What?

Rear break is always on the left!

Left = Rear Brake = Stop

Right = Front Brake = Over the Handlebars you go!

Left + Right = carefully slow faster.

Say that to my sintered hydraulic disks that slam on with a tiny tap

What side is throttle on for motorcycling? It makes sense here because front brake is on throttle side (right) and clutch left. Which means we wouldn’t have to switch habits going from bicycle to motorcycle.

On motorcycles, the front brake is on the throttle hand (right). After riding a motorcycle for years, I found the mixup to be annoying enough to switch the brakes on my bicycle ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was wondering when someone would mention this.

Every motorbike I've owned or ridden has throttle and front brake on the right.

The clutch (or rear brake if automatic clutch) is on the left.

I have a tendency, since my driveway slopes down to the road, to test my bike brakes before getting onto the bike to ensure that each works and that I've drilled it into muscle memory which lever is which - odd - as I've never ridden a bike with 'reversed' brakes but I do it anyway, it can't hurt.

Some older (like '70s and earlier) bikes from Europe vary on that, and kickstarter positions vary as well. But I agree that every new bike I've seen this century has that setup.

UK is in Europe

Neither US nor UK placement makes any sense. I live in Canada and built my bike with RH = rear brake, which I think is the norm here. We ride on the right side of the road, so this way I can simultaneously signal with my left hand and brake with my right.

Edit: NVM, for some reason I thought the US was RH = front brake. This makes more sense now.

You (or whoever built the bike) probably installed the bottom bracket wrong. The bearing should not be wearing out quickly by balancing at stop lights. If this was the case you wouldn’t be able to stand up on the pedal when you climb hills. My guess is you’re riding in pretty bad conditions (cyclocross bikes will often need a new bottom bracket every year if you race enough) or, like I said it was not installed correctly or completely. Some BBs are notoriously hard to install.

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Not just the brakes, the chain and gears as well.

We're developing an e-bike, we found this out recently. The language in that meeting would have shocked your mother.

Same in Japan

Arse over tit is the tea version. As in, your arse is literally going over the height of your tits. Tea pot is just the PG version

It's slightly less relevant though. You'll have to try pretty hard to go over the handlebars using the front brake on a motorbike, like lean into it.

Do they ever vary front lever always being front brake and the back brake is the foot?

You mean fixie bikes? They were a fad and I think mostly banned now

Brakes were reversed as in not regular Japanese style?

Japan is the same as the UK, yes

What brake is your motorbikes on?

I'm a decently well seasoned cyclist but no, you do not smash the front brake, you will go flying. It stops you faster but you don't want it to lock up. Your stat is more relevant to motorbikes, not bicycles

Are you some kind of idiot Hulk who can't pick up a flower without crushing it in your grip? Wouldn't the more dexterity be useful?

Correct, the low side is the most common. Handful, pavement..results are the same.

Was installed correctly I'm fairly sure. Was done by a mountain bike shop my Co worker had been going to for decades. By quickly I mean around 6 months to a year. I've never had to replace one before standing on the pedals like that.

When I took it in to get fixed (didn't have the right tool and probably wouldn't have done it right anyway) the dude told me the bearing was basically crushed and asked if I rocked back and forth at the lights. Told me not to and I've never had an issue since.

As for standing on them while climbing hills, maybe it wears more evenly?

I used to live in the top of a steep af slope, so I always brake test before, several of my neighbours have been in accidents cos of brake issues during rainy or cold days.

On my bicycle I always drove with rear always pulled all the way and even then it was kinda like "Jezus, don't let me die, pls!"

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>Tea pot is just the PG version

Is there a Yorkshire, Tetley, or Earl Grey version?

The PG Tips version

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Hand signaling based on road side

Bicycles predate motorcycles by a long while... and the reasoning is so that you can do hand signalling with the hand opposite to the side where you drive.

That makes sense. Same reason that in the UK we drive on the left.

Back in the days when people rode horses a lot that used to leave your sword arm (right-handed for the vast majority of the population) free. Your vulnerable left side was protected by the verge.

In Europe and the US they just got stabbed a lot

Statistics show that driving on the left is far safer though atleast

Not just UK but anyways driving in the left has been proven far safer so it was all the other countries being contrarian to UK, Japan and the commonwealth

Yeah you’re basically squeezing the brake as hard as you can while simultaneously throwing the bike forward with your palms, and feet on the pedals.

The 99% of your braking is not emergency braking where you have to care about which brake is more powerful, you are driving on a public road not on a trail race.

As ordained by The Ministry of Silly Biking.

I was introduced to them in Bavaria, and at least one family I know still has them

Similarly, I've got a friend in the USAF that gets deployed to Japan and England occasionally. When driving, the levers on the steering column are switched. So a bunch of Americans that aren't used to it will often flip the wipers on when they're trying to signal a turn. I think locals call it the Western Wave or American Wave or something.

Talk to your local motorcycle safety foundation coach or instructor. You are 100% wrong.

For riding a bicycle? Seriously...

I'd imagine gas and brakes are the same. They don't change, just like car gas and brakes don't.

As an American Id say Europe got it correct, that way bike and motorcycle front brakes match!

Either way your front brake is 75% of your stopping power.

Bleed them? That’s entirely up to you.

Bleed or allow more cable through to lengthen the travel

Don’t know what “regular” would be in Japan, but left brake was rear, right was front. Fortunately, neither worked very well preventing me from going OTB.

If in your country you are riding bicycles on the right then having the REAR brake on that side would I think still allow you to use breaking while indicating a maneuver across traffic.

If though you switch them then you would end up applying the front break in such a situation, which considering you would only have one hand on the handlebars could prove "unhelpful".

For motorcycles with turn signals it's not a problem, other than I suppose keeping the clutch & throttle opposite each other.

But hang on. The British way is the same as any motorcycle- front brake on the right

This is the standard on any motorcycle- front brake on right

Front is more effective as its where the load goes. But you need both and get the balance right

All motorbikes are on the right for front brakes- which makes this discussion weird.

Why isnt the rest of the world complaining that motorcycles are different?

So explain motorcycles always being on right?

No. The thread is saying Europe and America are one way and British “empire” countries are like mcycles

Not with brakes apparently

That is them bled bro they're supposed to be snappy

Sintered brakes are for heavy rain

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/disc-brake-pads/

Brakes are supposed to feel comfortable, not uncontrollably snappy as you seem to imply. I used to do DH MTB, a front brake in the correct zone is vital.

If they are too snappy, you bleed/allow more cable to ease the action phase of the lever. No one needs ultra snappy breaks unless they’re doing trials.

If I am riding one handed, it feels more natural to me using the left hand. That's where my front brake is located so it works for me.

I distinctly remember a Happy Days episode where Fonzie was on the jury and voted to acquit the defendant because the defendant was riding a motorcycle with the throttle on the "wrong" side. (The defendant was accused of doing something with his left hand, which he couldn't have done because the throttle of this particular motorcycle was on the left).

That's literally the only Happy Days plot I remember, and I don't know why.

I've been front brake only for years and have never gone over my handlebars. I'm not sure what I am doing differently.

Either way, practice to be safe in a sudden emergency.

I also ride motorcycles, so the right hand is front brake, right foot is rear brake.

Left hand clutch, and left foot shifter.

I prefer my bicycle brakes to be right hand front. Just a preference...

Motorcyclists don't signal with their hands, do they?

Bro I used to be in the British bmx racing championship and skived school in a bike shop every day I custom built my dh bike myself it's a full carbon, air suspension, roadie beating 30 gear bad motherfucker and I like my brakes to be instant to within 10mm of a hard pull if I pull gently the brakes will be gentle but I don't have them flopping about like an old whores piss flaps

If you like ultra snappy brakes then there’s no issue?

As I said, brake pressure is entirely within your control.

You don't use both brakes at the same time?

Buckler on the left.

There’s a reason that many castle entrances are set up to force you to lead with your sword arm. Because that’s less safe than being able to lead with your shield arm and keep your sword arm free for stepping back at somebody.

>front brake = death

Seems like a foolish way to set up a bike.

Drives me fucking nuts. Makes literally no sense.

Dominant hand has much more finesse.