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#1
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Orientation of brakes
I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right
handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? I figure you want more strength for the rear brake than the front. Or does it make any difference? Tom |
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#2
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Orientation of brakes
My bikes have the front brakes on different sides. It has never bothered me.
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#3
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Orientation of brakes
"mary" wrote: I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? I figure you want more strength for the rear brake than the front. Or does it make any difference? See Sheldon Brown's article on this: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html Art Harris |
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Orientation of brakes
Actually, the front brake does most of the work, so all other things equal,
your stronger hand should control the front break. Some other things to consider- Does the traffic in your country drive on the left or right? Assuming cyclists stay to the "slow" side of the traffic, they will want to use the hand that is usually the rear brake to signal to traffic, leaving their strong hand covering the front brake when they do so. So in the US, that means Right brake front. Are you a motorcyclist? Motorcycles have the front brake on the right (left side is the clutch). Might be simpler to stick to that system to avaid confusion. Where are the shifters located on your bike? If they are STI type (integrated with the brake levers), it matters less, but if you have to move your hand away from the brake to use the shifters, you might want to be able to cover the front brake with one hand while shifting with the other. Since most shifting is done using the rear derailler rather than the front, if the left hand controls the front brake, you'll have more stopping power if you have to use it while shifting. This is especially noticable in stop and go city riding. Of course I suppose you could change the orientation of your shifters instead... Well, I hope that answers your question ;-). It's really a matter of personal preference. On my MTB with brifters (sti) and motorcycle I have the front brake on the right, on my commuting/touring bike which has bar end shifters I have the front controlled by the left. I'm about to buy a road bike and will probably set it up with the front on the right. A+ "mary" a écrit dans le message de ... I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? I figure you want more strength for the rear brake than the front. Or does it make any difference? Tom --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.504 / Virus Database: 302 - Release Date: 24/07/2003 |
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Orientation of brakes
Tom- I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right
handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? BRBR Most braking power comes from the front brake, not the rear. Ideally your strongest hand should be attached to the strongest brake for best/fastest braking. Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302 (303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene" |
#6
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Orientation of brakes
"mary" wrote in message
... I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? I figure you want more strength for the rear brake than the front. Or does it make any difference? What does hand strength have to do with it? If it takes that much effort you must have awful brakes. Also, if you really needed the strongest hand on the most important brake, it'd be the front. -- Robin Hubert |
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Orientation of brakes
In article , "mary" tombates@cit
y-net.com writes: I notice that my rear brake is controlled by my right hand. I am right handed. If a person is left handed should that be switched since you have (?) more strength in your dominant hand? I figure you want more strength for the rear brake than the front. Or does it make any difference? Some threads are eternal.... There is no law saying which brake lever controls which brake. Some prefer one way, others the other. There are lots of rationales for choosing one over the other. But you do not need more strength for the rear brake. The front brake is far more important than the rear. But you don't need more strength than your left hand (usually) can apply on the front, either. Most people have enough strength in either hand to lift the rear wheel when braking the front, which is as much braking as you can have. In the old days, of downtube shifters, right-handed riders would have some advantage with the front brake on the left, since the right hand usually did the shifting of both levers, and it is good to have the important brake available even when shifting. Now that is not an issue, either. David L. Johnson Department of Mathematics Lehigh University |
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Orientation of brakes
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#10
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Orientation of brakes
On 9 Aug 2003 21:40:51 -0400, wrote:
In the old days, of downtube shifters, right-handed riders would have some advantage with the front brake on the left, since the right hand usually did the shifting of both levers, and it is good to have the important brake available even when shifting. Now that is not an issue, either. It's still easier to shift the more common rear derailleur with the more skilled right hand while leaving the more important front brake available to the clumsy but still-strong-enough left hand. So, for me, it's better with the left-hand front brake. I've never wished I had more strength or dexterity for my braking. David L. Johnson Department of Mathematics Lehigh University -- Rick Onanian |
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