Why are bike brakes in France attached to the opposite handlebars to those in the UK?

Question

On a holiday in France, watched on of my kids fly over the handlebars when he tried a read wheel skid and locked the front brake! He asked me to ask the question on his behalf...

Answer 1

Seems weird, doesn't it?

The answer is because it is understood that the right lever is generally the most used (ie, right handed people), and as such the brake that is used the most (the FRONT brake) should be connected there. 70% of braking should be done with the front brake, not the rear. This is the same with motorcycles and even cars... when was the last time you had to have the rear brakes on your car serviced as compared with the front?

Now, to the other point. A wheel skid isn't something you should be doing.

EDIT:
Fred, if your theory holds true, then it IS the front brakes that do most of the work. Wear is from usage, not lack of it. Pulling the brake lever on a motorcycle doesn't actuate the rear brake, it operates the front (by the way, which lever is the brake on most motorcycles?). Pushing the pedal on a car makes the front brakes actuate first, then the rear brakes. Disc brakes tend to be larger on the front than the rear on any vehicle. The emergency brake on the rear of the car is because the brake can be modulated more easily in emergency situations and it won't pull the steering to one side or the other if they aren't adjusted correctly. I think perhaps you should reassess your knowldege of fluid dynamics and inertial moments.

MR... UK standard is left lever rear brake, right lever front brake... I design bikes for the UK market.

Answer 2

Fred M is horribly wrong. The front brake provides you with far greater stopping power than the rear. The rear of the bike is unloaded when braking therefore it skids along the top of the surface more. The front brake digs in as the weight shifts forward and stops you much quicker. Its the same with all cars bikes etc. Racing cars have all brake bias towards the front as do road cars.

Its only dangerous if you dont know how to shift your weight around properly and back in the saddle to stop you flying off. If your good enough you can quite comfortably lock up the front wheel under braking without flying off. Assuming your not trying to make a corner at the time that is

Answer 3

Usually the front brake is operated by the right hand as its the strongest in most people, and you get the most power through the front wheel before it locks up.
And as you brake more weight is put on to the front wheel which allows the tyre to bit in.
For example my bikes' fitted with a 8'' front disc and a 6'' rear, and some people even fit slightly wider tyres to the front.

I think its the old driving on the other side of the road thing, i believe it true with some American setups as well.

Answer 4

Good question!

From my view point mirageguitarworks is correct.

Setting brakes in one hand or the other has nothing to do with the side of the road you drive on. It is amatter of choice.

1) Front brake is the strongest brake.

2) Some people worry they might break to hard with the most common used right hand, (specially in a emergency where you react and not think so much), and end up doing the well known heels over head manouver. So, front brake is set on the less used, weaker left hand side- Something that is suppose to give peace of mind to children (children parents), and novice riders.

3) Other think that having better braking power available is the way to go, so the front brake gets the right hand, (the most commonly used hand). Different reason, diferent brake and hand selection.

From this two outlooks comes the braking setting selection, and then, the "traditon" for bike manoufacturers to design and set their brakes on each side.

The important thing to remeber is; you can select your strong front brake setting for your right or left hand, according to preferences.

It is the front brake, (the power brake) that decides the set up.

I, as a lefty, the common left hand for the front brake setting is my choice. I can stop hard at any time, and have enough experience as not to do the heels over head, or a rear wheel skid.

You can make your own choice. No problem.

Answer 5

It all has to do with the European equivalent of British Standards.

On the continent, their brakes are switched because they drive on the opposite side of the road, thus their standards dictate that the brakes must likewise be opposed to what we know to be safe and sensible.

All bicycles being shipped into Britain must conform to B.S. 6103 (II) at least, as this is a very well recognised safety standard. If a person prefers them to be switched back (for example, if they are left handed or are a foreigner) then that is their choice, but they must do it themselves, because no self respecting British cycle shop will do this.

See!!! The foreigners have got it all wrong!!!

Answer 6

This is not widely known but there are a couple of big names that prefer the front brake on the left. I can confirm one. The reason he has his bike set up this way is so he can break gently with the left and drop gears at the same time with the right. He is very popular in France, probably has a few copycats.

I can also tell you that this rider is 171 cm (5'7") tall rides a standard 54cm frame with 170mm cranks.

He is right handed and originates from a country that drives on the left and normally has the front brake on the right. (I believe this is the case, worldwide but not 100% sure). So forget about right or left hand drive. It would come back to setup preference.

P.s. Better give you some proof. Check the cable from the front brake.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/tech/probikes/index.php?id=/photos/2007/tech/probikes/lotto_mcewen_ridley/12Campagrecordlevers

By contrast another countryman (also right handed) has his front brake on the right. (Also on same team)
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/tour07/index.php?id=/photos/2007/interviews/tour_cadel_evans_weekthree07/fs017

P.P.s. The only thing I can draw from all this banter is that some countries do try to legislate one way or the other. Probably because some bureaucrat insists they know best.

Fortunately it only takes a couple of minutes to change to the one you prefer (if it is not to your liking and you can be bothered.)

Just don't count on every bicycle being the same in any particular country.

ALWAYS CHECK FIRST

I think Fred M would like to be a bureaucrat.
Thanks for both of those down thumbs Fred (or is it Neal ?)

Answer 7

Fred... tsk tsk... the more important brake is the front one. It will provide more control and more traction. Rear brake is only for controling that the rear doesn't skid sideways, and well, an extra bit to brake, but the front one is the most important.

Edit:
In the US and I think most of the rest of the world, the left lever is for the front brake, and the right one for the rear. I don't know which is better.

I think that the way UK is set up is sometimes refered to as moto-style, because motorcycles are set that way.

Answer 8

So which side is the front brake on over there? I'm in the US so UK and French standards are unknown to me.

Also, all performance bikes are the same aren't they? I mean doesn't everyone in the Tour de France, for example, use the same breaking setup? I never thought of it being different.

Answer 9

Per Sheldon Brown's website,
(If you are into cycling, this is one of the most referenced bicycling websites in the world)

Brakes are frequently set up so that your non- turn signaling hand has access to your most important brake.

In the USA we drive on the right side, signal with our left hand, so the right hand gets the important brake.

In countries where cars are driven on the left side, they signal with the right hand, leaving the important brake action to the remaining unused hand - the left one.

UNFORTUNATELY they thought the rear brake was the most important when that standard developed, and they just stuck with it.

crazy, huh?

Answer 10

Its nothing to do with Preferance or brake efficiency thats just piffle!


A couple of people have the correct answer and it's to do with the side of the road we ride on.

Think about taking a right turning at speed one handed! If I over applied my brakes, I would rather have the rear wheel skid than the front!