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Brake Lever placement, left or right?

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gat3keeper

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
All my bike in the past have this

Left lever = front brake
Right lever = rear brake


I was so accustomed to this until my new bike arrived and it has the other way around. The left is rear, and right is front.

I have internal routing so Im not confident to change it by myself. Before i send it to mechanic, Im curious... What is supposedly the ideal placement of brake lever?

Sent from my ASUS_X00QD using Tapatalk
 
#2 ·
The ideal placement is whatever you are most comfortable with, since you are accustomed to left/front and right/rear, it will be worth your while to get them changed. In the USA at least, left/front is standard. The opposite would either be moto style or I believe it's more common overseas in the UK. It's called moto style because motorcycles use the right lever for the front and a foot pedal for the rear, so in MTB it feels more natural for some to use the right lever for the front.
 
#9 ·
gat3keeper said:
Thank you guys...

I think I will leave it that way. Who knows, I might grab motorcycle in the future and that's a good idea that the brakes on the right.

Appreciate it!
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It takes a little getting used to for sure. For the ultimate in consistency I added an auxiliary rear brake lever on the left side of my KTM 350 (the foot brake still works normally) so that I can brake on my dirt bike just like I do on my MTB. It makes it really easy to trail brake, to get a foot out front on either direction turn, and to control the moto on sketchy technical descents. It works for me because I also run a Rekluse clutch, so I won't stall it if I overbrake. The left side of my handlebars is a little crowded, but manageable.
 
#11 ·
I never understood why some places run front on the left..most people are right handed, surely you want the hand with the most dexterity to use on the most used and important brake that requires the most control? If I was left handed I would go left front but for those that use left front and are right handed I don't know how you can do it without grabbing the brake like a gorilla.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Danzzz88 said:
I never understood why some places run front on the left..most people are right handed, surely you want the hand with the most dexterity to use on the most used and important brake that requires the most control? If I was left handed I would go left front but for those that use left front and are right handed I don't know how you can do it without grabbing the brake like a gorilla.
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Probably because most people is right handed, squeezing left is more modulated than using the right hand? Most crash that I saw personally is due to braking too much on front during descent or approaching obstacle/corner.

Actually, I thought that norm and default is left on front. Until I have my new bike and notice that it's the other way around. I didn't notice it on the shop.. lols. I just notice it when I'm replacing my handle bar. haha.

Coincidentally, I was watching youtuber online who trains in Italy or something, he is complaining that the bike provided during their "bike tour/training" is front brake on right.
 
#13 ·
Danzzz88 said:
I never understood why some places run front on the left..most people are right handed, surely you want the hand with the most dexterity to use on the most used and important brake that requires the most control? If I was left handed I would go left front but for those that use left front and are right handed I don't know how you can do it without grabbing the brake like a gorilla.
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Despite living in Europe these days, I got my bike from Britain (German brand... cheaper in the UK... go figure) so I got used to the UK/moto method. Glad I did as it just makes more sense for me for general riding... despite being right handed, I find it much easier to control the bike with my left hand than my right (if only using one). If I ever need to grab one brake in panic while using the other hand (adjusting compression setting, using water bottle, adjusting song/volume on headphones, rearranging underwear, wild gesticulations at other riders), I'd rather it be the rear. :D
 
#14 ·
Until relatively recently I assumed that most bikes all over the world were right/front, given that it's the brake with the most stopping power and most people are right-handed. Also, I'm in the UK and that's what I've been used to all my life. It was a bit of a shock to find that pretty much all the drive-on-the-right world has a left/front setup, and this is usually a legal requirement for new bike sales. Madness!

The reason normally given is to improve safety during signalling while turning into traffic (think of the differences in what will happen between snatching a front brake and snatching a rear brake with only one hand on the bars), but the truth is a bit more complicated than that and the only answer that holds water is Because History. The scope for debate on the reasons for brake lever handedness is unlimited, but I think the best advice is always "run what you're comfortable with".
 
#15 ·
acedeuce802 said:
The ideal placement is whatever you are most comfortable with, since you are accustomed to left/front and right/rear, it will be worth your while to get them changed. In the USA at least, left/front is standard. The opposite would either be moto style or I believe it's more common overseas in the UK. It's called moto style because motorcycles use the right lever for the front and a foot pedal for the rear, so in MTB it feels more natural for some to use the right lever for the front.
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I just saw a video on YouTube about that the other day.
 
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#16 ·
I ride whatever is the most common. Outside the years I lived in UK, that means left front. It doesn't matter. Ride what you prefer.
 
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#17 ·
I’m fine with front left and rear right. The way I look at it, the front brake is the hammer and rear is a scalpel. Most of the time when I’m using the front brake, I generally want to slow down as quickly as possible and I’m not worried about modulation. The rear brake is fine line and speed control where modulation is necessary. I’ll use the rear brake on its own while the front brake is almost always used with the rear brake. I’ll also let go of the front brake first before the rear.
 
#18 ·
Not sure if I follow the no need for modulation with the front brake.

I think that modulation is more important with the front brake which is easier for me with my right hand since that is where little modulation or stabbing can have much greater risks and therefore more skill is needed compared to the rear brake.

I work in construction and more often than I like I should use my left hand despite being right handed.
Most of the time I rather find myself bending backwards while doing a headstand reciting war and peace in russian so I can use my right hand over my left one because I have better control and modulation with my dominant hand.

I remember doing the msf course and my little SV 650 had a GSXR 750 frontend with its vastly more powerful brakes on it.
The instructor said at one point said I should ride up to him and stab my front brakes.
I looked at him like he was mad, he insisted, I abided the dude and of course locked up the front wheel which was a bit unsettling.
 
#19 ·
acer66 said:
Not sure if I follow the no need for modulation with the front brake.

I think that modulation is more important with the front brake which is easier for me with my right hand since that is where little modulation or stabbing can have much greater risks and therefore more skill is needed compared to the rear brake.

I work in construction and more often than I like I should use my left hand despite being right handed.
Most of the time I rather find myself bending backwards while doing a headstand reciting war and peace in russian so I can use my right hand over my left one because I have better control and modulation with my dominant hand.

I remember doing the msf course and my little SV 650 had a GSXR 750 frontend with its vastly more powerful brakes on it.
The instructor said at one point said I should ride up to him and stab my front brakes.
I looked at him like he was mad, he insisted, I abided the dude and of course locked up the front wheel which was a bit unsettling.
Click to expand...
Riding a street bike and mountain bike are completely different. I'm totally fine with right front brake on street and track ridden motorcycles. Most motorcycles' braking power is 90% front so it's more important to modulate it. Compared to mountain bikes(let's assume equal sized rotors) the brake power distribution is closer to 70-30 or even 60-40 depending on the kind of MTB you're riding. But I can compartmentalize braking techniques needed for mountain biking and street motorcycle riding so I don't get them mixed up.
 
#20 ·
almazing said:
Riding a street bike and mountain bike are completely different. I'm totally fine with right front brake on street and track ridden motorcycles. Most motorcycles' braking power is 90% front so it's more important to modulate it. Compared to mountain bikes(let's assume equal sized rotors) the brake power distribution is closer to 70-30 or even 60-40 depending on the kind of MTB you're riding. But I can compartmentalize braking techniques needed for mountain biking and street motorcycle riding so I don't get them mixed up.
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Numbers are one thing but with the ever changing environment a mtb operates in, which also greatly changes constantly how much or little the front brake is used, the modulation is even more important imho.
 
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