Question about brakes on any/ all bicycles with rim or disc brakes

[Stefan Mikes]

Please stop posting dangerous information.

Please explain what is dangerous in my information. Your "MTB singletrack vice" again?

I hope all brakes in your car engage at the same time.

 

[PDoz]

Please explain what is dangerous in my information. Your "MTB singletrack vice" again?

I hope all brakes in your car engage at the same time.

Even cars have different forces front to rear, but if you really want to learn why you don't apply the same force at the same time front to rear on a two wheeled vehicle , try a little experiment - run front and rear off the same line, and fit an equal disk front / rear. Now go down hill and hit both brakes evenly , do the same uphill and in a corner. You'll want to be wearing armour.

Good braking is a sophisticated skill. Please stop spreading misinformation that could potentially kill someone.

If you're willing to learn from others mistakes rather than chant the same BS repeatedly - a few motorbike manufacturers have dabbled in linked brake. Moto Guzzi comes to mind from the 70's , they had the rear and HALF the front brakes operating off one system but kept a seperate front brake. It was an acquired taste... Honda and BMW tried similar systems but only when ABS was good enough and only on their cruising bikes - not the sporty ones. They had a different bias front / rear.

But you already KNEW we use different forces and timing front to rear !

As M. Robertson says, reorganizing brake levers the motorcycle way is dangerous for anyone else riding your bike. My brother did it to his bicycle long time in the past. His son mounted that bike and flew Over-The-Bars on the first braking, which ended up with a broken shoulder.

 

[offthewall]

I have been riding MCs and Motorscooters for over 55 yrs. The handlebar brake lever on the right side operates the front brake. Just the opposite of bicycles. Why is that ? I have been swapping my bicycle brake cables around so they are the same as my MCs/ Scooters. Thanks for your replies.

Same here. After almost a year of owning my e-bike, my brain is still confused since I've been riding motorcycles for more than 60 years.

 

[chunk]

I've been riding MC's since about 1974, I still do. I've had early Brit bikes and Bultacos that had the shifter and rear brake on the opposite sides that are the norm in the USA. The E-bikes opposite brake levers are just what happens in a global world I guess. I just adapt. I think it is good for your cognition. We, in the USA are not the only people in the world.

 

[teskow]

I don'r know about bicycle brakes but on some two wheel vehicles the front and rear brakes are sized so that with equal hand squeeze the front wheel will do more braking than the rear.

 

[gromike]

A motorcycle's front brake is on the right because the clutch lever is on the left because the twist throttle is on the right. It has to be that way, or the opposite. I assume that on a bicycle the front brake is on the left because that's the British way of doing things.
How you modulate front and rear brake pressure depends on the bike you're riding, and road conditions. I know that when I ride my Huffy Oslo folder, and the road condition is me leaving the pub, you do not want to touch that front brake.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I assume that on a bicycle the front brake is on the left because that's the British way of doing things.

No, it was introduced by Americans. The British setup is just like in the motorcycle.

 

[jabberwocky]

People who are used to motos often flip the brakes on their bikes, at least in the US. I have a few riding friends who started in motos and they mostly flip the levers so the front is on the right since thats what they are used to. All on mountainbikes, I don't think I've ever seen someone with swapped levers on a drop bar setup, though I don't see why you couldn't.

Incidentally, I have in the past swapped bikes with a friend at a resort who had his brakes setup that way and got used to it faster than I thought I would.

 

[Kayakguy]

Been that way since my first hand brake bike in 1966. An AMF hercules. They were copies of Raleigh & Sherwood products from the UK, that cost 30% more. I hated hand brakes then and still do. Rim brakes are useless in the rain. Disk brakes are better in the rain, but not as good as the Bendix coaster brake.
You will have to ask Triumph & BSA riders what they were doing with the brake in the 60's or earlier. I never rode one. I don't weigh enough to pick one up if it fell. I hate the noise, too.

Rim brakes work okay with aluminum rims. Not so good on chrome plated steel rims.

 

[Cdonovin]

I have been riding MCs and Motorscooters for over 55 yrs. The handlebar brake lever on the right side operates the front brake. Just the opposite of bicycles. Why is that ? I have been swapping my bicycle brake cables around so they are the same as my MCs/ Scooters. Thanks for your replies.

I did to it too it’s a preference MC are always right side front brake

 

[Cdonovin]

I have been riding MCs and Motorscooters for over 55 yrs. The handlebar brake lever on the right side operates the front brake. Just the opposite of bicycles. Why is that ? I have been swapping my bicycle brake cables around so they are the same as my MCs/ Scooters. Thanks for your replies.

 

[Cdonovin]

I did to it too it’s a preference MC are always right side front brake

I do have a question I have a rim brake I can’t seem to get it to work correctly is it repairable or just get a new set up

 

[Kayakguy]

Been that way since my first hand brake bike in 1966. An AMF hercules. They were copies of Raleigh & Sherwood products from the UK, that cost 30% more. I hated hand brakes then and still do. Rim brakes are useless in the rain. Disk brakes are better in the rain, but not as good as the Bendix coaster brake.
You will have to ask Triumph & BSA riders what they were doing with the brake in the 60's or earlier. I never rode one. I don't weigh enough to pick one up if it fell. I hate the noise, too.

The trick to raising a dropped motorcycle is to stand with your back to the bike, crouch down with bent knees, gripping the bike, and use your knees to raise the bike. I am small and not strong, yet I was able to raise my 650 Silverwing this way. Better, of course, not to drop the bike.

 

[indianajo]

I do have a question I have a rim brake I can’t seem to get it to work correctly is it repairable or just get a new set up

The brake arms are not centered over the wheel. You have to adjust the two springs on the arm pivots so they stand up centered over the wheel. You have to adjust the pad position & tilt so they hit the rim squarely. Then you adjust the cable so there is just enough play that the handle can pull the arms tight against the wheel.

 

[Chargeride]

The front brake should be on the right and anyone disgreeing is probably from some vanquished or traitorous backwater.

 

[mclewis1]

I do have a question I have a rim brake I can’t seem to get it to work correctly is it repairable or just get a new set up

Park Tools great video on adjusting V/linear pull brakes. Even after 20+ years of doing it myself I learned a few helpful things from the video.