I noticed that USP and most other US based racers and Triathletes route their front break to the left lever and rear to the right. Where in Europe they tend to route it front to right and rear to left.
Now I’ve been using the “Europe” style ever since I can remember, but my HED bars makes the routing tuff to do this way. I was thinking of swapping them around but braking is almost second nature now and one tends to get just the right balance between front and back. Can anyone see any obvious issues doing it this way. I will probably need to change my road bike too or it may get confusing.
I’ve always used the US-style braking on my bicycles, but I’ve also ridden motorcycles and motor scooters for a long time. These are right-hand / front brake, and I’ve never had a problem switching back and forth. That may be because I almost never use just one brake, always brake with both front and rear. If I do use just one brake, it tends to be front only.
I always thought this was more of a cyclocross thing than a Euro thing. Whatever way you go, I would try to keep it the same on all your bikes to save your hide in panic stops.
If you can’t get the system to work with your HED bars, you can always send them to me. I promise to give them a good home
This doesn’t answer your question but: ) When teaching new bikers how to ride I always say Remember your “R’s” Right /Rear. Right shifter Right Break make things happen in the rear. Also Remember your “H’s” High / Hard the higher the gear the harder it will be to pedal. This works well with bikes that have shift numbers. I’d say after they learn this they would be ready to ride with those snotty roadies : 0
I have my front brake under my right (strong) hand. I did not do this to be Euro, I did it because I am biased to my right, and thus wanted my front brake there for better modulation in Crit years ago…I just never changed them to be any other way. What is fun is watching people try to ride my bikes that I loan out.
I run my brakes U.S. style on road and tri bikes and “Euro Style” on my cross bike. When dismounting at speed on a cross bike you have your right hand on the top tube or down tube ready to pick up the bike and your left hand is on the bars. You have already unclipped your right leg and swung it over the top tube. You are coasting toward the barrier with only your left foot clipped in. If you need to scrub some speed you can flick the rear(left) brake lever. If that was your front brake(U.S. style) you may launch yourself over the bars or the front wheel would dive since you are only holding on with one hand. I think this would also be the prefered setup up for ITU racing since the full speed dismounts are very similar to cyclocross and usually done in a large group
I’ve been Euro since I saw Jonathon Boyer run em backwards and since then it’s made perfect sense for me. I have a beater bike that is US style and I have to think twice before hitting the brakes. I like the Euro way as it duplicates life on the motorcycle. I would do both the same as to avoid any panic mistakes.
If one ever looks closely, brake cable entry (on the caliper) and the routing on many bikes are made to be front/right, rear/left. I don’t know if anyone has noticed that.
I would change my road bike to the “North America” style of brake routing, just to keep things consistent.
FWIW…I’ve been a motorcycle rider for the last 6 years now, and have been riding bikes with the “Euro” set-up since 1991. Don’t really remember why it all started…I was an impressionable 15 year old…nuff said. Now all my bikes are set-up right lever/front brake…come to think of it, I only have one bike with 2 brakes.
I have a HED aerobar set-up with just the right brake lever in operation…I actually took the bottom mounting brackets for the extensions and swapped sides, to see if I can get the side with the eyelet to be set up for the front brake. It actually made the angles worse. What I did was run the brake cable housing parallel to the backedge of the basebar towards the stem, then curved it down to the front brake. Viewing from the top, using a 120mm stem (Cinelli Alter), the line isn’t quite straight…but I think if you’re running about 100mm it should line up pretty nice.
Rear brakes…they’re just there to modulate speed. Front brakes are for stopping. If you’re worried about endoing…go practice panic brake stops in the grass.
Personally I think if you break them, either by the US style or Europe style, they’re going to fray, so I always use the Park cable cutter
Oh… BRAKE cables!
I ride motorcycles too, so it’s right-forward for me. I also think that like Record10ti, my right hand is stronger and I can modulate the brake better with my right hand.
I run mine US style because I am left handed. I have never understood why right handed people would want the front brake under their most meat fisted hand.
You cant do any USCF time trials on that bike because they require two working brakes, that may not be of any concern to you but my other thought is the two brake system does provide for some added security if something should happen to your one working brake. Imagine careening down a long hill towards an intersection and having your cable snap or mounting bolt break. …start looking for the softest piece of asphalt to lay it down on!
Sorry…clarification…it’s a fixed gear, so the rear wheel technically is considered a rear brake to USA Cycling (it’s in the rule books). Not that it really matters anyways…20km out, one dab on the lever to slow down, lean/steer it around (but don’t stop pedaling!!!) and go back 20km…not too tough on the brake.
USA Triathlon rules are not very clear about the definition…I’ve used the same bike in a triathlon but with a singlespeed freewheel (I didn’t want to contemplate running after riding a fixed gear TT…I run slow enough as it is). If I enter any large races, I’ll add the second brake…just to say within the rules. The Zipp 2001 I used to ride didn’t have a functional rear brake, and it didn’t bother me at Wildflower.
Who needs the latest unobtainium/carbon fiber/titanium components when all you need to is leave off the derailleurs, cables, brake calipers, brake lever, chainring, cassette, housing…and a couple chain links.
Granted…climbing and descending can be interesting…45rpm to 160 rpm…
