swtchbckr wrote:XT, 185 front = LEFT HAND.

Woah! Stop right there. Why would you do that? You use your left hand for the front brake? You monster.

I thought that peculiar trait was confined to the US of A (although I did notice Andrew Neething has a left handed front brake when he was sat at the Lourdes start line this morning)

Does anyone else run a lefthand front brake?

When I were a lad and the fashion was to fit wide 'cow horn' bars to your bike. I had to swap the levers over because the cables where too short. Rode it like that for years.

Kev wrote:

swtchbckr wrote:XT, 185 front = LEFT HAND.

Woah! Stop right there. Why would you do that? You use your left hand for the front brake? You monster.

I thought that peculiar trait was confined to the US of A (although I did notice Andrew Neething has a left handed front brake when he was sat at the Lourdes start line this morning)

Does anyone else run a lefthand front brake?

KIL IT WITH FIRE!

one index finger, on the trailbicycle, old shimango deores
2 fingers (index + middle) on the ht, bb5s

Kev wrote:

swtchbckr wrote:XT, 185 front = LEFT HAND.

Woah! Stop right there. Why would you do that? You use your left hand for the front brake? You monster.

I thought that peculiar trait was confined to the US of A (although I did notice Andrew Neething has a left handed front brake when he was sat at the Lourdes start line this morning)

Begun my mtnbiking life whilst living in The'Merica in th' early 90s... so, just got used to it and never went back to the Kiwi/seemlingly-rest-of-the-world stylez...

(tho, one of the first times i ever went to rip a big skid i went straight over the bars (landing on my feet running), much to the amusement of my 'merican buddy - so NZ bikes must have rubbed off on me in my first 23 years...)

I am deeply disturbed by the failure of this thread to degenerate

what has happened to vorb?

great uncle bulgaria wrote:I am deeply disturbed by the failure of this thread to degenerate

what has happened to vorb?

I know and I spent so long crafting a deliberately suggestive title.

I use single finger on left (middle, due to genetic defect).
Noticed I had started using two fingers on right, checked my lever position, moved inwards a bit moar, now back to single finger, can I change my pole?

Rik wrote:

great uncle bulgaria wrote:I am deeply disturbed by the failure of this thread to degenerate

what has happened to vorb?

I know and I spent so long crafting a deliberately suggestive title.

I understand Babs actually has a bike now and is somewhat distracted from trolling.

Index finger on any of my MTBs (range of brakes including SLX, Juicy 7, Elixir 1,5, and CL?). On my road bike, I ride on the hoods, so usually a couple of fingers on the brakes. BMX two fingers on the cantilever brakes (which is really a bit of grab and pray) and on the SS commuter with v-brakes, two fingers too, if I want to lock up, but single if just for slowing down.

As to the above regarding left v right for front brake, I once loaned a bike to a friend's French flatmate. "Would you like me to swap the brakes around for you?"

Puzzled look, "No, I shall be fine, no? Mon amie?"

"Reckon instinct will kill you on this"

"Non, I shall be fine"

First sign of trouble and fistull of the wrong brake, and OTB onto the nose. Nice.

Doesn't have to be wrong sided for that; dude I was at polytech with asked for a go on my commuter once...
He was used to ancient badly set-up caliper jobbies.

Used more than the required one finger on the front BB7 and promptly went OTB in the carpark. Then asked me what the hell was wrong with my brakes...

My experience riding a friends US setup bike was much less dramatic. Crusing down a gradualy sloping single track towards a farily sharp bend. I get on both brakes fairly equally but realise I need a bit more retardation so I squeeze a bit harder on the "front" brake. My mind knows something is not right, I'm not getting the weight transfer to the front and I'm just not slowing down fast enough. Perhaps I should squeeze even harder? When the back wheel locked up it finally dawned on me what was going on and I was able to apply the correct brake.

Kev wrote:My experience riding a friends US setup bike was much less dramatic. Crusing down a gradualy sloping single track towards a farily sharp bend. I get on both brakes fairly equally but realise I need a bit more retardation so I squeeze a bit harder on the "front" brake. My mind knows something is not right, I'm not getting the weight transfer to the front and I'm just not slowing down fast enough. Perhaps I should squeeze even harder? When the back wheel locked up it finally dawned on me what was going on and I was able to apply the correct brake.

You were applying the correct brake

Need to add another option to this poll
Q: How many fingers do you brake with?
A: I don't believe in riding technique, I ride foot out, flat out with heaps of back brake round the corners