Big Bikes

I Got a Right (hand brake lever that is)

The brake lever on my sweet, pink, fix-ed gear bi-cycle is mounted on the right and I will now tell you why. Technically, and I say technically one of the reasons (unless you are from the U.K.) your right brake lever operates your rear brake caliper is that you have to apply more force to the rear lever to obtain anything like the amount of stopping power your front brake has...most people are right handed...their right hands are stronger...thus they operate the rear brake with the stronger hand. Since I am not a technical type guy, this has absolutely nothing to do with my reason for running my brake like I do.

It has more to do with the fact that I am much more comfortable holding a coffee in my left hand while my right is on the bar and close to the lever. Yes, you can stop a fixed gear without the brake, but it's awkward and nearly impossible to do in a pinch with just one hand on the bar. In this situation I recommend first throwing your coffee at the car which is cutting you off, then grabbing the brake...or not.

Another good reason I adopted this style was from mesengering. Often you have to carry one to three loaded copy boxes on your bars (sometimes with two in your bag, fun stuff) in this case I prefer holding the boxes with my left arm, while my right hand is free to operate the brake. Nowadays the only type of box I carry on my bars is a case of beer.

It's raining in Warwick, let it rain.