Help! Front/rear brake confusion

[Swissrider]

On the continent all bikes are set up with front brake on the left. I always understood this is because they drive on the right this means that when when turning left at a junction one can signal left with a left hand leaving one hand on back brake which to a beginner might feel safer as trying to brake with just the front brake might mean going over the bars. When riding in countries which drive on the left, the opposite applies, which is why those countries set up front brake on the right. I agree that since motorbikes always have front brake on right it makes sense to have front brake on right, especially if one is used to this from UK set up. I've found if one is quick and careful, one can swop hoses around without having to bleed them. As said above, a shop should be able to do this in ten minutes and should always do so when requested if buying a new bike. As for riding with brakes the "wrong way around", which one ends up having to do sometimes if you are a Brit living on the continent I find that braking with both gently to start with and then increase pressure one by one to see which wheel skids! Not great in emergencies though!

 

[flash]

Thanks, yeah, I surmised that. I keep looking at it, think about diving in, and then I say, "Nah, I think I'll go for another ride instead!"

I get it that it's not too involved but now I'm thinking I want to trim three or four inches off the lines as they are really long from Scott. Is there any reason to leave a bit of extra (besides the obvious avoiding of strain from turning the bars)? And do I really need the special line cutting tool or can a careful surgeon do it with a sharp utility blade?

As soon as you cut the line you’ll need to add new olives and barbs. You can’t remove/reuse them. You’ll also need the Shimano tool to install the barbs (which includes a proper line cutter). You can cut the lines with a normal knife but installing the barb is vastly easier with the correct tool.

If re routing cables (sometimes it easier not to bother and just add a frame protector at the headset if you have enough cable) you’ll almost certainly push fluid out of the cable. I would DEFINITELY remove the pads and wheels (discs) and use brake blocks to avoid contamination from the spilled oil. You’ll also probably be close to a system bleed rather than just a level bleed to get all the air out.

It’s not really difficult but it will take more time and bits.

Gordon

 

[Swissrider]

Why cut the line? Just swop the lines over. After undoing the line keep your finger over the hole and keep it high. Undo the other one, put a finger over the hole and refit. With a bit of luck no bleed needed and if some air gets in, just do a lever bleed.

 

[MountainBoy]

Why cut the line? Just swop the lines over. After undoing the line keep your finger over the hole and keep it high. Undo the other one, put a finger over the hole and refit. With a bit of luck no bleed needed and if some air gets in, just do a lever bleed.

The lines are too long. I was considering shortening them when I had it apart.

I'll need to bleed the lines even if I don't shorten them, I can't swap them properly without passing them through the hole in the frame so no way to keep my thumb over the line.

 

[04fuxake]

I've had a 2021/2022 Scott Strike 920 for 1/2 year now and I'm having mental trouble with the brakes. I'm a lifelong motorcyclist and have always swapped the brakes on all my bikes so the right brake was my front brake, so it matched the way my motorcycles braked. No problems.

When I brought my Strike 920 home i was a little dismayed because it looked like the brakes are not designed to be able to flip them over so I can switch sides. I thought, "no worries, I will just learn to brake with reversed controls, no sweat!" However, after six months I still can't keep the front and rear brakes sorted in my head when I need to use them. It's driving me crazy actually and is dangerous. I might just stick with it until I get it down except for the fact that after 50 years riding motorcycles and bicycles with the front brake on the right, this is going to take a long time and then, when I finally master the new brake setup, it's going to cause problems when I'm riding my motorcycles. So, I've come to the conclusion I need to swap them so the front brake is on the right. I can't believe how hard it is to make such a simple mental adjustment, but right when I think I'm getting it, and I need to brake suddenly, yep, I'm confused all over again - it's really awful and a little scary.

I think the brakes are Shimano BR-MT520 4 Piston (not sure if that also identifies the master cylinders too or not). I've never had an MTB with internally routed brake lines, so I don't know what's involved in switching these around and whether I need to buy new components to make it work or not. The eMTB shortage caused me to buy the bike from a shop hundreds of miles away and I don't really want to take it back there. I'm hoping I can do it myself.

I’ve got the same brakes on my bike. They’re easy to switch over. You just need to unscrew each lines and screw it into the other lever. You will need some new “olives” (crush washers) and “barbs” (inserts for the end of the hoses), though.

See this video about how to do it.

 

[BeBiker]

I don't say what McGyver does at 9:15 is really bad, but for those who want, the tool costs 20euro

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[04fuxake]

I don't say what McGyver does at 9:15 is really bad, but for those who want, the tool costs 20euro

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Yeah, gripping the hose with pliers or vice grips is a bit rubbish.

 

[militantmandy]

Yeah, gripping the hose with pliers or vice grips is a bit rubbish.

Magura brake blocks double as cable holders too. Very clever.

 

[Ledaig]

I've a 2021 Strike 940 and out of the box the front brake is on the right! I appreciate you've had photo's of the Genius, however if pic's of the cable routing on mine would help just ask.

 

[luna87824]

Would moto style on a bicycle really mean...hook the rear brake to the right pedal with some sort of Rube Goldberg contraption. The rear shifter will be located on the left pedal with some sort sophisticated linkage system that will allow shifting by wiggling your toes. Also the lever on the left side of the handlebar when pulled will pop both feet off your pedals so you can coast along like you're riding in neutral. Of course the right lever will be just like normal motorcycle and will operate the front brake.