a.twiddler
Veteran
I'm impressed!
Show your handlebar setup
- Thread starter CEBEP
- Start date
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Hey, I believe I asked you about the folding mirror on the other forum but there a limitations for newbies of the amount of posts per 24hrs.
I checked the video you've sent for CRG Arrow Mirror with a Bar End Adaptor, thanks! I need a left one and if I understood form the video correctly it will only flip vertically, right? My Brompton will never fold with mirror in open position or folded up. It will need to be folded down to be able to fold the handlebar stem. Can the left mirror flip downwards?
Could you elaborate on how you fold it before folding the bike? Few pictures would be awesome! Thanks again.
There are no right/left versions of the mirror, just one for which most adjustments are indexed. You choose those from the indexed positions that work for you on either side. When you fold, you rotate the mirror out of the way. Due to the surfaces being machined, there is just right amount of friction there, so that the mirror is stable when in use, but easily rotated out of the way. In the cast knockoffs these two desired features are in conflict. You either get one or the other, but not both. A photo of the handlebar area for the folded bike is below. The bottle pouch flattens when the bike is put into a tight space.
These quality mirrors have a resale value just like Brompton
. When they appear pre-owned on Ebay, they are just slightly cheaper than new. You can start with one and see whether it works for you. Waiting with the second may also allow you to recover financially.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
It is a general thing that the brake setup in any country defaults according to the side of the road normally driven on. The rear brake will be on the same side of the handlebars as the side of the road you normally drive/ride on.
AIUI, this is because it is thought safer to have the rear brake be usable if one hand is off the handlebars when signalling to cross traffic (i.e. when turning right in the UK, left on the continent)
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
Has not been the case in Germany plus Brompton now changed the setup w/o us changing the side of the road.
So I'd call that theory not valid.This would mean the setup in the UK and countries like South Africa or Japan would differ hard from the rest of the world. I doubt that. Also, physically it would be nonsense as well as most of the break power is produced by the front brake (can't change physics) and most people do have their stronger hand on the right. So this would clearly indicate to have the front brake on the right side (apart from countries like the UK where you drive on the wrong side of the road 👅) to be able to signal to the left and still be able to break plus to be able to achieve max. break power.
But this discussion has been going on forever and nobody until now was able to really solve the riddle. Possibly there is a note with the solution hidden in the holy grail. Once it is found the break riddle will be solved as well.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
You can doubt all you like, but it is absolutely true.Has not been the case in Germany plus Brompton now changed the setup w/o us changing the side of the road.
This would mean the setup in the UK and countries like South Africa or Japan would differ hard from the rest of the world. I doubt that.
The normal set up on continental Europe and in the US is rear brake lever on the right, front on the left. In the UK, it is rear brake level on the left, front on the right.
And here is a statement from Rose bikes, saying that is why they have stopped selling bikes to the UK:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rose-bikes-stops-selling-bikes-in-the-uk-due-to-brake-lever-laws.html
I have seen several other online bike retailers, such as Bikester who have notices saying their bikes will come with EU brake set up - the opposite to UK.
And this wiki article says the same thing I did about the possible reason.
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
How do you know what the "normal" setup is? What makes you able to judge on that? Have you travelled all the countries of the continent and visited countless bikeshops? Again and again over the last fifty years? How come that you claim to know despite there are clearly different experiences that prove you wrong? Maybe you should read post #10 in this thread... https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/show-your-handlebar-setup.281419/post-6592243
BTW: Bromptons sold in Germany had their front brake on the right. They switched the setup in mid 2019. So, what is "normal"? Did they have a "unnormal" setup before?
The wiki article is utter nonsense. Sorry. When I was I child we were warned to use the front brake as we would fall over. Did not happen and clearly not with the brakes available back then. In all the years it has never happened to me apart from once.
You better should not ignore physics: https://www.researchgate.net/figure...-between-front-and-rear-wheels_fig8_277674118
What may have happened is that recently the EU did release a new nonsense law about positioning of bike brake levers (and the UK did the same, just the other way round). So new bikes may have to comply with these. But until recently every manufacturer mounted the levers as he preferred - there is no "normal" and never has been.
PS: I tried to find out if there are any regulations about brake levers in Germany. The core legislation is the StVzO (which has become famous abroad for defining how bike lights have to behave in Germany). The part about bicycle brakes is in §65 - is is short and has not been changed for ages. Basicall all it says is "a bike must have two independent working brakes". So nothing about lever positioning. It is possible that legislation regarding that is included in the relevant norms (ISO/DIN) - unfortunately those are not freely available. They do get updates from time to time, however, the average consumer will have a hard time to get details. In general, manual bikes are very unregulated in Germany - don't know about other countries. So what Rose said may be true for the UK but I could not find any according regulation for Germany quickly.
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Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
The fact that I have seen dozens of similar comments, and seen multiple bike selers stating it
Which really doesn't say very much about the current general situation.
Probably. But TBH, I am not sure just how long there has been enough standardisation to be able to say what is "Normal". I've only really been looking at such things in the last couple of years.
So the Wiki article (which is very correct as far as I can see) is in your opinion "utter nonsense" because it doesn't claim something you say doesn't happen.
Was there any point to that comment and quote? Can you point to anywhere that I may hgave in some way been "ignoring physics"?
Sorry, but that I just do not believe.,
If that were true, it would be true here as well, and apart from those sellers specifying that their bikes will come with European brake setup, I have never seen a two brake bike for sale in the UK that is not right hand front brake, left hand rear.
There may not be any regulation in Germany, frankly I have no idea whether there may be any such regulations anywhere. I wasn't even aware that it was now regulated here until recently.
All I know is that every single source I have seen apart from you, says that the norm in Europe (and in the US) is the opposite way around to here.
