Why are the crank, chain, and gears on the right?

[Hilldodger]

this stuff about stuff undoing, well, you would just use left and right handed threads to prevent that so can;t see that being the reason.

It's well documented

Some very early Saftey bikes in the mid 1880's did have left side drives but as soon as mast production of components began the right side won due to ease and cost of manufacture.

 

[Hilldodger]

Here's a late 1880's image of a bicycle club with a left drive bicycle in the foreground.

And no, the picture hasn't been flipped because the mounting steps on the pennies are on the left and brake levers on the right

http://www.picturebay.net/img/members/Cyclemagic/leftdrive.jpg

 

[swee'pea99]

Great pic Hilldodger! D'you suppose they used to have furious arguments over steaming mugs of Bovril about the relative merits of penny farthings and these new-fangled cycles with both wheels the same size ('They'll never catch on, you mark my words')?

 

[Hilldodger]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Great pic Hilldodger! D'you suppose they used to have furious arguments over steaming mugs of Bovril about the relative merits of penny farthings and these new-fangled cycles with both wheels the same size ('They'll never catch on, you mark my words')?[/QUOTE]

Some of us still do