3 Things You Probably Shouldn't Do - Sunday Comics with Taj Mihelich

Aug 4, 2019
by Taj Mihelich  
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*Or European riders maybe say "...hop on that American's bike."

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The ol' head through the spokes while in the air trick.

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Or is it just me whose mind tricks them into thinking this while watching races on TV?


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72 Comments
  • 36 1
 Yup, also fully convinced I could ride a WC dh track at speed. Then I inch my way down my local gnarly trails and get a dose of reality.
  • 8 0
 Best part of the average Joe Rabbit doing the WC DH course is his time...+10min, 30sec. So true!
  • 119 0
 That would be a great Pinkbike segment. You could call it “Hold my Beer”. It’s where pinkbike invites someone from the comments section to actually show us how they could do it better.
  • 5 0
 @bmar: I say before the top twenty you pick someone or if the crowd and send them down the hill to give perspective to the viewers.
  • 17 0
 @vapidoscar: Cairns a few years ago (was it Cairns?). In flip flops.
  • 4 0
 @DRomy: If only I was that fast.
  • 8 0
 when I started riding ten years ago I went to Champery and we somehow ended up on the worldcup DH track. It was desaster...
And I still remember these akward big hills at the end were I had to push my bike up and then roll down - years later while re-watching Danny Harts famous run I realized the doubles at the end are these "hills" Smile
  • 3 0
 @BenPea: Yeah I Adam Brayton crashed and buddy thought it would be a great idea to ride his bike down with no helmet. It went as well as you think it would.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=amY7JLRgYwg
  • 1 0
 @Laina-91: nasty
  • 5 0
 Brain - "Just stay off the brakes it's not that hard."
Fingers - "Bollocks."
  • 10 0
 @bmar: Brilliant! This could start with riding DH tracks, then progress to designing suspension kinematics. And welding. Lots of welding.
  • 1 0
 @BenPea: Def Cairns. Def hilarious.
  • 1 0
 @Patsplit: To be fair, he wasn't wearing flip flops so he regains some points.
  • 4 0
 @BenPea: I think I heard an interview with Brayton. He crashed and was being taken to the hospital and was worried about his bike, so he asked a crowd member to bring his bike back to the pits. While he was waiting in the ambulance, they said "hold on we have another guy that needs to go to the hospital" and it was the fan who he gave his bike to.
  • 1 0
 @vapidoscar: that is f*cking hilarious!
  • 1 0
 @bmar: holy shit this guy is a genius
  • 16 1
 Any country that drives on the left, generally, uses ‘Moto’ brakes.
  • 3 0
 Huh...did not know that.
  • 9 0
 I think it's because the e-brake is on your left.

Funny how stuff like that works; I think I ride left foot forward because I learned to ride on a bike with a coaster brake. Always had my right (strong) foot back ready to stomp it.
  • 3 10
flag pakleni (Aug 4, 2019 at 12:56) (Below Threshold)
 @huntingbears: Your right foot/leg should be stronger only if you're lefty
  • 3 21
flag BuffnStuff (Aug 4, 2019 at 13:36) (Below Threshold)
 @huntingbears: The "proper" bicycle setup is front brake left, rear brake right. Front brake right is for people used to moto setup since rear brake is a foot brake and left lever is clutch.
  • 1 1
 Not me.
  • 3 1
 @BuffnStuff: I run front L but never knew it was the "proper" setup. Maybe we need a PB poll.
  • 9 2
 I believe it comes from signalling to turn, so you are not left covering the front brake only while moving one handed in the middle of the road.
  • 14 0
 Dear PinkBike,

My wife rides her brakes 'Moto' style, I ride my brakes 'Euro'. Is my wife cooler than I am?

Thanks
  • 5 7
 @pakleni: Nope. Right hand dominant means right foot dominant and vise versa.
The majority of people are right handed thats why a motorcycle has the throttle and brakes on the right.
  • 5 0
 @Bob-Agg: I've also heard it has to do with signalling your turns while biking.
  • 2 1
 @pakleni: how do you explain my situation then? I'm left handed but my stronger arm is my right arm.
  • 11 0
 @irishkiwimadman: spending lots of time with "the stranger"?
  • 2 4
 @DDoc: It does not.

I agree that majority of the people are right handed. That's why everything is designed around them.
However, majority of those right handed people have stronger left leg. It's their (our) body natural response in the attempt to keep the body in balance.
  • 4 0
 It’s to do with signalling. If you are driving on the right, when you signal right (and potentially are crossing oncoming traffic when you turn) it is safer to be using the rear brake, as it won’t punt you over the bars (and into said traffic) if you screw it up. Very little to do with motorbikes, just happens to replicate it, hence the name.

Works the opposite way for ‘non’ moto brakes in countries that drive on the right
  • 2 0
 @tomhoward379: Also makes much more sense in general, most people are right-handed so seems logical that the front brake is on the right.
  • 1 0
 @Ben01299: not really, because most people live in countries that drive on the right.
  • 1 0
 Shit, my comment up the should say driving in the left and signalling right
  • 2 0
 Brakes are set up so you can cover the rear brake while indicating to turn across traffic.
  • 13 0
 yeahhh my brakes are moto style. its cool cause no one wants to borrow it!!
  • 10 0
 If theres one thing everyone who knows me knows, theres no way in hell im letting them use any of my bikes.
  • 11 0
 @nug12182: Portuguese saying: What you ride, you don't lend.
  • 1 0
 @nozes: I like
  • 1 0
 You could always so no and run regular brakes.
  • 3 0
 When you live in America, moto brakes are one small way to thwart bike thieves.
  • 12 2
 *Or European riders maybe say "...hop on that American's bike."
It needs a fix; Almost only in Great-Britan, they use it inverted. Frown
  • 29 2
 Europe is a little country for some people over the big pont... Don't be to harsh on them...
  • 10 2
 It's not moto style, It's British style. I have always run my bikes with the rear brake on the right like most of the world and I've also ridden motorcycles since very young and I would never mix the two up. To you left drive people, why would you instinctively pull the left brake lever thinking it's going to stop you if on a motorcycle it's the clutch? Only to go over the bars?
  • 7 1
 Only Ireland and the UK run ‘moto’ brakes in Europe, the other 40 odd run ‘American’ way round brake set-up. Moto brake set-up is also used by Japan, NZ and Aus primarily.
  • 2 0
 and South Africa
  • 3 0
 Yeah Moto brakes are the usual setup here in NZ too. But I grew up on moto bikes (78-now) so it's all I know and being lefthanded it didn't worry me. Riding the MX bike these days is interesting as my instinct is to pull with the left hand lol.
  • 3 2
 I'm originally portuguese, living in Ireland for the past 15 ( or so ) years... and have "moto-style" setup since I was old enough to ride motorbikes - nothing to do with lending bikes to whoever, or even preference.....

... it's that one first massive fright when you pull the wrong brake in the middle of traffic, where you almost shit your pants and definitely let a little bit of wee out...

... i can guarantee anyone who rides both bikes and motorbikes swears by front-brake-right-hand-mouse-left-hand and that's it - no side of the road or clean cable management bullshit.....
  • 4 19
flag seraph (Aug 4, 2019 at 11:46) (Below Threshold)
 The funny thing about brakes and being set up differently is that everyone should be pulling both brakes at the same time anyway. There's literally almost no riding situation where you'd be hitting only the rear brake.
  • 5 2
 @seraph: You use rear brake only over wet roots/slick off camber.
  • 2 0
 @seraph: abubaca or fufanu? Unless your Vic Ayala of course.
  • 3 1
 I run mine the non-moto way. I'm right handed and favour a rear-braking style of riding. Also from a BMX background where I always had rear brake only. I always have to remind anyone who wants to try my bike which often results in them stepping off and handing it straight back lol.
  • 8 0
 @thom: in my experience on wet roots/slick off camber no brakes has been the way to go.
  • 3 6
 @seraph: ay? There is no way you use the front brake as much as the rear...are you kidding?
  • 10 0
 @seraph: false. You've got to modulate both brake separately. And all that without thinking scandi-flick or nose-turn. Or manuals.
There's literally almost no riding situation where you'd applying the same force on both brakes.
  • 3 0
 @tremeer023: Exactly the same for me. Still remember the time I hopped on a mates bike & forgot his brakes were the ‘normal’ way round. lol
Got a nice scar from that one...
  • 1 0
 @seraph: yeah.....the problem with that is you're probably not going to be putting equal pressure.....at any point really.
  • 1 0
 "The logic is accompanied by the premise that the rear brake is the primary brake. These standards organizations misunderstood braking and thought that using the front brake was hazardous and would cause the cyclist to abruptly topple over the front when hitting the front brake (endo!). In reality, very few accidents result from braking from the front."
source: cyclingtips.com
You're doing it wrong! XD Go ahead and downvote
  • 1 0
 Well, I am used to the bike set-up. Motorcycles on the road are no problem, but converting to motorcycle trials has proven difficult, especially in panic situations. My son wil learn motostyle.
  • 3 1
 I ran over my own arm with my front wheel and managed to keep it together somehow.
  • 2 0
 Mad Skills
  • 2 1
 That’s funny. I think the same thing watching these races. Then I do an Enduro race only to find I’m the slowest guy on the hill!
  • 1 0
 I ride "Moto" set up out of necessity. Severed a tendon in my right index finger at 17 years old, it still messes with me to this day .
  • 2 1
 What's wrong with your middle finger? I use mine on my brake levers from time to time.
  • 1 0
 @RayDolor: Funny you say that, I do use it but I don't feel like I have as much control. I still ride a fair amount of ATV & MX so I guess it is just more comfortable. :-/
  • 2 0
 I injured my right hand one race season and had to swap mine around. Ended up keeping it that way for almost two years.
  • 1 0
 @RayDolor: I taught my daughter to brake with her middle finger and I think she rides better because of it.
Ideally its better to use the index finger to hold on as its stronger.
  • 1 2
 @vapidoscar Yeah send all those brake nerds on the course ahah!
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