Rose Bikes Stops Selling Bikes in the UK Due to Brake Lever Laws

Sep 18, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
photo

Germany’s Rose Bikes has announced it will stop selling bikes in the UK market due to laws dictating which side brake levers must be fitted on complete bikes.

The news was initially broken by road.cc earlier this week who saw an email sent to a potential customer announcing the changes. Today, Rose Bikes has released a statement confirming the news and explaining the reasons for it exiting the UK market.

In the UK, market standards and laws dictate that bikes sold must have the front brake operated by a lever on the right hand side of the bars and the rear brake by a lever on the left hand side of the bars.

While Rose previously offered a la carte style bike building, where customers could pick and choose parts to complete their builds, they are currently in the process of streamlining that and moving towards standard specced models. Rose claims this will ensure faster delivery times for customers but we have no doubt that it is also a cheaper way to run things for Rose too.

photo

During this transitional period, Rose has decided to stop selling to the UK as it currently sets all its bikes up the other way round and "installing the brake cables and brake levers on the opposite side would require the type of special solution for the UK that we simply can’t realise right now."

Rose is hoping this will be a temporary change and will begin looking for a long term solution once the transition period is over.


Statement: Rose Bikes

As some of you have already noticed, we recently had to discontinue the assembly and shipping of ROSE bikes for the UK. This was a difficult decision for us, so we want to take some time to explain it to you.

In the UK, bicycles are constructed differently than in the rest of Europe: the market standards and laws in Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland clearly convey that the front brake lever must be mounted on the right-hand side of the handlebar and the rear brake lever on the left-hand side. For the rest of Europe, it is the exact opposite.

With the technical complexity of our bikes increasing, we are facing the ever-growing challenge of being able to offer affordable Rose bikes with a high level of quality and safety. And because we want to shorten our delivery times for our customers, this summer we decided to gradually shut down the configuration of bikes, so that we are able to maintain our usual standards. Installing the brake cables and brake levers on the opposite side would require the type of special solution for the UK that we simply can’t realise right now.

We want to be able to guarantee each and every Rose bike rider that they are sitting on a safe bike and keep the same level of quality. As soon as we are done with the transition in our production and get more clarity about the future of doing business with the UK, we will look for a long-term solution. Because we hope to soon be able to offer our bikes again to the UK and its vital market.

Until then, you can still find our bikes on www.rosebikes.com and in our stores in Germany and Switzerland. We’re hoping for your understanding.


rosebikes.co.uk is still active and will continue selling clothing, parts and accessories until a solution is found.

Posted In:
Industry News Rose Bikes


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351 Comments
  • 369 18
 I gotta say, what a stupid law.
  • 239 83
 Agreed...sounds like a law out of CA.
  • 12 8
 @meSSican: lol
  • 153 5
 @meSSican: Along with a warning label saying that drinking the fluid inside the brake may give you cancer.
  • 24 2
 Hopefully these are elected law makers whom can be voted out.
  • 19 1
 Wait, it's not even April.
  • 25 0
 #BrakeForBritain
  • 3 0
 @meSSican: err.. CAnberra?
  • 48 115
flag chicane32 (Sep 18, 2020 at 20:22) (Below Threshold)
 @meSSican: I can't believe that many pansies down voted your for your honesty about Kommifornia, the criminal state.
  • 128 72
 It stops people going over the handle bars and getting injured I guess. What's really stupid is having your front brake lever on the left :-/
  • 32 12
 @ctd07: Except in most of the world we drive on the right side of the road.
  • 44 10
 @ctd07:
I go back and forth between both moto and bicycles daily with opposite front brake levers.... never had even the slightest problem with intuition.

If you grab the front brake the nose dives. You’ll adjust your control instantly.
  • 62 94
flag ilovedust (Sep 18, 2020 at 21:25) (Below Threshold)
 Stupid law? Tell that to my old man who bought a bike that had not been swapped.
Went over the bars and nearly had to have his finger amputated as a result.
That said the particular law also says a bike must come with reflectors on the pedals, front and rear reflectors, a bell and a PDI. Its not so stupid, just a generic safety thing given 99.9% bikes sold are for kids and recreational riders.
  • 13 3
 @Jodaro: Funny but, you can just swap hoses over, think of all UK riders going over to Euro land with their brakes round the wrong way?
Even Funnier is I ride my rear brake on right, so none of my bikes conform to British standards?
ONLY time find it a problem is when indicating to turn right have to avoid locking up front brake!
  • 69 3
 The US has literally the same law.

www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Bicycle-Requirements
  • 15 0
 @rpet:
(b) Hand levers have to be on the handlebars and readily usable. The distance between middle of a hand lever and the handlebar may be no wider than 3 ½ inches (3 inches for levers on sidewalk bicycles). Unless a customer specifies otherwise, the hand lever that operates the rear brake must be on the right handlebar. The lever that operates the front brake must be on the left handlebar. A lever that operates both brakes may be on either handlebar. Please note that, if a bicycle has hand lever extensions, all tests are conducted with the extensions in place.
  • 43 3
 @ctd07: dude. if you go over the bars it doesn't matter what side the brake is on. You have to learn to adapt. If rose bikes really wanted to solve this they could just put the brakes in a box and make you install them. like Ibis, santa cruz, intense, yeti and many others. If everyone just stopped bitching about tiny stuff the world would run smoother
  • 1 0
 @rpet: customers aka a retailer may choose
  • 35 1
 @jrocksdh: In case you're wondering a "sidewalk bike" is the designation given to bikes approved for IMBA flow trails.
  • 4 1
 @jrocksdh: That’s nice. When was the last time you saw a bike at a shop with front brake on the right?
  • 6 2
 Agreed, I ride Right Rear
  • 65 25
 I'm calling bullshit, a bike company that cant swap hoses? Its like a 10mins job 25 if you included a bleed.
More than likely some other Brexshit redtape crap

If it is the genuine reason, would I trust a bike company that can't perform a hose swap to build a quality bike? Nope
  • 9 26
flag Sirios (Sep 18, 2020 at 22:55) (Below Threshold)
 @meSSican: Sounds like a comment out of Mississippi .
  • 25 1
 @nojzilla: it's not that they can't...what they say is, that it takes them too long (25min would be huge in terms of cycle time) to perform this task for it to be economically sensible.

How do other brands handle that issue in the UK?
  • 24 15
 @Muckal: think you answered your own question there....
Swap brakes or lose sales? If I owned/managed a bike company I know what I'd do (or the share holders would want). That's why I suspiciosly think theres more brexshit to do with this....

P.S remainer btw
  • 21 4
 If I can buy a bmw with the steering wheel on the right then surely it ain’t a deal breaker to switch the brake levels on a bicycle , I think there’s more to this than meets the eye !
  • 3 0
 @nojzilla: the question to me is where the swap is performed. At a factory where it takes lots of effort to do and bears the risk of having the wrong bike with a potential safety issue shipped to the customer or at the shop where minutes don't matter that much.
Or it might be due to Brexit. Or Meghxit. Only Rose will know. Anyway, in my opinion you can't blame Rose in the first place.
  • 4 1
 @nojzilla: I was thinking the exact same thing.
Surely they go through a quality control and safety check anyway...
I mean. If they're that conserned about costs, add a tenner to the bill for UK market.
  • 2 1
 @Matt115lamb: I've had quite a few JDM cars and the indicator and wiper levers are the "wrong" way round. It's actually better I think.

Whats going to happen with those?
  • 16 0
 Looking at it from an MTB point of view it doesn't seem that difficult but most of the bikes Rose sell will be road bikes, and depending on which stage in the new manufacturing process the brake lever swap could be inserted that could be a massive pain, especially if the cheapest place to insert someone on the line is after the bar tape is on.

Given that you never see Rose bikes in the UK it must not be worth paying someone €20,000 a year, plus the cost of their work station and space in the factory, or have the brake installation person hold up the production line for 25 minutes, just to swap brake hoses for 200 UK sales a year.
  • 4 0
 @Matt115lamb: but you can't buy a Lancia, a Dodge, a Cadillac , a Genesis or most Renaults over here because it's not worth the effort for the number of sales for those brands.
  • 9 17
flag Uncled (Sep 18, 2020 at 23:54) (Below Threshold)
 @meSSican: and you sound like a red neck.
  • 3 3
 It's always made quite a lot of sense to me logistically given that the vast majority of people are right handed that you would have the front and most powerful brake on the right. But I don't know why rose can't just leave the levers detached with the correct length so the buyer can then attach them on the side they prefer.
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: who knows what red tape they have to deal with but from what I've read elsewhere I think they do plan to re-enter the UK market but aren't confident that they can modify the bikes efficiently while they transition to new production methods. Rose seem to mainly sell road bikes here which are obviously more complicated to swap. I wonder if they would have continued if MTB made up the majority of sales. Either way, UK must be a fairly small part of their sales for such a decision.
  • 4 0
 NAAA, dumb excuse for not selling in the uk. Sram and formula have flip flop levers. So no problem to just move them from right to left as a rider prefers.
  • 13 0
 @nojzilla: I'm sure they can. What they can't do... is be arsed.
  • 4 0
 @Riyadh: what what I've read it is the difficulty of stocking, storing and swapping road levers that is the problem.
  • 1 0
 @subwaypanda: I see yes, strange that they use mtb pics but they posting on road.cc However even so, 10min job to swop cables around. Hydraulic hoses for sure is a different story, but can be swopped if u cant flip the levers
  • 1 0
 @landscapeben: from what they've said, the issue is that there is a law that says the front brake must be mounted to the right side and the rear mounted to the left.... So i don't think they could sell bikes without any levers mounted at all
  • 5 0
 @Muckal: We are talking about a product that costs 2000-5000€, minium wage in Germany is ~10€ an hour? + a bit of space to do the work. Its hardly a massive hit, and its not even the same currency so they could add the burden on to the price without anyone noticing. There must be more behind this decision. I can only assume they don't sell a lot of bikes in the UK and its a convenient excuse to exit the market.
  • 1 0
 sorry, double post
  • 4 2
 It’s because we drive on the otherside of the road. I suspect it’s got more to do with Brexit
  • 6 0
 The real question is, why did 163 people think this was important enough to comment on?

Oh wait, make that 164.
  • 4 0
 @nojzilla: It's not that they can't swap the levers over. Don't even need to swap hoses from SRAM, just, flip the levers. It's just that you have to alter the production run plan for UK bikes versus non UK bikes. Not very lean manufacturing :-)
  • 2 0
 @FranzMuhr: I also rode both for years, and never had any trouble swapping back and forth. It's a completely different thing, the forces involved in slowing down a motorcycle and rider, say 300 kg from 150 km/hr, are massive compared to the forces slowing a mountain bike + rider at 100kg and 50 km/hr. It also makes sense to have throttle and brake on the same bar, sounds crazy to non-moto riders but it just makes sense. I also always have felt like modulating the brake on my mtb with my left hand was good for developing ambidexterity as a right-hander. That said, I've often thought about swapping my mtb brakes moto style to see if I like it better.
It does seem a bit 'nanny-state', but I suppose it makes sense for bikes to be sold that way in Britain if that's how most folks learn to ride there. Easily swapped.
  • 12 2
 @ctd07: whats really REALLY stupid though, is bike companies building frames with 2 cable ports on the left of the headtube, and only 1 on the right - so instead of your rear brake or dropper routed in a nice loop from left, around the HT to the right, it has to follow a tight arc to the left side.
  • 3 0
 @rpet: awesome read Smile
  • 2 0
 @aljoburr: that’s why in countries that drive on the left you’ll have rear brakes on the left !
  • 1 2
 That's the problem with "elections". You give the power to decide to people who have no idea what they are doing.
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: it comes down to cost. I’m sure they’re planning to move to not having hand built frames. So it’d be expensive to change the assembly line to have the breaks in the opposite way.
  • 2 1
 @zoobab2: no mate , the people decide on the information they are given . If the powers that be give wrong info it ain’t the people’s fault !
From day 1 we were told B would be a disaster but the B mob managed to convince enough to get the win , now we have to (try and ) get on with it !
  • 1 2
 @nojzilla: your statement shows that you shouldn’t run a company... unless you sell SICK bikes.
  • 6 0
 @collaborativetrails: There isn't a single thing on the planet that doesn't have a warning label in CA
  • 2 2
 @Heidesandnorth: Oh, how so?? you know that hoses have to be disconnected to be fed through internal routing on the frame. So, it's simply a matter of reconecting them, a job that needs to happen anyway regaurdless of left or right, to what ever lever for the country the bike is going to be sold in.
But no, instead rose choose not to sell in said country.
They CHOOSE to lose sales.............

so please explain further.....................
  • 5 0
 @meSSican: hilarious that this has so any downvotes.
  • 3 0
 Just sell the bikes with no brakes and let the fancy lads figure it out. Do you go to jail if they find out you're riding with a regular brake setup in the UK?
  • 1 0
 @Matt115lamb: in a parliamentary assembly, most of the people voting are "following", and there is barely 10 people who know exactly what they are voting for.
  • 3 7
flag LindLTaylor (Sep 19, 2020 at 7:07) (Below Threshold)
 @Matt115lamb: I agree that there's more to it than meets the eye, but I doubt it's what you're looking for.

1. BMW is a British product. Their steering wheel is going to be on the right.

2. The market for LHD vehicles is large enough that the cost is offset by the return, especially considering the margins on a luxury brand like BMW. See the attached image where red represents countries with right-hand traffic.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Countries_driving_on_the_left_or_right.svg

3. BMW is a much larger company than ROSE bikes, who likely have total annual revenue smaller than BMW's annual R&D budget.
  • 1 0
 @rpet: Funny regulations. The first general requirement. 1. Adults of normal intelligence and ability must be able to assemble a bicycle that requires assembly.

So, what is considered "normal intelligence and ability"? Lol. Is there a test?
  • 3 1
 @nojzilla: Drop the stupid law and see, I guess those who vote for it have a very specific reason to think you can't operate a bicycle's brakes if are the other way around - whatever that means- so the matter isn't what rose think about brexit but rather what your own people think you can do safely, that is, a braking a f*cking bike.
  • 5 2
 @sfsr: I ride moto. Every experienced rider that tries my bike. Even with the warning will ultimately almost crash or go over bars. So saying doesn't matter which side is pretty arrogant. That old guy could have been experienced.

Why is it a stupid law. They drive one other side of road. They should be able to dictate the controls.

That being said I cant understand why countries dictate motorcycle front brake in right hand but bicycles left. I think that is the bigger mistake.
  • 4 0
 @endlessblockades: #brakezit
  • 3 0
 Gone are the days of cable brake levers where you could switch sides in about 90 second. The one plus about not being in that era now is that when you pull the brake lever...the bike stops.
  • 18 0
 @LindLTaylor: I don't think BMW is British..
  • 2 0
 @nojzilla: if the cost of changing the assembly process exceeds the profit due to sales in GB aa sensible operator decides to cut the business in that country. I had to explain that to you, hence my remark that you should stay out of any business. It does not mean that I think badly of you, btw.
  • 2 0
 @Heidesandnorth: I fail to see where or any situation where less sales is good businesses especially when we're talking about a VERY simple job of setting up a brake hose.......
  • 3 0
 @ssteve: Does he think Bavaria near Yorkshire?
  • 6 0
 @nojzilla: On SRAM brakes you don't even need to swap the hoses! The levers can go either way round. Defo the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard.
  • 2 1
 @Muckal: it doesn’t take any effort at all. Most brakes are reversible and even if they’re not they know how many bikes they plan on shipping to the UK and how many brakes to purchase accordingly or better yet just ship all bikes with the brakes the correct way around? Why would you willingly choose to operate your front brakes with your weaker hand? Most people are right handed. Spec bikes accordingly.
  • 1 0
 @collaborativetrails: Along with a warning label saying that drinking the fluid inside the brake may give you cancer.


WAIT - WHAT?!
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: I was starting to question whether or not the whole thing in Munich was just a charade.
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: ok, i'll try again. Shimanos and Hope brakes do have not flip flop levers. I think Shimanos come specced on quite a few bikes.
Anyway, it does take an effort and it bears a risk with a safety relevant component. THE safety relevant component.
Btw, I'm left handed and my front brake is on the right. I am also about as british as BMW.
  • 5 0
 @ssteve: Britische Motorenwerke?!? Come on, anybody knows.

I do not know where they build theor RHS cars though.
  • 3 0
 @HankBizzle: vast majority of their UK sales are road bikes. Road levers can't be flipped. I think if it was just mtb there wouldn't be such a problem.
  • 1 2
 @meSSican: the UK is wayyyyy ahead of Cali in terms of stupid ass laws. Got a TV license, bruv?
  • 4 2
 Yeah like your brilliant gun law?
  • 2 0
 @nojzilla: the business situation would be where demand exceeds supply. If they already have more orders than their current production can build they may choose to exclude a market that has requirements which would increase production costs.
  • 1 0
 @GeoMurph5: I too am a Moto rider and I always find this confusing! I would personally would like it the way the Brits are requiring.
  • 2 0
 @bulletbassman: You are correct sir. The awkward thing in North America is that motorcycle brakes are opposite. However I've never heard of anyone other than a complete beginner having any issue. if the nose dives you will adapt pretty quickly
  • 1 0
 @sfsr: If everyone just stopped bitching about tiny stuff the world would run smoother
Should be a slogan for the world. Well said
  • 3 0
 @vjunior21: I think what people are getting at is just to swap hoses instead of levers.
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: It's not the correct or right way it's just another way. Just as driving on the right or left side of the road. Neither is the correct or right way it's just the way it is in that particular country. All pedal bikes in North America and anywhere where people drive on the right side of the road have rear brakes on the right. It only seems to be the "right" way because of where you live. In North America it seems to be the "right" way to have your rear brake on the right.
  • 3 0
 @Uncled: you try living in CA bro
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: #BRAKESIT
  • 1 0
 @konamat: Oops! Didn’t know u beat me to it...
  • 1 1
 @Matt115lamb: Wrong info like virus's always happen by accident?
Even when labs in USA & Canada are working on same virus?
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: when it comes to our clusterf*ck of a country.
  • 2 0
 @jandm9002: but driving on the left is "correct"

www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left
  • 1 0
 Even my hotel CA wouldn’t post such a dumb law though I still can’t leave @meSSican:
  • 1 0
 @nojzilla: I was also smelling Brexit here. Rose appear to still have a site for Ireland where they also drive on the left side of the road www.rosebikes.ie
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: According to that article, driving on the right is correct as well. There is no wrong. Both evolved from very practical reasons historically.
  • 1 0
 @tacklingdummy: or we could just say driving is wrong and we should all ride bikes instead...

(either side doesn't bother me, ditto brakes - FWIW I run right rear but don't ride motos, if I did I would probably run front rear)
  • 3 2
 @tacklingdummy: god damnit stop being so reasonable. This is the internet. Take a stance and be a dick about it.
  • 1 0
 @Muckal: surely 25 minutes of labour is worth a sale. They probably don’t have the staff atm which is more the problem
  • 2 0
 @sfsr: agreed; and many lawyers and bureaucrats would be unemployed.
  • 2 1
 @meSSican: shhhhhhhhh, don't give that f*ckhead Newsom any more stupid ass ideas!
  • 1 2
 @notsofastoverfifty: They're all made and assembled in China anyway, sort it out at the factory.
  • 2 2
 @zoobab2: Donald Trumps says "You don't need brakes, they only slow you down. Americans are the fastest riders in the world, we don't slow down for anything".
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: lol
  • 1 0
 @rpet: "Unless a customer specifies otherwise, the hand lever that operates the rear brake must be on the right handlebar. The lever that operates the front brake must be on the left handlebar."
It's literally the other way around, but it's literally just as stupid.
  • 1 1
 @rpet: very often, but usually it says 'Honda' or 'Kawasaki' on the frame... Maybe e-bikes should also be sold with right hand front brake?
  • 1 0
 @zoobab2: I'm sure no political party had the placement of brake levels on their election manifesto.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard: I ride both motorcycle and MTB. I never have trouble switching between the two, because the differences are so huge, the only thing that might be the same might better be different as well. I have no clutch on my left hand, no rear brake under my right foot and I don't hang onto my MTB on the inside of a corner. I change gears with my hands instead of my left foot and there are no indicators.
I've never understood the obsession of some people comparing the controls of a motorcycle with those of a bicycle. They are 95% different and require vastly different muscle memory. Why all the fuss about the only lever that might or might not be the same?
  • 1 0
 @ssteve: if it is, they don't make anything that remotely resembles a car, or they'd be sued by zee Germans. British Make-up Works perhaps? Bristol Marketing for Women? Ballad of Middle-aged Worcestermen?
  • 2 0
 @Mac1987: I have bikes set up both ways but I do "prefer front on the right". So the bikes that I ride the most are all set up front on right.

I actually believe that the predominant hand should control the front brake left or right. I can slap(like a clutch) at the rear brake but I want control of the front to take advantage of the more powerful brake to its fullest.
  • 2 0
 @ssteve: Good ol' Bavaria, just south of Leeds.
  • 1 0
 @ctd07: or you know, driving on the left ????
  • 1 1
 @ilovedust: still a stupid law. I'm sorry your dad went OTB. It seems like something that could easily be fixed with a warning tag. (Warning, this bike is set up for the rest of the world. If you live in the UK, you may want to have a qualified bike mechanic swap levers before riding... You can also have them take off the reflectors at the same time.)
  • 1 0
 @rpet: "unless customer specifies..." At least we have a customization option where the purchaser can acknowledge they're setup alternatively.
  • 1 0
 @sfsr: if they're selling whole bikes, the law says brakes have to be installed (with stipulations). Same in the US.
  • 1 0
 @Treadly: bikes of even midling quality are not assembled in China. The tariff on landed complete bikes makes it cost inefficient.
  • 2 1
 @jandm9002: So controlling your vehicle with your weaker less coordinated arm while you shift gears using your strong arm isn’t the wrong way? Haha ok. That’s why we drive on the left and that’s why you run your front brake on the right. You drive on the wrong side of the road and you run your brakes the wrong way around, unless your left handed. End of discussion.
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: The argument for right rear I heard many years ago went along the lines of - rear brake controls direction, front brake stops you. You need more dexterity for your rear brake than the front. Also your dominant hand is quicker than non dominant. Therefore right rear for right handers and vv.

Also all your rear stuff is on the right and front stuff (when we had front mechs) was on the left.

End of the day it's what you prefer but I drunk the Koolaid many moons ago and haven't looked back.
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: This argument is probably why I see so many people who wear out there rear brake before front. Which should never happen with proper braking front and rear. You just cant put the power into the rear brake without lockup.

That argument does not make sense. Try going down a steep hill using only your rear brake and then tell me which brake is more important.

I agree go with what you prefer, but I think most people prefer rear on right solely because that is what they imprinted as a kid because that was the way their bike came with.
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: when is the last time you needed anything close to all your grip strength to pull a modern MTB lever? lol if it's in the last 5 years, I would recommend getting some iron in your diet and being tested for anemia.
  • 2 0
 @conoat: or start a diet
  • 1 1
 @conoat: how’s your handwriting with your weaker hand? Exactly, now put your brakes on the right way and stop being silly. Wink
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: just as bad as my dominante hand! LOL. FWIW, I ride the correct way for mtb(right/rear) and also ride moto. I literally have never made the mistake of grabbing the wrong brake.
  • 2 0
 @conoat: They don't trust their brains! It's easy to switch between the 2. At the beginning of each ride, gently squeeze the brakes to reestablish which is which. That's all there is too it. Hell, I do that subconsciously at the beginning of any 2-wheeled ride anyway. The brain is amazing - trust it!

I like the rear on the right. I also remember that when entering a harbor, navigate with the 3 R's: Right - Red - Return.

“Red, Right, Returning” You may have heard the phrase, “Red, Right, Returning.” This expression refers to the fact that when returning (entering a channel from the open sea or proceeding upstream), a boater must keep the red Aids on the right (starboard) side of the boat.

each one teach one, mon
  • 1 0
 @conoat: yeah agreed my handwriting looks like I’ve smashed spiders over a sheet of paper with my fist but ether way your front brake is the most important brake it does most of the slowing down and requires the most control to operate which is why you should use your dominant hand and most people are right handed.
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: I do ride bikes set up both ways. But I find when I ride RightRear that I brake more 50/50 but when I ride FrontRight I brake the front up to the limit, so likely more like 90% front and 10 % rear in maximum conditions.
  • 1 0
 @jandm9002:
I know. Back in the cable brake days you could pop the cable head out of the brake levers and simply relocate the cable/housing to the other lever. It took about 90 seconds to change front left/rear right to front right/rear left. That's what I was getting at was it used to be so simple and not you have to bleed brakes which is such a larger process.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard: Interesting - this probably explains my serial brake dragging habit. I'm working on it tho.
  • 1 0
 @thenotoriousmic: my handwriting is awful and getting worse every year (with everything being digital anyway). Fortunately, I somehow still manage to pull a lever with my left finger Smile
  • 2 0
 @thenotoriousmic: also, I don't care which way you install your brakes. Do what works best for you. I just find laws dictating these types of things incredibly patronizing. If you immediately crash when your front brake is left, than maybe you shouldn't be riding on a trail anyway...
  • 1 0
 @thenotoriousmic: *then (stupid phone autocorrect)
  • 1 2
 @Mac1987: nobody’s saying you have to run your brakes a certain way round. You’re more then welcome to run them the wrong way around, I was just explaining why it’s incorrect. I get that people have been riding with there brakes the wrong way around for so long that they can’t imagine doing it any other way but they’re still wrong. It’s not a difficult concept to understand. Your front brake needs a lighter touch and so you use your domain hand to operate it. Science bro. Wink
  • 1 0
 @thenotoriousmic: by the same logic: your rear brake has less grip and needs a delicate touch to control, therefore it's best to use your dominant hand.
There are arguments for both options. Frankly, I find the whole discussion strange. I'm sure you'd not really feel a difference when swapping to the other option after a short period of getting used to it.
And when talking about logic: a motorcycle has rear front braking, but that's because everything speed related (throttle and brakes) is on the right side and everything shifting related (shifter and clutch) is left. With a bicycle, you could argue that everyone for the rear is right (shifters and brakes) and everything for the front is left.
To be clear, I don't believe one option is better than the other, just that one could argue both ways.
  • 1 0
 Should be: "a motorcycle has right front braking"
  • 1 0
 @Mac1987: some have linked
  • 2 3
 @Mac1987: there’s no argument, set your bike up however you want but running your front brake with your dominant hand is the correct way of doing it. I’ve explained why this is, there’s nothing left to say to be honest.
  • 2 1
 @thenotoriousmic: you're just incorrect. Why? I don't need to explain it. You just are.
  • 107 27
 Let’s face it, after Brexit there will be a lot more companies not selling in the UK
  • 24 34
flag jgreermalkin (Sep 18, 2020 at 17:12) (Below Threshold)
 Does that law have anything to do with Brexit? I did not read anything about this new Brexit law, do you have a link?
  • 23 16
 @jgreermalkin: the brake law is not brexit related, however with the UK governments current stance there will be no trade deals coming and bikes will be the least of the average citizens concerned ie did and medicine.
  • 7 9
 *food and medicine
  • 42 0
 @jgreermalkin:

The law wasn't enforceable while the UK bike industry operated under EU regulations. Any time some brand was served notice of violating the UK law on the brake lever setup, the store/brand could simply appeal to the EU courts and have the charge thrown out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU
  • 45 1
 This is #brakexit
  • 2 2
 @jgreermalkin: Brakexit
  • 8 2
 I suppose this is the real reason. It's more about how expensive importing goods into the UK has gotten due to recent political developments. There's probably not that big of a margin left anyways. It's probably just not worth doing, especially if you have to deal with moronic legal regulations like the one in question. Probably too much of a hassle for them to bother.
  • 6 16
flag Dobbs59 (Sep 19, 2020 at 2:29) (Below Threshold)
 As long as they are all shit companies like Rose who cares?
  • 16 3
 @Dobbs59: yeah, have fun riding your Oranges..
  • 1 0
 @man-wolf:

#Nailedit
  • 1 0
 @deeeight: What brands appealed to the EU and about what? This stuff fascinates me.
  • 2 1
 @pacobolo: wow, sounds like bikes will be the least of their concern if the UK is headed to become a 2nd or 3rd world country unable to provide its citizens with food and medicine. I know they had planned to negotiate trade deals this year before the law goes into effect. I had no idea no one was willing to trade with them and there are no trade deals coming.
  • 77 3
 Brakexit...
  • 5 4
 Why is this comment not top of the list!!! (ok I get it, this is nothing to do with brexit but who cares)... :-)
  • 76 19
 Poor Britain! They drive on the wrong side of the road and they use brakes the wrong way around.
  • 8 1
 Do they have craft beer at least?
  • 83 44
 You mean the correct way.. the way motorcycles are setup. Doesn't matter what side of the road you drive.. right brake is front wheel.
  • 28 29
 @MrZ32: Right is Rear...

Unless you're on a motorcycle like contraption, say like an ebike lol
  • 47 10
 @MrZ32: I concur. I’ve ridden Moto since I was a kid and motorcycles as an adult. I always switch the front brake to the right on all of my bikes. All front brakes should be on the right.
  • 9 6
 @ridestuff: Don't bring ebikes into this... moto or pushys only here thankyou
  • 21 12
 Most of the world drives on the right side... The rest drive on the correct side
  • 13 1
 @MrZ32: I ride both, and after years of BMX, rear brake has always been on the right for me with BMX and MTB. Can chop and change between moto and MTB and never had an issue.
  • 10 1
 @MrZ32: and you steer airplanes with your feet. Different is different. Three countries in the world run their brakes with right/front.
  • 5 0
 @Twenty6ers4life: ditto and ditto and Nadda..Same here, been on moto since can-am and Maico were the ones to have. Pedals even longer and never had the urge to swap out my bicycle levers. I really don’t know why or what it is. A lot of my old enduro (real enduro) racer pals swap their bikes over to left rear and I just could never get the feel for it, For me I think the clutch had way more use than the brakes and I never stabbed my left lever on my pedal bike looking for more hit or another gear,
  • 1 0
 @constantly-broken: ditto !!!!
  • 1 0
 @jrocksdh: doubtful..lol...good bitters though!
  • 1 0
 @Twenty6ers4life: I totally agree
  • 6 2
 @ridestuff: honest question: since the bicycle predates motorcycle, why didn’t they adopt the the controls and go left front and right clutch? Seems like we are arguing amongst fellow cyclists when it was the moto who got things mixed up.
  • 1 0
 @jgottya1: first bike was a can am 250
  • 6 0
 Unless you're using the other brake with your foot, then it's not the way motos are set up.
  • 1 0
 @MrZ32: *micdrop
  • 5 9
flag Uncled (Sep 18, 2020 at 23:56) (Below Threshold)
 @jrocksdh: we do, and whilst I have you, what’s it like living in a shit hole country with a worse Covid death rate than India?
  • 3 0
 @MrZ32: oh yeah? Well which end of the boiled egg do you savages crack open?
  • 3 1
 @bonfire: I count 6: England, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (and possibly other ex commonwealth countries).
  • 5 0
 @lilrocket: also nears 2 billion people from India, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the STH east third of Africa. 35% of the world's population drive on the left. Not that it matters.
  • 10 1
 Wiki quote ;
It is customary to place the front brake lever on the left in right-side-driving countries, and vice versa, because the hand on the side nearer the centre of the road is more commonly used for hand signals, and the rear brake cannot pitch the bicyclist forward.
  • 3 2
 ....... and we have the best racing drivers and cyclistslol
  • 2 0
 Except for bike jousting. You need the rear on the left to brake check before impacting your opponent. Simple stuff.
  • 12 7
 @MrZ32: I ride motorcycles and bikes.

On a motorcycle the logical mapping works, front brake is the front most lever on the right side and the rear brake is behind it (foot). Makes sense, easy to remember. Clutch and shifter are on the same side (assuming modern bike, not some weird hand shift etc). Again, makes sense. Controls are grouped.

On a bike front derailleur and front brake are on the left, rear derailleur and brake in right. If you do things left to right (like read, order things etc) it makes sense and you aren't mismatching shifters and brakes. The mapping is consistent. Rotate your bars 90 degrees clockwise (common rotation bias) and front setup is at the front and rear setup is behind. It maps.

Brits have it all mismatched. Do any drivetrain companies make left hand rear shifters?
  • 2 1
 @eh-steve: the voice of reason. ty
  • 3 0
 @eh-steve: I believe bar ends to be agnostic as to which end. I suspect some or all of Gevenalle's can be reassembled backwards, but that one's less certain.
  • 1 0
 @werics: As soon as I typed that I thought of bar end shifters (and downtube). Are bar end shifters indexed now? I'm not a roadie, so no clue.

Funny thing is I had looked at gevenalle since I am looking at building up a gravel bike (with a MTB derailleur).
  • 2 1
 @eh-steve: You have got it!!
  • 2 0
 @eh-steve: well said
  • 3 0
 @bonfire: no.. all motorbikes and even scooters (there is a lot of those) run the front brake on the right hand side..
  • 2 0
 @eh-steve: I will say that I've never had a problem remembering which shifter is which, and there's merits to bikes having commonality with motorbikes.

But ultimately I think there's no right answer, preferences just correlate with the side of the road you drive on, and which side you're used to is what has the biggest effect on what feels "right"
  • 3 0
 @constantly-broken: I ride a motorcycle and a MTB as well and despite the difference in brake levers, have no trouble in adjusting as well. Since 95% of controls are different and controlling them requires vastly different muscle memory anyways, I see no point in comparing bicycles with motorcycles. Or have you also moved your shifters to your left foot and rear brake to your right foot? If so, then you're awesome and I take everything back.
  • 1 1
 @Mac1987: maybe you should ask Mike Metzger and other moto guys who now ride MTB and have their brakes set up rear right, if they switched their shifter and rear brake
  • 31 3
 We drive on the left because when you're on horseback you want your right hand to be close to oncoming traffic. For sword fighting, jousting etc. Apparently its Napoleon's fault that Europe started driving/riding on the right, because he was lefthanded.
Also, our brake levers are like that because it's the same as motorcycles.
In summary, we drive on the correct side of the road and our brakes are like this because of logic
  • 11 0
 Yes it's do to with drawing swords whilst on horseback and not clashing scabbards (ooh err missus) while passing another rider on horseback.
  • 4 0
 Interesting: The last Europeans to change from left to right were the Swedes who bravely made the change overnight on Dagen H (H Day), September 3rd 1967. At 4.50am all traffic in Sweden stopped for ten minutes before restarting, this time driving on the right.
  • 1 0
 www.aceable.com/blog/countries-that-drive-on-the-left-side-of-the-road
  • 3 0
 Yep then the USA went the same way to try to stick 2 fingers up at the British lol. But Australia NZ and Japan drive on the correct side of the road at least...
  • 2 0
 @supermike306: thankfully the Japanese do, means getting imports doesn't result in you being on the wrong side of the car. Gonna miss that when we move to Canada Frown

Just speculation here but maybe the Japanese drive on the left for the same reason as the UK. I can understand the commonwealth countries driving on the left, and the US and Canada switching to stick two fingers up at the oppressors.
  • 2 0
 There is no correct or wrong way, just customary.

That being said, I make all my bikes Right/Front/moto/British style here in California.

For right handed folks you have better strength and modulation with your right hand, which I prefer for the front/primary brake.
  • 3 0
 @Matt115lamb: have you also moved your shifters to your left foot and rear brake to your right foot?
  • 2 0
 @veero: You'd need to invent your own finger gesture as that one originates from the oppressors. Middle finger is already taken by the OG of empirical oppression.
Pinkies Up?
  • 34 6
 Wankers
  • 25 1
 I don't understand why this law exists
  • 66 1
 It's a very old law. It's also law in Australia and New Zealand to name but two other places. It is a law that was written when bikes didn't venture off road and is related to road rules. The requirement is intended such that the rider can apply the rear brake while they raise their hand to show they are stopping to following cars as they are on the righthand side of the rider. For countries where cars drive on the right hand side of the road, laws exist stating that the rear brake is on the right. It is all down to road safety.
  • 9 0
 @handynzl: knowledge bomb
  • 3 0
 @handynzl: I live in the Netherlands where people drive on the right hand side of the roa. Some commuter bikes come with the front brake left, others front brake right. I don't recall this has ever been an issue for anyone. If it is, swap cables or hoses and you'll be good.

That old law seems like a funny one. Last thing to do in case of an emergency stop is to take a hand from the bars and raise it. They might like to review that one. Ideally oncoming traffic learns to look ahead a little. It shouldn't be hard to look past a cyclist to anticipate whether someone might need to brake.
  • 5 1
 @handynzl:

I don‘t get it... What‘s safe about forcing cyclist to take a hand off the handlebar while stopping?
  • 5 3
 @Mettwurst82: heard of brake lights or turn signals on cars? Yep, me too. Heard of them on bicycles? No, not so much.

Google yourself some education and Google "bicycle hand signals"
  • 5 0
 @vinay: it's not about emergency braking. The laws harken back to the years of bikes only having one brake. These laws are from the 30s and 40s and 50s.

Australia even has a bar width law that all mountain bikes break.

Google "bicycle hand signals"
  • 1 0
 @handynzl: That makes a lot of sense. I always wondered why the difference. Cheers :-)
  • 1 0
 @handynzl: There are brake lights for bikes. They notice the sudden drop in frequency from the dynamo. They are quite common actually.
  • 2 0
 @rpet: There are tons of useless regulations and laws much ado about nothing. Unelected bureaucrats make them to justify their jobs.
  • 1 0
 The same law (for levers the other side ofc) exists in the US too www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Bicycle-Requirements , it's just that normally a company putting levers on different sides for different countries is not difficult or newsworthy
  • 11 0
 The law didn’t change. So really the title should be “Rose Bikes stop selling bikes in the UK due to cost-cutting measures”. Or “Rose Bikes, like every other bike company in 2020, are having such a good sales year and are so short on supply that they’re avoiding Brexit complications by inventing another reason to not sell bikes to the UK”.
  • 1 0
 Yeah absolutely. I had to look up what bikes they do as I've never seen one in the flesh in the UK. Such a loss to the average UK based bike buyer...
  • 11 1
 I don't believe it , this is devastating news , I've been saving up for 3 years to buy a Rose bike and now there not selling to the UK !!! , well that's me quitting mountain biking for good , because if I can't purchase a Rose bike then what's the point in biking !!! As in the infamous words of S club 7 , there ain't no party like a Rose mtb party.
  • 3 0
 I’m only just discovering rose bikes existed.
  • 13 1
 We've TAKEN BACK CONTROL We won't accept eurocrat continental brake orientation any more, this is sovereignty in action. Union Jack Orange Bikes Only.
  • 21 8
 Who?
  • 3 9
flag davemud (Sep 18, 2020 at 17:16) (Below Threshold)
 Lol. Exactly. Slow news day
  • 3 5
 Glad someone else thought the same thing. Company no one's ever heard of has a hissy fit about a mundane law in a country it is trying to make money from so shoots itself in the foot.
  • 7 1
 @ReubenSandwich: No one's ever heard of? There is this continent called Europe. Rose is one of the biggest online stores here, and their bikes are pretty popular as well. They offer pretty damn good specs for the money.
  • 11 0
 Brake lever laws???? I get beer purity laws...but brake levers????
  • 15 0
 We have reflector and dork disc laws.
  • 5 0
 @mnorris122: Don't forget "lawyer tabs", brought to you by our fine American friends!
  • 2 0
 @mnorris122: wait. Dork discs are there as a law/regulation!?
  • 3 0
 Cannondale used to ship two handlebars with every mountain bike to Australia and Japan. The laws in those countries dictate a maximum width and some years ago it became obsolete for serious mountain bike riding. So they shipped the bikes with the narrow handlebar fitted to pass the customs an consumer security laws and then dispatched the bikes to the retailers/shop with the properly sized one.
  • 3 0
 @ridestuff: Don’t hate me, I remember when those frigging things showed up 25 plus years ago when I was service manager at a respected shop. Such a pain in the arse. I am a firm believer in people taking responsibility for their own actions. Sadly my country and the laws think otherwise... if I sued everyone and everyplace I wrecked, got a bump,scrape or bruise (or was emotionally scarred) on, I would be running the shows here and it would be a lot different!
  • 2 0
 @ridestuff: why did i read it with linuses sound
  • 1 0
 @southoftheborder: Crazy!
  • 10 1
 I’m no expert but literally swaping the hose’s over would fix this issue.
  • 6 0
 some levers are ambidextrous, so just flip the levers. ex. magura and sram
  • 14 0
 How bout just not putting the levers on the bar at all prior to shipping?
  • 4 1
 Seriously...the hoses have to be cut during the initial build anyway, how hard is it to connect them to the other lever?
  • 4 0
 For some road and gravel bikes, with all of the cables and hoses internally routed, as in through the fork, and the bars wrapped, it kinda is a bit of work to switch.
  • 1 0
 @mnorris122: If you really really want to, it's not hard
  • 6 0
 What horseshit, takes 2 mins to swap the levers over. Canadian bike shops have done it every time i have demo'ed a bike. I raced motorcycles when younger and i just cant use a left front brake. There cant be any extra cost i have yet to ride a bike that has different length bars for right and left? Regardless who cares.. there a tons of great bikes to choose from.
  • 8 0
 This sounds like rose looking for an excuse rather than just being honest and saying it’s about the money.
They’d get more kudos if they were honest about it.
  • 8 0
 You know what would be cool, if they sold bikes in Canada.
  • 3 2
 Hmmmm... nah.
  • 9 1
 make coaster brakes great again!
  • 1 0
 You ever rebuild a bendix hub?? Lolol. They are great !
  • 1 0
 It’s illegal in UK to only have one brake, i.e. a coaster brake. You have to also have a hand brake.
  • 3 0
 @BeKwik: absurd. Even a child’s bike? Are they ticketing the bmx riders?
  • 1 0
 @BeKwik: Do people ride fixies over there? Honest question - if so, do they ticket?
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: The fixed wheel counts as a braked wheel but you still need a front brake to be "legal"
  • 1 0
 @speed10: I think it's one of those things that only applies to bikes new in shops - pedal reflectors are also a legal requirement technically, but I've never heard of anyone being pulled over for lacking them - where would you mount them on SPDs anyway?
  • 4 0
 Front brake on the right is a convention over here as we drive on the left and need to indicate with our right hand. The law exists because the majority of cyclists are not expert MTB riders like the readers of pinkbike and don't think about their bike set up in detail. It's to prevent a ten year old kid riding out of the shop and going over the bars. Perfectly reasonable. As others point out Rose bikes are a rare sight here and it's probably just a smoke screen so they don't have to do the extra paperwork for Brexit
  • 3 0
 Although I agree with many comments saying the law is dumb, which it is, though I’m sure we’ve got many more stupid laws. This is a problem created by rose themselves. ‘Internal streamlining’ means they no longer offer customisable builds therefore not offering a right/front brake as an option. I get these are difficult times and a lot of companies are struggling worldwide and need to adjust to still be profitable but there must a way to still sell bikes in this country. They have their own shops which will still sell clothing and components over here so could they not send bikes to them before the customer for a 10-20minute hose swap? Even if that created a small extra cost to supplier and customer surely that’s better than not selling bikes to, I’m guessing, a fairly large proportion of their market.
  • 3 0
 I was riding shuttles once with my Brazilian friend, we swapped bikes for a lap. I quickly learned that they have their brakes other way round (ie Right hand rear brake) when I did a front flip coming into the first corner!
  • 2 0
 We have the same silly laws like when you see the work arounds bike brands use to get past US kids bike laws. When you order a decently built kid's 14-16 inch pedal bike and it comes with a 2 foot high seat post it's because they would not be allowed to sell it with a free hub and no coaster brake if it was for a seat height under so many inches...
  • 3 0
 Rose are definitely on their own on this, YT, COMMENCAL, INTENSE etc all give you the option of your preferred brake set up, why, because they like to be open minded to market variables when making money.
  • 2 0
 Out of interest, I did a quick analysis, looks like 1/3 of the worlds population live in a country that drives on the left. Guessing Rose also won't be selling bikes to India, Indonesia, Pakistan (India alone makes up half that number), although they possibly don't have the same legal requirement, anything goes in those countries.
  • 5 0
 That sounds a bit drastic.
  • 4 0
 Most of the rest of the world is driving on the wrong side of the road as well.
  • 3 0
 It all depends on if you want to whip 2 horses or hit somebody with a sword
  • 1 0
 @catweasel: And who doesn't, really?
  • 1 0
 @MtbSince84: Well you gotta choose, if you want swords it's UK/Commonwealth/Japan and if you want whips it's North America/Europe/everywhere else really
  • 3 1
 seems like a cop out, like it's a pain in the ass to deal with the UK for other reasons and this is the only one that's codified clearly in black and white...made a bigger pain by Brexit?

whatever it is, I love it.
  • 2 0
 while this is an absolutely stupid, dumb, idiotic and pointless law, maybe companies should ship their bikes with the brake hoses not attached, so the bike can be set up appropriately in the shop.
  • 5 0
 There is no such thing as a 'shop' in the Rose business model.
  • 5 1
 What a stupid reason to stop selling bikes...... whats next, we wont sell bikes because it has a minion DHR on the Front.
  • 3 0
 "Is it April 1st already?" was my first thought. Just wait until UK lawmakers find out that there are cyclists that willingly clip their feet onto their pedals...
  • 1 0
 I wish Rose Bikes the worst. This is exactly what they deserve. I remember bending a steerer tube on a brand new fork, they made me send it to them to tell me I did it on pourpose with extreme violence, and this wasn't covered. Of course I damaged the headtube when the fork bent and paid for the delivery twice. Imagine my joy... If they're not able to switch cables and bleed the brakes to open to the uk market this says a lot...f*** rose bikes.
  • 1 0
 For what it's worth, I'm one of the rare owners of a Rose bike in the UK and as good as the deal was on my build, I've had to deal with woefully bad customer service from the get go - including manufacturing faults from delivery that they absolutely refused to acknowledge. I certainly wouldn't buy from them again, even if it were an option.
  • 1 0
 The most publicity Rose bikes has ever got ...and will ever get actually. Surely as a PR stunt it's kinda clever, all of a sudden people are talking about Rose bikes, and although some of it is negative, most of it is negative towards the UK....I suspect site traffic has increased to their website........
  • 1 0
 That law makes sense only if you drive and switch between a motorbike and a MTB on a daily basis.
Else if not, it is better to have your rear brake lever, on the (whichever is the dominant) right hand - i.e. the hand you use to write or use the mouse or draw your gun, etc.
  • 3 1
 I love the fact the picture they show has guides on which take all of 1.5 minutes to swap from right front to left front. must be hard for those poor Germans
  • 6 2
 This explains UK FridayFails.
  • 4 0
 Just sounds like an opportunity for some free publicity.
  • 1 0
 Is this really true? Rose talks about market standards.. which suggest to me that they just don’t want to sell bikes in a way that people don’t want them.

Is pinkbike sensational media?
  • 2 0
 Hardly a big brand in the UK. If canyon or yt did this that would be a problem for sure. But yt have just opened a store here, so I guess they value the UK market.
  • 1 0
 I think I’ve only seen one rose bike in the uk.
  • 1 0
 @Bigwill13: I own one and I've only ever seen one other in the five years(ish) I've had it.
  • 1 1
 There has to be another reason behind this. Even if you simply specced Sram or Magura brakes (which can be flipped so used on either side), it would literally take one person on check out to do it. So yeah, this can not be the reason.
  • 1 0
 A lot of people reckon it's just an excuse for not having stock or not being bothered with Brexit paperwork - they don't sell many bikes here anyway AFAIK
  • 1 0
 I recently purchased a yt with the brakes the eu way round. No big deal it's easy enough to swap them. There was even a warning on the build instructions saying that the were eu setup.
  • 1 1
 It's natural to have your bike setup with the front on the right, Moto style. No way should it be a law! The idiots have been running the asylum for a while now and it's getting worse and worse but there must be more to it than this. When working in a bike shop a lot of the bikes came with euro setup brakes and we'd just swap them over. I don't remember there being a dry break system but it was easy enough to do without making a mess or needing to re bleed the system.
  • 2 2
 100% brexit reason, and companies are making other excuses. The fact they have to add wheel reflectors, cassette guard, bell, pedal reflectors before they sell the bike, i'm pretty sure swapping hoses around isn't the deal breaker here. Eitherway, never heard of the brand, time to buy more british!
  • 2 2
 We’re taking back control .......so no one can sell us anything hehe
  • 1 0
 Fine for all you kids who’ve been riding 5 years. If you started MTB in 1986 like some of us; and have ridden with front/right; rear/left forever - you wouldn’t find it so easy to switch..... kids these days.
  • 2 0
 Laws to protect cyclist from themselves. Funny thousands of lives would be saved , millions would be spared from head trauma. If you had to wear a helmet when driving a car.
  • 1 0
 Rose will just be pissed because Canyon and YT have completely pissed all over them By making bikes that people in the UK want to ride, the brake lever will just be an excuse for them not having good sales
  • 1 0
 The best way for Rose to keep selling in the UK is when a bike is ordered and they are from the UK. Rose should send the complete bike out without the brakes installed and let the rider decide for themselves
  • 1 0
 Law is an ass, but then so is rose, does it really take that much effort or cost to run the brakes that way. However I cannot remember ever and I mean ever seeing a rose bike anywhere being ridden in the UK.
  • 4 3
 At least Rose bikes have routing that allows the rear brake to be routed properly if you run a rear left brake. Unlike 90% of bikes out there.
  • 1 0
 you're correct, even the brands wirh expensive don't seem to know how to rout the hoses properly
  • 1 0
 expensive bikes*
  • 3 3
 So how are motorbikes setup in eu and Canada? In Australia front brake is always right hand no matter what u ride. Would be crazy and dangerous to have to relearn if u jump on a motorbike ????????‍♂️
  • 7 0
 In the US it's clutch left, front brake right. I grew up riding and racing motos, but I'd be fucked if you put my rear mtb brake on the left side.
  • 5 1
 @jubilee55: so u ride moto with front brake right hand and mtb with front brake left? That’s just not logical..
  • 3 0
 @houli77: I think I am in the same boat here.. on both moto and pedals for 45 plus years.. never once on my bicycle did I grab the left hand lever thinking it was the clucth. Pretty sure it is just something Imbred like metric system vs. non metric. And I have never grabbed the rear (right hand lever..lol) on my bicycle thinking in was the front.
  • 3 1
 @houli77: British Standards B S?
  • 1 0
 @houli77: yeah, it's easy: I just grab the left lever w/ the right hand and the right w/ the left when I change to bike from moto.
  • 2 0
 @houli77: I ride moto with clutch left, front right and mtb front left, right rear.

I've never once mixed the two up, even when panicking out of control on my way to a crash. I think my brain just treats riding the two as completely distinct processes. However put me on a mtb with the rear brake on the left and I'll be needing a lift to the emergency room thanks.
  • 1 0
 @houli77: yeah I know it's not logical, but somehow we do it!
  • 1 0
 @houli77: The human brain is an amazingly adaptable machine
  • 3 0
 WTF???!!! Leave it to the rider......put the lever where you want it.
  • 2 2
 What? I bought a bike around two months ago from on One (Planet X), a UK based company and I specified my brakes the correct way round (left front rear right). It’s a standard option on their website.
  • 1 0
 Surely the answer to this is to ship the bike without clampon them to the bar ... and sram levers runs upside down anyway so put your brakes on which ever side you want ...
  • 1 0
 What a stupid situation to have to deal with in the current climate. Bikes are good, regardless of which side you like your levers on.
  • 2 0
 Why dont they just put on the handlebars backwards????
A solution to a problem that was never there
  • 2 0
 Haha shoot yourself in the foot then. Your (sales) loss then Rose! I can't see this braking anyone's spirits
  • 1 0
 Who actually wants a Rose Bike anyway? Bike looks almost as rubbish as their excuse sounds to leave a market they were failing in...
  • 7 9
 There is a reason the throttle, the front brake, and the back back are all on the right on a motorcycle. Most people are right handed. Imagine the accidents if the throttle was on the left. Even with the back brake on the right i still can't manual properly, If i lived in the UK i wouldn't have a chance.
  • 15 2
 So you're saying left handed people can't ride motorcycles?
  • 6 0
 Is this why drivers don’t use turn signals!? Because it’s on the left. You’ve cracked the code
  • 2 0
 What accidents?

Braking and throttle use are one dimensional control motions that don't require fine motor skills in three dimensions like writing. So chirality doesn't come into it at all.

I'm left handed and never once had an accident due to the throttle being on the right of my ktm. Nor have I crashed due to braking the wrong lever despite the fact that I run right rear on my mtb.
  • 2 0
 April 1 is some time from now pinkbike!!!
  • 5 4
 Heres a solution for Rose, get someone to swop the levers around for a bike sent to the UK. Can't be that difficult surely?
  • 2 0
 That's a lot of extra cost, doesn't seem like it but I quote 15 minutes to do it without a bleed in shop. Their lawyers would never let that happen meaning in an 8 hour shift if each bike is 30 mins you'd be through 16 bikes. That's a drop in the bucket compared to what their sales would be. They're probably better off boosting the sales to the point that they can add another line where they build bikes the other way around. Places like Europe and North America would likely take a bike that was the wrong way if it was overstock for the early years of that happening...
  • 4 0
 There are multiple issues but most prominently:
1) This literally doubles the amount of complete SKUs (1 for each lever configuration)
2) The odds of someone getting the levers the wrong way around is decently high. Rose probably doesn’t want to take absorb that risk.
  • 2 3
 @samnation: I doubt it's any extra cost...if the hoses have to be run through the frame and trimmed to length anyway, it takes no longer to run them to the opposite levers.
  • 2 0
 @Paddock22: THIS!
  • 1 0
 Edit.
  • 1 0
 @mnorris122: it is not as simple as building it. You have to consider storage. You have to double your storage entries. The bike is not built as soon as you buy it. Rather than picking a bike simply by a specced model, you need to check where it is sent. Without speaking about managing the right amount of bikes in each entry (not to be in the situation you have no more bikes to deliver in EU while the UK entry is still full)...
If rose is stopping personnalization, it is exactly to remove these costs.
  • 1 0
 Listen YT have been holding out bikes just because they have no UK chargers for the Decoy. Now they are shipping with the EU chrgers. Politics.
  • 1 1
 What a stupid law! I could understand this for motorcycles and other motor operated vehicles but for mountain bikes it just sounds ridiculous!!!!!
  • 2 0
 This is just my interpretation, but i don't think the law exists because you HAVE to ride with your breaks this way. I would guess it's so manufacturers build in a uniform fashion and bikes are sold to customers (many of whom know nothing about bikes, just casual users that want one to ride for fun/light exercise) the same way every time. Once you've got the bike, set it up however you want. But rear left/front right is usual set up in uk so that is exactly what people expect and will get when they buy a bike. Every time.
  • 1 0
 Do not let the UCI know? they will ban riders with their brakes round the wrong way?
  • 2 0
 Waiting for german car compagnies to stop producing reverse cars for uk
  • 1 0
 Flintstone backwards
  • 1 2
 Given the bikes are actually sold in Germany I don't understand why they can't ship the bikes with the brakes the way they are. Laws are also there for pedals with reflectors, bells and reflectors on the bike.
  • 2 0
 Yay for deregulation and throwing the over-regulating EU out!
  • 1 0
 This is the same kind of stupid as Americans and the imperial measure. Press on regardless?
  • 2 0
 Oh, give Britain a brake!
  • 1 0
 Silly asses drive on the wrong side of the road as well, go buy an Hope, BTR, or Orange Bike instead.
  • 2 2
 All the American flags in here are “WTF, you tea bags!” and some of the British flags are like “bobs yer uncle yah cuHnt!”
  • 1 1
 So 90% of the people are able to ride mtb and moto, and some folk from UK was injured, and law passed; no doubt rest of the world must adopt this law with local exemptions;
  • 1 0
 fifty-fifty on which more dumber - the law or the company not able to switch brakes easily??
  • 1 0
 Sram is working on Wireless brakes. You can program them for left or right.
  • 2 1
 Hilarious. Best news all day.
  • 1 0
 I wonder what this means for any UK riders sponsored by Rose.
  • 1 0
 They aint getting bikess duuh XDXDXD
  • 1 1
 Left hand lever for rear braking FTW. This is exactly why Sam Hill is fast!!!
  • 1 0
 STUPID IS WHAT STUPID DOES... MAMA
  • 2 0
 Looks like a Scott
  • 1 0
 2020 can go get fucked already!!!!!
  • 2 1
 No more Rose? Devastating XD
  • 2 0
 LOL nob jockeys
  • 1 0
 Just put a coaster brake on it and ship.
  • 1 0
 I've always ridden right hand rear brake.
  • 2 0
 Finally Brakexit !
  • 1 0
 brakes on the wrong way round = crash n burn
  • 1 0
 Rose: fxck it, we'll pull out of the UK.
Barbados: hey, hold my beer
  • 1 0
 Who cares, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a Rose bike in the UK
  • 1 0
 THIS IS WHY THE US. SPLIT FROM THE UK
  • 1 1
 As a Brit, these comments make me sick and angry and I bloody love it.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a Reign
  • 1 1
 I’m calling bs on this and suspect Brexit is the real reason
  • 1 0
 #leftrearwinsmedals
  • 1 0
 Brakexit
  • 1 0
 Brakexit
  • 1 1
 #BrakeSideMatter
  • 1 2
 Britain does it again...
  • 1 0
 yup starting with left rear
  • 6 8
 The Brexit was forced by populists who accused the EU of stupid laws, LOL.
  • 2 2
 Funny but true
  • 1 0
 I hope you'll do well (but I doubt Brexit is good for Britain)
  • 2 0
 @vhdh666: The point of Brexit is that it will be very good for some people in Britain (a well know foreign media magnate for one). Thankfully our culture of not complaining for fear of embarrassment or making a scene will mean the people who get royally screwed will keep quiet, possibly blame the EU for the mess.
  • 3 6
 Welcome to brexit!





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