Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: andyoxon on 11 May, 2020, 11:57:35 am
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Probably a dim question but are all eurozone bikes sold with different STI front / rear brake sidedness to UK e.g.
Left levers operate front brake and right levers operate with back brakes. Left gear shifters - chain rings and right gear shifters - cycling cassettes.
If the cables are all under bar tape, does this mean that the STI brake housing channels are specifically angled, so can't be modified?
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Broadly yes they are. I actually prefer this configuration as a right hand turn at a junction is more hazardous in this country as you're crossing a lane, so it stands to reason it is preferable to have control of the front brake while signalling a right turn. As for the outer cable housings I've not made the 'conversion' myself but I don't think they would be different since they all snake their way out from under the bar tape in the same way.
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It depends more on place of manufacture than the place of sale. Typically.
I have a bike I bought in .NL, yet the brakes are setup the UK way. The bike is a Brompton.
Because I am used to that, when I built my bike in .NL, I cabled it up to have the same orientation.
This results in the slight issue when I do let a Dutch mechanic touch it, they put it on the stand, spin up the rear wheel, reach for a lever, pull it and stick there hand in to the spokes at the same time, usually there is a moment of swearing "FUCKING ENGLISH!" before grabbing the other brake lever.
J
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There’s nothing about the levers that makes them specific to front or rear brakes. It’s just however they’re connected.
There are some prefilled/preconnected hydraulic setups where a lever is sold paired with an appropriate length brake hose for front or back. But nothing stopping you swapping them.
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Ok thanks all. It's just that the standard / nothing special STI shifters I saw come with gear cables only, but still have the warning that the left shifter is for front brake etc...
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If your bikes got internal routing the problem you're likely to get if the routing is lined up for non-moto is needing more cable outer/pipe than you'd like and ugly routing from tape to inlet
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It all started with the UK riding on the left of the road, and Europe on the right.
Therefore, as has been said, to turn across oncoming traffic it’s much safer to have the rear brake useable.
Therefore, British Standard is right hand front. Europe standard is the reverse.
In theory, and often in practice, imported complete bikes have to have the cabling reversed by the retailer. It’s even more frustrating when the customer wants it changed back again, in theory only after the “ legal” bike has been purchased. I know a shop that directly imports large numbers of Scotts, and has to reverse the cabling on each one.
When I was young, most UK riders used right hand front. However, more pictures of Merckx, Coppi etc using the reverse made it the trend to use right hand rear.
Nowadays, most serious racers use continental cabling, but even some Belgian and other Continentals use the UK style.
So...... you pays your money and.......
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It all started with the UK riding on the left of the road, and Europe on the right.
Therefore, as has been said, to turn across oncoming traffic it’s much safer to have the rear brake useable.
Therefore, British Standard is right hand front. Europe standard is the reverse.
In theory, and often in practice, imported complete bikes have to have the cabling reversed by the retailer. It’s even more frustrating when the customer wants it changed back again, in theory only after the “ legal” bike has been purchased. I know a shop that directly imports large numbers of Scotts, and has to reverse the cabling on each one.
When I was young, most UK riders used right hand front. However, more pictures of Merckx, Coppi etc using the reverse made it the trend to use right hand rear.
Nowadays, most serious racers use continental cabling, but even some Belgian and other Continentals use the UK style.
So...... you pays your money and.......
All Scott and some Bianchi bikes come into the UK with European brake levers - when I was managing an LBS that sold those brands I just changed them over rather than confuse the customer with the detail.
Hybrids, urbans & MTBs were no problem to just swap the cables or hoses - taped drop bars were a different proposition - although with cable you could get away with just untaping one side for a new rear outer and cutting the original rear shorter for the front brake.
I think the OP may have been also asking about the cable channels in the handlebar itself - they aren't region specific.
To me it is significantly safer to ride in the UK with a LH rear brake - for reasons related to turning right and needing to stop without risk of going out of the front door, over the bars, with sharp braking.
Rob
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If your bikes got internal routing the problem you're likely to get if the routing is lined up for non-moto is needing more cable outer/pipe than you'd like and ugly routing from tape to inlet
"Non-moto" is a good way to express it, as it really isn't as simple as "Uk v Euro". As has been said, some Euro (or other drive on the right) countries also use front-right and some drive on the lefts use front-left. (I don't recall motos ever using rear brake on the left lever, but hey.)
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it is illegal to sell a new bike in the UK with the brakes connected 'non-moto'. And rightly so IMHO.
IME it is especially dangerous to ride a bike that is configured in whatever way you are not used to, (and/or has unusually powerful brakes); in an emergency, reflexes take over and you can have a nasty accident if the brakes don't do what your reflexes are attuned to.
cheers
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Thanks all. 'Non-moto'? So if it's just a shifter set on it's own, to go on an external cabling bike, doesn't sound like there's any issue...
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'Non-moto'?
Motorbikes all (since, let's say, at least 1950) have the front brake operated by the right-hand lever, no matter the make or part of the world.
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it is illegal to sell a new bike in the UK with the brakes connected 'non-moto'. And rightly so IMHO.
IME it is especially dangerous to ride a bike that is configured in whatever way you are not used to, (and/or has unusually powerful brakes); in an emergency, reflexes take over and you can have a nasty accident if the brakes don't do what your reflexes are attuned to.
cheers
True, although tell that to Amazon. In the shop I recently had a chap bring in a bike he'd bought off Amazon for a minor tweak, and I mentioned in passing about the brakes being the wrong way round. He said he hadn't noticed! ::-)
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'Non-moto'?
Motorbikes all (since, let's say, at least 1950) have the front brake operated by the right-hand lever, no matter the make or part of the world.
I passed my motor bike test without even giving that a thought! Perhaps it didn't seem like a big bicycle and had a footbrake anyway.
Cycling in Amsterdam with just a back pedal brake was fun.
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'Non-moto'?
Motorbikes all (since, let's say, at least 1950) have the front brake operated by the right-hand lever, no matter the make or part of the world.
I passed my motor bike test without even giving that a thought! Perhaps it didn't seem like a big bicycle and had a footbrake anyway.
Cycling in Amsterdam with just a back pedal brake was fun.
I keep wondering how many cyclists, brought up on the myth that you only use the rear brake, do their CBT and get a nasty shock when they panic brake and discover they've pulled no brake at all, just the clutch.
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Well they wouldn't have been able to move off without discovering the clutch... But where does this idea of back brake being most important come from? Totally nonsensical.
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Well they wouldn't have been able to move off without discovering the clutch... But where does this idea of back brake being most important come from? Totally nonsensical.
I don't know where it came from but now it's self sustaining, being passed down from ignoramus to ignoramus.
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There’s an idea some people have that touching the front brake will send you straight over the handlebars. Considering the lack of effectiveness of the brakes on most BSOs (and therefore most bikes), I’m not really sure how this myth was born and how it persists.
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Well they wouldn't have been able to move off without discovering the clutch... But where does this idea of back brake being most important come from? Totally nonsensical.
Off-roading.
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it is illegal to sell a new bike in the UK with the brakes connected 'non-moto'. And rightly so IMHO.
Planet X will do you a 'non moto' bike (bicycle) i.e. euro braking. Bafflingly they charge you £50 for the privilege.
Unless I have misinterpreted their website and that they literally won't send you the bike over in this configuration unless it's for export to USA/EU
(https://i.imgur.com/35AErPN.png)
As for front vs back my fixed gear doesn't even have a rear (non drivetrain) brake, doesn't do me any harm. Haven't gone AOT on it yet inshallah.
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FWIW most modern motorbikes have a weight distribution/tyre grip such that you will normally do a stoppie instead of the front brake locking up and skidding with the front wheel. It normally takes a fair amount of lean or an unusually slippy surface before the front will lock up on such machines. However there are some touring motorbikes and plenty of older ones which have a rear-biased weight distribution and these will lock the front wheel under a wider range of circumstances. Needless to say locking the front wheel = accident (unless you are a MotoGP rider). By contrast locking the rear wheel is less likely to be unrecoverable and if you do go down it is normally a less severe impact. So learners are often taught to favour the rear brake unless they are really trying to pull up in a hurry and this is probably the right thing to do. Having the brake and the throttle in the right hand ensures that the dominant hand (in most folk) is used and the throttle is likely to be closed before the brake is applied (same reason as the right foot is used for both in most cars).
On a bicycle it is a very simple argument; if you are giving hand signals then you will only have one hand (usually the left hand) on the handlebar. Whilst you only have one hand on the handlebar it is only safe for most riders to use the back brake; if an emergency situation arises and the rider grabs a handful of front brake with only one hand on the bars, most folk go straight down in a messy way, even if the front brake isn't very good. It is just less likely to happen using the rear brake. Obviously the situation is reversed if you ride on the other side of the road so in 'drive right' territories the brakes on bicycles (with two brakes) are more likely to be set up 'non-moto', but back pedal brakes, only one brake etc can complicate this somewhat.
In a panic situation you will behave in particular (learned) way. Such habits may be almost unknown to the rider that has them and may have been acquired long ago. They may or may not be relevant to the current machine or riding conditions either. A few years ago one of my chums fitted a front brake of about double the previous power; before he had "got used to it" he reflexively grabbed a handful of front brake and went over the bars. Hospital, broken bones, was nearly killed by being given too much morphine, much wailing and gnashing of teeth and a long painful recovery. Fortunately he is OK now but it could have been a wooden box job.
It is very easy to assume that XYZ is 'safe' or not and indeed it might be for different people. But the vast majority of people don't ever spend more than a few seconds thinking about it and even then the grey matter may not be fully engaged. Obedience of fools and guidance of wise men etc. only in this matter most folk are insufficiently wise. I'll probably prove that of myself (again ) before too much longer.... ::-)
cheers
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There’s an idea some people have that touching the front brake will send you straight over the handlebars. Considering the lack of effectiveness of the brakes on most BSOs (and therefore most bikes), I’m not really sure how this myth was born and how it persists.
As a tricyclist, I have both brakes on the front wheel. Occasionally I am asked about "don't you have trouble with going AOT?". This question even comes from people you think of as experienced club cyclists. My answer is "Tricyclists come with ABS. It is mounted between their ears."
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The argument about the handing of brake levers isn't in the realm of rationality. It echoes other issues (toe overlap anybody?). As Brucey said upthread the safe way to have it is the way you're used to. Why most (some?) people in the UK decided to get used to doing it a different way to everyone else I don't know. Mandating one way legally at POS is a good way to ensure it's unsafe for some.
There are many esoteric theories about which is the right way. None of the bear much scrutiny. My opinion is that the UK standard is just a piece of English exceptionalism and comes from the fact that foreigners drive on the wrong side of the road. Globally the wisdom of the crowd is left hand front brake and most frames and components reflect this since the demise of the UK bike industry. When I first started building my own bikes (a long time ago) I had to choose. To me it was clear, I'm right handed so when riding and doing all the other things you do (gear changing, nose blowing, arse scratching, et al) the most effective brake (front) is available more of the time. This is especially true if riding in a bunch.
Riding a bicycle inherently requires a degree of learned skill. The idea that the skill of using a front brake safely is beyond the hoi polloi and the great and good must make rules to protect them is ineffective, patronising and counter productive. I think it just reflects the attraction to some of making rules. If dumbing down to the lowest common denominator is a coherent approach then we should all have stabilisers, rear coaster brakes only and chain guards. Also fixed wheel, foot retention devices and chain derailing must be banned.
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My opinion is that the UK standard is just a piece of English exceptionalism
It is not just UK. I knew an organiser of cycle tours in New Zealand who always warned his customers (mainly American) that the brake set up was different to comply with NZ requirements. Possibly other similar countries (Australia, Japan etc) have the same set up requirement.
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Many people think that driving on the left is British exceptionalism too, despite over a third of of the world doing it.
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Japan and Indonesia would be good comparators, since their tradition of driving on the left does not derive from Britain.
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IIRC several Japanese manufacturers learned how to mass produce cars (as many did including BMW) from successful manufacturers such as Austin. I don't know if that had anything to do with their choice of drive side, but it might have.
BTW I think it is eminently sensible to mandate one way and one way only for new bikes. To do otherwise is almost as mental as allowing folk to decide which side of the road they use for themselves, or having some cars with the pedals reversed etc.
IME folk who get exercised about cable routings being 'wrong' etc have usually got other things going on which they should be more worried about.....
cheers
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Japan has been driving on the left since before significant Western contact and many centuries before cars. Indonesia drives on the left for the same reason as Suriname, Mozambique etc. Former colonies maintaining the ways abandoned by the colonisers. Come to that we could investigate the brake-hand customs of pre-WWII bikes in Central Europe.
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... Come to that we could investigate the brake-hand customs of pre-WWII bikes in Central Europe.
a good portion of them would only have had one brake which changes things, especially if it is (or there is) a coaster brake.
Q. Do bells always go on the left? I have a feeling they might, even if that is the front brake side....?
cheers
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BTW I think it is eminently sensible to mandate one way and one way only for new bikes...…...IME folk who get exercised about cable routings being 'wrong' ……...
:) I rest my case. It can't be argued rationally. It goes down a rabbit hole. Which side of the road people drive on is fairly arbitrary, it probably is linked to colonialism amongst many other things and it's not set in stone. The link with the handing of bicycle brakes is fairly tenuous at best in my view. I guess back in the days of rod brakes and steel rims manufacturers were forced to make a choice and the combination of poor braking and a predominance of right handed people might've predicated right hand front but it's a long time ago.
Brucey nailed it upthread - if you have to have a rule the only sensible one is that you should have what you're used to. Hard to mandate this for new bikes though. Perhaps retailers need to do a fact find first. I'm quite happy for everyone to have whatever they want. If people want a global standard then the vote has already been taken.
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Probably sensible to give the brake levers of any unfamiliar bike a squeeze before riding to sort out which is which (and to check they work).
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Q. Do bells always go on the left? I have a feeling they might, even if that is the front brake side....?
cheers
Arrrrrrgh. ;D No, they go wherever you want to put them. If you've left ringing the bell to the point you need to brake than you've left it to late and you should just concentrate on braking. YMMV.
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if an emergency situation arises and the rider grabs a handful of front brake with only one hand on the bars, most folk go straight down in a messy way, even if the front brake isn't very good.
Have any recumbent riders been caught out by this? Since you brace with your feet, it doesn't matter how you hold the bars under heavy braking, so you can get out of the habit if you've not ridden an upright for a while. I find that it's self-limiting, in that when I do go back to an upright, the sense of feeling like I'm about to land on my face is such that I'm *extremely* careful with braking until I get used to it again.
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Probably sensible to give the brake levers of any unfamiliar bike a squeeze before riding to sort out which is which (and to check they work).
+1 And your own bikes too! This takes us into the next controversy - where should the QR for a brake be?
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but back pedal brakes, only one brake etc can complicate this somewhat.
It still amazes me that there is no requirement for 2 brakes in this country. Esp given the love affair with back pedal brakes. I have yet to see a back pedal brake that comes even close to the braking performance of my Brompton. And Bromptons are notorious for poor braking. It's sufficiently shit that I generally consider a bike with coaster brakes as not having brakes.
The bikes at work of course have their brakes set up the reverse to what I am used to. Fortunately, being big ole cargo bikes, me hitting the front like it's a rear, would require quite a significant effort to make me go over the handle bars.
J
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but back pedal brakes, only one brake etc can complicate this somewhat.
It still amazes me that there is no requirement for 2 brakes in this country. Esp given the love affair with back pedal brakes. I have yet to see a back pedal brake that comes even close to the braking performance of my Brompton. And Bromptons are notorious for poor braking. It's sufficiently shit that I generally consider a bike with coaster brakes as not having brakes.
Yeah, but that's only a problem if you put air in the tyres :)
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Yeah, but that's only a problem if you put air in the tyres :)
Thanks for the reminder, I need to put air in the rear on the Brompton before I goto the shops...
J
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Yeah but are the back pedal brakes on the left or right pedal? :D
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Yeah but are the back pedal brakes on the left or right pedal? :D
Which ever pedal is fitted... :p
J
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Which leads us on to: starting with left or right foot. How is this linked to which side of the road you drive on? Does it vary by handlebar configuration? And by handedness of rider? Or dominant eye? Or shoe size?
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Which leads us on to: starting with left or right foot. How is this linked to which side of the road you drive on? Does it vary by handlebar configuration? And by handedness of rider? Or dominant eye? Or shoe size?
My impression is that most BRITONS start off with their right. This seems the wrong way round from a side-of-the-road perspective, as the camber puts your right foot closer to the ground. I think it's a dominant foot thing.
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Which leads us on to: starting with left or right foot. How is this linked to which side of the road you drive on? Does it vary by handlebar configuration? And by handedness of rider? Or dominant eye? Or shoe size?
My impression is that most BRITONS start off with their right. This seems the wrong way round from a side-of-the-road perspective, as the camber puts your right foot closer to the ground. I think it's a dominant foot thing.
Also stand with the chain away from you when boarding.
Here most people seem to step through the frame from the left...
J
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Which leads us on to: starting with left or right foot. How is this linked to which side of the road you drive on? Does it vary by handlebar configuration? And by handedness of rider? Or dominant eye? Or shoe size?
My impression is that most BRITONS start off with their right. This seems the wrong way round from a side-of-the-road perspective, as the camber puts your right foot closer to the ground. I think it's a dominant foot thing.
Makes sense if you’re standing on the pavement with the bike in the road though...
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Normally track stand when waiting to move off.
If I have a longer wait I put my left foot down as I can use the kerb, if available to reduce stretching my leg.
Remembering to use left leg when touring abroad
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Which leads us on to: starting with left or right foot. How is this linked to which side of the road you drive on? Does it vary by handlebar configuration? And by handedness of rider? Or dominant eye? Or shoe size?
My impression is that most BRITONS start off with their right. This seems the wrong way round from a side-of-the-road perspective, as the camber puts your right foot closer to the ground. I think it's a dominant foot thing.
Makes sense if you’re standing on the pavement with the bike in the road though...
GPWM. That's why I always wheel a bike from the left, to the point of being surprisingly unskilled at doing so from the right. (Which also makes sense from a chain-avoidance perspective.) I've pointed this out to the molishers of wheeling ramps on a couple of occasions.
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I'm also a right foot starter. I seem to remember that I used to be left foot but changed, though I can't quite remember when or why. Was it after I broke my left ankle? I don't think so. And I'm really, really clumsy at pushing a bike from the right. I don't think that's chain avoidance though, as I used to be clumsy at pushing a motorbike from the right (motos usually have the chain on the left, though far more variable than pedal cycles – opposite of the lever situation!).
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ISTR searching through the 'odd pedals' bin in a LBS years ago and they had many more left pedals that right ones, and said that they thought this was because so many people started with the right foot, and that this high stress was the one that either started or finished the job of breaking the spindle.
OTOH ISTR hearing that the GPO used to buy in many more left pedals than rights, because posties broke LH pedals by 'scootering'.
FWIW about half of the worn chainrings I look at show clear signs of the rider having pushed somewhat harder with one foot (usually the right) than the other.
A significant minority of continental pro riders choose to have their brakes configured 'moto', even though that wouldn't have ever been 'normal' where they were brought up. BITD, with non-aero cables, swapping sides was as easy as with flat bars.
cheers
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Back when I was riding a different bike every* day, it was pot luck which way round the brakes would be set up.
There was one occasion where the first time I realised the brakes were 'non moto' was when I had to make a hard stop on a wet descent after a bin lorry pulled out of a drive in front of me. The rear wheel locked up but I didn't slow down...
Somehow survived though. Got off the bike and inspected to see if I could work out the problem, and that was when I realised... :facepalm:
Funny thing was I'd done a >100km ride the day before on the same bike without noticing. Even I'm not sure how that is possible.
Aside from that, I've generally never had a problem riding bikes with the brakes the wrong way round - as long as I remember to check before setting off.
*slight exaggeration
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Which for you start from is only an issue when you go on a tandem.
Luckily the only two people I've ridden with have used the same for as me, so not been an issue.
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but back pedal brakes, only one brake etc can complicate this somewhat.
It still amazes me that there is no requirement for 2 brakes in this country. Esp given the love affair with back pedal brakes. I have yet to see a back pedal brake that comes even close to the braking performance of my Brompton. And Bromptons are notorious for poor braking. It's sufficiently shit that I generally consider a bike with coaster brakes as not having brakes.
The bikes at work of course have their brakes set up the reverse to what I am used to. Fortunately, being big ole cargo bikes, me hitting the front like it's a rear, would require quite a significant effort to make me go over the handle bars.
J
Weak brakes on bikes rarely cause problems, especially at low speeds, and with riders who are aware of how their brakes perform.
What does cause crashes and injuries is powerful brakes which lock up a wheel.
V brake levers on children's or utility bikes sometimes have pivots specifically to reduce the effectiveness of the brakes, I presume, for safety reasons.
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There’s an idea some people have that touching the front brake will send you straight over the handlebars. Considering the lack of effectiveness of the brakes on most BSOs (and therefore most bikes), I’m not really sure how this myth was born and how it persists.
Aided by some pedestrians I tested that theory going down White Horse Bank. What actually happens is your rear wheel starts to slide round and take the lead. The same can happen on a motorbike.
My best bit of braking was with cantis. A car driver pulled out in front of me forcing a hard stop. At some point I realised I had control and ensured that my front wheel stopped about a centimetre before striking the driver's door. The expression on the driver's face I will never forget ;D
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Which for you start from is only an issue when you go on a tandem.
Luckily the only two people I've ridden with have used the same for as me, so not been an issue.
Being able to start with either foot is useful here.
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Weak brakes on bikes rarely cause problems, especially at low speeds, and with riders who are aware of how their brakes perform.
What does cause crashes and injuries is powerful brakes which lock up a wheel.
V brake levers on children's or utility bikes sometimes have pivots specifically to reduce the effectiveness of the brakes, I presume, for safety reasons.
When I first started commuting here I stopped for a red light, doing so with what I thought was plenty of distance behind me for people to stop. I didn't take into account how shit their brakes were, or that they would be so surprised by me stopping. Got rear ended by a group of 5 people on Dutch BSO's...
Wouldn't have been an issue if I'd had shit brakes like them, as you say, but as I had really good brakes in the form of my Brompton rim brakes... comparatively really good at least...
On the front brake vs rear brake thing. Riding a old Brompton, that doesn't have the frame clip, if I slam the front brake on, the bike folds up, which is scary.
J
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Similar danger with riding recumbents in London: You can inadvertently out-brake the road-warrior commuter sitting in your blind spot (not uncommonly your nearside blind spot) and hoping to jump the red light.
Unless it's an emergency, I tend to ride in city traffic as if I've got someone on a road bike following me (avoiding potholes and hard braking). It's just safer.
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Recumbent brakes can be awesome; if the CoG is in the right place the braking potential is vast and with the right brakes it can be exploited too. A year or so ago I happened upon a recumbent rider on his new tadpole machine. His previous machine (also with 20" front wheels) had 70mm SA drums, he told me. He'd test ridden discs as well as drums in both 70mm and 90mm sizes and had settled on the 90mm drums for the new machine. IME SA drum brakes take a long time to bed in fully and his brakes were not yet bedded in; despite this the brakes were clearly very powerful indeed.
Just for fun he demonstrated the brakes and I used my (pretty average) brakes on my upright. I stopped in a normal distance and didn't quite manage to throw myself over the bars. He stopped in less than 1/3 the distance without any trouble. In fact, even with the brakes not bedded in yet, he had so much power that he could lift the rear wheel and potentially mash the front mast (and his feet) into the tarmac. Having seen that, I am of the view that on such machines, once bedded in, 70mm SA brakes are probably 'plenty'. Even with those, few other vehicles would be able to pull up as quickly.
With just a single coaster brake on the rear wheel, yer typical Dutch bike will be lucky to manage a 0.25 or 0.35G stop. Most uprights with a front and rear brake will manage a 0.5G stop, maybe more, up to about 0.75G if conditions are favourable. On a good recumbent the braking potential is limited only by tyre grip so ~1.25G with half decent tyres is possible. Better yet if the brakes have a) good cold 'bite' and b) the back end comes up slowly enough (for you to react to it), you can slam the brakes on full bore instantly and this really shortens the stopping distance.
cheers
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Japan has been driving on the left since before significant Western contact and many centuries before cars. Indonesia drives on the left for the same reason as Suriname, Mozambique etc. Former colonies maintaining the ways abandoned by the colonisers. Come to that we could investigate the brake-hand customs of pre-WWII bikes in Central Europe.
But Mozambique was portuguese. Which side do they drive on? Is it the same in Angola? (Or do they all really drive in the middle of the road? ??? )
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Portugal was itself RHD (LH traffic, LHT) until 1928, along with all its colonies. Mozambique stayed LHT presumably because of the land borders with other LHT countries.
There is a good wiki page on this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic)
which suggests that LHT became institutionalised in Japan because of (British engineered) railways and then trams.
cheers
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Japan has been driving on the left since before significant Western contact and many centuries before cars. Indonesia drives on the left for the same reason as Suriname, Mozambique etc. Former colonies maintaining the ways abandoned by the colonisers. Come to that we could investigate the brake-hand customs of pre-WWII bikes in Central Europe.
But Mozambique was portuguese. Which side do they drive on? Is it the same in Angola? (Or do they all really drive in the middle of the road? ??? )
Portugal drove on the left. As did Spain and Italy – but only some parts. AFAIK it was the whole of Portugal. Just as well France never had these regional variations; I'm trying to imagine what would happen to PBP riders having to remember which side of the road to ride on at 4a.m....