For what it is worth, in 1974 I bought a Holdsworth in a shop in Battersea in southwest London for the express purpose of using it to tour throughout Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium and France.
It came right hand-rear brake, left hand-front brake.
Michael Lebron NYC
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>From: "Hilary.stone" <Hilary.stone@tesco.net>
>To: <CYCLESTORE@aol.com>, <ltbradley@msn.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: Re: [CR]Right/left - A british perspective?
>Date: Sat, Aug 31, 2002, 2:34 PM
>
>Yes bicycles sold in bike shops must have right brake lever to front brake
>and left lever to rear. It is only that the bikes must be sold that way -
>riders are perfectly free to swap their brakes over after buying it. Custom
>bikes are exempt from this requirement.
>
>Hilary Stone, where I will be with the Veteran-Cycle Club who are spending
>tomorrow afternoon at Eastway circuit, time trialling and mass start racing
>their older bikes tomorrow, London
>
>
>
>Gilbert Anderson wrote:
>
>> This may have already been covered but I was informed by one of my British
>> suppliers that like right hand drive in cars ( driving on the left), right
>> actuated front brakes and left actuated rear brakes are required by law under
>> the governance of the British equivalent of the CPSC (USA Consumer Product
>> Saftey Commission).
>>
>> Hilary, is it a law mate,