I've tried mounting my rear brakes backwards, simply because: a) I couldn't see why not; b) I wanted to see what happened; and c) It was a lot easier to tighten the brake's hex nut from the outside than it was trying to squeeze my too-large wrench in between the stays and the seat tube. FWIW - I found virtually no difference in braking performance in the new configuration. However, it looked kind of silly and I later re-installed the brakes the proper way, chiefly for aesthetic reasons.
Kevin Lindsey
San Jose, CA
USA
>
> I have received many comments of my comment about rear brake direction.
> Seems we all do it out of habit WHY? In all the years I rode and raced I
> NEVER saw anyone mount them forwards! Goes back to dark ages I guess when
> brakes even had a clamp around the tube to help avoid shudder, Why in the
> drive chain on the RIGHT side? this HAS been discussed before BUT WHY?
> Cheers John Crump OldwantstoknowBrit.Parker,Co USA,