What is a coaster brake?

[Bimble]

@ekbe01 is asking for info on a lightweight bike with a coaster brake, but rather than disturb her thread I thought I'd ask here.

What is a coaster brake?

 

[midlife]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html

a brake in the hub that is activated by pedaling backwards.

Shaun

 

[Dogtrousers]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_brake#Coaster_brakes

It's a drum brake in the rear hub. To activate it you back-pedal.

 

[Bimble]

Thanks, I haven't come across one of those before. Interesting. Are they quite powerful, like a lever brake, or does it take some time to stop using one of these?

 

[midlife]

Not used one for 40 years, had to test drive mended bikes with them.............. horrible IMHO.

Shaun

 

[Goggs]

I had one on a folding bike I had when I was wee. I thought it was awesome. Far better than the cheap sidepull brakes that were fitted to budget bikes back then.

 

[Apollonius]

They are common enough on "city" bikes in mainland Europe. Had one on a bike I hired in Germany back in June. Hideous. The worst thing with them is getting started off. You cannot swing the pedals back to get a "drive-off" position, so you end up hopping and scrambling. They are quite sharp, so if you forget you have one, you get an uncomfortable reminder. Suitable, perhaps for really heavy bikes and steep downhills. Not my style at all!

 

[summerdays]

A steep downhill is where I really would t want one!

You have to try and stop with your pedal ready each time to make it easier to set off!

 

[rrarider]

Thanks, I haven't come across one of those before. Interesting. Are they quite powerful, like a lever brake, or does it take some time to stop using one of these?

They are powerful enough to lock the back wheel. My mother's Moulton had such a brake back in the 1960s and the brake was quite OK for a shopping bike.

 

[Bimble]

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm guessing they are not so popular these days or maybe limited to certain types of bikes like the European town bike styles?

 

[Milkfloat]

Great for pulling huge skids on hire bikes as a kid in CentreParcs Netherlands in the early 80s. This was designed by my brother and I to 'pull the birds'. It worked for him, but although my skids were longer, I failed.

 

[Pale Rider]

Great for pulling huge skids on hire bikes as a kid in CentreParcs Netherlands in the early 80s. This was designed by my brother and I to 'pull the birds'. It worked for him, but although my skids were longer, I failed.

Long skid marks is never a good look for the ladies.

 

[Goggs]

Great for pulling huge skids on hire bikes as a kid in CentreParcs Netherlands in the early 80s. This was designed by my brother and I to 'pull the birds'. It worked for him, but although my skids were longer, I failed.

Welcome to my world.. Forty years ago

Long skid marks is never a good look for the ladies.

Oh!

 

[outlash]

Had one on my Team Murray BMX as a kid, on mag wheels that weighed a ton.

 

[Julia9054]

First got caught out with one of these when riding my penfriend's bike in Germany as a teenager. I pedalled backwards whilst coasting down a hill, bike came to a sudden standstill and I flew over the handlebars! She didn't know there was any other type of brake so didn't think to mention it!
I hired a bike in Amsterdam last Easter. As other posters have said, it is having to scoot to set off that makes life difficult - my "scooting" leg was aching like mad the next day.