Coaster brakes - are they bobbinous?

[Andrew_Culture]

Does anyone use Coaster / back-pedal brakes on their singlespeed? The lack of a rear brake cable sort of appeals to me but I'm not convinced a coaster brake would actually stop me?

 

[MossCommuter]

The front brake is the one that stops you

 

[MontyVeda]

The front brake is the one that stops you

sometimes a bit too effectively

 

[Andrew_Culture]

sometimes a bit too effectively

I went over the handlebars while cycling through London at the weekend and some lady in a car which was in a different lane and about two hundred yards back at the time took the trouble to slow down and demand an apology from me. I was a bit non-plussed so gave her a thumbs up and got a middle finger in return. Still not sure what that was about, I had the decency to stick to my own lane when landing.

 

[fossyant]

I need three brakes to stop me on my fixed, two brakes and the legs sometimes.

 

[mickle]

Most of my bikes have coaster brakes. 2 single speeds and one with a three speed Torpedo. I bloody loves em. SRAM promised to make a coaster version of their i9, I don't know if it ever materialised.

I've even managed to find a type of coaster brake mechanism which lives near the left crank and can be used with derailleur gears. Shame it's £500 ...

The two single speeds have no second brake. I don't have any trouble stopping, but then I don't tend to ride very fast - and well within the distance I know to be clear!

 

[tyred]

I've got two - a pre-war Humber with an Eadie coaster hub and a c1970 Batavus with a Sachs Torpedo. Both do exactly what it says on the tin and stop the bike. They are perfectly adequate as a rear brake but keep the front too. It does take a few miles always to be comfortable with it if I haven't used it in a while, You need to consider your foot position when freewheeling and when coming to a complete stop in a way you wouldn't have to on a normal freewheel bike.

When you get used to it, you will get on a normal bike and come flying up to a junction, back-pedal and wonder why you aren't slowing down....

 

[Andrew_Culture]

When you get used to it, you will get on a normal bike and come flying up to a junction, back-pedal and wonder why you aren't slowing down....

That's one of my big concerns!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I've decided that I need two hoods to put my hands on so they might as well both be brakes!

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Not on a FW/SS but on my Pub/Winter bike I have a Nexus 3 speed with coaster and it's especially good on one particular descent

And I don't get used to that and try to backpedal on any of my other bikes

 

[Andrew_Culture]

[QUOTE 3006564, member: 45"]Why not chop and turn some drop bars?[/QUOTE]

Cos they look silly

 

[Old Plodder]

Coaster brakes can be a nuisance if you normally remove the rear wheel to fix punctures as they have a torque arm that attaches to the frame, plus they add weight & can be difficult to fit new brake shoes.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Coaster brakes can be a nuisance if you normally remove the rear wheel to fix punctures as they have a torque arm that attaches to the frame, plus they add weight & can be difficult to fit new brake shoes.

I wondered what that arm was for!

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Bit of a thread resurrection! I've been using a coaster wheel instead of a fixed gear for about 6 months now,
I've used it in all weathers and I've had no issues with it at all,It is heavier than my fixed gear wheel but you can't tell once you're
moving,freewheeling downhill is eerily quiet with no freewheel click,click,click
It doesn't feel that much different from riding fixed,I can't feel the dead spot you get from riding with a freewheel either,not sure why???

Braking is fine,I tend to use the coaster brake for slowing down, then the front brake for coming to a halt,just like riding fixed really.
Had a couple of punctures and having to loosen off the torque arm isn't that much of an issue,Can't see me going back to fixed if it gets through the
coming winter without problems,it's much more practical,not least because you don't need to be riding with spd's ,just a pair of trainers will suffice
no more clip clopping round town now in my spd shoes

 

[zigzag]

i like coaster brakes for their simplicity and consistent (albeit average) performance in any weather. one thing to keep in mind that they are have some drag due to the spring rubbing inside the clutch and may start to squeal if it's low on grease (clutch turns with the wheel while the spring sits still). you can see this in the photo with the rusty old grease and how the edge of the spring coil is ground flat. it becomes better when it's run in.