How effective/safe are rod brakes?

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rogerzilla

Legendary Member
:smile::smile::blink:
Upright roadster bikes have a lot going for them in safety terms; the riding position gives a good view of what is going on around you, and they are generally not ridden at nutter speeds either, which means more time to react to any hazards.
And they're generally heavy enough to give immunity against being doored...the car door would just be knocked off
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
:smile::smile::blink:
And they're generally heavy enough to give immunity against being doored...the car door would just be knocked off

I'll take your word for that, as I have no desire to prove it for myself. :eek: I will say though that for some reason motorists do tend to give a bit more room when on the 3-speed, especially when approaching from the opposite direction and the road is narrowed by parked vehicles. Sometimes they'll hold back and wait for me to pass by whereas if I was riding my Raleigh Royal, they'd often keep coming and squeeze past. I suppose they do have a certain road presence and they look "solid", so the premium German automobile drivers are worried about their shiny paintwork.
 

roley poley

Veteran
Location
leeds
Do they sell rod brake kits anymore or do you have to cobble them together from finds ? could do with a set on an old Raleigh awaiting referb
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
Rod brakes only work with Westwood rims, where the brakes operate vertically against the bed of the rim. You can still obtain them, though I doubt they'll work with high-pressure tyres.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I had a ride of a friends upright Pashley. Good god, awful. Like trying to steer a barge. Give me a road bike or MTB any day.

There's roadsters and there's roadsters. They come in a lot of variants of geometry, wheelbase, and weight. I have ridden ones that feel like a tank and don't want to change direction, but I have also ridden others that are quite nippy, relatively speaking. My 26" rod-braked Raleigh falls into the latter category.It looks like it shouldn't be, but it's pretty manoeuvrable

Do they sell rod brake kits anymore or do you have to cobble them together from finds ? could do with a set on an old Raleigh awaiting referb

You'd probably have to source rod brake parts from one of those countries where those bikes are still made and ridden in large numbers. I doubt it would prove economic, TBH. If you've got a rod brake machine with missing parts, it's probably better to try to source a compatible donor bike or consider converting it to cable brakes. For example my Raleigh is based around the Raleigh Sports roadster frame, and Raleigh turned out different model variants, some with cable brakes, some with rods, some with fully enclosed chaincases, and some without. The common factor was the frame and the 26" wheels. If you have a 28" wheel roadster, it might be a rod-only design, but it also might be a simple conversion to cable.
 

roley poley

Veteran
Location
leeds
ebay do a complete set £15.99 but for a front wheel of 20inch would need wheels too i realise either that or start drilling out the holes to make callipers fit as my box of odds and sods dont fit the 1957 frame (date from sa hub gear)
 

roley poley

Veteran
Location
leeds
nope but could send pics tomorrow, gents frame ,I stripped it down to frame and forks and a box of bits years ago but where the rod brake components went to I just don't know re found it in my lockdown clear up of the shed
 
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