Coaster brakes?

Skunk said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_cn-z.html#coaster

Common on European utility bikes, particularly Germany and the Netherlands.
Work by applying backwards pressure on the pedals, braking the rear wheel.
Regularly fitted to hub gear bikes of 3, 5 or 7 gears.

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In message <[email hidden]>, Skunk
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

Also known as a 'back pedal brake'.

The brake unit is built into the rear hub and operated by back pedalling
slightly (not a lot 1/8 of a revolution say?).

not common in this country anymore but common in places like Holland. I
had one for many years, They are excellent brakes for a utility/town
bike. Reliable in all weathers, very low maintenance and make for very
relaxed cycling around town.

but have to be used with hub gears or single gear, can't be used with a
derailleur
--
Chris French, Leeds

Skunk <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

Back-pedal rear hub brakes, much favoured on utility bikes in Denmark
and the Netherlands. Probably more useful on kids' bikes cos small
children have little weak hands.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Skunk said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

"Back pedal brakes". A Dutch kid on our street had them when we were
kids.

Much more effective for stopping (and making skid marks, as I recall)
than the poxy normal brakes fitted to kids' bikes in the UK in the
70s. Chromed steel rims - remember them?

Not Responding said:

"Back pedal brakes". A Dutch kid on our street had them when we were
kids.

Much more effective for stopping (and making skid marks, as I recall)

Oh yes... as me and my Raleigh Striker could attest. My mean, green,
skidding machine.

Those were the days eh? Small boys in the park... jumpers for goal
posts...

</RonManager>

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chris French said:

Also known as a 'back pedal brake'.

And we called everything else "hand brakes".

Quoted message said:

The brake unit is built into the rear hub and operated by back pedalling
slightly (not a lot 1/8 of a revolution say?).

There normally is a neutral bit between where you pedal forwards and where
you start to break. So from freewheeling without pedalling you would have
to move a bit forward before you get the pressure for accelerating, and a
bit backward before you get braking pressure.

Roos

Roos Eisma [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

There normally is a neutral bit between where you pedal forwards and where
you start to break. So from freewheeling without pedalling you would have
to move a bit forward before you get the pressure for accelerating, and a
bit backward before you get braking pressure.

While trying to ride a cruiser fitted with coaster brake recently I
managed to ride into a wall. I stopped pedalling at 12 / 6 and since
there were no clips I couldn't get seem to get the pedals into a
position where I could apply reverse pressure. This combined with an
increasing panic at the imminent impact led to me planting both feet on
the floor and desperately squeezing the bars where the brakes should
have been!

I sort of got the hang of it after a few attempts, but it wouldn't be my
stopping mode of choice.

Jon

Roos Eisma said:

There normally is a neutral bit between where you pedal forwards and where
you start to break. So from freewheeling without pedalling you would have
to move a bit forward before you get the pressure for accelerating, and a
bit backward before you get braking pressure.

Learning to use one last year in Amsterdam was quite an entertainemnt.
Roos was worried she'd have a bit of explaining to my M&D about why I
was flatter than usual for the first half an hour...
Hire bikes are available with gears and hand brakes, but the vanilla was
good enough and that just has a single back pedal brake. On a bike
where you're sat high enough that stopping means you must step off the
seat to put your foot down, but you can only brake while pushing
backwards on a pedal, does need a little bit of working out! ;-)

Pete.
--
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Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Jon Senior
<jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOTco_DOT_uk@?.?.invalid> writes

Quoted message said:

Roos Eisma [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

There normally is a neutral bit between where you pedal forwards and where
you start to break. So from freewheeling without pedalling you would have
to move a bit forward before you get the pressure for accelerating, and a
bit backward before you get braking pressure.

While trying to ride a cruiser fitted with coaster brake recently I
managed to ride into a wall. I stopped pedalling at 12 / 6 and since
there were no clips I couldn't get seem to get the pedals into a
position where I could apply reverse pressure. This combined with an
increasing panic at the imminent impact led to me planting both feet on
the floor and desperately squeezing the bars where the brakes should
have been!

I sort of got the hang of it after a few attempts, but it wouldn't be my
stopping mode of choice.

Jon

I was so used to mine I used to miss it - I'd ride along on the tourer,
back pedal then arrgh, quick, hands ! (I used to ride that bike round
town in London - the tourer might only get an outing every few weeks ) I
think like everything else you need a bit to get used to it.

I found it great on my round town/ commuting utility bike, even towing a
trailer, though I'd not want it as the only stopper, In fact I may put
it back on when we move to the flatland sand I can get the necessary
spares

--
Chris French, Leeds

In message <[email hidden]>, Helen Deborah
Vecht <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Skunk <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

Back-pedal rear hub brakes, much favoured on utility bikes in Denmark
and the Netherlands. Probably more useful on kids' bikes cos small
children have little weak hands.

Indeed, which is why DD's new bike has one
--
Chris French, Leeds

Got one on my 'new' Galaxe.

I assumed I'd have to be fitting a caliper brake but have found it surprisingly effective

Skunk <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Someone mentioned the term coaster brakes to me today. I'd never heard
of them. Anyone know what they are?

Almost the best thing since er.....

I luve em on utility bikes - some of the cheaper versions seem to have
the neutral mentioned by another poster, but the older Sturmey-Archer
ones I favour are excellent.
They have particular applications for heavily loaded bikes, the disabled,
and for wet weather riding.
My first touring bike had one, it was built for a bloke with only one
hand, and I've fitted coaster hub brakes to various bikes of mine ever
since. Best in conjunction with another braking system though.

chris French said:

but have to be used with hub gears or single gear, can't be used with a
derailleur

In an infinite universe, everything is possible.

The only time I've seen it done, the derailleur was either an Osgear
or something very much like it with the chain tensioner close to the
chain wheel and 'fingers' to guide the chain onto the appropriate
sprocket. A second tensioner had been fitted to the top run of the
chain - this took up the slack when back pedalling to apply the brake.

--
Naqerj