Safety COASTER BRAKE horror stories, please add your experience

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I've had my share of coaster brake stories on THE DRAGON LADY, my twin-engined girlie bike.

The worst was when the rear wheel locked up going downhill at 30mph. Almost had to lay the bike down. About 10 seconds of horror until the bike stopped. It ruined the rim and OEM coaster brake innards. Shimano coaster brake and new wheel was installed. This was with a front electric hub.

Then I gassified the bike with a 2.2hp engine. The rear wheel still locked up on occasion, momentarily, when rear brake was applied above 15 mph. I always had a front brake, so I added a rear caliper brake, having three brakes in total.

This made the bike MUCH safer. Coaster brake was applied under 10 mph.

Now ALL my MB's have disc brakes, even my 2006 NE5 Whizzer.:cry:
 
In my opinion it really doesn't matter as long as you know how to use a coaster brake.
Most people will try to do a panic stop with a coaster brake, which will instantly lock up the rear wheel sending you into a skid.
The same thing can happen with caliper brakes and disk brakes if they aren't adjusted right. But still, anyone who tries to do a panic stop with any type of brakes on a bike will lock up the rear wheel.
Now, if you add a front brake into the mix and do a panic stop, chances are, you're going down.
If you know how to use a caoster brake correctly (or any brakes for that matter) you will never put the bike into a skid.
The problem i have with front brakes is that there is a good chance of locking up the front wheel, which may pitch the handlebars sideways.
I have raced bmx bikes, i ride motorcycles, and i've done a lot of crazy things on them in my life. i have been around bikes, cars, motorcycles and all things mechanical all my life and i have never crashed on any bike due to having just a coaster brake or using the rear brake only.
one of my motorized bikes has a coaster brake only, and i have never locked up the rear wheel even during a panic stop. you just have to know how to use a coaster brake.
my other motorized bike has a rear caliper brake only and I have never locked up the rear wheel on it either because i know how to use the brakes and i know how to stop the bike.,
I think a lot of brake related crashes are due to the rider not knowing how to use the brakes effectively. even at 30 mph, i can bring my coaster brake bike to a stop in a relatively short distance without locking up the rear wheel. now, if a car were to pull out in front of me with 20 feet to stop, i probbaly would not be able to stop in time. But, this goes to the old saying "be aware of your surroundings." if you are zipping along at w.o.t. on a road where there is traffic and side streets, your bound to get hit or crash into a car that pulls out in front of you no matter what type of brakes you have.
I don't ride in traffic (car or pedestrian) and i don't ride down hills....I just ride around my neighborhood which is relitively flat and only has 2 stop signs. I have ridden in other areas that do have traffic but I never had a problem stopping.
Sometimes i just think that people build a motorized bike with 0 bicycle experience other than they know to pedal forward to go and backwards to stop (with a coaster brake) or to squeeze the brake levers to stop.
I'm sorry but i do not blame coaster brakes for the cause of crashes...I blame the inexperienced rider. I still can't comprehend how a person could have grown up riding a bike, without ever understanding the mechanicals of it.
I kind of look at it like those people who get in their cars, start the engine, throw it in drive as soon as the engine is running, and take off as fast as they can. People who just drive the car and never check the oil or tires and never do maintance...they just drive it until something breaks.
I guess i just don't know what it's like to be non mechanically inclined especially on something as simple as a bicycle.
I also don't understand how someone can put a bike into a skid and not know how to correct it withut laying the bike down.
I used to go down a sidewalk that was a huge hill on my bike as fast as i could. I would estimate that i would probably get up to 20-25 mph, then i would veer off of the sidewalk into a big grass area and put my bike into a powerslide to see how far i could slide the bike. This was when i was about 10 years old and it tought me how to control a skid on a bike.
 
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Since the beginning of the forum, I've tried to recommend NOT to motorize single speed coaster models. Every day 5-10 new members join us, and I'd guess 20% of the first timers are going to try that single speed combo.

The ONLY place it might work is the beach area, flat roads where the label Beach Cruiser really applies. If you are 60 miles from the coast, hills begin to appear, and that is where trouble begins. If you are going to piddle around at 10-13 miles per hour in really low traffic areas, fine.

But most folks are itching to hit wide open throttle.

Your life is worth more than a $100 bike, and I thought maybe we could get a thread devoted to bashing this type bike once and for all. Then, if a new MBer joins with photo's of his/her shiny Schwinn with coaster brakes, we could point them to this thread.

Just yesterday:





In 2005 I got a Grampa bike for $30, a '70's model Western Flyer. It was motorized for maybe 2 weeks when a local bike collector bought it, without the engine, just because he needed the leather seat.

Then I found a bikeshop, he only had ONE Sun Cruiser in the rows of bikes, I was more interested in the handlebars and tires than the speeds. ( I've mentioned how I spent $700 on bikes before I found the combo I liked.)

I bought it, motorized it, then ordered a 7 speed from the bike shop catalog. Sales picked up pretty quick, and the single speed basically sat there doing nothing.

That winter, I put another engine on it, and while coming to a stop sign on a wet road, I hit the brakes and slid sideways.

Whooooooa, I'm NOT going to sell something that even I couldn't control.

That bike was stripped of parts (I sold the frame later).

You can "think" nothing will happen, but if you haven't bought a bicycle yet, maybe reading some MBincidents, you will splurge on something with multi-speeds and handbrakes. Makes about a $50 difference on new models in the big box stores.

If you don't see a multi-speed cassette in the Wal Mart racks? Keep on walking, in other words.

Yep, I totally would have waited on the engine if I knew about coasters. I just learned the hardway about them darn coasters. Lucky for me, I didn't go down. I was having issues with the coaster arm, so I removed it. when I got everything up and running again, as I was out on test run, pedals started turning on me. Cut the engine right away to discover that I lost my rt side axle nut. Yeah, not good. Now, on the hunt for a new hub/wheel. Wish I would have known about this site before I bought the motor. Oh well, lesson learned.
 
In my opinion it really doesn't matter as long as you know how to use a coaster brake.
Most people will try to do a panic stop with a coaster brake, which will instantly lock up the rear wheel sending you into a skid.
The same thing can happen with caliper brakes and disk brakes if they aren't adjusted right. But still, anyone who tries to do a panic stop with any type of brakes on a bike will lock up the rear wheel.
Now, if you add a front brake into the mix and do a panic stop, chances are, you're going down.
If you know how to use a caoster brake correctly (or any brakes for that matter) you will never put the bike into a skid.
The problem i have with front brakes is that there is a good chance of locking up the front wheel, which may pitch the handlebars sideways.
I have raced bmx bikes, i ride motorcycles, and i've done a lot of crazy things on them in my life. i have been around bikes, cars, motorcycles and all things mechanical all my life and i have never crashed on any bike due to having just a coaster brake or using the rear brake only.
one of my motorized bikes has a coaster brake only, and i have never locked up the rear wheel even during a panic stop. you just have to know how to use a coaster brake.
my other motorized bike has a rear caliper brake only and I have never locked up the rear wheel on it either because i know how to use the brakes and i know how to stop the bike.,
I think a lot of brake related crashes are due to the rider not knowing how to use the brakes effectively. even at 30 mph, i can bring my coaster brake bike to a stop in a relatively short distance without locking up the rear wheel. now, if a car were to pull out in front of me with 20 feet to stop, i probbaly would not be able to stop in time. But, this goes to the old saying "be aware of your surroundings." if you are zipping along at w.o.t. on a road where there is traffic and side streets, your bound to get hit or crash into a car that pulls out in front of you no matter what type of brakes you have.
I don't ride in traffic (car or pedestrian) and i don't ride down hills....I just ride around my neighborhood which is relitively flat and only has 2 stop signs. I have ridden in other areas that do have traffic but I never had a problem stopping.
Sometimes i just think that people build a motorized bike with 0 bicycle experience other than they know to pedal forward to go and backwards to stop (with a coaster brake) or to squeeze the brake levers to stop.
I'm sorry but i do not blame coaster brakes for the cause of crashes...I blame the inexperienced rider. I still can't comprehend how a person could have grown up riding a bike, without ever understanding the mechanicals of it.
I kind of look at it like those people who get in their cars, start the engine, throw it in drive as soon as the engine is running, and take off as fast as they can. People who just drive the car and never check the oil or tires and never do maintance...they just drive it until something breaks.
I guess i just don't know what it's like to be non mechanically inclined especially on something as simple as a bicycle.
I also don't understand how someone can put a bike into a skid and not know how to correct it withut laying the bike down.
I used to go down a sidewalk that was a huge hill on my bike as fast as i could. I would estimate that i would probably get up to 20-25 mph, then i would veer off of the sidewalk into a big grass area and put my bike into a powerslide to see how far i could slide the bike. This was when i was about 10 years old and it tought me how to control a skid on a bike.

As a kid, I went through a ton of rubber blowing them out due to skids. But, that was on purpose. As a kid, it was fun to hear your tire squeal. But, like you said, it's all about knowing your surroundings and being aware of what is around you. Regardless the number of wheels you are riding on and regardless if it's motorized or not period.
 
full

Photo of conduit strap to replace the weak brake straps that can break, leading to auto-rotation of the hub and pedals! This is stronger.

Interesting! I am fascinated by some of the bikes cobbled together for those events, but I've never seen one here in TX (coaster brake races offroad).

I am currently running a beach cruiser with a v-brake front and coaster brake rear. The coaster brake was awful with the 42x18 gear, but quite strong with the 34x18 gear. I would never want to rely on it though, but its good for an assist to the front brake or for holding the bike at a stoplight while taking off gloves or using the GPS. (bike is 75lb, groceries sometimes 50lb)

Making freecoaster for nought, or maybe price of a couple washers.

Best photos here: http://www.wtlw.net/ff/suntour/
Video http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=30139

http://www.bmxtrix.com/
The other side of the rear driver is threaded. While the sprocket is outside the hub, the threaded side is inside the hub; specifically, it threads into the clutch. When you pedal forward, it threads into the clutch and pulls it against the hub, engaging it so you go forward. Back pedal and it unscrews the clutch until the clutch hits the unbrake. (Or your washers) Then the clutch can't unscrew anymore. You can still pedal backwards, but the clutch simply spins against the unbrake. While threaded on the outside, the driver is not threaded on the inside, it floats on the axle.
driver2_small.jpg

http://www.bmxtrix.com/images/tech_section/freecoaster/small/driver2_small.jpg

Coaster brakes are definitely not for everyone. It's like riding a chopper with a drum rear and a spool up front - you have to remain hyper-aware of your surroundings and the traffic, and accept that sooner or later you WILL go down. With the risk does come some added adrenaline when zipping through congested areas at a good clip.

I'd recommend a front rim brake/disc/drum to augment the coaster brake. I'd also suggest using an old (rebuilt or at least tuned-up) Bendix hub with the herringbone-style knurling around the hub shell. These have four shoes inside and are far superior to any currently-produced coaster brake hub that I've seen.

I actually participate in a single-speed coaster brake-only trail/fireroad race series here in SoCal, and with upkeep, tuning and the limitaions of a coaster hub firmly engraved in your mind, they do provide sufficient stopping power, even downhill. Okay, you may have to drop a foot and powerslide a little from time to time. ;)

Dirty Dave
 
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Here's an interesting idea for people who want to move the motor cog away from the torque arm, if you just have to have a coaster brake. Since the forward motion of the hub would rotate the cone clockwise (from center of hub POV) against the locknut, dropout, and outside axle nut, it may be possible to substitute a double box-end wrench for a torque-arm. Add nut(s) to the axle to space the motor cog away from frame as desired, and use a box end wrench (boxing the outermost or next spacer nut) and attached conventionally at the chainstay (with the strap and bolt or bolt through a slotted hole on frame). The arm would be long and probably have an angle in it similar to most torque arms that come with the coaster brakes.

SBE5B.jpg
http://www.mactools.com/Portals/1/aspdnsf/images/PRODUCT/medium/SBE5B.jpg photo of wrench. Find an old one in parts bin at pawn shop or tool show.
 
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No horror stories here because I know coaster brakes and MABs dont mix. {if you have a front v-brake then maybe}
 
I purchased a single speed bicycle with coaster brakes, I've had 3 motorized bikes in the past which were on mountain bike frames and i had a habit of peddling backwards while riding as they have free spin and not fixies lol I made that mistake and totally forgot the coaster bike had peddle brakes which made me end up on my back side on the highway lol.. To fix this problem i removed the coaster brake and whole back wheel. I got a mountain bike rim and took the crassest off and replace it with a single speed cog which has free spin eg; Like a BMX cog.. Now i can peddle backwards which riding lol

Problem is now i have no back breaks but the front seem it work perfect... I can at least come to an emergence stop with ease.

:D

Adrian.
 
Brief history of Mountain bikes and caoster brakes

http://www.mountainbikeroots.com/events/repack.php

Repack Downhill

The steep and rough Repack Fire Road in Fairfax, Marin County, California is where mountain biking started. It got its name from the smoke that billowed from burning grease and the subsequent need to repack the hubs of early coaster-brake bikes cruising this classic downhill.

The first formal race down Repack was held in 1976.

The first "mountain bikes" were cruisers that were heavily modified for off road use...:whistle: um, they took the fenders off. As you can see from the above quote from www.mountainbikeroots.com the early bikes only had coaster brakes. So, "No coaster brakes for you!"
 
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