Help - Coaster or Hand Brakes?

Which do you prefer? Coaster or Hand Brakes


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scokes

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Trying to help out a friend who can't decide on a bike. There are many options out there on a different bikes, but in my opinion, the only major difference between the two he is looking at are the brakes.

I have hand brakes on a seven speed, but I have always wondered how the coaster brakes would do on an MB.

Anybody have both and care to comment?
 
The short answer is no- coaster brakes alone will not do it. There is nothing inherently wrong with coaster brakes in their proper context, but on the speed MBs carry, as well as the correspondant reduction is time to react, faster response is needed.

Front brakes are 70-75% of your braking- you lose that with a coaster brake alone. Coaster brakes get hot and fade badly...and possibly lock up. Rim brakes work well (v brakes better than calipers). The gold standard is discs and between the 2 are drums.

I have rim brakes front and rear and a coaster, but I seldom use the coatser.
 
I'll echo Hough, you'll want front brakes regardless. Hand brakes are an easier install, as coaster brakes require a few extra modifications.
 
Why I am a coaster brake man:

I live in flat-florida.
I don't have to deal with long downhills, that would COOK a coaster brake.

Coaster brakes have been perfected for over a century.

There are no cables, no pads, no rim-wear-outs, no disk,
and a CLEAN look for a cruiser bike.

Do they STOP fast? Depends!
From bike speeds of normal bikes (say, under 18mph),
IF you lean back, IF, you put most of the weight over the rear tire,
and IF you have a good, soft, non-skid tire (I favor Bontrager Hanks),
the rear-wheel brake bike is good at stopping fast.

IF you skid, it will only fishtail you, not DUMP you over the bars,
or make the bike fall over.

Coaster brake bikes are not really suitable, imo, for powered bikes,
however, I have a home-assembled cruiser, good for 20mph unassisted,
an e-bike. It has only a coaster brake.

We have no hills. I know the bike's limits (Big Hanks really grip asphalt, wet or dry).

So, for me: simple is best. It's such a clean look, too,
and easy to service, and...

...for a minority of riders, but not for powered-bike riders,
and not for hilly-terrain riders, a coaster brake works just fine,
just like it did a century ago. My opinion is just that, and each
must make his or her own choice.

Man, I've had road bikes and hybrid bikes and derailleur bikes,
ever since the Schwinn Varsity first came out.
I was a child. I got about one mile. Beginner-me hit the front brake
on a slimy-wet sidewalk, at about five-per. New bike fell down,
scratched its new green metalflake paint. And I then learned how to curse.

OK. Enough of my op-onions? I don't really cry; I just tend to go my own way.

A front wheel braked bike is best for most all riders.
It is extra safety, almost always, yet, the front brake CAN cause a spill if mal-used:
too much-applied by the inexperienced or panicked rider. OVER the bars, one can go,
at worst. Or the bike just lays down when front wheel lock occurs.


Coaster brakes don't "cause" crashes, unless the wall is approaching very fast!
Be careful on any bike of any brake. Front brakes, in theory, stop twice as quickly.
Sometime that double-quick stop causes a disaster...again, in panic stops or if you hit
a patch of sandy, wet asphalt...the cat that crosses your path, unexpected, for instance.

Summary: front brakes, almost always, pos-o-lutely, yes.

On the other hand, for casual, manual pedaling.,
whether in city or not-hilly country,
the coaster brake is safe and sure-enough
.

Recall that early bikes dealt well enough with either no front brake,
or, even no brakes at all: the fixie of old being the instance;
and iron-strong legs of young men were the sole the braking power.
Leg muscles would be of no help to them if they "scorched",
feet at rest on the foot pegs, speeding down a long incline:
they were then, at high speed, pedals hard-whirling, at the mercy of very thin Luck.


The coater brake must be in good order, good chain, chain not too slack nor out of line.
Coaster brake and internal geared rear hub bikes rarely, or never, drop or jam their chain.
But, if you run a wreck of coaster brake bike, and that chain or reaction arm fails:
you are sunk if you are speeding. LOOK MA! I'm gonna die!
 
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Thanks for the info.Looks like front wheel brakes would be a smart add on with a bike that has coaster brakes.
 
Thanks for the info.Looks like front wheel brakes would be a smart add on with a bike that has coaster brakes.
Yes, yes, yes, indeed!

Most all LBSs sell cruiser bikes. That's where to get a "low end" bike,
but one of some quality. They don't sell junk-in-a-box bikes.

I paid but two bills for my J&B Import, private labled, high quality "Sun Kruiser".
It has no front brake.

Yet, for a few dollars more, one can get that J&B brand with a front brake, or a big-name bike that has that front rim brake already fitted. OR you can obtain a fork, from J&B, all set up with the braze-ons, and convert a coaster-only, Sun Kruiser, or the like, to a two-wheel-brake-bike.

Am a fan of all-steel bikes for bikes that will be power-assisted or ridden hard.


I will not advise others to go coaster-brake-only unless they are manual-riders only, and then, only if they don't have long hills to descend, which will cook the vital lubricant-grease that makes the coaster brake live long.

The Sun Kruiser, for instance is of hi-ten steel. It weights, in stock form,
but 22 pounds. Now, it has only a single speed. It is geared for easy, 14mph riding.

Put power to it and go twenty or more mph? Then it would be prudent to have a front brake.

I have technical reasons, applicable only to my own set-up,
that allow me to ride my e-bike at twenty-per, and still stop FAST.

Let me show you a video of the e-bike, which is at present, off line due to
a crash that was MY fault: don't pedal through acute traffic circles on any bike, really, if that inside pedal may strike the roadway. I took a header at twenty miles per hour, but landed in the dirt. The bike required a new front fork, is all, and I have yet to re-wire the torn cable that feeds juice to the e-Zee front hub motor.

But here is that bike on a sunny day last spring.
It was my first real ride of the converted Sun Kruiser.

It is real life and it was a good day, health wise, for me.
Usually, I am pretty much confined to the house (SLE).
Here, this is a sweet story, part B of two parts.

Meet the neighbor children via an electric bike; the first they have ever seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwMZp2sAiEU
It is a coaster brake-only, bike, fitted with an eZee front motor and a PING 36V 20Ah pack.

Kind and happy regards to everyone here.
Life is sometimes good, after all. And there is more to come.
But where to plant the next video? It's remarkable, I promise you all.
That video was just made, and is in YT upload. In a few hours, it should be
share-able with the world.


BTW: we live on fumes here...not rich like you'd think.
No pride, and no fear of things, worse, :confused: that are coming.
 
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heres my 2cents, and id like to offer it since i feel i know of which i speak(as i mostly dont on here).

PROS:​

- looks nice, esp on a cruiser/fixie
- no, or almost no maintenance

CONS

- they can be accidentally applied all too easily, ESPECIALLY at vital moments like when taking evasive action.
- they prevent back pedal, which can effect balance.
- they can lock far too easily, only the best types of cruiser brakes do not, in fact the cheapest types often only have one brake setting, so you cannot adjust speed without skidding, even the best cruiser brakes are still very sticky.
- your breaking reaction time is much, much slower.
- if your chain falls off, you are going to be wishing you had real brakes.

i currently have two bikes with cruiser brakes, and ive owned and ridden countless with regular brakes, best brakes ive ever used were the disc brakes on my kona stinky, very responsive to say the least, worst brake is the cruiser on my new stretch beach cruiser, im quite concerned about that as i am adding a motor to it next week.
my other biltema beach cruiser has an excellent cruiser brake, it came with front brakes but as the fork has been badly damaged by the previous owner i only have the cruiser brake now, its fine most of the time, except when it tricks me here and there, and worse, when the chain comes off(am planning to tension the chain with a small wheel or chain guide tho)
just the other day i had to dismount at speed and use my foot as a brake has the chain had come off.

an above poster compared cruiser brakes to front brakes only, i believe this incorrect and misleading, front brakes are important, especially on a motored bike, but id agree that rear brakes are more important but both really need each other to function correctly, my advice would be to install disc brakes both front and rear and dont bother with dangerous cruiser brakes.
 
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Ok, I am a believer. No question at all about the need for front brakes on a coaster bike. I will sure install them if I decide to use the coaster bike. Thanks, Tom
 

A front wheel braked bike is best for most all riders.
It is extra safety, almost always, yet, the front brake CAN cause a spill if mal-used:
too much-applied by the inexperienced or panicked rider. OVER the bars, one can go,
at worst. Or the bike just lays down when front wheel lock occurs.
Just wanted to comment that that's why you switch the handbrake levers around. Rear brake should be on the left side, and front brake should be on the right side. That way, when you're travelling 25mph and ya need to stop, but your right hand is already tied up with the throttle... your left hand will naturally stop the MB in a safe manner, then you'll have plenty of time to react with letting off the throttle & grabbing the front brake, if necessary.

Dunno why somebody would like coaster brakes for any reason other than aesthetics. Hand brakes and fixies FTW!
 
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