Band brake effectiveness

[Mudflap]

The tricycle I recently finished has a band brake on the rear axle that is pretty much useless. It only stops one rear wheel by design but doesn't even do that. Do these things wear in after a while and begin to work better, or is there some way to make them work by roughing up he surface or something? Fortunately the rim brakes on the front work well.

 

[Gordy]

They just suck.

 

[Wrench]

Do you have the Rubber Band Brake They Suck - Burn's out fast, really fast

But you can switch to another Brake Assembly that looks the same but uses brake shoes, It's better

If your band brake is different please show a pic

 

[Mudflap]

The band brake looks like the top pic. If it doesnt get better after wearing in I'll consider the drum brake.

 

[robe]

The band brake looks like the top pic. If it doesnt get better after wearing in I'll consider the drum brake.

Maybe ditch the whole idea and make a disc brake setup. A quick search found all sorts of options, too many to post here.
Bit more time and money and you could end up with a solid reliable braking system.

 

[Wrench]

The band brake looks like the top pic. If it doesnt get better after wearing in I'll consider the drum brake.

For $20 - $25 it's worth trying the Drum Brake Assembly it's an easy switch

If that's still not satisfactory you can always invest in a disc brake set up