Coaster brake questions

[mornview]

I know this isn't cool to admit, but I actually like the KT coaster brake I have . I actually like it a lot more than some of the more prestigous hubs I have. I'm looking at buying another one online and a few questions have came up:

1. When doing a search for KT hubs on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/search?...ub&keywords=kt+coaster+brake+hub&page=1&ajr=2

All sorts of different sizes come up - 36H x .105G, 36H x .080G, etc. I'm sure this is a stupid question, but what does the "G" measurement mean? I'm guessing it has something to do with the gauge of spokes.

2. I've been looking at their alloy coaster brake hubs:

Besides the fact that they are quite aesthetically pleasing (for the right build, anyways), the fact that they are alloy would make them a superior choice for a winter bike build. However, I know KT hubs already have a reputation for overheating (a problem I have not had). Would an alloy shell be any more likely to overheat?

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

That looks good in black.


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[deorman]

Steel alloy? Probably just rust resistant, function wise.

 

[Bicycle808]

Yes, it's about the spoke gauge. .105g=12g. .080=14g. And, yeah, .120=11g, which is what Worksman and some other industrial bikes use. If you're planning on using "standard" spokes, go for the .080g version.

The alloy KT coasters have an alloy shell and what appears to be a steel sleeve on the inside where the guts live. This seems like a better idea for eat dissipation and durability, as compared to an all-aluminum shell, but I've seen pictures online where the sleeve had cracked and chipped out. I'll try to find the thread. Personally, I'd feel safer w/ the all-steel version.... even the alloy KTs are cheap as dirt, but if you're only running the one brake, it'd make me nervous to rely on it.

I'm probably just being paranoid. There's a guy on MTBR who rides SS mtbs in the pines, and he swears by the regular ol' KT hubs. I just feel that the cb-e110 just performs better on the road, and you can see the difference in quality during a repack. Same basic design, but the Shimano has some better details and seems to use some better materials...

 

[mikeeebikey]

But why?
was so many old bendix around and are in great shape, I don't know why you would suffer through the KT.
Or run the copy cat Shimano cb-10
For the price, get a 3speed used, run it!

 

[mornview]

I actually got my start on coaster brake hub overhauls with the Shimano D-Type hub; I've always loved those hubs. So I was excited when I tried out my first cb-e110, hoping that it would be the hub I love, only with easily avaialable replacement parts. But to my surprise it was probably the worst hub I've worked on so far ... the rolling resistance is atrocious. I really think there is a lot of variability in the quality of hubs KT puts out, whether they stamp them with their name or Shimano's. So for all I know, maybe the next KT hub I buy will be junk.

Thanks for the gauge info, Bicycle808. I always build with Wheelsmith spokes, 2.0 x [insert spoke length].

And I can't fault you for being too cautious ... I guess it's just a risk I'm willing to take . I've been running this KT hub for a few thousand miles and it doesn't show any signs of wearing out. If I can get that kind of reliability with a layer of aluminum on the shell, so much the better .

 

[mornview]

The creation got *this* close to being finished until I encountered some major roadblocks. I'm ordering a different frame off of Chuck and I'm swapping all of the guts over to it. It should end up being a pretty quick process.

The alloy hub would not be for my winter bike build, but my wife got a Schwinn Del-Mar frame essentially for free, so we figured why not build it up as an emergency back-up winter bike (the elements took my bike out of commission one month before the end of winter last year, and I had to scramble to fix it immediately as I didn't have a back-up bike in place). I'll likely end up buying that alloy hub for the Del-Mar frame, especially since I have an alloy front hub in place for it.

I'm glad to hear someone else digs the KT hubs, though ... I threw at pre-built KT wheel on my main commuter earlier this year in a pinch, and ended up leaving it on because I liked it so much. My wife's commuter has a red-band Bendix on it; I jumped on it recently, after months of using the KT hub, and was shocked to find out that it paled in comparison to my KT hub.

*Quick side note since you brought up the F&S Komet hub* - You had me all worried when you mentioned issues with the F&S hub a while back. I have mine all built up and I have to say I really like it. It's a very smooth ride; there is so little drag. The braking power isn't great, but it also doesn't have me worried at all either. Let's put it this way - it's on a bike that I designed to use in the winter; I shouldn't be going too fast anyways .

 

[Bicycle808]

F&S hubs and their various clones (Perry, Sturmey-Archer s1c, Velosteel/Favorit, etc) are good for coasting.... The current crop of Bendix clones (Shimano, KT) have more drag, but tend to stop with more authority.

 

[mornview]

The F&S only ended up becoming my winter hub because I'd gotten it dirt cheap (so there was really no loss if it rusted out on me) and it was what I had handy. But yeah, it's ended up being a good choice - the excellent coasting is ideal because you don't want to be wearing yourself out in -40 degrees, and again, the braking is slightly below standard, but I shouldn't be going too fast in 4 inches of snow anyways .

I was unsure if the KT hub really had that much greater braking power, or if the brake shoes on the Bendixes, F&S's, etc. were simply just worn down after years of use (none of them appear too worn down).

 

[deorman]

Asian hubs work ok if kept clean/greased inside, run with low chain tension and used with finesse. I find them to have acceptable braking power. If you slam the pedals like a 60 lb boy on 80 gear inches of New Departure low on oil, you may encounter problems. Only asian hub I really thought was completely useless was some fancy knurled barrel shaped '70's Shimano, the drive clutch and hub friction zones were toast within a pretty short time, I think the metal was soft. Went south while out riding.

Your experience may vary. No expert testimony is inferred, nor any warranty offered or expressed.

 

[mikeeebikey]

I do alot of motorized bike repairs, got a bucket of "spare," KT parts!
Just one 35 mph stop and you'll know why I again say, "no way man!"
I have broke drive clutches with my legs....
Axles bend way too easy, nuts strip out easily, just not high enough quality for my Rat brethren!

 

[Bicycle808]

I do alot of motorized bike repairs, got a bucket of "spare," KT parts!
Just one 35 mph stop and you'll know why I again say, "no way man!"
I have broke drive clutches with my legs....
Axles bend way too easy, nuts strip out easily, just not high enough quality for my Rat brethren!

Yeah, I know whatcha mean. I got a KT in a wheelset that I got from a friend w/ a parts bike, and I've got KT guts in my new-production Tuffs.... neither has done me dirty, yet, but I can feel the chintziness whenever i service the hubs. Everything feels kinda light and soft... It makes me nervous, especially b/c, back in my bikeshop days, customers would always come in with toasted KTs. Most problems were with the clutch, but there were shattered hub shells, flange issues, bent axles, etc. Even with the KTs that weren't broken, it always bothered me that I couldn't adjust them just right. They go from a but sloppy to a bit tight; on most other coaster hubs, I can find the "Sweet spot" pretty easy. I am hesitant to condemn KT forever, b/c this was almost ten years ago, plus you never know what abuse a hub has been put thru when it's a customer's bike. Most often, it's neglect (old contaminated grease, not enough grease), but there's also the possibility of overly tightened bearings and just regular old on-the-bike beatdowns.... But, not too long ago, a member on here with the Walmart 29er (One-x or whatever it is), he showed a picture of his KT where the inside of the shells was, like, flaking off, leaving shards of metal in the hub's guts.

Next order I do with niagaracycle, I'm gonna order the cb-e110 guts and see if they don't just drop-in on the Skyway Tuff rear wheel.... It'll definitely make me feel better if I was running that. Except, they're currently out of stock...
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/hub-coaster-brake-shimano-repair-kit-for-e110

 

[jamesdart]

one of my electras has a kt. it actually stops really good, but it has the feeling that if I were to really put my weight into a stop, it would explode. its funny the difference in my Schwinn ive been riding around town with an old bendix, that doesn't stop so well but man does that thing feel solid.

 

[horsefarmer]

Asian hubs work ok if kept clean/greased inside, run with low chain tension and used with finesse. I find them to have acceptable braking power. If you slam the pedals like a 60 lb boy on 80 gear inches of New Departure low on oil, you may encounter problems. Only asian hub I really thought was completely useless was some fancy knurled barrel shaped '70's Shimano, the drive clutch and hub friction zones were toast within a pretty short time, I think the metal was soft. Went south while out riding.

Your experience may vary. No expert testimony is inferred, nor any warranty offered or expressed.

I've got a question, my Winter build off "Bomber" bike has a "Falcon" (Shimano copy) coaster on it - I believe the bike had little use in 20 years or so since it came over on the boat from China. With the bearings freshly packed and new chain, pedals kind of hard on flat blacktop. I know I'm probably running bigger that stock tires on it (26 x 2.125) but I wonder if it's the chain ratio. 44 tooth front and 20 tooth rear, works out to
2.44 wheel revs per crank rev x 26"=63.44 gear inches
New chain is set pretty tight, will this combo break in and start moving easier soon?
I also have a 36 tooth sprocket I could put on this will change it to 1.8 wheel revs per crank rev x 26"=46.8 gear inches. Maybe this would be a better choice?

 

[honestherman]

Lazy mans question (me)... I pick up bikes all year long. Several times a year I get an old Schwinn or something else that has been sitting in the garage corner for 25 years without being used. I take it home, air up the tires. and The Coaster Brake does not work. What do YOU do? I know what I do. No I do not go out and buy a new one. But just wanted to open this up, Bet there are a lot of people with the same question.

 

[mornview]

Lazy mans question (me)... I pick up bikes all year long. Several times a year I get an old Schwinn or something else that has been sitting in the garage corner for 25 years without being used. I take it home, air up the tires. and The Coaster Brake does not work. What do YOU do? I know what I do. No I do not go out and buy a new one. But just wanted to open this up, Bet there are a lot of people with the same question.

In what sense does it not work? The hub doesn't spin freely, the brake doesn't stop, etc.? In most cases I'm just guessing the grease has hardened up from sitting idle for 25 years. I'm sure overhauling it with some fresh new grease would do wonders (then again, I overhaul the moving parts of any old bike I buy, regardless of how good or bad it's working, but that might just be the OCD in me).

 

[mornview]

I've got a question, my Winter build off "Bomber" bike has a "Falcon" (Shimano copy) coaster on it - I believe the bike had little use in 20 years or so since it came over on the boat from China. With the bearings freshly packed and new chain, pedals kind of hard on flat blacktop. I know I'm probably running bigger that stock tires on it (26 x 2.125) but I wonder if it's the chain ratio. 44 tooth front and 20 tooth rear, works out to
2.44 wheel revs per crank rev x 26"=63.44 gear inches
New chain is set pretty tight, will this combo break in and start moving easier soon?
I also have a 36 tooth sprocket I could put on this will change it to 1.8 wheel revs per crank rev x 26"=46.8 gear inches. Maybe this would be a better choice?

I'm sure you've already looked into this, but is are your cones adjusted properly? If the hub doesn't spin freely, an easier gear ratio just means you'll be going as slowly as before, only with a little less effort.

I've heard of some hubs having a "breaking in" period, but I haven't observed it yet myself. All of the CB hubs I've used (and I've used probably an equal number of vintage and modern, Chinese hubs) either worked great from the start, or worked great after being overhauled. I only have one that has been bad from the start, and seemingly isn't going to "break in" with time (it's one of those Shimano CB-E110; I suspect the problem is the clutch spring, which I thought may have just been stiff initially, but I now think is just plain defective).

 

[Bicycle808]

If I get an old bike with a bum coaster, the first step is always a repack after careful cleaning and inspection of the guts. Often, all it needs is a cleaning and a repack. If something is broken inside, depending on the make/model of the hub, I might try to get parts for it, or i might ditch it.... depending on the cost/headache of obtaining replacement parts. Old out-of-productions stuff can be a headache, although Bendix parts are plentiful, and memory lane can often come thru with parts for other old hubs--sometimes, they can be expensive, though.. If it's a KT or a Falcon, I replace it with a fresh cb-e110.

 

[mornview]

Quick question - were Falcon hubs made by the same guys making KT/Hi-Stop hubs? Or is it just an eerie resemblence? I've never had a Falcon hub, but I have a few odd parts from one thanks to a RRB member, and they sure look interchangable.

 

[horsefarmer]

I believe Falcon it is a copy of Shimano - looks like it inside. My issue is not that hub does not spin freely, and I did clean and grease it. It's just harder to get rolling than my other coaster brakes (Komet, Bendix, New Departure. Like I said it's a new chain and it's tight, I'm gonna loosen it up a little and I also have swapped crappy oe plastic pedals for aluminum GT ones that I oiled and spin free. front hub is new and spins free also.
It rides nice just needs tweaking and maybe was always a tough bike to pedal. Just a puzzle why no one rode the hell out of it years ago but it ended up in a heap somewhere till i acquired it. You cant over grease a Shimano hub, can you? I may try an old komet coaster wheel I have and see if it works better. have to count the teeth on the Komet first and see if its close to the 20 tooth on the Falcon...