Is it possible to remove the shoes from a coaster brake and still have it work on the drive side? I believe the brake arm would still nee to say in place though if I understand how it all works.
Removing coaster brakes to freewheel MOD?
- Thread starter dracothered
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Re: Removing coaster brakes?
Gosh.. that's a new one! My thought would be that nothing would stop the shoe expander from falling off the drive gear if one were to pedal backwards. To run, it relies on the drive clutch to engage tight to the drive gear/sprocket side. So if one pedals backwards, these would have nothing to hold them in place and they would shoot off into the hub... at least this is how I envision it happening in a Bendix hub. Until pedaled backwards, I think it would work?
Try!
Gosh.. that's a new one! My thought would be that nothing would stop the shoe expander from falling off the drive gear if one were to pedal backwards. To run, it relies on the drive clutch to engage tight to the drive gear/sprocket side. So if one pedals backwards, these would have nothing to hold them in place and they would shoot off into the hub... at least this is how I envision it happening in a Bendix hub. Until pedaled backwards, I think it would work?
Try!
Re: Removing coaster brakes?
I knew I saw it somewhere that it could be done...
http://youtu.be/zt8fA9mcidI
I knew I saw it somewhere that it could be done...
http://youtu.be/zt8fA9mcidI
Yup, it's called a free coaster conversion, if they still sell it I'd be amazed!
Thing is they don't re-engage real snappy like a freewheel does.
They do roll-backs excellently for freestyle riding.
Thing is they don't re-engage real snappy like a freewheel does.
They do roll-backs excellently for freestyle riding.
mikeeebikey said:
Could it be they don't engage well because they remove the item in orange which lets the clutch disengage to far?
mikeeebikey said:
Back in the early BMX days you could buy a little device called an "Un-Brake" that allowed a coaster hub to freewheel. There were also threaded drivers for coaster brakes that allowed you to fasten a standard freewheel to a coaster hub. The FreeCoaster was the best of both worlds. It had a special driver and freewheel that installed to the hub. The freewheel had two little knobs you twisted to switch between a freewheel hub and a coaster hub. The advantage to the Freecoaster was you could do rollbacks and the pedals didn't move while the bike was moving backwards.
We used to do this when I was little. Just pull the coaster brake arm of and it will freewheel while rolling forward. And, if I recall correctly, it will react the same as a new style BMX cassette hub when going backwards though(i.e. it will automatically pedal backwards when rolling backwards).
As my favorite charecter on the Family Guy show says, "No no no, need more window cleaner.."sensor said:
No that will not work, it'll let the cones tighten up destroying the bearings, races, cups, and possibly the hub body could crush. I have seen it!
The point of the "free coaster," is that it doesn't pedal when you roll backwards, youy can "set," the pedals and roll out as long as you can while not having to reverse pedal causing your balence to be affected. Really critical when rolling backward on the top of a 10' tall half pipe!
I had a modern "freecoaster," hub a few years back and it worked awesome! It wasn't a converted hub, it was made to be a freecoaster. Worth every penny!
It replaced the clutch as well, trying to remember if you left the brake pads out as also???dracothered said:mikeeebikey said:
Could it be they don't engage well because they remove the item in orange which lets the clutch disengage to far?
And yes it was called the, "un-brake," or that was the first one. Betting I sold 1 a week for 5 years in the early 80s!!!
If what I am finding in info is correct that is why you leave the brake arm on there so the cones will not move.
Parts 13 and 14 lock together then the brake arm locks in place the other cone. Even in a fully functioning coaster brake you need the brake arm to stop the non cog side from moving so the cone doesn't tighten up on you.
Parts 13 and 14 lock together then the brake arm locks in place the other cone. Even in a fully functioning coaster brake you need the brake arm to stop the non cog side from moving so the cone doesn't tighten up on you.
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I tried the method in the video. 3 washers, no spring. Yes it did freewheel but lots of drag. Then I tried it slightly different. I kept the spring & lost the thing in the end of the spring. Better but, too much tension with 3 washers but better still with only 1 washer. Finally, I ground off the sharp edge of the spring coil that now slides on the greased washer. NOT BAD! Still not as good as a proper freewheel but getting there. Bonus of keeping the spring is quick engagement.
I think you need to reduce the spring pressure on the clutch and much of the drag will go away if I understand it right.danthrift71 said:
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You're right. Less spring tension is less drag. I backed the cone way out and it really got smooth. I could cut down the spring to reduce tension and still have the cones properly tightened. It's fine for now. Since I haven't totally committed to this, I haven't cut the spring. A replacement from Niagara Cycle Works is cheap but, I'm just playing around for now and may put the brakes back in.
This experiment has me thinking now. Anodized 26" wheelsets from Chimichanga + UN-Brake conversion = Inexpensive rider wheels for my 3 bar standies from the 70's and 80's to keep the vintage Arayas nice for shows.
This experiment has me thinking now. Anodized 26" wheelsets from Chimichanga + UN-Brake conversion = Inexpensive rider wheels for my 3 bar standies from the 70's and 80's to keep the vintage Arayas nice for shows.
we used to do it just like that with a piece of shower curtain rod spring and a modded washer to replace the brake shoes. worked just like the Un-Brake for free! :mrgreen:
That is what I might try...scrumblero said:
Well since I was only in single numbers then and decades of debauchery may have affected my memory, Maybe I did forget something. BUT,I do know that it worked (I rode that bike for a few years after that and I didn't get a whipping for messing up my bike so I know whatever I did do did work). Possibly it was a different hub? Anyhow, This may or may not help you:mikeeebikey said:
OR you can just switch to a freewheel wheel OR lace in a freewheel hub on whatever rim you want. You can quote me on that! :lol:
Wow I'd never heard of that conversion before.
I always wanted to take a clutch and machine out the end for an internal snap ring, and a like stop on the driver, that way it couldn't unthread all the way, engagement is fast. But alas, I got busy and never made 1/2 the stuff I dreamed up!
I always wanted to take a clutch and machine out the end for an internal snap ring, and a like stop on the driver, that way it couldn't unthread all the way, engagement is fast. But alas, I got busy and never made 1/2 the stuff I dreamed up!
