What is the best coaster brake, your opinions?
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Hope I do not revive a topic that is too old, but I like to share my experiences so far:
STURMEY ARCHER S1C hub:
I have been riding this one for about 900km's (560 miles) now and really am fond of the hub:
How am I using this hub?
For singlespeed klunking/mountainbiking. 24inch wheels with 3.0 tires. Mostly singletrack over hard tree stumps and sometimes cycling over tarmac. A quick descent now and then. I am riding in mud and fine sand aswell.
Positive:
No cracks or tears after high and hard jumps.
No sand in the bearings.
The "roller" type coaster brake really brakes hard! It bites.
No oxidation on the hub shell after some moist and water.
Feels solid and smooth.
Negative:
A bit of bearing play after 500km's (310 miles) of riding. Easy to fix, but still.
The "roller" type coaster brake really brakes hard! After a jump, I managed to land on the pedal that had a rearward position... you can probably guess what happened... I went over the bars and landed with my face (helmet) on the road.
SHIMANO CB-E110 hub:
Riding this for thousands of miles now.
How am I using this hub?
For commuting in rain and dirty weather, sometimes a little offroading.
Positive:
Parts and internals easy to replace.
Parts fairly standardized, for example: The axle thread is M10x1. A very useable type of thread for me.
Pretty tough hub, can take a beating and wear.
Rolls fairly well.
Even though the hub is made of steel, no signs of rust on the shell so far.
Negative:
Dirt can get into the hub fairly easy, so cleaning the bearings on a montly basis is neccesary (note: riding for 70 miles in dirty weahter each week).
VELOSTEEL:
How am I using this hub?
I used it for a couple of weeks on a city bike. Not very fond of it.
Positive:
Robust and tough hub at first glance.
Easy to repair.
Big tough bearings for rolling.
Negative:
Braking is not great.
Cheaply built.
The hub has quite some rolling resistance when new compared to other hubs.
Pictures: Klunker with 24x3 wheels and the Sturmey Archer S1c Hub.
STURMEY ARCHER S1C hub:
I have been riding this one for about 900km's (560 miles) now and really am fond of the hub:
How am I using this hub?
For singlespeed klunking/mountainbiking. 24inch wheels with 3.0 tires. Mostly singletrack over hard tree stumps and sometimes cycling over tarmac. A quick descent now and then. I am riding in mud and fine sand aswell.
Positive:
No cracks or tears after high and hard jumps.
No sand in the bearings.
The "roller" type coaster brake really brakes hard! It bites.
No oxidation on the hub shell after some moist and water.
Feels solid and smooth.
Negative:
A bit of bearing play after 500km's (310 miles) of riding. Easy to fix, but still.
The "roller" type coaster brake really brakes hard! After a jump, I managed to land on the pedal that had a rearward position... you can probably guess what happened... I went over the bars and landed with my face (helmet) on the road.
SHIMANO CB-E110 hub:
Riding this for thousands of miles now.
How am I using this hub?
For commuting in rain and dirty weather, sometimes a little offroading.
Positive:
Parts and internals easy to replace.
Parts fairly standardized, for example: The axle thread is M10x1. A very useable type of thread for me.
Pretty tough hub, can take a beating and wear.
Rolls fairly well.
Even though the hub is made of steel, no signs of rust on the shell so far.
Negative:
Dirt can get into the hub fairly easy, so cleaning the bearings on a montly basis is neccesary (note: riding for 70 miles in dirty weahter each week).
VELOSTEEL:
How am I using this hub?
I used it for a couple of weeks on a city bike. Not very fond of it.
Positive:
Robust and tough hub at first glance.
Easy to repair.
Big tough bearings for rolling.
Negative:
Braking is not great.
Cheaply built.
The hub has quite some rolling resistance when new compared to other hubs.
Pictures: Klunker with 24x3 wheels and the Sturmey Archer S1c Hub.
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MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Thanks for the report, it's cool to hear real world results. Now show is pictures of the klunker!
I don't have a lot of experience with coasters since I was a kid and I have no idea what those hubs were, but I do have two currently.
I have a Velosteel on my 1912 Iver Johnson. It looks appropriate to the age of the bike, but it also brakes like it. It's fine for the low speed riding around town or on bike paths, but I would not want to rely on it at speed. It's either weak under weight or locks up readily unweighted.
I have a SA SRC3 on Interrobang, which is a TRM-tanked Spaceliner. The brake is pretty good, but I'm otherwise not a fan—feels draggy and even heavier than it is, though I think that's down more to the 3-speed than the brake.
I have a Velosteel on my 1912 Iver Johnson. It looks appropriate to the age of the bike, but it also brakes like it. It's fine for the low speed riding around town or on bike paths, but I would not want to rely on it at speed. It's either weak under weight or locks up readily unweighted.
I have a SA SRC3 on Interrobang, which is a TRM-tanked Spaceliner. The brake is pretty good, but I'm otherwise not a fan—feels draggy and even heavier than it is, though I think that's down more to the 3-speed than the brake.
This thread is very timely for me. As I shared in my intro. just the other day, I discovered this place while searching for info. on rebuilding my Komet Super hub. It was the instructions found here that I followed with total success!
Best- I'd have to go with a modern shimano
worst- I'd have to go with a perry
worst- I'd have to go with a perry
the brake cone must be aligned correctly on shimano cb hubs
SRAM Automatix. Two speed auto. Shifts up at a certain road speed so it required a bit of experimentation with sprockets to find the sweet spot. No longer made unfortunately, I managed to find one in stock at a German online store. It stops well, doesn't fade. But it weighs a ton.
I’ve got an Automatrix hub getting laced into a 57mm rim for my strandie.
I think I read an article about changing the spring in them to change the shift position
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think I read an article about changing the spring in them to change the shift position
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good discussion, but I would like to add a little broad perspective relative to braking. No matter how well a coaster brake stops the rear wheel from turning, it will take much longer to stop with only a rear brake. Maximum stopping power occurs just before the wheel locks up. This comes into play in emergency situations. As the late, great guru Sheldon Brown wrote on his website:
"Maximum Deceleration--Emergency Stops
The fastest that you can stop any bike of normal wheelbase is to apply the front brake so hard that the rear wheel is just about to lift off the ground. In this situation, the rear wheel cannot contribute to stopping power, since it has no traction."
"... it takes twice as long to stop with the rear brake alone as with the front brake alone, so reliance on the rear brake is unsafe for cyclists who ever go fast."
When it is technically feasible and aesthetically acceptable, I add front caliper brakes to my coaster brake bikes.
"Maximum Deceleration--Emergency Stops
The fastest that you can stop any bike of normal wheelbase is to apply the front brake so hard that the rear wheel is just about to lift off the ground. In this situation, the rear wheel cannot contribute to stopping power, since it has no traction."
"... it takes twice as long to stop with the rear brake alone as with the front brake alone, so reliance on the rear brake is unsafe for cyclists who ever go fast."
When it is technically feasible and aesthetically acceptable, I add front caliper brakes to my coaster brake bikes.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
That's the truth. The VAST majority of braking is done by the front brakes. It's why you see cars n motorcycles with disks up front and drums in the back
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Personally I prefer Bendix RB2’s.
I’m also a fan of Bendix 76.
A big factor on rolling resistance with coaster brakes is proper adjustment. If the cone/lock it on the drive side is just a hair too tight, it will be very noticeable
I’m also a fan of Bendix 76.
A big factor on rolling resistance with coaster brakes is proper adjustment. If the cone/lock it on the drive side is just a hair too tight, it will be very noticeable
Best single speed coasters from my experience:
Modern hubs:
Shimano CB-E110 (Japan), work great if care is taken to adjust them properly
Velosteel (Czech Republic)
Older Hubs:
Bendix
Morrow
Modern hubs:
Shimano CB-E110 (Japan), work great if care is taken to adjust them properly
Velosteel (Czech Republic)
Older Hubs:
Bendix
Morrow
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Worse how?
Very nice hub indeed! But there was one thing that made me almost throw it in the garbage: Shifting when hitting a little bump in the road. Because of the "centrifugal driven weights" in the hub.
I really like coaster brake hubs.
Currently I found out that my coaster brake or internal gear hubs break because of dirt getting behind the dustcap.
Industrial bearing coaster brake hubs do not exist unfortunately. The Sturmey Archer X-RD has a drum brake and industrial bearings (they are easily replaceble).
The problem I encountered with dirt is that it damages the bearing tracks. And in most internal gear hubs and coasterbrake hubs the track is part of the hub.
Shall we invent a coaster brake hub with industrial sealed bearings? As indestructable as hope hubs
Currently I found out that my coaster brake or internal gear hubs break because of dirt getting behind the dustcap.
Industrial bearing coaster brake hubs do not exist unfortunately. The Sturmey Archer X-RD has a drum brake and industrial bearings (they are easily replaceble).
The problem I encountered with dirt is that it damages the bearing tracks. And in most internal gear hubs and coasterbrake hubs the track is part of the hub.
Shall we invent a coaster brake hub with industrial sealed bearings? As indestructable as hope hubs
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The Bendix manual 2 speed hub, not the kick back models that came later, is almost the worst coaster brake I ever used. I have rebuilt 3 of them. They are hard to adjust, have poor brakes and the distance the pedal has to go back to engage the brakes is huge, even huger in low gear. The armless coaster brakes I have are almost useless, dangerous. I have several Morrow coaster brakes, including one that has 1/2 inch pitch cogs. The brake shoes in the Morrow are huge. Last summer I did a 30 mile mountain bike race on a klunker using a Morrow. My legs got a little fatigued because you have to push fairly hard to make it work well at high speeds. I think they are good heat sinks but I wasn’t that fond of it, it was adequate, didn’t hate it. I have two Sachs coasters on bikes. Mine don’t stop as well as the Bendix. The Sachs is supposed to coast well but I didn’t do any comparisons. The Bendix is good, I like them but the range of cogs is more limited than with modern coaster, unless you modify a modern cog to fit the Bendix. My one Bendix kick back works very well and is fun but mine doesn’t coast well, in fact it has a lot of drag. I like the Shimano Nexus. It takes little reverse pressure to get it to stop, has pretty good modulation, the reverse distance to get it to engage is small and you can buy new parts or a whole new hub and rob the guts to put in your wheel if it burns out. After 3 years of single track riding and several races it was shot, but still works, but not good enough for the trail. While not a classic, I vote for the Nexus because of availability of parts and the reasonable performance.
