FYI a Coaster Brake = DANGER!

[deorman]

On some cheap bikes with polyvalent carboferrite (plain steel :wink: ) frames and imperfectly aligned sprockets, aggressive side loading with adult weight can cause sufficient side-to-side displacement (flexing :roll: )of the stays to either feed the chain off, if it's loose, or even dislodge the crappy little snap ring if the chain is tight. This usually only happens when trying to take off quickly or trying to climb though. A lot of bikes are immune to that problem, BUT... Pay close attention if you're adding links to your chain, the most common cause of chain failure, which can happen while braking. :!: :|

 

[Lowdownminitrucker]

The only chains i snapped are MTB chains, typically when powering and trying some dodgy shifting..

Might wanna try singlespeeding offroad too then 8)

 

[MplsCoaster]

Hello,

People have a good point about no brakes if the chain breaks or comes off.
Others have a good point that somehting similar can occur with hand/rim brakes.
I've had both happen.
I also have a co worker who had a disc brake loosen up and pivot the back tire out of the dropouts.
He had a rather bad case of road rash
Sheldon Brown had some not so kind words about the safety of coaster brakes.
Saying all that...
The trick is not to panic.
I slowed down mine the other day when the chain came off (on accel) with the shoe-against-tire method.
I like the idea of jamming a fender into the tire if necessary or "Flintstoning" it.

One thing you can do to prevent brake loss, is regularly check chain tension and brake functionality.
A quick visual check of tension can go a long way.
Grease ozzing out of the hub is another sign that there may be problems.

I regulary ride my 12-mile bike route and recently set a personal best of 18 mph average (coaster only).
I don't feel like I'm an enormous risk taker because I try to check my chain and pedals regularly.
Pedals can also loosen up from pedaling backward to brake so they are something else to check.
Most of the time when things let loose (either bike or car (used to be an auto mech)),they make some kind of noise before they go.
If you hear noises under hard accel or braking, please check them out. Pedals make clicking noises when loosing up.
When my chain came off the other day, I had heard a noise occasionally on hard accel and ignored it so I need to take my own advice a little more often.

Another thing to do is to brake lightly occasionally to check the hub. If it doesn't feel right have it serviced.

I know quite a few people that use a drum brake in there front hub as a back up.

Also, I'd much rather lay a bike down skidding than go over the handlebars.

A coaster hub is sometimes the best hub for inclimate weather (snow or rain).

Many people for many decades have rode coaster brakes for many miles without severe injury.

Safe Travels

 

[danreid27]

I actually posted this topic just to raise awareness to y'all.

Have a Safe Summer & Keep on Bikin' !! 8)

 

[Johnnyc]

Thanks MplsCoaster -

Glad you are voicing your concerns and raising awareness for them!

As a guy who rides Coaster on nearly every bicycle he's ridden in the last 20 years, I'll say I've trusted them with my life more times than I'd like to admit. No real failures yet, but I make sure my gear is in good riding condition before I do anything crazy.

Two other thoughts I haven't seen on this thread:

1) Chain Tensioners like the Surly Tuggnut. I run one on my drive side on all my bikes. It wraps around the back of the Chainstay and prevents the axle from sliding forward like it wants to during heavy braking. It also looks cool and opens two beers at once!

2) The SRAM PC-1 Chain. It has a special cutout shape that really supports Coaster cogs. I run them on nearly every bike I ride and replace them reguarly.

Remember: More brakes is always better than less brakes

-Johnny, founder of Coasties.com