How does coaster brake work

I decide to take the brake apart to see if it can be fixed. But the grease has turned into a solidified tar-like substance. The parts of this Bendix 70 coaster brake figure 1 will have to be cleaned, greased and reassembled. Figure 1. Bendix 70 coaster brake arm from the s or s. Figure 2. View of empty and assembled and empty coaster brake hub. Figure 3. Internal parts of a Bendix 70 coaster brake hub. Figure 4. The drive side screw and the coaster brake clutch.

Figure 5. Internal parts of the full assembly Bendix 70 coaster brake. Posted by Douglas F. Unknown October 8, at AM. Unknown January 29, at PM.

Unknown October 20, at AM. Newer Post Older Post Home. Subscribe to: Post Comments Atom. Bendix 70 coaster brake arm from the s or s Photo: Doug Barnes. Most newer single-speed coaster brakes use the same 3-splined sprockets as are used on internal-gear hubs. Such sprockets are available in sizes from teeth.

Changing the sprocket to customize the gearing is often very worthwhile. These sprockets are held on by a snap ring, which you can pry off with a small flat-blade screwdriver. When you replace the sprocket, it is a good idea to use a hammer and punch to seat the snap ring into its groove so that the sprocket can't accidentally pop off, leaving the brake inoperative!

Sprockets available here. Older coaster brakes used threaded sprockets and lock rings, as with track hubs. Although they are the same in theory, they commonly used different threading, so they are not usually interchangeable with track sprockets.

Threaded sprockets for coaster brakes commonly had a radial slot, to make it possible to replace a broken spoke without removing the sprocket. Note that with a coaster brake, the gear ratio affects both the forward pedaling and the brake operation!

However, a larger sprocket will limit your top speed, and will also require moving the pedals farther backward to cause the brake to engage. However, a smaller sprocket will make hill climbing more difficult, and will also require pushing harder on the pedals to get powerful braking.

Note that sometimes these are "private labeled" or there might be "knockoffs" so you might find an unlisted model that is identical to the ones shown. Other internal parts are generally not available for purchase, please don't waste our time by asking! The list below links to information on single-speed and two-speed coaster brakes. Internal-gear coaster-brake hubs with three or more speeds are covered on our internal-gear hub pages. Thanks to Steve Birmingham and Henry Brunelle for their assistance.

Reports of the demise of this Web site are greatly exaggerated! We at sheldonbrown. Harris Cyclery has closed, but we keep going. Keep visiting the site for new and updated articles, and news about possible new affilations. A coaster brake is a special rear hub for a bicycle, which performs two functions: It allows the bicycle to roll without forcing the pedals to turn.

This is the "coaster" part. It is similar in function to a freewheel , but uses a different sort of mechanism to accomplish it. It is also a brake, operated by turning the pedals backwards. Pro: Con: Coaster brakes work just as well in the rain as they do in dry conditions.

Coaster brakes generally require less maintenance than any other type of brake. There are no cables running from the handlebars, giving a tidy and simple appearance. An internal-gear hub can include a coaster brake, providing both gearing and rear-wheel braking. Coaster brakes often cause skidding, resulting in excessive tire wear. Coaster brakes are prone to overheating and fading when used in mountainous areas. Too many bikes are equipped with only a coaster brake, so there's no back-up system in the event of brake failure.

Cinch it tightly around the chainstay -- John Allen] The attachment of the reaction arm to the chainstay is vitally important. The reaction arm is usually the place where the make and model of the hub are embossed.

Tip: If you come upon a bike that has been ridden this way, you will see the reaction arm out of position, and may be inclined to remove the wheel to adjust it.

This is often not only unnecessary, but sometimes nearly impossible! Though there are differences in detail, all coaster brakes are fundamentally similar. Different manufacturers use different names for some of the parts.

I'll try to use terminology as generic as possible: The chain sprocket is attached to the "driver" usually by a snap ring though some older models used threaded sprockets with lockrings similar to those of a fixed-gear hub.

The driver has a coarse thread which is screwed into the brake cone. The brake cone fits loosely over the axle. And then as you gradually build up that confidence, you can increase your speeds. And I would still say stick to light hills. If you're someone that's doing a lot of hills, and you're changing your speeds from fast to slow quite a bit, and you need some extra stopping power, I would say coaster brakes are not the best option for you.

I would say probably move back into something with handbrakes. And if you like cruisers, and that's why you've chosen a coaster brake, we do offer lots of cruisers with handbrakes, seven speeds. We also have some single speeds. The sixthreezero EVRYjourney is a single speed with the handbrake, so that's a great option as well.

But again, and keep this in mind, it may take some time to get adjusted to the coaster brakes. So don't give up. Just practice a little bit every day. If you can, ride maybe five minutes, very slow.

Practice the braking, put the bike back, try again the next day. I'm pretty confident in about, no more than two weeks, you'll have it down and be able to figure it out.

But it may be an adjustment period if you're switching from something where the brakes were at your hands. So, if you have any thoughts, comments, please comment below. Are you riding a coaster brake? Did you change from handbrakes to coaster brakes over time, or did you ride a coaster brake originally, switched to handbrakes, switched back to coaster brakes? Love to hear about your experience. Please comment below, tell us about it. And if you have any other tips on how to get adjusted to a coaster brake, please share.

Also, if you want to reach us directly, please call us , or email us the team sixthreezero. And also please browse our bikes in the top of our website and go ahead and enter your height and weight in our body fit tool.