JesPiddlin

I hope I'm not duplicating another thread, somewhere. I tried searching and got nada.

I am a lover of the old kid's bikes with one speed that have brakes when you stop the pedals and push them in a backward direction. There was little to know or learn about them. They worked. THat was all that mattered. In my opinion, those are still the best brakes, but I don't think they're so common, these days. My biggest problem is that I use my hands up editing pictures, making websites, etc., and when it comes time to get on a bike, I have no hands to use for levers. If it doesn't work like a blinker switch on the car, it probably won't happen. We are in the market for a quad and brakes are a big issue. What are our options and what might be best for our needs. Also, what requires less maintenance and/or is easiest to work on?

I've had heart attacks and cancer and need to rebuild my strength, but we also need to use a bike as an equal form of transportation with our car being used mainly for longer rides.

Joshua A.C. New

That's called a coaster brake. They're still easily findable on kids' bikes. They're not spectacular — V-brakes are substantially better — but they're hard to beat for reliability.

When you say "quad" are you talking about a quadrocycle? Or what?

blamire

please don't say quadbike

awc380

In almost everyone else's opinion, a coaster brake is second only to dragging your feet on the tire. It's not an effective brake for something that will be ridden more than a few miles per year.

I'm unsure how exactly you are editing websites on your bicycle, but even if you are, the fact that you are building up strength would mean that you would probably want a very reliable brake, as frenzied backpedaling and skidding to a stop inches in front of a car/wall/pedestrian can't be good for anyone's heart.

JesPiddlin

Yes, quadracycle. Probably a Rhoades Car.

I'm a very small person (4'11"), so I ride a kid's bike. I'm very used to the coaster brake. I used to know a little about the different braking systems, because our kids used to buy brake pads and such for their bikes, but all I've really ever got to use that worked for me was coaster brakes. I tried getting on one of the boys' 18 speeds and the pads (in my opinion) didn't do nearly as well as the coaster brakes. (I also fell on my hip, trying to get off the durn tall thing!) So, you have to realize I'm coming from a different world and I'm asking for everyone's opinions. I want to make sure we get the best stop for the money we spend. We want something that is well-known for the least amount of repairs, too.

I sought out this forum, because we're entering a totally new world for us... recumbents and quadracycles, both at the same time. We always rode for leisure, before. Speed and performance weren't nearly as important as they will be, now. I'm kinda glad we're having this opportunity, because being on a bike has always been one of my favorite places and now, we get to learn more about the newer and the more advanced models, too. Thank you to everyone who helps us enter this new world as gracefully as possible.

JesPiddlin

Nobody else needs to. You already said it.

JesPiddlin

You must have been one of the kids on the block who enjoyed skidding. I think just about everyone did that. I wasn't allowed to , so I had to learn how to tap the brake for performance. It works quite well. Dad was right, though. My tires also lasted about 10 years, even though I rode my bike a few miles, every day. It was seldom that anyone ever saw me off that bicycle. I still have a kids' bike with a coaster brake and it has served me quite well. No skidding, just a very quick, abrupt stop. Because of this great performance, I didn't allow the boys to skid on their tires, either. They learned to respect their bikes early on.

You make me laugh. No, I'm not editing websites while I'm on a bike. I deal with website stuff all day long, then get on a bike. My hands are gone, by then. I get "mouse-itis in my fingers and they don't always like to bend, anymore.

Yes, I want a very reliable brake. If I'm going to get off the kid's bike and onto something new, I have a LOT to learn and I know it. That's why I'm here.

DMF 

Consider: The effectiveness of brakes depends on the size of the patch(es) of rubber (the tire contact patch) on the braking wheel(s), and on the downward force applied to those patches; a bigger patch is better. The rear tire is less effective than the front due to weight transfer during braking. Skidding is much less effective at stopping than not skidding.

The rear coaster brake combines the worst of each of these elements.

• It uses only one tire rather than two, minimizing the contact patch.
• It works only through the rear tire - much the less effective of the two.
• Maintaining maximum braking without skidding requires a deft touch - something best done with the hands rather than the legs you're standing on. That's why coaster brakes are renowned for skidding.

Okay you like coaster brakes. Just don't fool yourself into thinking that they anywhere near as effective as other systems at stopping a bike.

awc380

Fair enough....most brakes are pretty simple to operate, and usually only slightly more complex to set up or adjust.

Search the forums a bit with words like 'v brakes', 'cantilever brakes', 'caliper brakes', and 'coaster brakes' and read some related info regarding that. Pretty helpful. Although in the interests of time you might as well skip right to the primary source - Sheldon Brown.

Here: https://sheldonbrown.com/brakes/index.html
Should contain pretty much all anyone needs to know...