errantlinguist

I'm interested in getting an old roadster/Dutch bike and I came across a Raleigh Royal from the '80s:



I like that it has rod-actuated brakes rather than coaster brakes, but how well do rod brakes actually work?-- I've only used cable-actuated and coaster brakes and so have no idea how they work. The bike is far away from where I live so I can't easily ask for a test ride, either.

Thanks for the help.

oddjob2

Frankly, I am typically more concerned about how a bike goes rather than how it stops. In any event, one doesn't buy a DL-1, Tourist or any other rod brake Raleigh for performance, but for retro cool design. I put Kool Stop pads on my late 1970's DL-1 below and there is no remarkable improvement in stopping with shiny chrome rims. It is the first bike of mine to receive Kool Stops.

RobbieTunes

Questions about brakes are often better left unanswered in today's litigious society.
Somebody is always trolling for something to use in lawsuits.

Trek's use of some no-name (Tektro, most likely) calipers and the seemingly poor pads come to mind.
Everyone is a victim when they don't stop in time to avoid an accident, blame it on the bike (or look to deep pockets).

Therefore, as with any brake, use your judgement.

Try them, and either assume the risk or don't.
You have the last clear chance to avoid injury.

errantlinguist

I assume you neither live somewhere with rain/snow nor have been hit by a car? Stopping is a feature I personally value rather highly in a bicycle...

JohnDThompson 

Rod brakes work acceptably well in dry conditions, but deteriorate in wet weather. This is due to the steel rims more than anything, I suspect. Rod brakes require specific rims with the braking surface on the inner aspect of the rim, rather than the sidewall, and AFAIK such rims are only available in steel.

repechage

I would actually want a rod braked bike from 30-40 years earlier. The quality of the mechanisms at the handlebar and pivots just I have found of better quality and a bit easier to work with.
I have a bike of this type, it was retrofitted with a 3 speed coaster brake in addition to the rod brakes.
I use the coaster brake and the front brake in unison. The bike stops pretty well.
The braking performance does deteriorate in the rain but if the rim does not get immersed, I have found the braking does a bit better than a typical rim brake in those conditions. Still that is not saying much.

As I recall someone has found aluminum rims in the correct size. Not easy to get as I recall basically a Dutch market item. Might check Pashley too, I expect neither of those alternatives to be cheap. Even finding spokes may be a challenge.

Setting up the rod brakes takes a bit of time to learn the adjustments. I have found they like being set up close to the rim. A big contributing factor to brake modulation is the trueness and especially roundness of the rim. If the bike has a rim dent, you will have terrible brakes.

John E

I like the old stuff, but the two places I don't compromise are in lighting and brakes, both of which have improved markedly over the years. I don't do steel rims, I don't do rod brakes, and I don't do pads other than KoolStops or something with equivalent stopping power. I have likewise given up incandescent bulbs in favor of bright LEDs.

brianinc-ville

Just to be clear: the bike in the OP's photo has rod-actuated drum brakes, not rod-actuated rim brakes. Y'all're talking about rim brakes, which are indeed a bit dicey (I've got a DL-1, so I can speak from experience). Drum brakes, though, should be just fine in all weather; I haven't used drum brakes with rods, but I can't see how they'd be much different from drum brakes with cables -- the direction of pull and mechanical advantage should be more or less the same. I wouldn't expect stellar braking, but I wouldn't worry about it either.

errantlinguist, what country are you in? I've never seen a Raleigh Tourist fitted with a German-style chainguard before.

errantlinguist

The bike is in Germany, so it's more or less understandable, I guess?

oddjob2

If the weather is or will be wet, I ride a mountain bike with road tires and fenders.

3alarmer 

.
...drum brakes work within the acceptable parameters of my personal survival criteria. I have a set out in the garage somewhere, waiting on the right project. If I thought they were dangerous, I'd throw them in the trash. Rod actuated rim brakes do not work within those criteria, so I don't use them.

NukeouT

I would say that any brake tech thats that old is best ridden away from any places you cross paths with motorized vehicles.