wiston

Hi, I would like to build my own fixie. But today I just remember when I was maybe 10 years old I had a bike without brakes on the handlebars but I could brake with my pedals when I push them backwards. I did not remember if I had to move with pedals even if I was riding the bike down the hill. But I could definitely brake somehow and of course I couldnt ride the bike backward because there was some kind of break in the rear naba...Can someone help me find what type of braking system was that? Thank you!

T-Mar

What you are referring to is generically called a coaster brake hub. It does have freewheel mechanism, so you can coast without the crankarms turning. As such, it is not classified as a fixed gear, where the crankarms are always turning, as long as the rear wheel is also turning.

randyjawa 

You would have had some form of rear hub brake. The brake hub is anchored to the chain stay and actuated with a rod on the lever that extends from the brake plate, similar to this one...



This will not work with a fixie, in my opinion.

wiston

Thank you for quick response! I like it very much. I would like to build fixie with reliable brakes so I think this is the way how to build fine city bike with no wires on it

dabac

A bike with only a rear brake can easily have twice the stopping distance compared to a bike with a front brake.
I don't think there's anything "fine" in that.
You really should have a front brake - and know how to use it - if you are going to ride among people.

T-Mar

A rear drum brake could be used in fixie configuration, but it would require a hand lever for actuation.

tiredhands 

This is the trendiest thing to do right now.
Ready Made Urban Racer ? The Vanilla Workshop
I bet you could make a fine city bike out of a classy frame with lots of clearance, like an old Raleigh Super Course, with a new SRAM Automatix hub laced to 700c Sun rims for $3k less than a ready-made Speedvagen, even with racks and a chainguard.
Watch that you don't call it a "fixie" in mixed company, though - you might not get the nicest reactions.

wiston

I know that rear brake is not enough for city ride but I am not some crazy messenger on fixie so I suppose it could be enough for nice ride from A to B point. I have an old RIH frame 58cm so I would like to do something with it

wiston

There is some king of coaster brake hub on the bike? I was not able to recognize it from the picture.

davester

Personally, I think it is completely nuts to ride anywhere except on a velodrome track without a front brake. Rear brakes are virtually useless when riding downhill.

dabac

A coaster brake - heck, even back-pressure braking - might be good enough for your PLANNED riding.

Trouble is, you're not alone on the road.
It doesn't take much of a traffic situation - an iPod zombie stepping into your path, another rider swerving for whatever etc etc
There's any number of perfectly everyday situations that can make you wish for more braking than your rear brake can provide.

squirtdad

You can't have a fixie and a coaster brake at the same time.

Fixie means fixed gear, which means when the wheels are moving the pedals are moving

There is no coasting, where the wheels move and the pedals don't

A fixie with no brakes requires a lot of skill and strength and foot retention on the pedals like good straps

adding a front brake to a fixies adds a lot of braking.

What is you real goal: A usable simple city bike? or a fixie? If you want the former and not cables then you can build up a bike with a coaster brake. Braking will not be a good as with front and back hand brakes, but you can ride with that in mind

as fashion/style/hip note, fixies are not the rage here they were a few years ago....what seems to be cool is old classic 10 speeds.

jimmuller 

One word of advice: Don't do it.

The world is full of ultra-light no-brake fixies which have crashed. No one ever crashed because a brake caliper made the bike a shade too heavy.

wiston

Hi, of course I see a difference between fixie and bike with coaster brake. That's why I used quotation marks. But I like the idea of simplicity. I will propably build bike with rear coaster brake and classic front brake which I saw on some fixies as well.

wiston

But next question is...will be the coaster brake much more efficient than classic fixie when I just stopped the pedals? Of course I am confident that it will require more effort and skill. But in theory when I master the breaking on the fixie it could be on the same level of efficiency?

randyjawa 

A hand brake lever to operate the rear drum brake, I can see. But how does that figure into the "fixie" configuration. Can the rear hub be fixed in place. Please excuse my ignorance regarding coaster brakes. I have never really worked on one and don't know how, or even if, it can become a fixed gear.

Anyway, the hand operated brake was an idea that I did not consider.

jimmuller 

In my much younger days I rebuilt a New Departure coaster brake. Clever internals, I thought at the time. A coaster brake can lock the rear wheel. Us boys liked to skid whenever we could. But that doesn't make the bike stop as fast as a non-skidding front wheel. If you have a good front caliper why bother with a coaster brake at all?

Maybe this doesn't answer your question. Basic bike dynamics says that in a panic stop a front brake alone provides the quickest stop. A rear brake is therefore just a style element, though you may enjoy using it.

MaximumCoast

I have a fixie and I have a coastie. The coastie can EASILY lock the back wheel, which is the most extreme form of braking it can do. Locking the back wheel is also the most extreme maneuver on a fixie, but it is not easy. On the fixie my right leg needs to be backwards because I'm only right foot dominant. I also have trouble executing a skid at much higher speeds. It takes me three times the coordination to do something I can accomplish in only 80% of my situations with 50% body efficiency.

Now the big caveat is that if a wheel is skidding it's not gripping efficiently in the first place so ideally you're NOT skidding to come to a stop. In that case the coastie wins big because I can keep it on the edge of braking before it starts skidding. That is the best the tire can do. I can also lean backwards while stopping on a coastie. I cannot lean backwards while skidding a fixie because I need to skip stop or lean forwards to get the wheel to skid in the first place.

Summation: a coaster brake only is much better than a brake less fixie. Either option with a front brake added will be better than either option without.

If you make a coaster brake only single speed you will have a very fun, maintenance free bike to enjoy. I wouldn't worry about it failing on you if you're only on flat land. If you're going up and down hills though, you should have a front brake.

Going down hills will overheat a coaster brake to the point where it stops braking very quickly. If you ride up and down hills or like to go fast around cars or other people you should have a front brake.

Make a coaster brake single speed, they're lots of fun. They can do cool skids easily and make you look super rad.

Call it a "coastie" or a "single speed". A fixie means it's fixed to your pedals, and unless it's fixed it's not a fixie. A coaster brake, single speed looks like a brake less fixie and impresses the ladies who know nothing about bikes or good decisions hyuk hyuk

rhm

I am not sure, @winston, but I think a skilled fixie rider and a skilled coaster brake rider would be able to stop in about the same time / distance, and neither one is as effective as a front brake.

The reason is simple: the front brake can shift all the rider's weight to the front wheel, while a rear brake cannot. The rear brake will skid. The front will not skid.

If you don't like cables, how about a spoon brake?

squirtdad

I am going to be pedantic....you mean classic coaster brake bike not fixie...... not the same thing at all

build up a single speed coaster brake bike, but make sure you have the ability to add a front brake.

ride it and see if you are comfortable without the front brake. if not add the front brake

zammykoo

Backwards on a coaster brake will lock up the rear wheel, while backwards on a fixed gear will be just enough to slowly shed speed. Not really a direct comparison, since you will still need brakes on a fixed gear bike.

I rode fixed gear much longer than I have with a freewheel and I always had at least a front brake. I developed a decent amount of braking leg strength but never found it sufficient to stop on a dime.

Skilled fixed gear riders can "skid" the back tire because they have enough leg strength to stop the wheel quicker. But it is still not advised to be your primary form of braking.

davester

Here's a relevant article regarding riding without a front brake (or any brakes) on a fixie: 'Why I ride a bike without a brake' - BBC News

It's about someone going to jail for killing a pedestrian in London because he was riding a fixie with no brakes. Fixie macho = dead pedestrian.

dabac

It'd take an AMAZINGLY skilled fixie rider to brake even with a (properly used) coaster brake.
Max braking is achieved just before wheel lock.
On a fixie, that'd require keeping as much back pressure as possible on the pedals, while still allowing the pedals to keep turning. And at the same time keeping your body scooted back as far as possible.
Quite a challenge.
Far easier both on muscle and coordination to balance the brake effort from a rearwards posture on a coaster.

Even if we accept a skid - in itself a less efficient form of braking, keeping a fixie in skid while shifting your body back is quite tricky.

Salamandrine 

Yep. Not realistic at all.

Let's not beat around the bush. A fixed gear with a coaster brake is an insanely stupid idea that won't work. Don't do it. There's a reason it is a called a coaster brake.

However, as has been pointed out, I suspect we have a terminology issue and by "fixie" the OP is simply referring to a single speed bike. (?)

A single speed bike with a coaster brake in the back and a caliper brake in the front is a perfectly reasonable and practical set up. A lot of messenger bikes have that configuration.

dabac

First you need to realize that skidding isn't gonna give you max braking.
Max friction, max braking happens right before the wheel locks.
Even if you accept the poorer braking of a skid, keeping a fixie in skid while shifting your body to the rear is a lot harder than keeping a coaster in skid while leaning back.
And you need to lean back, as available friction is dependent on how hard the wheel is pushed against the surface.
Keeping a fixie skidding while leaning (heavily) on the bars isn't that hard to learn. But that doesn't bring your speed down particularly well.
OK, a VERY skilled fixie rider MIGHT be able to skid as efficiently as a coaster rider.
But now you've already lost a fair bit of brake performance.
To brake as well as a coaster rider doing it right would require putting out exactly the right amount of back pressure to just let the wheel keep turning, while keeping your body to the rear.
Good luck with that.
If you want an idea of how hard that would be, get hold of one of those luggage scales sold as travel accessories. Have a friend hold the handle while you hold the hook. Ask your friend to move the handle around in big sweeping motions.
While in motion, try giving a steady pull of - say 20 lbs.
See how much your pull will vary.

A coaster used wrong will brake as well as a fixie used very skillfully.
A coaster used right will brake better than any reasonably skilled fixie.