Giant Doofus

For reasons not worth rehearsing here, I had to ride my older bike to work on Monday. It's a decent hybrid made by Giant. I used it to commute for a year, and it served me reasonably well. I still use it every weekend for longer, faster fun rides. I replaced it last spring with a dutch-style step-through bike with an IGH, dyno hub, and roller brakes. I've been delighted with the new bike. It is beautiful and fun.

I rode through a light drizzle on Monday and suddenly remembered why the new bike is more than beautiful and fun. It is also incredibly practical. Yes, the IGH is great for downshifting while stopped at lights. Yes, the dyno hub makes lighting something I never think about. But it is those brakes, those wonderful roller brakes that really make the bike. They work no matter what the road or weather conditions. They don't care if the rims are wet. They stop the bike. I know others have complaints about them that they will surely share here, but I love them.

On Monday, I found myself thinking far in advance of each stop about how my v-brakes would handle and worrying about an emergency stop. They aren't awful, but they do slip when the rims are wet. Roller brakes don't.

I-Like-To-Bike

Coaster brakes are even simpler and just as reliable in all weather/road conditions; no cables, no need to have hand on the handle bars at the right time, almost indestructible in regular use, inexpensive. Been around forever but ignored by bicycling aficionados for whatever reason.

agmetal

I love the 90mm Sturmey Archer drum brake on the front of my wet-weather bike. Smooth, quiet, strong stopping power, in all conditions.

A10K

Added a 90mm SA drum-dynamo as a supplementary brake to my rim-brake only tandem a few months ago. Like others have pointed out, best way to describe it is "smooth". Always stops quietly. Always stops. Much better than the two U brakes I had before.
Looking for an excuse to mount more drums on other bikes but its hard to justify the weight and lack of QR options.

AlTheKiller

Ugh, coaster brakes. Not being able to back pedal is such a pain, when it doesn't at least afford you the control a fixed gear does.

TransitBiker

I been eying the SE tripel for a bit now........ it has 3 speed and coaster brake...



- Andy

jyl

Only acting on the rear wheel makes the coaster brake a convenient brake for when you don't really, really need a brake.

MichaelW

Does a roller/drum brake have any advantages over a disk brake?

My IGH/Dyno commuter bike uses Alfine with disc brakes.

Gresp15C

Yes, I discovered that the hard way, on a very steep downward slope heading into busy traffic. With most of my weight on the front wheel, my rear brake did practically nothing. I promptly added a front brake to that bike.

I also experienced the fading issue with my coaster brake, due to a long downhill stretch on my morning commute.

kickstart

Roller/drum brakes cost less, require less maintenance, and last longer. Discs ultimately provide more braking power and are less subject heat issues.

It's more about matching which best matches ones needs than any clear "advantages". One thing for sure, they're all better than rim brakes.

kickstart

Lots of significant grades in my area, and I've found fade isn't an issue if I use both brakes.

tjspiel

"Pads" last longer, no rotors to bend, they don't squeal, and the only adjustment is cable tension so unless you've really messed something up, they don't rub.

tjspiel

The only thing I don't like about roller brakes is that they weigh a ton and the grease makes it feel like you're pedaling through molasses when it's really cold out. They probably don't have the greatest stopping power either but unless you're on a mountain descent, they are plenty adequate.

RaleighSport

Gotta concur, my main foul weather bike is a coaster converted mixte, my other foul weather bike is a fixed gear for similar reasons. Although, a drum brake up front does appeal.. but I've got too much of a roadie streak to add that much weight.

noglider 

Those are three things you don't like about them.

I am a Citibike member, and I only use the bikes occasionally. They have Shimano drum brakes. I haven't noticed extra friction in the cold, but the bike is such a tank, I don't think I will.

I think if drum brakes weren't so darned heavy, they would be the perfect brakes. They need a LOT less maintenance than disc brakes. I'm betting that's why bike shares use them.

dynaryder

HATE rollerbrakes;had them on a couple Nexus hubs,have them on the share bikes I use for Metro and running through the salt in the winter.

First,let's all understand that rollers are not real drum brakes;drums have shoes that are really brake pads(covered in brake pad material) while rollers are basically cable-actuated coasters with all-metal shoes. Drums also don't rely on grease to keep them from locking up. This is what makes roller brakes really suck,as long as you're riding at a slow pace,and not dragging them down hills,the grease stays ok and the brakes work. But use them alot at speed,or drag them down hills,and you can quickly ruin the grease and the brakes fail. And unfortunately,DC is a very hilly place,so the share bikes get their brakes trashed. I've learned whenever checking one out to do a couple test stops before heading into traffic to make sure the brakes are working properly. I've had two really close calls on the share bikes because the brakes didn't stop me,they just slowed me down. I've also almost gone over the bars once going down a hill because the front brake completely locked. I've never had any issues like this on any of my fleet's brakes,rim or disc. They're also about the heaviest brakes out there,and Shimano still hasn't figured out a way to make a quick disconnect for the torque arm;every one I've seen required them to be unbolted from the frame.

If you're in Amsterdam,then roller brakes should be fine. Anywhere with hills,forget it.

Giant Doofus

This sums it up for me. If I were on a bike for fast rides with serious hills, I'd want disc brakes. But I'm using these on a 40-pound Dutch-style bike for a relatively flat six-mile (12 r/t) commute. For that, the roller brakes are absolutely perfect.

CrankyOne

My preference on city bikes is a rear coaster and front roller. I use the coaster 99% of the time and have the front roller mostly for backup.

If you'll be bombing hills really fast then roller brakes may not be for you. For the vast majority of people they work very well and as mentioned require less maintenance and last longer. We have them on 7 bikes including a bakfiets and are quite happy with them. I've not noticed any problems in cold but I don't ride below about 0f or +5f. You can use a lighter oil in them.

noglider 

@dynaryder, I didn't know that. Interesting!

Citibike in NYC is currently in mostly flat areas. There are plans for it to expand, which will bring them to hillier parts of the city.

kickstart

I plan on replacing the rim brakes on my Robin Hood with a Shimano roller brake on the rear and a SA dyno/drum on the front, and the rim brakes on my Ross Porteur with Shimano roller brakes front and rear.
I currently have a Shimano 7 speed/coaster brake on the Ross, I didn't find the extensive hills in my area to cause any issues for how I ride with the coaster brake, but found it to be a pain in stop-and-go conditions, so I removed the coaster brake shoes and use rim brakes instead.

Shimano roller brakes come in several sizes with progressively larger heat dissipating discs, it appears the citibike bikes use the smallest size with no dissipating disc, perhaps they are not the best example to judge roller brakes by.

Mr IGH

...go together like hand and glove:

fietsbob

S-A UK made sealed Bearing 70mm alloy shell drum brakes . rear, is with a 6 speed freewheel. now in their 24th year of trouble free service..

It's my go-to winter bike now.. wears the studded tires , currently..

agmetal

Question for those of you using SA drum hubs in the rear: how does the reaction arm attach to the chainstay? Is it a coaster brake style clip that needs to be unscrewed, or does it slide in and out like the front drum hubs do? Further, how does this affect wheel removal, and tension adjustment on SS and IGH bikes? Visual aids are helpful!

noglider 

@agmetal, it's the coaster brake style. Remove the bolt. Swing the arm down. Remove the wheel.

Giant Doofus

Nice pictures, Mr. IGH.