Originally Posted by
Rob_E
I don't find coaster brakes to be more efficient than rim or disc, but I wouldn't shy away from either if there were some compelling reason to use them.
In fact, I was thinking about building up a two-speed, auto (or kick-back) hub wheel, with coaster brake, for my World Troller. Reason being that if I were ever willing to settle for just two gears (Just spent a week bumming around Scottsdale/Phoenix and could have survived easily on 2 gears, or 1), it would greatly simplify the splitting, packing, and reassembly of the bike if I didn't have to rerun the brake and gear lines.
Used to love my old, Sears Tote-Cycle that was set up with a 3 speed and a coaster brake, but I never really toured on it, except one time when I was camping on an island, and left my car on the mainland, using my bike to get the gear over on the ferry. I don't think that counts.
I could see long descents being a problem.
Some cyclists using coaster brakes when I was a youth also had a front caliper brake
for the long and steep hills. The original 3-speed hubs weren't always durable for excessive
use. On my first tour when I was 14 I used an old coaster brake single speed while my
buddy had a new 3-speed Raleigh. The internal workings of his 3-speed hub broke down
after a few hundred miles.