I just bought Dahon folding bike that came with a coaster brake. I'm not convinced I'll get used to it or even want to. I have a handbrake on the bike too.

I'm pretty handy but am not sure I want to disable it myself because I don't want to mess it up. I've watched a few youtubes and it doesn't look super complicated but I'm not sure I want to have a go at it.

Anybody have an idea of what an LBS might charge to do it, or is it simple enough to do myself without wrecking anything?

If a shop refuses to disable the CB don't be surprised. If they did do the work and later the rider got into an accident their making the brake not work would place the shop in the liability target. Andy.

It should be simple enough. If you mess up, it won't work, but it won't damage anything. If you can't get it back together, the local bike shop can do it for you, though, as Andy says, they won't hand it back to you disabled.

Disabling most coaster brakes is a very straightforward job that anyone with a bit of mechanical skill should be able to do. Here's a link to a youtube video showing how it's done.

Otherwise you can ask a shop to do the job, but I suspect that they won't unless you do it as part of installing 2 caliper brakes at the same time.

Have you considered just Buying another Rear Wheel with a freewheel on it , that would be safer.

>> Assuming, as FB says, you also Also add Hand brakes for both wheels. <<

and something a Bike shop Could stand behind, rather than a Bodging up the coaster brake..

Thanks for the input everybody. Never thought about the liability issue. I'll take a look at the video.

Leave as is, don't pedal backwards?

This would be my suggestion.

one thing worth mentioning, because i've removed the shoes on my Sturmey Archer coaster brake hub a few times and ridden it that way as an experiment, is that i don't think backpedaling will be as free as it is on a freehub, possibly avoided altogether. and the washers are, as mentioned in the video, necessary to prevent excessive windup when transitioning from coasting to pedaling.

it's also an option to remove, or do a little cosmetic surgery on , the brake arm and replace it with a suitable washer, if aesthetics and/or weight are of concern.

IMO the liability issue is a red herring, or some sort of CYA fear mongering-----> as long as the bicycle has 2 hand brakes.

Once you defeat a coaster brake (properly) it's essentially a freewheel hub, functionally like any other freewheel, and bikes have had those for a Century. The only difference is that the clutch system will be a Bendix mechanism instead of a ratchet. Bendix mechanisms are extremely simple and reliable, so I challenge anyone to show how using one as a freewheel is any different than using any other freewheel.

BTW- I also own a Dahon coaster brake bike, and am getting ready to do the same because I find the coaster brake to be a nuisance.

A coaster brake is handy for a beater bike that gets left somewhere, or goes in bad weather.