krecik

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andrewclaus

Gradual braking is possible, at least with a normally operating hub.

fietsbob

User variable , you can do either, it's up to you ..

there are cheap coaster brake hubs or you can buy better ones..

wschruba

The brake modulates well under normal circumstances. When lubrication is low/running out/gone, the brake will grab ferociously as the heat of the system rises.

Classic brakes (ND/Bendix/Morrow/Sachs copies) modulate better and stop more authoritatively than the common Shimano clone of today.

AnkleWork

Maybe ride one before committing? You will have a bizarre bike if you blindly follow the advice given here.

Gresp15C

My bike has an old Bendix hub. It modulates just fine, but doesn't have terrific stopping power. @SquidPuppet has reported that the Shimano CB-E110 is a superior hub. Also, I would not ride a bike without both front and rear brakes, unless it was just for tooling around on bike paths at low speed. My bike has a conventional hand brake in front.

Iride01 

Coaster brakes always worked fine when I was a 60 pound kid. I could modulate them or skid whenever I wanted and never a problem. I've not ridden them since I was probably 80 pounds. Don't know if they've gotten better or do well for heavier adults. But I would think that the issues with spokes would be similar to those with disc brakes, though the coaster brakes don't require dishing. There still must be some concern about how the wheels spokes are laced to make up for the difference in where the braking force is applied.

Can you have a geared bike with a coaster brake? Do they make internal geared hubs with coaster brakes?

Stadjer

No problem, I have rod brakes these days, but braking without any hand on the handlebar is doable.

Yes, often 2 speeds with kickback shift, or 3-speeds. But I don't know if the coaster brake limits the number of gears or that it's just for model range reasons.

SquidPuppet

Yeah, I was going to comment on that yesterday but I didn't want to come across like I was trying to start something. The Shimano CB-E110s that I own work perfectly. By perfectly I mean, if they had some type of adjustment device built in that allowed you to tune the modulation characteristics and overall power, I would leave it as is. They provide gobs of feedback for sensitive braking situations and beyond that a good little push will lock the wheel right up. I can't think of any way that their performance is lacking. They are also dead silent when pedaling, coasting, and braking. What more does one need?

Yeah, a front brake is wise, since they are almost three times more effective than a rear brake.

SquidPuppet

That concern was addressed and solved 120 years ago.

cny-bikeman

How would you imagine that a coaster brake would just start skidding, and yet have been provided on millions of bikes over the years?

Iride01 

I was beating around the bush with the way I posed the coaster brake wheel vs disc brake wheel so I deserve the 120 year comment. I was going for weight more than anything. The already built coaster brake wheels tend to be steel rims. The sites that have them don't post the weight but I'd think they'd be quite heavy. Maybe not. Won't they also be prone to the similar forces that disc brake hubs have and require stronger spokes and/or a particular lacing pattern compared to rim brakes? Of course with rim brakes you do have to add in the weight of the rear brake system to do a fair comparison.

A brake on the front will still be needed unless the chain is bulletproof.

SquidPuppet

You wouldn't want to lace it radially. Two or three or four cross are all fine. No special spokes required.

I did a weight comparison between a coaster brake hub with ALL the hardware compared to a Dura-Ace track hub with a White industries freewheel, plus a high end brake lever, plus high end caliper, bolts, nuts, and cabling. It was tie. If you were to use mid level components the coaster brake would win out.

Iride01 

Shouldn't be anything to bite on. It's only opinion and mine is from a viewpoint of someone that has not used a coaster brake since about the 3rd maybe 4th grade back in the mid to late 60's. I also will change my opinion as I find opinions expressed that seem reasoned. Yours is good, I've no trouble with it.

Not sure I'll want to depend on one brake yet. Especially since I don't do any truly leisurely riding. At the times I had one or the other rim brakes fail, I certainly was glad I wasn't left without a way to slow the bike quick. Perhaps the chances of a chain coming off or breaking are rare enough for the risk to not be worth the worry.

I wouldn't worry so much for a 60 pound kid breaking a chain. But a grown adult with a good set of quads might be a different story. I think my coaster brake did fail at times, but the bike was a hand-me-down and older than I was at the time. I'm sure they must be better now.