Heatherbikes

Hi, I posted last week about internal geared hubs for my bike. I have found that they are way more expensive in Canada than the US and not easy to find. Thes suppliers my local bike mechanic uses have almost nothing....Anyway, I do have an idea where to get a nexus 8 speed hub, but leaves me with the question....what to do with the sturmey archer front drum brake hub I now have? Is it ridiculous to have drum and rollerbrakes on a bike? How do drum brakes and rollerbrakes compare? I have read that the Rollerbrakes can be bad for front wheels and Sheldon Brown strongly advised against them for front wheels, but what about drum brakes? And the sturmey archer one? And how are the nexus rear rollerbrakes?
I had considered disc brakes but the bike in question is not built for them. I want to get away from rim brakes because they wear out quickly with the hills, the rain and grit.
If all else fails I will use the SA front drum brake for my fantasy old english bike project instead.

meb

There does not appear to be any reason to get rid of the front drum if you upgrade the rear. The front drum is the most weather resistant brake available, so if rain is an issue keep it. SA drums are very good. I have heard some Iditerbike riders indicate concerns with drum brakes freezing, so if you are in a cold part of Canada that might be an issue.

The roller is probably better than a drum as a drag brake, but not as optimized for quick stops-its a little spongy. With the front, the pair should be fine unless you are way north. It is a good commuter brake. Rim brakes in the wet going down a hill is a bad combination, so the roller is superior for your application than rim brakes. The Nexus hub is not compatible with a disc anyway, so don't beat yourself over the head trying for lack of rear discs. If you are still extremely concerned, you could add an additional brake as a failsafe.

Heatherbikes

Thanks meb. I noticed quite a few people have asked about drum or rollerbrakes before so I hope I haven't bored anybody! I'm in the pacific northwest so no cold to worry about, just rain rain rain. I have read about people in Minneapolis riding with drum or roller brakes in the winter without too much trouble.
I am mostly riding along highways and rural roads so there isn't alot of stopping and starting.

southpawboston

i ride with drum brakes on my dutch 3-speed which i use for work commuting, in rain, sleet, snow or sunshine. i prefer them for all-weather riding because:

1) weatherproof-- they work the same in any weather condition
2) smooth action-- they are not sensitive to wheels being out of true, so you never get that "pulsing" effect
3) easy to adjust-- much easier to adjust than cantilever, v-brake, or other side-pull calipers. there is really only one cable adjustment and that's it.
4) keeps rims clean
5) silent, free of squealing or other braking noises
6) slow wear-- they wear much more slowly than caliper pads

as someone else mentioned, they are not quite as powerful as rim brakes, so short panic stops are not as easy.

they are not bad for front wheels as sheldon mentioned. they do transfer the stopping force to the spokes, unlike rim brakes, but the spokes can take it (and disc brakes do the same thing, anyway).

Metzinger

+1
Bike has lived outside for decades. Panic stops no problem. Just yank on the gargantuan levers and it stops like a well serviced Oldsmobile.
Adequately.

Looking at the bikes in Holland, it seems that it's been the Dutch who have made Sturmey and Archer so rich and famous.

ogbigbird

another +1 on keeping what you got. i have never actually had a roller brake and have heard mixed opinions of them. most of the braking seems to be tranfered to ther front wheel anyways and seeing how reliable the drum set up is up there, id keep it. what would be the alternative? going down to a cantilever or v pull set up? that would be a step down.