JPprivate

Hi

I am pretty new to this forum and had a question about foot/coaster brakes. I started commuting to work a few months ago (7 mi each). I usually take it slowly and just enjoy the ride. I have an old (cheap - when I bought it, 10 years ago) mountain bike, which works fine. But I am not happy with the brakes. I had the brakes readjusted recently, but I still think the old foot brakes where safer (stopped faster). I actually thought of buying another bike with foot brakes, because I think they work more effectively. I realize the big drawback is that you can't easy move the pedal into position. Any other thoughts. I haven't really read much about foot brakes on the forum.

Thanks.

mikeybikes

Seems to me relying on a rear brake would be a bad idea. Your front brake, when used properly, will stop you much quicker than any rear brake. Not to mention the tendency of rear brakes to skid when applied with too much pressure.

Sheldon Brown's site has a good article on braking with the front brake: https://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Torrilin

Coaster brakes only work on the rear wheel. Like any rear wheel only brake, they don't have much stopping power in practice. In rain, mud, or icy conditions, a coaster brake can be very useful tho... you don't always need or want maximum stopping power.

I'd strongly encourage you to experiment with braking technique following Sheldon Brown's advice. It is very helpful, and I found that it took me from nervous about hand brakes to very comfortable with them. Even if you decide to get a bike with a coaster brake, his advice is *quite* helpful... and if you go with a European style bike with both sorts of brakes, you'll have a very nice bike indeed.

chicbicyclist

Mine has coaster brakes and a front hand brake.

subclavius

A MTB should have both front & back hand brakes. I would think that those two would stop you faster than a coaster brake, even if the rear hand brake is a little off. Since it's an older bike and probably just sat around for the past 10 years, you might just need new brake pads. Or the rims just might need to be cleaned.

The problem with using a coaster brake is that it potentially is a single point of failure. If you have that and hand brakes, you'll still be OK. But with many of the old cruisers, it's the only brake. And if the chain breaks or jumps the chain ring (happened to me twice on single speed, coaster brake cruisers), you have no brake but the Fred Flintstone method.

AlmostTrick

Coaster brakes are ok if you don't go too fast or ride down long steep hills. I ride bikes that only have a coaster brake all the time, but only for leisurely rides. The one point of failure is not a big concern unless the bike is not maintained properly. (or you're going too fast!) As long as the chain is adjusted and lubed properly, chances are slim it will fall off or break, and the hubs are fairly bullet proof.

If you plan on cranking out some speed, you need to get used to hand brakes. At least have one on the front, to go along with the coaster brake rear.

JPprivate

Thanks for the replies. This is helpful.

JeffS

Sounds like you need your brakes adjusted and possibly new/better brake pads.

I have one bike with a coaster brake (and no front brake) and it works OK, but it's definitely the slowest stopping bike I own.

Buglady

My first thought is that your brake pads need replacement, as another poster said. Another thing is that on a MTB that old, you are pretty likely to have center-pull cantilever brakes, which can be a bit temperamental (in my experience anyway). Did you have them adjusted at a shop where they are familiar with these brakes? Some of the shops around me can only really handle the newer V-brakes, which is how I got into doing some of my own wrenching.

https://sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

If you do have V-brakes, you might want to try some of the different brake pads. Kool-Stops are my favourite, as they make several different types of pads specific to different conditions (wet, dusty, etc).

Practicing braking at different speeds may help you feel more confident too.

Pscyclepath

There's good things and bad thing about coaster brakes. For the good, they work in all sorts of weather and you don't have to worry about squeegeeing water or mud off your rims before they'll work. They don't require a great deal of maintenance under most conditions. They're good for handicapped or young riders, who may not have the hand strength to work hand-operated brakes.

On the bad side, they only work on the rear wheel, so you have less than half the stopping power of a bike with brakes on both wheels. It takes half again as long for stopping distance with coaster brakes. They're hard to modulate, and so it's hard to keep from skidding and wearing a bald spot on your rear tire when you brake hard. Coaster brakes don't work at all if your chain comes off or breaks. They have a tendency to burn out and fail when you have to use them on long, steep declines. (one of the legendary mountain bike trails on Mt. Tamalpais in CA is called "Repack" because the early riders would have to disassemble, rebuild, and re-lube their rear hubs and coaster brakes after every time they rode down it.)

And when coaster brakes fail, it tends to be a fairly catastrophic failure, since you don't have any other brakes when these things go out.

To be safe, any bicycle needs a front brake and some sort of secondary backup braking system. Depending on the design of your bike, you may be able to get a bike shop to mount a front brake to help you to stop faster and to have a backup brake when your coaster brake fails. This can usually be done at low cost, as long as the condition of the front rim allows this. Many bike shops have used brakes in their junk bins that they may be willing to give you very cheaply.

itsajustme

+1
This isn't what I'm using, but I think it's probably the best and safest configuration.

Two hand brakes can both get out of adjustment or muddy, which is dangerous. So I vote for a front brake for maximal emergency stopping power and coaster brake in the back for low maintenance and ease of use.