emeralds

Is this possible/easy or will I just make an ass of myself bringing mine over and requesting this at the bike shop? The one closest to me have never worked on folding bikes so I also want to avoid actually having it potentially messed up. And yeah I know both the coaster and front break are suggested but I never remember to actually use the coaster under any circumstances anyway.

MrSingh

It's taking some time getting used to the coaster..might consider removing mine too. Getting the pedals placed right before coming to a standstill so I can launch properly when restarting is not happening sometimes. Kind of missing back-pedalling. Hoping I get used to it soon.

Azreal911

It took me a week to get used to the coaster brakes but now i mostly use them and the front for faster stops only. That way I don't wear out the front rim as much.

but removing the coaster brake would actually mean rebuilding the entire rear wheel with a single speed hub which would be easier to just build another wheel from scratch since at least if you want to go back to the coaster brake you have a choice. You can't just remove parts of the insides and magically make it a freewheel because the entire clutch mechanism works as a single drive/brake unit. removing any parts will probably damage the hub and make it unrideable.

MrSingh

Thanks for that. My understanding of bike mechanics is seriously basic so that was very helpful.

dynaryder

emeralds,where are you located? The US issue Mu's are designed for rear coasters only;installing a rear brake requires some modding. I've seen reviews for pieces that attach to the kickstand plate,but the reviews I've read were mixed.

BassNotBass

Folding bike or not I haven't come across many mechanics these days who have much experience working on coaster brakes anyway. IMHO it's more of a hassle to accomplish what you would like to do than it's worth. Your options, as Azreal911 pointed out, would cost money yet you'd still be left with a single speed but no rear brakes. If you don't use your rear brakes now that's fine, at least you'll have some sort of braking option if your front brakes should fail for whatever reason. The only "advantage" to changing over to a non-coasterbrake rear is being able to back pedal at a stop and orient your "launch" pedal to the optimum position for take-off. But that can still easily be accomplished at a stop by applying your front brake, pushing forward on your handlebars to lift the rear wheel off the ground and pedal forward until your launch pedal is near the top of it's rotation.

Azreal911

to see what is inside a coaster brake here's a great description and you'll then understand why you can't just remove pieces and have it freewheel with this intricate mechanism.

Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Coaster Hub Overhaul (Pedal Brake Hub)

once you get into 2 speed hubs and up territory the darn thing just gets really complicated that I would not suggest anyone to take it apart themselves unless they are engineers.