700c Coaster Wheelsets
 

I know there have been a ton of threads on this, but all the links are dead now. I saw the NYC Bikes set, but they look cheap and all the reviews seem shaky. I want to build my dad a singlespeed commuter for his birthday. Any recommendations? Or should I just buy a hub and have it built up at the LBS?

Why does it have to be a coaster wheel?

your local shop can do it for you. it'll be easier that way.

we did a set up like this a month ago for a indiana university alumni. think breaking away.

Because they're fun. Also, you can keep the clean aesthetics of a brake-less bike without wearing your knees out.

You might want to look into an SE Draft.
A complete for about the same as a good wheelset.
If your Dad is like most dads he wont be concerned with the terminal raggage it gets from people.
http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/hide.gif I think they are kinda cool.

Exactly. My dad wants to ride fixed, but he's had some knee issues, so I want to build him a clean, brake-cable-less bike to ride to work with. Its not hilly at all, so I wouldn't worry too much about heat build up. Plus, when I brought it up he seemed really excited about a coaster brake bike. He's already a pretty avid rider, I would just love to get him to start commuting.

Just an FYI, modern coaster brakes are SUPER crap. Unless you buy a velosteel from Kogswell, those are pretty sweet. Otherwise, look for a pre-mexico Bendix red band or a morrow (has a traditional lockring/cog setup)

700c coasters are super fun, but you will have to get it built at your LBS.

My steamroller has a mavic open pro rim and shimano E-110 hub with heavy tandem spokes.

A word of advice from experience: If he's using anything other than platform pedals, a front brake will make riding it a lot easier.

I ended up having a matching front drum brake wheel built after a year of riding coaster-only because coming to a full stop was a pain. Track standing for more than a few seconds was impossible (for me), so it was either 'slow down, clip out, stop without accidentally clipping back in, foot down' or 'slow down, stop, clip out really fast, foot down'. With the front brake I can either track stand or clip out easier before stopping.

Edit to respond to seaneee: My experience with a new shimano E-110 coaster brake has been nothing but good. Been riding it for over two years now with no mechanical problems, plenty of modulation, and no maintenance needed other than lubing every 6 months. Velosteels may have a theoretically superior design and are great hubs (god knows I want one for my next build), but in all practical terms you won't notice the difference.

That hasn't been my experience. And I've noticed no special mojo associated with Mexico made Bendix hubs, either. There is some variation with hubs, but it seems a matter of grease and adjustment.

Velosteel hubs do look sweet, but IMO looks are about the only advantage. They're usually more expensive, they weigh about a half pound more, and they don't actually brake any better than comparable generic Shimano coaster brake hubs.

With thin tires, it really helps to have a front brake. Thinner tires have a smaller area of contact with the ground, and as a result seem to offer worse braking performance than they would with, say, fat cruiser tires. Modulation is more difficult because the smaller contact area offers less traction and subsequently more inclination to lock up. This is somewhat mitigated by the larger 700c wheel diameter (which itself would seem to make braking suffer a bit), but it's still noticeable. Keep in mind, this is all relative. I compared the same hub with a 27" wheel and with a 26" cruiser wheel. The coaster works either way, but with 26" and smaller wheels, it seems coaster brakes are increasingly effective.

All this isn't much of a problem if he's just cruising or running in the Little 500. But if he wants to do any reasonably fast road riding, a front brake is really necessary.