The little woman got herself a low end Schwinn cruiser from Target (I know that was her first mistake) she loves the look of the bike, but the coaster brake is noisy as hell. During normal riding it is fine, but when she starts to coast, not applying the brakes, it sounds like the internals on the rear hub are rubbing. She says she can feel a vibration in the cranks as well. I have done some searching and I think this may be due to the crap hub. She is going to try and see if Target can fix it, though I doubt it. Does anyone know some tricks that I could try to fix it? I have tried the adjustments Sheldon sugested but no help. Is it worth fixing or should I just take it down to the LBS and have them rebuild the wheel with a quality coaster brake hub?

TIA

DO NOT ATTEMPT either of these. Target employees know less about it than you, and a custom wheelbuild from the LBS is going to cost more than the bike. This cheap bike isn't worth the trouble. Bring it back and ask for an exchange, and if you have the same problem with the exchange bike, return the bike for a refund then go buy a real bike.

What he said.

From what I've heard, coaster brakes are the achilles heel of x-mart bikes. They are underdesigned on the assumption that most people who buy a bike these days at a store like that will ride it fewer than 100 miles.

Probably just got a lemon. Exchange it.

I'm not sure what kind adjustments Sheldon recommended, but the only real adjustments these things usually need is more grease. Not a terribly hard job, but a little more complicated than, say a front hub. I'd venture to guess you're not all that familiar with bike mechanics. Best bet is exchange.

Coaster brakes are actually extremely reliable, commonly providing years of service with little or no maintenance. They are extremely mature technology, hugely mass produced, and thus, very inexpensive. Around here, they seem to be the preferred setup for the commuting hoi polloi, for reasons of simplicity and reliability. I would not say they are underdesigned. More accurately, they are adequately designed, and no more. There is effectively no such thing as a "quality coaster brake hub". 99% of all currently manufactured coaster brake hubs in the US are pretty much identical regardless of name. There is one brand manufactured in Europe occasionally found in the US that is different, appearing to be more nicely manufactured. However, in use, it offers no actual advantages, other than looking nicer.

Is it a single speed coaster or a 3 speed?

If the store won't exchange it for a new one, you can replace everything inside the hub of a single speed coaster for about $15 in parts. Your LBS can order you a rebuild kit.

single speed. I told her to take it back to Target and exchange it. I was worried about this when she said she wanted a bike from Target.

coaster brakes rule!

















Ain't no Target bikes, though.