Brake Coasters Review

Most bike riders probably don’t even remember much about bikes that have coaster brakes. These bikes are always one speed models, so only cruising on nice flat ground is ideal for this kind of bike. Coaster brakes, like the KT coaster brakes, were invented in the 1890s and were around until the seventies, when the caliper or rim brake was introduced. Today, some companies, such as Schwinn are making a comeback with these nice and easy going, one-speed cruiser bikes. Another popular bike that you see coaster brakes on is the custom cruisers that some bike riders trick out, much to the style of the “Low Rider” car.

Bike coaster brakes, such as Shimano coaster brakes or the Sun bicycles coaster brakes, are different from other bike brakes and shifters in that they only come installed on the back wheel only, so this means you have no front brake at all. If you often ride this style of bike, you might want to add on a hand brake to the front wheel. If your chain brakes or comes off the sprocket, then you basically have no brakes at all, unless you have a front brake as a backup. Another disadvantage of the coaster brake is that it only does a decent job on flat ground. If you try to ride down any hills, the braking quality is poor and it causes the brake to overheat. Coaster brakes can also cause skidding, since there is only one brake on this kind of bike. This may cause an accident if you are riding down a steep hill and need to suddenly stop.

Some advantages of the coaster brake, like the Sturmey-Archer coaster brake, are that they work great when it comes to riding in bad weather, because they are totally sealed. This also means there is no required maintenance. There are no messy cables to get in the way, so the bike has a nice, simple look to it. You also have fewer parts to deal with, because the entire unit is contained in one, sealed housing that rarely fails.

What It’s For

A coaster brake is a special rear hub that is on your bike. It performs two functions. The first function of the coaster brake is to allow the bike to roll without the pedals without the pedals being forced to turn. The other function of a coaster brake is to stop the bike by turning the pedals in reverse.

Major Manufacturers

Shimano, Ningbo, Sun, MTB

Pricing

Prices on coaster brakes can run from about $14.99 up to $29.99 for certain models.