Toying with the idea of building a cheap eBay special hub geared bike for canal tow path and general pootling

Saw a really nice looking fixie in the new bike shop in Marple yesterday but I know I’d kill myself riding fixed

Anyone built a bike with a coaster brake?

I like the clean look of just a front brake

I ride my commuter with just a front brake. I don’t miss having a rear, just need to think about what your doing a bit more

Coaster works fine, you just have to get used to it. Buy a good one – less crude in its action.

The official line here is they’re awful but very few have actually tried them. I have used them for many many years and never had any problems. Would love to get one on a commuter, might need to canibalise a kiddie bike’s wheel for one. Try it and you won’t be disappointed. Maintenance free and with a lifespan of decades, can’t go wrong.

Sturmey-Archer are doing a beauty at the moment. The SC2 – it has 2 speeds and a coaster. The wonderful thing is there are no cables involved.
Sturmey-Archer

2retro4u
Marin County, Cali

A coaster brake is a great option for a one-speed town bike.

Otherwise, not so much.

I paid my dues on them in the hills, and I’m not going back. A coaster brake is a terrible choice if you plan to ride trails or hills.

You can’t freewheel backward to set up for a corner, so doing S-turns means you let off the brake and crank half a forward revolution to set up for a turn to the the other side. Sometimes you would rather be braking than cranking.

I don’t know how hilly an area you live in, but more than a few hundred feet of descent is tough on coaster brakes, which don’t have much surface area to dissipate heat.

My handle comes from the coaster brakes I cooked BITD.