3 speed coaster brake for commuting on a road bike?

[bert2]

About to embark on building another frame. I plan on making it a light road style bike. I plan on using this frame in stop start commuting london morning traffic - Will a rear coaster brake be sufficient? (also having a brake on the front too) Im not planning on the morning commute being a race - have had experience of riding very very heavy pashleys each morning and they wore me out, so looking for something a little lighter and racier. I have experience with drum brakes already- they seem to be powerful but certainly dont seem to be "quick stop" - always found to be looking ahead an planning to stop.

I thought 3 speed would be good for the moderate inclines I have to pass each morning. I do have an old sachs rear drum brake cassette style hub - could also just put a single cog freewheel on there and have a drum brake single speed bike. any thoughts about that either? why hub gears? Im a fan of them and like their charm. I like to recycle and reuse an old frames. But I am worried a coaster brake, although with cleaner lines and less cable routing might be insufficient. In europe they (3 speed, single coasters) are quite popular. Any advice appreciated.

Bert

[Ayesha]

I found 'back pedal brake' hub a nuisance in city traffic. I had to think too much about keeping the cranks horizontal ( can't back-pedal ) it took my attention away from the traffic.

If I stopped at a junction with the cranks in the vertical position, I had to hop off and lift the rear of the bike to gently roll the cranks round to the horizontal.
Likewise, if I rolled up slowly to a RH turn, I had to concentrate on keeping the cranks in a position to accelerate away.

[random37]

A nice, lightweight frame with a 3 speed hub and modern alloy rim is a joy to ride. Fast, reliable, and cheap.

Personally, I didn't get on with a coaster brake on my road bike. But there are some excellent, modern dual-pivot calipers about. It needn't be that expensive to build.

[hubgearfreak]

i love coaster brakes. they stop brilliantly whatever the weather and require no maintanance. if you persevere they'll become second nature and you'll miss it when riding a less well equipped bike, or at least i do.
even if chris isn't that bright , my 6 year old managed to get the hang of his, so you can too give your fingers a rest

there is however a sturmey coaster hub that uses the internals to drive the brake. if it's in the neutral position between 2&3, you have no brake, and in any event the effort required varies depending upon which gear you'r in. i don't know which one it is, but a search of google will elucidate which is the one to avoid. on the other hand, a sram7 performs faultlessly for decades. i seem to remember someone here thought their S7 had broke, but it turned out to be the mudgaurd scraping - -obviously if you like to re-use old frames you're cleverer than that

[bert2]

As ever,
thanks for the responses.

Ayesha: I havent ridden a coaster brake since my red BMX when I was eight - I also worry about this too but Im prepared to try it out.

Chris: Thanks for your vote on 3 speed hubs and road bikes - fast reliable etc. I also thought the same.

Hubgearfreak: The sturmey that I think you mean is a Sturmey TWC - as you say, if the hub slipped into the neutral then you lost the brake too. I am keen to go with a SRAM t3 with coaster - I found myself adjusting SRAM T3s far less frequently than the various sturmey hubs Ive had on bikes.

A bike shop in germany can build me a wheel with a SRAM t3 coaster for about 115 euros (including postage) - does this sound like a good deal?? Do people find building wheels a valuable experience but does it really save money? Id imagine getting a rim, hub and spokes from different sources might end up quite the same price as above, or even more?

thanks!

Bert

[hubgearfreak]

Id imagine getting a rim, hub and spokes from different sources might end up quite the same price as above, or even more?

rigida sputniks are extremely strong and £18 from spa. quality stainless spokes are £12.50 from ebay. it's up to you how much a hub is, but perhaps chris667 has one or two 3 speed sram coasters for sale

as for building a wheel, i'm sure i'm not alone in recommending you have a go

where are you in the country?

[bert2]

Thanks Hubgear. Im in London. I will take a look at your suggested rims. I would like to build my first wheel but if it is the same or more expensive than a professional doing this, then Id rather leave it because a pro can finish it much faster than I.

[speedsixdave]

Hi bert2,

Don't discount the joys of a two-speed with coaster - the original Sachs Duomatic or new Sturmey S2C. They have no cables, you change gears by flicking the pedals backwards about 15 degrees. Thus when you brake from high gear, it pops you into low gear ready to get going again. And vice-versa!

Takes a bit of getting used to so you don't brake when changing gear, but becomes second nature after a day or two. I have a duomatic on a Moulton Automatic and love it. Except for living at the top of a big hill.

[[XAP]Bob]

I hired a continental 3 speed with back pedal brake and loved it. So simple, and easy to use. I got used to the pedals really rathrrbwuickly