Roller brake hub

[belgiangoth]

Got a cargo trike! It needs the rear wheel redoing (1/3 of the spokes have snapped) and I am considering getting a new hub as the current one is a coaster brake (nexus). There is no fitting for a rear V/caliper brake so it would need a roller brake. What are my options?

[alexnharvey]

Shimano rollers or sturmey-archer drums.

Ensuring the newly built or rebuilt wheel is adequately specified for the weight and braking forces and the spokes are stress relieved to prevent premature failure.

[[XAP]Bob]

What’s wrong with a coaster brake?

Brilliant little devices.

[rogerzilla]

Roller brakes are a little bit odd. Wheel removal can be a faff and they have inherent play, so the bike can be rocked fore and aft a bit with the brake on. They also need to be purged with the special grease regularly. They do stop well and have large cooling plates. The latter float in between the hub and the actuator, so thermal contact is probably a bit compromised. I doubt there would be an overheating issue except in the Alps or similar.

[rogerzilla]

What’s wrong with a coaster brake?

Brilliant little devices.

They are great for all-weather commuting but they can barely dissipate heat and most designs need to drag a bit in orfer to work. You also have the problem of stopping with the cranks at dead centres, as with a fixie.

[belgiangoth]

What’s wrong with a coaster brake?

Brilliant little devices.

For a cargo bike it's tricky to lift the bike up to reset the pedals for setting off.

Is there a difference between roller and hub brakes (I thought they were the same thing)? Are roller/hub brakes any less effective than a coaster brake and any less faff to remove the back wheel to fix punctures?

[JakobW]

Roller brakes are a form of hub brake - like coaster brakes (IIRC) they rely on metal-metal contact lubricated with a special high-temperature grease. I don't think they bed in like drums do. Contrary to Rogerzilla's experience I've found them mediocre, though mine probably need new cables and outers; in their further defence, they're at least *consistently* mediocre in all weather conditions.

[[XAP]Bob]

What’s wrong with a coaster brake?

Brilliant little devices.

For a cargo bike it's tricky to lift the bike up to reset the pedals for setting off.

Is there a difference between roller and hub brakes (I thought they were the same thing)? Are roller/hub brakes any less effective than a coaster brake and any less faff to remove the back wheel to fix punctures?

But on a cargo trike it’s hardly the main brake. When Inused a coaster brake bike for a while I don’t theink I ever stopped at a dead centre, and resetting the pedals was not needed, you just brakes with them at the angle you wanted.

[Mick F]

Roller brakes ..........also need to be purged with the special grease regularly.

Ordinary multi-purpose grease is used in ours, and has been for years.

I use a chainsaw bar injection gun.