band brakes

[ronyrash]

[mumbai india]
nomaste,[hi]
for many years i have been aware that having only 2 brakes on a loaded touring bike [specialy on long steep decents ] is inviting trouble.so in taiwan i had the opportunity to do something about it.i had a bandbrake fitted to the backwheel.now i have a back up brake for the rear wheel if the rim brake should fail.[as it as on more than 1 occasion,very fortunatly not on a steep decent] now im looking for a similer setup for the front wheel.i have 2 sets of handlebars one on top of the other, plenty of room for brake leavers.
bandbrakes are entirly new to me and i would appreciate any info.especiall about 2 bolts on the outside of the casing
thanks

[hufty]

I for one have not heard of band brakes before and had to google them to get pictures up. I don't know if they're available in the UK even, maybe on older tandems as drag brakes? I take my chances that both brakes won't fail at the same time, so I will always have one working brake and my feet to bring me to a halt. Although I did crash into a wall on a downhill in the Lake District once because I had the wrong brake pads for steel rims and it was raining.

[hubgearfreak]

I had the wrong brake pads for steel rims and it was raining.

if there's a right pad for steels on a wet day, i've yet to hear of it.

i like the idea of having three brakes, and may well use two rim brakes along with a coaster hub on my current build

[9494arnold]

Surely a modern hub brake (or 2) would be the answer to this, with 2 rim brakes, or Disc Brakes with a rim brake as well?

Used to run a Tandem with a screw on drum brake on opposite side to the freewheel, can't bring name to mind though.

Got 2 rim brakes on the front of my trike as well (I know most of the load is in one place on this one)

(it's an age thing)

[AndyA]

I've worked on one bike with a rear band brake, a Decathlon city-hybrid. The band brake had a loud, piercing squeal in the workstand but on the road it was fine. It had approximately the power of an older drum brake - not much compared to a hydraulic disk, but consistent. if you've never seen one, they work by tightening a leather strap around a steel drum. The steel drum is attached to the wheel. The leather strap is also the pad and is subject to wear so I'd get a spare or two. The two screws you mention on the case adjust the resting position of the leather strap, on the aforementioned Decathlon they also altered the pitch and volume of the squeal!

I needed to add a third brake to my tandem and wanted to keep the current 8-speed cassette setup. In the end I went with a Sturmey-Archer X-RDC drum brake/cassette hub. We've only done 2 or 300 miles on it so far so I can't comment on longevity but the brake part is great, approximately the same braking power as the rear cantilever

[iconic]

Surely a modern hub brake (or 2) would be the answer to this, with 2 rim brakes, or Disc Brakes with a rim brake as well?

Used to run a Tandem with a screw on drum brake on opposite side to the freewheel, can't bring name to mind though.

Got 2 rim brakes on the front of my trike as well (I know most of the load is in one place on this one)

(it's an age thing)

Aria

[hartleymartin]

Coaster brakes work well on city/town bicycles using 3 or 5-speed hubs (I think SRAM does a 7-speed coaster). I have known several people to build up a bicycle with both front and rear rim brakes as well as a rear coaster. I've found that when I ride with a coaster brake, I tend to rely on it a lot for controlling my speed and then using a hand-brake to come to a full stop.

When my Raleigh Twenty still had steel wheels I had a rear wheel which had been fitted with a band-brake. It wasn't all that great, but for some reason it seemed to perform better in damp weather. It was certainly the only brake I could rely on when the roads were wet!

If you wanted to fit a front hub brake, I'd go for the Sturmey-Archer one with a built-in hub generator - useful to have something to charge batteries when on tour!

[ronyrash]

[mumbai india]

thanks for facinating replies.i wish i knew what a coasterbrake is.problem with hydraulics is they need a special frame.a front drum brake seems to do the trick,especially the sturmy with a generator no less.
having 2 brakes for each wheel is very reasuring even with only the back wheel doubled braked [for the pesent
i can now relax on steep decents.and changing from one brake to the other prevents over heating.
i notice 1 of the tandems as 2 rim brakes on 1 wheel very intresting how is it done? i promise not to steel your idea and patent it.tia

[anniesboy]

Two front brakes on a trike ,see http://is.gd/66yZKG