Coaster Brakes

I suddenly remembered coaster brakes today, you know, the ones that you pedal backwards on to brake.... but can still coast..... Well this got me thinking, couldn't you build a coaster brake hub, and put a fixed sprocket on it? I seem to remember seeing a bike once on Ebay or fixed gear gallery that was like this...

Anyone got any ideas about this? I have a frame and would be up for trying it out. Does anyone have any ideas where you could get a coaster brake hub from??

i have one on my mutant bike, but you can't have it :P
lots of sites in the u.s have coaster brake hubs, think i have even seen them laced to deep v

Are they fixed? is yours fixed? I really can't ride on a freewheel any more, it makes my knees feel weird

Having the coaster hub does just that, it coasts. Think of it like a SS bike but instead of hand brakes you have your back pedal. So in theory you already have a "fixed cog" on the hub.

Shit, all I want is a back pedal brake, I remember them being really cool when I was a kid - I don't want to coast though.... Ah well, I think I'll stick with fixed.

Well, yes, I think it might be.... but somewhere in my head is a concept that I can still ride like a fixed wheel but I can back pedal easily when legs are tired like those bikes in Amsterdam. Maybe it's just a fantasy. But I'm sure it's possible

i get what your saying but i dont think it exists

it would be a coaster brake that dosnt coast, you must pedal forwards, if you apply back pressure the internal brake kicks in, kinda like having a very easy gear ratio
would it not just be pointless though?

smeear(smeear) ...kinda like having a very easy gear ratio

Yes! I think that's the feeling I'm imagining... like having 48:16 forwards and 32:21 backwards :-) I'm sure it's not possible, but I had this brainwave whilst riding home today with tired legs.

Fit a brake?

no, no, no, that would be too easy :-)

it was just a thought, maybe I should just change my ratio :-)

i ride 65 gear inches
easy peasy, spinn spinn

1. 20
   
   

its a little bit too much spin, but its fun for now and good for fitness

to work out gear inches ypu gotta multiply your chainring teeth by your rim circumference then divide it by the sprocket
e.g. (42x27)/16= very good gering for the big smoke 70.8 with track bars and good legs it'll make you sprint way faster than cars up to theyr 3rd gear, fast as a bullet...

or if your a lazy sod

By that calculation I ride 81 !! that's a lot (48x27)/16= 81

Maybe that's my problem. All of this coaster brake stuff stems from all the thoughts about braking and accelerating that I've been having recently. I quite fancy a bit of spin! I might try this 65 gear inches!

44/17 = 69. As well as being fun in the bedroom, it's a great gear for London and has less skid spots than 46/18.

Jon, 81" is massive for London streets.

scott not scot: i always prefer to use the biggest cog/ring to achieve the desired ratio,cos the load is spread over a greater number of teeth thus prolonging the life of the cog/ring/chain......or am i talking bollocks???....:)

Nope, that's right. But, the difference is 2T and 1T for chainring and cog respectively. That's bugger all.

If you skid, you will wear your tyres out in places quicker with the even ratio of 48/16. You have 9 skid spots whereas I have 17! :)

See here: http://www.fixed.org.au/2006/11/27/why-skid-spots/

and also....aren't 44's kinda harder to find?

Nope. Hubjub, Parker, Spa Cycles have them. Order from Will at hubjub. He's cool.

You learn something every day.. 'cept I think I stopped doing that 10 years ago. :S

it is only *27 if you run 27" wheels other wise it is * something like 26.2992126 for a 23 mm tyre.

hehe yeah I don't like 48/18. It's like the bog standard gear on everything and way too even. :)

TheBrick(Tommy) it is only *27 if you run 27" wheels other wise it is * something like 26.2992126 for a 23 mm tyre.

True, but most people are using it as a simple comparison of how hard their gearing is and 27" is typically used for this comparison, regardless of what wheels/tyres people are using (it is usually 700c x 23 but I guess any 20mm users or 27" peeps can factor that in).

Sheldon has his "gain ratio" which would be even more accurate for comparing how "hard" one person's gear is over another. The gain ratio value also takes into account crank length (longer cranks = more mechanical advantage).

scott not scot what decent 44 ring would you recommend for sugino 75's?....black

Now, 'black' is pushing it..

Sugino Zen Messenger do 144BCD, black, 44T. I've never used them but they're only a chainring so not much to worry about.
I use a Stronglight Zicral 44T, 135BCD, alu.

plenty of times when riding fixed, the bike is actually pushing your legs round, such as when doing the fixed equivalent of freewheeling or going down hill....even if you managed this back pedal brake / fixed conversion every time you took forward pressure of the pedals you would start braking...

I have an fitted but unused Condor 17T that you can have for full retail price of £20 :)