Coaster Brake Exploded

Springfieldscooter · Sep 19, 2015

Exploded diagram anyone?

I see time and time again, where bikers are against using a rear wheels that utilizes a coaster brake...

Does anyone have an exploded diagram of a coaster brake wheel hub?

Can anyone pin-point exactly what the weak link in the system is?

Is it simply the lack of lubrication that causes failure?

What is it exactly that fails ?

Thanks in advance!

Tony01 · Sep 19, 2015

Dude I thought your hub actually exploded. Reading the post however, I can only name the cone bearings. I don't use coaster brakes though I have built a couple pedal bikes with them and they worked fine.

bairdco · Sep 19, 2015

Whatever brand it is, google it. All the cheap ones are identical to the shimano. Bendix hubs have plenty of sites with exploded views. Almost every hub has a schematic on google images.

Bearings are usually the first to go. Primarily the non drive side. If they're not maintained frequently, the bearings run dry and fail.

Coaster brakes generate a lot of heat. The brake shoes rub on the hub shell to stop, so during long periods of braking, steep, long hills for example, or continuous braking at higher speeds than they're designed for, like motored bikes, cause the brake shoes to wear down. They can even fade, if they get overheated, and not work at all.

Most failures are due to the grease failing, or a lack of grease, burning up at high temperatures.

Crappy hubs have crappy internals. Like KT, joytech, high stop, falcon, etc, they can't stand the stress on their cheap chinese parts.

One of the scariest failures is having the brake arm strap on the frame snap, which wraps the brake arm around the hub, which turns your bike into a fixie, basically.

Your bike will suddenly start pedaling, and can launch you off of it.

But I still like 'em.

silverbear · Sep 19, 2015

The only ones I've had trouble with are newer ones imported from Eastern countries. Since I tend to use old American made frames I have access to well made old coaster brake hubs (mostly Bendix) as well. Always a good idea to open one up for cleaning and greasing. I avoid the Bendix hubs made in Mexico (says so on the brake arm) as they are the exception known to fail, according to vintage web sites. There is a big difference in the quality of parts and number of bearings when comparing the old Bendix and the new made in China. I live in an area which does not require me to ride the brakes for long periods so a good coaster brake and something even better up front has been adequate for me. Like Bairdco, I like 'em, too.
SB

bluegoatwoods · Sep 19, 2015

Yep. I like 'em too.

One other thing I can add. Look around on curbs for small children's bikes that have been thrown away. You can get some spare parts that way.

Then take your hub apart and clean and grease it. Being unfamiliar, you might bend a spring or something like that. But you've got some spare parts on hand. Once you've done it a time or two you'll get the hang of it.

2door · Sep 19, 2015

Try this, Springfield > http://www.bing.com/search?q=bicycl...ke+exploded+view&src=IE-SearchBox&Form=IE8SRC

And here> http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29134

Tom

crassius · Sep 19, 2015

sheldonbrown.com has diagrams

your humor aside, I have a shop full of coaster hubs that have ripped the bearing races right out of the hub & have ripped the spoke ring off the hub & have broken the bearing ring into chunks because a bike designed with one speed to go only 10mph has brakes that are also designed to stop at only 10mph

Springfieldscooter · Sep 19, 2015

Crassius...Would it be possible to post a few photos of these failures?

"ripped races right out of hub" -probably lack of lubrication..Right?

And "broken bearing ring"...again, lack of lubrication?

It seems to me like all the hysteria surrounding coaster brakes, is simply a lack of maintaining , cleaning, and re-greasing.

Agree, or disagree?

bairdco · Sep 19, 2015

I'm willing to bet they're all cheap chinese hubs.

Back in the 50's, a lot of mopeds used coaster brake hubs. Sachs, Rixe, and others. They were basically motorized bikes back then, not the mopeds of the 70's.

I had one Bendix hub (76 model, made in mexico in the 70's) blow apart. The spoke flanges are splined and pressed on. One side un-pressed it self off. The wheel acted like the cones were loose but it didn't fail catastrophicly.

I've run the shimano cbe110 at speeds over 50mph for years without any problems. I also greased them about every 2 months with "red and tacky" wheel bearing grease.

mapbike · Sep 19, 2015

I think my personal good luck with coaster hubs has been the fact that I fill mine with a tacky high heat premium heavy Moly Bearing grease, its some horribly messy stuff but it stays in the hubs and bearings well and is made for very high stres, pressure and high heat situations.

Ive not had a single failied coaster hub yet even the cheapo Huffy Falcon Hub has been great for me, but lack of high quality grease is what I think kills most of them as others have said.

crassius · Sep 19, 2015

don't have a cam handy, but will try tomorrow

spoke ring coming off seems due to hub expanding from heat, stretching ring, then contracting leaving ring loose - downhill at 40mph, I've seen the hub glow in the dark

don't know how much grease would be needed to cool it, but don't really care because I will not use one

msrfan · Sep 20, 2015

The problem with coaster brakes is they should only be used with a good front brake on a motorized bicycle. The front will do 90% of the braking and feathering the rear should do the rest. If you live in a hilly area, get larger, stronger, better brakes or you will not be able to slow down at all when the lighter duty ones fail. Back in the day when bicycle dealers were selling Whizzer kits, they recommended adding a front drum brake. Whizzer offered a 5'' drum that stopped well. And when only keeping the rear brake, they said to install a Morrow coaster because they had very large shoes and stopped better than Bendix or New Departure. Morrow brake hubs can still be found fairly reasonably priced on Ebay. I bought a NOS for $80 a year ago. Now I use motorcycle drums in the front and only use moped drums in the rear because they have sprockets on them. Moped rear drums are almost useless because of small size and cable flex, etc. So I usually rely on the front except in a turn or slippery conditions. I can also use the compression release for slowing in turns or long down hills, but that's on my four strokes. These bikes are like building hot rods. You want to go faster, get better brakes. You can cut corners on a lot of areas of your build, but not on brakes, That is if you want to be safe. You're not just looking out for yourself, but who or what you may run over.

mapbike · Sep 20, 2015

msrfan said:
The problem with coaster brakes is they should only be used with a good front brake on a motorized bicycle. The front will do 90% of the braking and feathering the rear should do the rest. If you live in a hilly area, get larger, stronger, better brakes or you will not be able to slow down at all when the lighter duty ones fail. Back in the day when bicycle dealers were selling Whizzer kits, they recommended adding a front drum brake. Whizzer offered a 5'' drum that stopped well. And when only keeping the rear brake, they said to install a Morrow coaster because they had very large shoes and stopped better than Bendix or New Departure. Morrow brake hubs can still be found fairly reasonably priced on Ebay. I bought a NOS for $80 a year ago. Now I use motorcycle drums in the front and only use moped drums in the rear because they have sprockets on them. Moped rear drums are almost useless because of small size and cable flex, etc. So I usually rely on the front except in a turn or slippery conditions. I can also use the compression release for slowing in turns or long down hills, but that's on my four strokes. These bikes are like building hot rods. You want to go faster, get better brakes. You can cut corners on a lot of areas of your build, but not on brakes, That is if you want to be safe. You're not just looking out for yourself, but who or what you may run over.

I agree 100%

You summed it up very well, covered every base. brnot

silverbear · Sep 20, 2015

I had never heard of Morrow coaster brakes before now.
SB

bairdco · Sep 20, 2015

Morrow and Musselman. No coaster has come closer to perfection yet.

msrfan · Sep 21, 2015

sb, look at the size of those brake shoes. Almost full length of the hub shell. That and large ball bearings make these pretty bullet proof.

Here's what a new one looks like. Made by Eclipse Machine Division, Bendix Aviation Corp. Two more recognizable names.

crassius · Sep 21, 2015

got rain today, so no pic of wheel with spoke ring detached

got a pic of blown out hub from brake heat (what appears to be corrosion is just a couple years of dust stuck in grease)

this one is harder to see - cracks evenly spread all around bearing race from heat

silverbear · Sep 21, 2015

msrfan said:
sb, look at the size of those brake shoes. Almost full length of the hub shell. That and large ball bearings make these pretty bullet proof.

Here's what a new one looks like. Made by Eclipse Machine Division, Bendix Aviation Corp. Two more recognizable names.

That's an impressive brake!
SB

Springfieldscooter · Sep 22, 2015

Im a fan of quality coaster brakes, but after studying this forum and all the hysteria surrounding coaster brakes, I had to pause a moment and reflect.

Most threads advising against coaster brakes seem like they are do to a lack of lubrication, lack of maintenance or over applying brake which would have similar results with ANY type of brake.

But after researching, Im still a fan of quality coaster brakes!

They do have their advantages such as:

1. No cable to break and fall into spokes.
2. They work when wet.
3. Simple and clean in appearance.
4. No adjustments after maintence.

I continue to believe that a coaster brake is a good choice for a rear brake, and when combined with a front brake of any choice, is a great combination.

Thanks guys!

mapbike · Sep 28, 2015

Springfieldscooter said:
Im a fan of quality coaster brakes, but after studying this forum and all the hysteria surrounding coaster brakes, I had to pause a moment and reflect.

Most threads advising against coaster brakes seem like they are do to a lack of lubrication, lack of maintenance or over applying brake which would have similar results with ANY type of brake.

But after researching, Im still a fan of quality coaster brakes!

They do have their advantages such as:

1. No cable to break and fall into spokes.
2. They work when wet.
3. Simple and clean in appearance.
4. No adjustments after maintence.

I continue to believe that a coaster brake is a good choice for a rear brake, and when combined with a front brake of any choice, is a great combination.

Thanks guys!

Im with you on the points you made here, I also like a coaster brake and have had great service from mine.

Coaster Brake Exploded

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