Found this on feebay: MB Drum Break hub

bird

bird

New Member
Hey yall! Glad to be back.
I just picked up an all original 1951 Schwinn hornet and have a China girl on the way. I'm doing this bike for my girlfriend so a safe sprocket and good breaks are a MUST but there's a lot of clearance issues regarding v-brakes and the coaster on this bike is completely gutless.

This seems like a pretty trick setup and I'm wondering if anybody here has experience/input about this hub. Currently awaiting a reply from the seller. I want to use it with the original schwinn rim.
Listing: http://m.ebay.com/itm/141560406338?nav=SEARCH

Here's the message I sent:
Hello, I love the concept of your drum break kit but I have a few questions before I commit to buy.
1. How many spokes is the hub? (Want it to fit standard schwinn rim)
2. Are there any clearance issues this hub may present or is the axle width the same as stock? (Going onto cruiser frame) if the frame needs to be pried open a hair, that's no biggy.
3. Will the regular pedal sprocket still work from any other cruiser? Or does the break drum interfere.
4. Is the drum break more effective than stock coaster breaks? (I totally understand if you don't have the answer to all of these so I'm willing to take a chance and modify along the way)
Thanks a million!
-Aaron
 

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I only know that this should be an upgrade to coaster brakes which suck. I have a huffy cranbrook and I don't even use them anymore. Just use my front disc.
 
Those are good questions you asked. I don't know the answers, of course. But I'm optimistic. It looks like the seller is a guy who's known on ebay as boygofast.

That guy is a pretty well known supplier of engine kits. If he says that this is compatible with the typical china girl/happy time setup, then it probably is.
 
bluegoatwoods said:
Those are good questions you asked. I don't know the answers, of course. But I'm optimistic. It looks like the seller is a guy who's known on ebay as boygofast.

That guy is a pretty well known supplier of engine kits. If he says that this is compatible with the typical china girl/happy time setup, then it probably is.
Click to expand...
I am pessimistic and all the more so because BGF is the seller.

It is misnamed as a drum brake.
It is a feeble band brake that relies upon a thin strip of leather as the friction material.
Total junk but looks cool.

The hub is 36 hole, uses sealed bearings and fits where a coaster hub would.

Scotto likes the stout hubs, throws the band brake away and uses a Jack shaft mounted disc brake on his race bikes.
 
It's complete junk. Band brake from electric scooter and it sucked on that.
Waste of money.
Go to any chinese scooter repair shop and find them by the pound on busted sit down electric scooters.
 
Few, glad I didn't jump the gun! Thank you guys for the replies! (Ha, rhymed)
I guess I'll just have to get the front disc, I personally find them an eye-sore on older bikes but I'll take practicality over cosmetics any day.
I'll post when the build is done.
Any other suggestions are welcome too! A true 26" front drum would be excellent if they exist..
-Aaron
 
You can lace a moped drum to a Schwinn rim providing both have the same number of spokes and length of spokes is right. Drum brakes are generally not as good at braking as V brakes or disc. For the rear coaster brake... I hear them dismissed all the time, but let me say that not all coaster brakes are equal. The old Bendix are good and reliable brakes. The Chinese crap on Huffys and such are poorly made from low quality metal, not enough bearings and often don't even have grease. I like the old Bendix brakes which were made in America... toss the ones made in Mexico. Old Sachs coaster brakes were awesome.
SB
 
bird- I have been using the band brake that you asked about in your original post, for a couple of years.
I supplemented it with a front (single pivot side pull) caliper brake. Together, they do stop me, but not as well as discs. The band brake is kind of a pain to get and keep adjusted to maximize breaking. I replaced the factory adjustment screws/ nuts, and that made things a little easier. For a 15mph motorbike, you can use it, but it's not great.
You'll find out soon after riding that coaster brakes are not real good for motorbikes (with some exceptions). They can be hard to affect, get your cranks in the way of cornering, and you'll 'cook' the grease out of them to the point of failure eventually.
Besides, what you have in a bike is classic. Cheesy mass produced parts should be avoided. How much are you willing to spend? How much work are you willing to do?
Have you considered a jackshaft and disc brakes? Or lacing in the hubs you want and maybe using a Sportsman sprocket adapter? You could trim the rear fender and get a caliper brake on there- they're effective with good pads and proper adjustment. You may have to spread the frame and forks just a bit depending on what you do, but that's no problem.
You'll need to consider how many levers are on the handlebars too. Once your lady gets used to it, it won't matter, but people sometimes get intimidated by too much stuff up there. You're already stuck with a throttle and clutch lever. Just a thought.

Good luck!

Trey


WOW, I forgot to say what a cool bike that is! I get one to restore every once in a while. Pedal bikes are cool too.
 
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You can lace any hub to any rim, provided that both have the same number of holes and you are able to calculate spoke length. I used an online calculator for my wheels, laced a dirt bike hub and a moped hub to 24" bicycle rims with 11g spokes. Front ones were a few mm too long so I used washers to pick up the slack. Actually still working on truing the front wheel, being kind of lazy. Guess I should start a build thread soon.
 
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