Never seen this before...

[d1bble]

Sitting on the train tonight on my windy way back to Nottingham and sat in the corridor (it was rammed) next to a guy who had a mountain bike.

Something didn’t look quite right about the bike, but couldn’t put my finger on it. It took me a couple of minutes to realise that it didn’t have any brakes (front or back). So I asked him how he manages without any brakes. He showed me the sprocket (where the pedals are) and that it only rotates one way. He braked by pedalling clockwise, stopping the back wheel.

So what I want to know is…

a) Is this guy pulling my pisser?
b) Would it really be as effective as conventional brakes on the handlebars? (he said it was better)
c) Wouldn’t this knacker his chain?

[Frik]

Thought you were going to say it was a fixed wheel. What you described is old school - not quite up to V-brake standard though (or even disc brakes for that matter...)

[hugoagogo]

never seen it on mountain bikes, only on time-trial racers (including one or two people couriering on them)

edit: oh wait, i was thinking fixed wheel too

back-pedal brakes usually on old dutch shoppers or city bikes

Edited by hugoagogo on Friday 19th January 00:10

[vrooom]

Those are killer brakes.... it like appling the full rear brake on rear wheel...

[raceboy]

Never seen a mountain bike version only a BMX one, although a quick google brings up loads, was called a coaster brake, very very effective rear brake which is activated by a slight backwards pedal locking the wheel while there is a downwards force on the rear pedal, it also has the advantage that when the bike is rolling backwards the pedals do not have to be turned backwards aswell, not sure how this would help on a mountain bike though
In the BMX world it was popular before the invention of rear brake gyros, so as you had no rear brake cable the bars could be spun without tangling a cable and the rear brake could be applied without needing any hands on the handlebars.

A coaster brake....the arm attaches to the frame.


For doing old school tricks like this.....


Very few BMX riders use one now but a close relative, the Free Coaster is still used by a few, this has the ability to roll backwards without the pedals having to be turned but no internal brake.

[beyond rational]

I rode one on a crusier style bike, pretty controllable but nowhere near what I'm used to. Would never be able to match a bike with decent front brake as it lacks wieght.

[Nick_F]

I had one on the German folding bike I had as a child.

No cable to get round the folding bit, I guess.

Excellent for using-up a whole back tyre in an afternoon, as I remember.

[wobert]

A 1970's Raleigh Striker used to have a back-pedal back brake.....

[pombstard]

See lots of them here - usually used by bike couriers - no weight and less to go wrong.

[nighthawk]

I had a striker with the coaster brake

lethal it was......you could rest assured that you'd forget about it everytime you rode the thing, even standing up on the pedals while freewheeling was enough to leave a 10ft skid mark