New Coaster Brake Commuter
 

I had a post in commuting about this bike as I talked through the build, but now that's it's finished I thought I should post some pics on this forum. The concept was to create a commuting bicycle for short distances that would allow me to ride it in work attire (dress clothes) and require little to no maintenance. I went with a shimano coaster brake wheelset and an aluminum frame to keep the weight down. The chain guard is necessary to stay clean while riding in nice clothes and fenders will be added when the rain returns in the fall. This is my first single speed bike since I was a wee lad, but so far it has been fun to ride. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d7aa732e44.jpghttps://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f719035b0d.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...92517bcc95.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...689b5f822f.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49df8da02b.jpg

Very nice! Is your commute pretty flat? And what is a "short distance"?

Looks pretty sweet. Nice job.

Personally for short commutes, drop bars wouldn't be my choice but that's me.

The commute is about two miles, so not worth changing clothes like with my old commute.

The terrain is flat in spots with a couple of small hills, but manageable on a single speed.

Nice build! What's the frame? The chainguard?

My main commuter these days is a single speed coaster, albeit with upright handlebar per my preference, and not quite as shiny. ;)

My only nitpick is to suggest adding a front brake. I appreciate the appeal of such a bare bones bike, but every time I've gone without a brake, something happens on the next ride that makes me regret it. In addition to the rear wheel not providing enough braking power, weird mishaps can happen, like if your feet are off the pedals for any reason. Having a front brake means I can pay more attention to traffic than to planning how I'm going to stop the bike.

The frame is a motobecane fixie record from bike island. I'm quite happy with the aluminum frame, although the chromo fork is quite heavy. The chainguard is a velo orange aluminum, with some of the end trimmed to fit the frame.

I've read many others say they don't recommend riding without a front brake, and have considered it. My path to work is going to be primarily on quiet side streets in neighborhoods, with no big hills, so I wanted to see for a while how it goes with the minimalist setup. I'll probably usually be riding clipless on the commute , so at least my feet will always be firmly on the pedals.

Would you mind measuring the tire width and diameter clearance of the frame, next chance you get? This is something that so many frame vendors omit from their data, and it's useful information.

Looks nice. No fender clearance, though. I commuted by bike for 25 years and found fenders essential. 650B or 650C wheels might give enough clearance.

I genuinely don’t understand the riser stem and drop bars, especially if your commute is so short. I also agree about the fenders. I mean, it’s your bike and your commute, so we can only speak from our own experiences as commuters, but I find it odd that you’d go to the trouble of fitting a chainguard, but use a frame that can’t fit fenders.

nothing wrong with it, I’m just not sure I understand the rationale behind the setup. Of course two miles is extremely short, depending on your average speed, probably less than ten minutes. Even still, id want a more comfortable and practical cockpit, and at the very least, some more rubber between me and the road.

I'm not sure why you think there's no room for fenders- there is plenty. I just haven't mounted them yet because we're in the dry season in the Pacific Northwest. They will certainly be on there come October, or the concept wouldnt he very good for my purposes.
Drop bars were thrown on because that's what I had handy and I'm generally a fan of drop bars and didn't want flat. Nice thing with no brakes or cables on the handlebars is I can swap between different bars very easily.

You have very little room for fenders, if you’re going to give proper clearance between the fenders and tires and you have no fender eyelets in the rear that I can see. As for the bars, what I dont understand is combining them with such a high riser stem. Do you normally ride on the drops? If not, any numerous kinds of flat or swept back bars would in fact better suit your riding style.

Thank you for again (incorrectly) pointing it to me that my bike won't accommodate fenders and for clarifying my riding style for me. Amazingly, there are ways to mount fenders without eyelets on the frame. Whodathunkit?
Sorry, that was harsh of me. Perhaps you didn't see post #10.
By the way, I've learned there are two types of people on bikeforums: those that get drop bars, and those that don't.
Swept back bars are for old ladies and English 3 speeds, and flat bars are for mountain bikes. But this bike was created to transcend those things.

BikeForums:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c01fcb7281.png

:)​​​​​​​

Lol, my comment was still accurate, because I referred to your frame. I’m aware you can mount fenders without eyelets. Maybe try reading more carefully before unleashing the underserved wit. Don’t “get” them? That’s about as stupid of a comment as I’ve ever read. I asked you if you rode in the drops or not. You haven’t answered that question. I ‘get’ that much. Clarify your riding style? Lol. Mate just ride your damn bike. How you set it up don’t matter to a single soul, but if you don’t want opinions don’t share it on a forum. Because that’s what happens. Whodathunkit eh?

If all you wanted was a bunch of “good job, cool bike” to fill up your ego bucket, sorry to not add piss to the bucket. You put it here open to critique, I offered my opinion and it’s clear as day you have thin skin. Lol yea go ahead mate and ‘transcend’. I offered my thoughts and opinions because I was curious, not because I was “hating”. I was looking for clarification and discussion about the setup, but here, I’ll give you an apparently obligatory ‘good job, cool bike’.

There are those who ‘get’ swept back bars and there are those who dont. Also, it’s riser stems that are for old ladies and English 3 speeds. Literaally. By the way, my English grann says hello. Cheers mate.https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9205eded1.jpeg

Is that frame like the one at this link that has fenders mounted?
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2231236/

Plus, if you don't want clamp on rear fender mounts, drill and tap baby. Drill and tap.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=4mm+drill+and+tap+set&_sacat=0

Edit: Looks like the link isn't holding true. Just look up 4mm drill and tap.

I don't see a whole lot of room between the tire and the seat tube. Put a fender on and I suspect you'll be getting a lot of debris scraping between the fender and the tire when you ride on wet roads. I can't really see what the clearance is under the fork crown, but that can be even more problematic if debris gets jammed in there.

Clearance on fork and rear is 5cm across for a tire- plenty for about as big as I can imagine wanting to go. Clearance from the outer edge of the rim to the underside of the fork/rear fender mount is 4.3cm.

With the tires I have mounted (32c) there is a solid 2cm of space for fenders.



I am simply dumbfounded by the (fill in the blank) of internet trolls who speak to that which they know nothing about. I even mounted the fenders before I posted and they fit fine! Even between the seat tube there was plenty of room, and if it became a problem (which it won't since there's just as much clearance as there is on my other two bikes with fenders), I can get a slightly longer chain and slide the tire away from the frame a little more in the dropouts. Tons of clearance for fenders! :bang:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e489959a85.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ac25827cf3.jpg

It's the same brand, looks similar, but don't know if it's exactly the same.

That bike is sick, I want to try one. I never used a coaster brake on anything other than a beach cruiser.

:)

Very nice, clean build. Build the bike YOU want, because you will be riding it. I do agree in principle with having a front brake if for no reason other than extra stopping power. Shimano makes awesome coaster brake hubs but rear stopping only is just not the best in panic situations. Having said that, there are millions and millions of bikes that had only a rear brake, so it can't be too bad, right?

I think you made your point on the fenders!

Thanks for the feedback. I've gone back and forth about a front brake. I did a test ride to my new office (haven't moved yet) and I only had to take my feet off the pedals once. It really is on some quiet residential streets almost the entire way to the office, minus one crossing of a busy road. I think if I was using this bike in more traffic, I might be more eager to add that brake. I guess we'll see how it goes once I'm commuting day in and day out with this bike.
The front fork is quite heavy, so I think if I ever did replace it I might put on a carbon fork with a disc mount and add a front disc brake.

While on the topic of possible future changes, I also want to build a second rear wheel with a Sturmey Archer 2 speed kickback hub to make the bike a little more versatile for errands around town. We'll see though if I get ambitious enough to jump on that any time soon. Too many other projects.

Cool Bike. Very clean. I dig the coaster application. :thumb: