Originally Posted by
Iride01
I was beating around the bush with the way I posed the coaster brake wheel vs disc brake wheel so I deserve the 120 year comment. I was going for weight more than anything. The already built coaster brake wheels tend to be steel rims. The sites that have them don't post the weight but I'd think they'd be quite heavy. Maybe not. Won't they also be prone to the similar forces that disc brake hubs have and require stronger spokes and/or a particular lacing pattern compared to rim brakes? Of course with rim brakes you do have to add in the weight of the rear brake system to do a fair comparison.
A brake on the front will still be needed unless the chain is bulletproof.
You wouldn't want to lace it radially. Two or three or four cross are all fine. No special spokes required.
I did a weight comparison between a coaster brake hub with ALL the hardware compared to a Dura-Ace track hub with a White industries freewheel, plus a high end brake lever, plus high end caliper, bolts, nuts, and cabling. It was tie. If you were to use mid level components the coaster brake would win out.