Deal4Fuji

I always liked the sure braking of Bendix coaster brakes growing up. Was a Bendix hub ever offered on a road bike size wheel, say the most common 27 x 1¼ size? I'm hoping to get the old Fuji S10S frame I have on the road this summer as a single speed, and if there's a way to have a Bendix coaster brake I think that'd be really cool.

mixteup

Build your own wheel? Not too difficult, really ......

3speedslow

Dude,

When I came back from Germany and tired of all the gears and racing, I had one built up with 27” rim. Put it into an American Flyer frame and took it easy for awhile.

Simple fun!

Are you stuck on 27” because of the brakes?

rustystrings61 

For a while in the 80s my daily driver was some sort of Panasonic-built lugged Schwinn that was converted to single-chainring and coaster brake. I added a basic sidepull up front and it was a decent bike.

A few years back there was a gentleman on another newslist that had built up an old Dawes Atlantis with a 2-speed kickback coaster brake he called the "Faux Fix." Oh, wait, I think this is it.

Deal4Fuji

No it could be 700 or 650 but I wouldn't want the tires to go wider than 1¼" or 28mm for less rolling resistance since I'd only have the one speed. I just didn't know if a Bendix hub and single cog was wider than a typical road hub, it looks like that's not an issue and would fit the Fuji road bike frame which is good news.

My thoughts on Bendix braking is that it's so good I wouldn't need a front brake at all. If I can do the Bendix braking and no front brake with drop handlebars, it will bring up an interesting issue. I like riding on the hoods and seldom get in the drops unless I'm in a stiff wind. I guess I could have some non-working brakes / hoods just for hand placement

TenGrainBread 

Luckily we now know that a good-quality tire above 28mm is no slower than the skinnier tires. Get a lightweight tire in the 32-40mm range and it will make the ride much better.

mixteup

You could use bar-end grips, like on a mountain bike flat bar, and just clamp them anywhere on the bars, as a substitute for brake hoods - Wrap them like the rest of the bars.

Pompiere

If you went with a Bendix Red or Yellow band hub, you could have an extra low gear for climbing a hill or really windy days.

3speedslow

Drop a chain and it’s drag your feet time! Hand brake for safety. Stokers have fake brake hoods to hold on to. See if you can find those, one fake, one real.

Hint, hint..,

Hudson308 

I ride a SS/coaster brake cruiser on a weekly ride around the lakes organized by a friend/LBS owner.


Despite rebuilding the Bendix hub with new bearings and brake shoes, I would only describe the braking effectiveness as "adequate".
Unfortunately we weigh alot more than we did when we were 10 years old, and 700c/27" may require a bit more braking torque from the hub than our old 24" and 26" wheels did.
It would still be a fun project. I've got a "yellow band" 2-speed that I'm planning to lace into a 700c hoop. Not sure what I'll bolt it into yet, but I'll likely include a front rim brake as well.

Deal4Fuji

^^^ 2 good points above, maybe I'll do a front brake

Lascauxcaveman 

I like the idea of the two-speed-kick-back rear hub too. But I have enough hills and ride fast enough on any bike to demand a front brake, too. I don't like those close calls anymore.

bwilli88 

While not a Bendix, it is a 2 speed, My SRAM Automatix. I have had it on 2 different bikes, a Gazelle Primeur and now a Bridgestone Prestino. It is laced to a 635 or 28 1 1/2 SS rim with Schwalbe Delta Cruiser 635x42mm tires

IMG_20170921_142227250 by Bwilli88, on Flickr


IMG_20170921_142234539_BURST000_COVER by Bwilli88, on Flickr


IMG_20170721_174128741[1] by Bwilli88, on Flickr


IMG_20170721_174116889[1] by Bwilli88, on Flickr

Deal4Fuji

Good to know there are other coaster brake options out there and the 2 speed option also has appeal. I see it has auto-shifting, that I assume works well since you like it. @Pompiere how do the 2 speed Bendix models shift?

63rickert

Using only one brake worked well in specific circumstances. Old roadsters and many Schwinns positioned the rider so that all weight was over or near the rear axle. Deceleration transfers weight to front wheel unavoidably and every time, so front brake is normally the primary brake. It just matters a whole lot less if sitting right on top of the brake. Second part of just one brake was that bikes were created and most heavily used in places as flat as Chicago or Amsterdam. Braking on steep downhills does not work well with a coaster, but Chicago doesn't have those. And of course coasters were used on bikes expected to go slow.

You will probably need a few extra washers to make your coaster axle work with a normal road frame. Measure axle and rear fork ends. Modern spokes are a bit longer from spoke head to J-bend and many coaster hubs will have relatively thin steel flanges so take up that length with a washer under each spoke head.

Pompiere

They shift by back pedaling, the same as applying the brakes. In theory, after cruising in high gear, it goes to low when you stop so you are ready to take off again. It does take some getting used to. I borrowed a friend's bike when I was a kid for a race at the Boy's Club. It was on a tight course on a basketball court, so I wanted low gear, but every time I braked for a corner, it shifted to high.

madpogue 

^^^^ So you basically have to count/track the back-pedal ops, right? Ex, if you're in low, want to stop/brake and resume in low, you do a quick back-forward-back?

Bianchigirll 

When I lived near Boston I knew a few guys who did that for winter beaters or winter/wet commuters.

Pompiere

I was thinking about making this old beater into a coaster brake bike even before this thread came up. Someone gave it to me when they were cleaning out their garage. I think it was a JC Penny bike. When I got a hub for free at the Ann Arbor swap, all I needed was an afternoon to put it together. The hub is a Shimano 3CC, but I have not been able to get the gears to shift properly, so it is stuck in normal, 1:1. I have to back-pedal about 1/3 of a revolution to get the brake to engage, probably due to the 40-20 gearing. It will lock up the back wheel, but I have to remember to start back pedaling from the top of the stroke. Otherwise I hit bottom and don't have much force on the brake. I did it mostly to see if I could, so I am not going to spend any time or money to make it nicer.



Hand painted, single speed, coaster brake, JC Penny bike.