Trying to get a 'real' bike but scared of normal brakes...

[goodmorninghello]

Hi everyone,

Ever since I've learned to cycle I've always had 'dutch' bikes, with a pedal brake system. This has suited me perfectly as I've only ever done a few miles here and there to see friends / get to uni in a small city. However, now I'm a London cycle commuter who clocks up around 12miles (20km) a day and the heavy frame and non-athletic posture of my dutchie is adding around 20% to my ride times everyday.

So get a nice hybrid, right? Unfortunately I had a fairly traumatizing accident with a hand-brake bike a few years ago -a flying over the top of the handlebars type of situation- and now the feeling of cycling without my trusty back-pedal break makes me too terrified to move.

I desperately want a more commute friendly ride, does anyone have any advice about the possibility of finding/making a lightweight bike with a brake hub?

I realise this is a bit of a fantasy in England where they are so outside the norm, however I do have family coming and going regularly to the Netherlands, if that broadens my options?

Thank you, all help greatly appreciated!

(PS. this is my first post in a forum of any sort so please excuse any faux-pas I make!)

 

[DCLane]

- my suggestion is to borrow a bike. Practice a lot in the park / a safe area. And use the back brake first (just before the front)!

 

[KneesUp]

I'm going to be blunt - I've been over the bars twice on bikes, and it was my fault both times. No questions - totally my own fault. It hurt a fair bit the second time.

That doesn't mean that 'normal' brakes are not far superior in almost every way. Presumably your bike also has a 'normal' brake to back up the coaster brake? And as you realise, your choice of bike is severely limited if you must have a coaster brake. I guess you could retrofit one, but you'd still have a very limited selection of gears.

I think you need to face your fears.

(for ref - 1st time I went over the bars was because my friend's bike had the front brake on the opposite side to mine - not great when you are trying to do a skid and forget, and 2nd time the nut holding the front calliper fell off because I loosened it to stop the brake pads rubbing - not a great idea because when I braked it pulled the callipers off the fork. The second one doesn't sound reassuring, but it only happened because I was stupid. And ultimately I did stop, albeit with a bit of A34 embedded in my elbows. I guess if you have a coaster brake and your chain snaps you would only stop when you crashed?)

 

[ColinJ]

Hi gmh - welcome to CC!

I can understand why you are nervous about conventional brakes, but when you think about it - there are 2 reasons why the accident happened:

1. The brakes worked really well! This is actually a positive, but ...
2. You were not used to them and over-braked.

As DCL suggested above, you could practice using conventional brakes somewhere safe until you were used to them. You can brake really hard without going over the bars once you develop a degree of fine control, which would soon come with experience.

An experienced rider would be much more likely to get into trouble due to inadequate brake-power, than excessive brake-power.

(If you are adamant about hub brakes - sorry, I can't help you - I have never used them and don't know anything about them.)

 

[jack smith]

Personally i think you meed to fet used to the, to get a decent bike if need be even remove the front brake from a "normal bike"

 

[summerdays]

Would the geometry of a non Dutch bike make any difference as your weight should be a bit further back although the bike itself would be lighter?

 

[Sharky]

You can get coaster hubs
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/internal-hub-gear-brake-dept957_pg1/#page=1&page=1&order=PRICE ASCENDING

These I think is what you are looking for.
SJS Cycles will build a wheel to your choice of hubs and rims etc.

or you could go fixie - that will give you braking via the back wheel and stabilise the bike when braking, but keep the two hand brakes as well.

Good luck
Keith

 

[Rob3rt]

Personally i think you meed to fet used to the, to get a decent bike if need be even remove the front brake from a "normal bike"

Rendering the bike not fit for road use?

 

[Profpointy]

Basically the back brake is for gentle slowing down, but if you want to stop quickly - as very well you might in traffic, then only the front brake will do this. It is possible just about to go over the handlebars in theory, but it does take some doing - I've never done it for instance.

Any half-decent back brake will fairly easily lock up the back wheel - which then skids- not too bad if you're going in a straight line.
A coaster brake is probably better in the wet, but is still a back brake only thing which won't really stop the bike quickly enough for riding in traffic.
(to be fair, I've never used a coaster brake, but front versus back is going to be the same)

So, I'd suggest going to the park, and play around with the brakes starting slowly and gently till you can brake just hard enough with the front only to just about lift the back wheel - but under control so you don't career over the handlebars - start gently, then a bit more, then a bit more.
Only do this on a good surface - on grass you will likely skid the front wheel and almost certainly fall off !

Or, at least to start with, you could start using mostly back brake (left hand lever in the UK), which would be the same as the coaster brake you are used to - you wont stop very quickly but you can't possibly go over the bars !

But you really need to master stopping quickly, which means using the front brake, else it'll not end well for road cycling in town. Back brake only really isn't enough to be safe.

Don't listen the fixed wheel suggestion - which I hope was a joke - if you try to brake using your legs on a fixie you will almost certainly be thrown off - and I ride a fixie every day, and love it, but it's not what you want here)

 

[Gravity Aided]

It may be all well to use a coaster brake, but I'm more afraid of coaster brakes than hand brakes. Hand brakes, once you get used to the method, and adjust them for your use, are truly a fine way to stop a bicycle. But they do need to be set up correctly in terms of travel, and this is almost always the preference of the rider. Once you get used to the hand brake, you'll find it far preferable to the coaster brake.

 

[slowmotion]

goodmorninghello.
I've been on back-brake bikes in The Netherlands and France a few times, but they don't get you to a halt very quickly. That works fine in Holland but in London you may have to brake a bit more sharply. I think that decent, quick acting brakes are far more important than anything else. I went over the bars a few times as a kid and I'm scared by the memories. I tend not to use the front brake much as a result, but I get by without them. I would get a light hybrid bike if you are worried. They are nippy in traffic and the "palm grip" brake levers will be more familiar, together with a more upright riding position. BTW, riding in traffic is fun. It takes a while to get used to it, but it's worth it.

Good luck.

 

[ColinJ]

I think the most important thing is to remember that braking isn't just on/off - the effect is infinitely variable between none and locking the front wheel. It just requires developing a feel for it.

 

[sreten]

Hi,

How does the rear brake type affect the front ? for over the handlebars.
A normal rear brake will be just fine and is far more commuter friendly
in terms of stopping and starting, and no chance of over the bars.

Having said that, learn to use the front, it stops twice as fast.

For well adjusted progressive brakes its hard to go over the top.

Having said that I recall a guy on his brand new MTB was a
approaching a junction, got out of the saddle to look back
for his girlfriend and applied the front brake as "normal".
Of course it wasn't and he went straight over the bars.

I rode a bike a while back with much better brakes.
At first I was locking the back wheel and popping
"stoppies" all over the place but in no way was
it dangerous, you have to do something stupid
to end up going over the bars in reality.

rgds, sreten.

 

[ianrauk]

Is that ^^^ a song?

 

[Trull]

I'd recommend getting a road bike with dual-pivot caliper brakes, the campag veloce units for instance are strong enough to stop a 100kg rider hurtling down the 18% of the Cairn O'Mount descent to Clatterin' Brig, before he ends up in the water! hem hem… caliper brakes are not as sharp as canti or hydraulics generally speaking which means they modulate really well so you can get a great feel for how much braking before you have an unscheduled faceplant.