Bikes that move too first may require excessive pressure to put to a stop. It is not wise or reliable to rely on the hand brakes alone. They might not always provide the pressure necessary to completely grind the entire bike to a halt. That calls for reinforcements typically in the form of the coaster brakes. The coaster brakes are special kinds of brakes that attach to the rear wheels of the typical bike. Unlike the hand brakes, they are engaged via the application of pressure on the pedals of the bikes instead of hands. Though these brakes are vital to the efficacy of the bike, they might not always be necessary all the time. Indeed, upon outliving their usefulness, they have to be detached from the bike altogether. To do that, you have to know the steps of how to remove coaster brake. We prepare this guide to help you out with that.
How To Remove Coaster Brake
Step I: Gather the essentials
As always, start by gathering the essentials you will need for the removal process. These are basically the tools of the trade and the protective gear that shall be useful for the job. Among the items, you will have to bring along are a torque wrench, spanner, hammer, overall, apron, and face mask.
They are the ones that you shall use to do the job and protect yourself. It is important that you pay keen attention to the specifications of the coaster brake you have in mind to be able to settle for the most suitable one for the job.
Step II: Prepare the working area
Next, move on to prepare the working area. By preparing the work area we mean cordoning off the area from access and intrusion by third parties. This may take many shades and forms. If you have children in your household, consider asking them to move away to a remote location.
Then, it is also advisable that you place a yellow stripe around the work area to prevent any intruder from straying in the area unnecessarily. This strip should ideally be accompanied by the signs ‘Keep Off’ or ‘Work in Progress.’ The least you would want is to cause an accident in the process of use.
Step III: Set the wheel appropriately
You now want to commence the exercise of removing the coaster brake. To do this, you should set the rear wheel on your lap. At this position, raise the coaster brake arm upwards and set the arm in the 4 o’clock positions. This is the most suitable position as it allows you to impact the entire length and breadth of the bike from a safe and comfortable position.
Step IV: Remove the dust cover
At the top of the coaster brake is a dust cover. Its role is to shield the braking mechanism from dust and other external agents of damages and deterioration. To remove the dust cover, you will ordinarily have to unscrew its locknut using a wrench.
Proceed by employing the cone screw after which you are to use the small ball retainer to completely unfasten. Place the cover separately to allow you now to access the brake directly. After this, lift the shell of the hub from the assembly. As you do so, catch the brake shoes to prevent the same from falling off the coaster brakes.
Step V: Bring in the wrench
With the coaster brake on your lap, you should now bring in the wrench. This is the tool you will use to disengage the various parts and components of the brake. Place the wrench on that nut that is located at the 7 o’clock position. Use your left hand to hold the wrench firmly in place.
Use a hammer, a pipe, or a wrench that is as big as a lever to whack the brake arm in the same direction as the wrench, typically in the clockwise direction. While at this, you should move the wrench itself in a counterclockwise direction. This pair of approaches will definitely give rise to more precise outcomes at a pace that is faster.
Step VI: Unscrew everything
With the coaster weakened, you are now in a position to and indeed should disassemble the coaster-brake hub. This will require that you unscrew everything that attaches to the hub from one end of the axle through to the other side. Be slow and meticulous as you do this.
The purpose of this slowness is to allow you to easily keep track of the constituent parts and pieces of the coaster brake. If possible, you should also take a video of the parts as they fall off the main hub. That will help with re-assembly later on after you are through with your removal.
Step VII: Loosen your brake’s axle nuts
With the smaller parts and components are gone, the time has now come for you to loosen your brake’s axle nuts. This time around, you need to make use of the cone wrench to turn the entire axle. Stick it into the right cone of your braking mechanism.
In this way, the bike’s reaction arm shall immobilize the left cone. Turn the axle now to disable the coaster brake appropriately. You may have to repeat the entire process to the right-hand side to do the same to the right cone. How to change a coaster brake being a complicated step, you will have to rely extensively on the manufacturer’s manual that accompanies the bike in question.
Step VIII: Rotate the square projection
The process we have looked into above pertains to the single brake mechanism. In the event that yours is a multiple-braking mechanism or of the English-made coaster brakes, you have to adopt a slightly different path or approach. This requires that you rotate the square projection that exists at the end of the axle.
Step XI: Assemble the remaining wheels
After you have removed the coaster brakes, you should now go-ahead to assemble the remaining parts of the wheels. We stated earlier that you should capture the entire process via a video. Now, refer to the same videos to reassemble every part and component firmly in place.
After attaching the parts firmly in place, you have to tighten the screws using the wrench yet again. Make it pretty tight to prevent the same from falling off whenever the bike is in motion or fidgety when rode from one place to another.
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FAQsS
Q-1. How does a bike coaster brake work?
Answer: It does have a clutch mechanism that enables the hub to drive the bike in the forward direction. When the pedals are rotated backward, they expand the brake shoes that slot into the steel hub. In this way, it slows down the bike and contributes to bringing it to a halt smoothly.
Q2. Can you put coaster brakes on a bike?
Answer: WHY NOT? These brakes are attached to the rear wheels. They basically contribute to bringing the bike to a complete halt at a pace that is faster and expedited. Unlike the hand brakes, this kind of brake does not require a connection with the hands.
Q3. Do fixies have coaster brakes?
Answer: YES, they have! By their nature and stature, these bikes are able to accept several accessories at the rear. Then again, they accord the added advantage of being able to accept the coaster brakes as they lack the front or rear brakes themselves.
Q4. Are coaster brakes bad?
Answer: NOT really! However, they have to be appropriately fixed and used to be able to enjoy the desired end results. If used or fixed recklessly, they have the tendency to cause skidding that in turn results in excessive wear of the tires.
A5. Can you remove the coaster brakes?
Answer: YES, you can! The exact process involved is however pretty complicated. It demands someone who has some expertise and experience. The steps of removing the coaster brake safely we have delineated above will surely offer you the much-needed starting point.
Conclusion
Our long and elaborate look into how to remove coaster brakes come to an end there. We now trust that you have what it takes to do a good job. Indeed, the kinds of insights we have generously furnished have proved consistently to deliver awesome outcomes.
This means that you too stand to enjoy the same benefits if you opt to implement them fully. Alright! What more could you possibly demand from us? Have we not done all we may have to do? We ask that you move with haste to put the insights into use. All the best as you take the first significant step!
Last Updated: June 2, 2022
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