What all do you use your brakes for on your uni? BESIDES STOPPING or SLOWING DOWN?
This is my thought sometimes when freemounting my coker, if a curb is present I will butt the tire against for easier mounting but if I had a brake could I just grab the brake to stop the wheel just like if I were against the curb… Is this a reality? Is anyone doing this or ?
i think it would work well…just find someone witha coker with brake and try it before spending the money
I don’t know how much that would help…it might help a little, but I think its a little bit unnecessary if you can just static mount, and anyone can static mount with practice.
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I’m thinkin about getting a brake for my coker. would it be possible to mount the brake lever on my GB4 handle, instead of needing to get a new seat post with a brake mount on it? then my hand would already be in the right position anyway, I wouldn’t need to reach under and grab it.
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It doesn’t work the same way, because with the brake applied the frame cannot move freely about the wheel. In order for the frame to go from angled back to vertical with the brake applied the wheel (and cranks) would have rotate forward.
ooh, thats a good point…so it wouldn’t just hold the wheel still, it would hold the wheel still in relation to the frame and seat. and while you’re mounting, you need the frame/seat to move up over the wheel.
Ahh I knew if I asked someone would have the answer! THANKS
I was just wondering if there was any other benefit to brakes on a coker but I guess not so with that I think my legs are good enough for slowing down and dont see a current need for the brakes.(unless someone can tell/show me why)
Brakes are for going down hill more easily
I think I would rather get the leg workout, i like the feel of the torque when going down hill and trying to hold it back
You obviously haven’t yet had the pleasure of riding down any long or steep hills. The ones where you either get sore later, or get rubber-legged trying to hold the uni back. If you do this regularly, you’ll really appreciate a brake. Roseville hills = small/easy. Try riding up and down El Dorado Hills, Auburn or similar for good examples.
My commute (Carmichael to Rancho Cordova) is pretty flat; no brake needed. But I like having it there for those occasions when I’m on the big hills.
You should be able to mount using the brake. It wouldn’t be any different than a regular static mount, depending how much you let the wheel move when doing one of those. But I don’t know anyone who does it that way.
It may be useful to have a brake for really steep grades, but in general, you can go down some pretty steep inclines without a brake as long as you look well ahead, and let the wheel ‘roll’ under you. If you’re tensing all the way down a hill, your legs will feel like jelly at the bottom, and you really will need a brake. Braking should be done in bursts, so yank hard on your handle and put as much pressure on the pedal to slow down when you need to (eg around cornesrs), but when just going straight, look ahead, relax, and let the wheel roll. Your legs will thank you, and you might not need a brake.
But in a static mount the pedals stay more or less horizontal, and the seat post moves about 45 degrees. To static mount with the brake activated the pedals would have to roll 45 degrees forward as the seatpost moves to vertical.
Obviously it would be possible, but would actually be harder than a regual static mount, since the pedals and seatpost would have to move together.
I never use my brake for stopping or slowing down…that’s the quickest path to a flight over the front bar. I apply it at the start of a hill so I can remain at the speed I’m already traveling. The advantage of the brake is it allows you to maintain a smooth pedaling cadence down the hill, versus fighting the hill in half pedal increments.
And yes, it can be beneficial when trying to remount on a steep downhill, although there is a certain touch you need to develop. Or at least I did. The first few times I tried it, my key learning was I needed to try it a few more times.
Here’s how I did it. I brazed on a short piece of tubing for the brake lever to the GB handle. It works great the lever position works well with either hand, but the lever sticks out and is the first thing to hit the ground when droped. I had a shorter lever that didn’t but I didn’t like the reach of the lever so I put this one back on. (since I have a V brake I can switch levers)
I am planning to extend one or both of the handles and put a bumper on the end to prevent breaking my lever but for now I an just being extra carefull not to drop it.
While walking around.
One of the handiest things about a brake is actually when walking or standing still, holding the seat. Being able to lock the wheel with one hand gives vastly more control when standing on a pavement talking to people or waiting to cross etc.
I now get a little shot of frustration when walking or standing with another uni, sans brake - I reach my fingers under the saddle handle and meet thin air, as the wheel slides away, forcing some kind of effort to be applied just to hold the thing at a stop.
It’s useful for riding down hills too. 
Sam
That’s right; not preferred over a regular static mount, but probably doable.
For Gizmoduck:
I know you like to go fast, but on the long and/or steep hills I’m thinking of (such as in San Francisco), we’re talking rolling up to 60+ kph in a very short distance! I don’t like pedaling fast and holding the wheel back at the same time. I’m sure more practice can make it easier, but I like to keep it below my personal running speed on a long downhill.
True, but most downhills down to about 6-8% grades can be successfully ‘rolled’ if the road is wide and you can look well enough ahead. Short cranks help too
I like to think more like a bicyclist when riding a Coker- you would not consider falling at all, as there is no way you can run out of it if you UPD off a bike.
i have a coker without a brake, but i have used one with a brake before, in fact, thats how i learnt to mount: doing kind of a rolling mount and slamming the brakes on to lock up the wheel sending the frame and seat (with me on top of it!) upwards, to above the wheel. this may only work for short, light people like myself, but it helped.
now i can freemount easily and dont really see how a brake can be useful because it locks up too easily and sends you careering down the hill (you were trying to gracefully ride down) on your head/rear end.
Cheers,
Max