Re: Packard Bikes

Posted by Leeedy On 2022/3/11 22:52:24
Quote:

Packard Newbie wrote:
Leeedy,
I notice in the various ads that 'coaster brakes' are available at a premium. I know 'coaster brakes' as the rear hub drum brake that one would activate by pedaling in reverse. My understanding is caliper brakes came along later, so if you didn't pay the few bucks extra for coaster brake stopping, does that mean there were NO brakes? That seems a little crazy to be scooting around on a bike that can reach considerable speeds and have no provision to stop!?!? Chris.


LOL. Yessss, as crazy as it may seem to us in 2022, most bicycles in the late 1800s and early 1900s came standard without a brake. If you wanted to stop the machine, it was possible to buy either an attachment or (with safety bicycles– those with wheels roughly the same size) some manufacturers offered optional hub brakes like coaster brakes. If you wanted safe riding, you had to pay extra.

Of course if you scroll back to our recent post about freewheeling rear hubs on Packard bicycles, most bicycles didn't have freewheeling either. So? You controlled the speed (and essentially what substituted for braking) by never taking your feet off of the pedals. There was no coasting without freewheel mechanisms– unless you took your feet off of the pedals. The pedals, cranks and wheels all went 'round and 'round locked together... and thus you could still make a Herculean back-pedal and try to stop your brake-less bicycle. But ... that's what made companies like New Departure (which later became part of GM) and Morrow/Eclipse so rich!

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