Coaster brakes...legal?

General Help
1

Hey guys, (rant warning)

It’s becoming more and more apparent that there’s a growing amount of people out there who wish we (bike riders) would all just go away. Recently, more than ever, there has been a big blitz on ‘unroadworthy’ bikes. Bikes without bells, reflectors, lights (at night), are being targeted, and I guess I can understand where they’re coming from: Cars need warning devices, for good reason, and there’s a lot of people who drive cars, who hate us because we think that we don’t need the same devices. I get that. I can live with a bell on my bike.

But this whole ‘hand-operated brake’ thing has brought a whole heap of bike-haters out of the woods. It seems to me that there’s a heap of people looking for excuses to hate fixie riders. More so than there used to be, and they really are picking at straws. People who have never ridden fixed, are coming out and saying how dangerous it is to rely on man-strength to stop you at the traffic lights. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but when you were little, did your 12" kids bike, or even your 16" or 20" kids bike, have a hand-operated brake? All of my bikes when I was little had ONE brake, and it was foot-operated. Coaster brakes. We’ve all used them, and nobody said anything, and nobody says anything now either, kids bikes are still sold all over the world, without a hand-operated brake. So from a really young age, we were all taught to brake by pushing our legs backwards.

Then, we got older, and we probably went through the stage of having to learn how to use a hand operated brake for the first time. After that, a lot of you wanted something simpler, so you built a fixie, and you went back to braking with your legs. It seemed only natural didn’t it? And now that you’re bigger and stronger than when you first rode that 12" bike way back when, you don’t need the aid of a coaster brake, you can do it all by yourself! Pretty good you are, I’d say. Well done for eating your veggies all those years!

So it raises the question, ‘Is a coaster brake on an adult-sized bike, in the eyes of the law, legal?’. A lot of you will argue that your legs are strong enough to stop you just as quick as a coaster-brake without it being an ‘effort’, or without it feeling ‘unnatural’, and you’d be right in saying so, because it’s something you learnt at the age of 3. So if you were pulled over by a cop for not having a hand-operated brake, but then saw that you had a coaster brake, would he/she change his mind? Would you be sent on your way without penalty?

If you still got a fine, it raises the question of “Why is a coaster brake unroadworthy?”, and if you were sent on your way, and were told that a coaster brake was perfectly legal, another question is raised: “Why is a coaster brake not frowned upon yet braking with your legs IS frowned upon?”

I tried searching for any previous threads relating to this but couldn’t find any, so I thought I’d just ask the question…as it does make me wonder…

Regards,
B

2

i see where you’re coming from. But a coaster brake isn’t the same as a brakeless fixed gear. On a coaster brake, to back pedal, there is no resistance. Clearly if you are pushing 80 gear inches, to stop at a light, is a bit of a struggle, unless you are far more manly than me.

3

The road traffic code

ROAD TRAFFIC CODE 2000 - REG 224

224 . Lights and other equipment on bicycles

(1)    A person shall not ride a bicycle during the hours of darkness, or in hazardous weather conditions causing reduced visibility, unless the bicycle, or the rider, displays — 

  (a)    a flashing or steady white light that is clearly visible for at least 200 m from the front of the bicycle; 

  (b)    a flashing or steady red light that is clearly visible for at least 200 m from the rear of the bicycle; and 

  (c)    a red reflector that is clearly visible for at least 50 m from the rear of the bicycle when light is projected onto it by a vehicle’s headlight on low-beam. 

Modified penalty: 2 PU 

(2)    A person shall not ride a bicycle that does not have — 

  (a)    [b]at least one effective brake[/b]; and 

  (b)    a bell, horn, or similar warning device, in working order. 

Modified penalty: 2 PU

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/rtc2000113/s224.html

also on WA DPI website under cycling and the law

Required equipment

A bicycle must have the following:

a bell (or other effective warning device) that functions correctly.

an effective foot operated or hand operated rear wheel brake. A front brake is optional.

a red reflector fitted to the rear.

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/cycling/1976.asp

I can not find any other legislation that can define what a ‘effective foot operated brake’ or ‘effective brake’ is exactly. i can skid stop just as effectively as a hand operated or coaster brake.

A case went on in germany a while ago where a police office fined the rider for not having a hand operated brake. They had very vague rules such as us, the defendant won setting a precedent, he/she were just luck enough to find a lawyer willing to fight with them.

4

so do we have to have hand operated brakes on our fixed gears? in WA
has anyone in perth been fined for not having one?

5

It’s such a grey area at the moment, but surely it won’t be long until it’s more black&white. No guesses as to what the ruling will be…

6

move to sydney…

word on the streets is our Wednesday nite groups rides actually rule ( we are quite friendly ) and have a regular turnout of over 20 people
hills are actually good for you
and it rains about 10 days of the year

and the cops here don’t give a shit if you have no helmet, no lights, no bell, no brakes, no brains, and are totally pissed or any thing else… unless you do sum thing really dumb or cut off a cop car
what you do is your problem…

7

the ‘what constitutes a brake’ definition has been tested several times in the US. people will reference the (in)famous portland ‘stick as a brake’ case, which was later overturned (and was greyed by the arresting officers known anti-bike stance).

it has been successfully challenged in washington dc to my knowledge.

it was challenged in san diego where a (longtime) messenger was able to prove that as an experienced cyclist he was able to use his fixed gear hub as an effective brake. the judge noted that his experience/skill was a contribuing factor. i have a copy of the ruling somewhere, and im reasonably sure it includes reference to the Dc ruling.

in many places the law is that a brake (to clarify the law) is defined as something that will bring you to a stop on dry level ground in a specific distance (often 100ft). it has been enough to prove (in individual circumstances) that you can do this with your legs.

the issue isnt whether people are getting issued tickets, more whether those tickets are being correctly issued. tickets for many things are incorrectly issued a lot, sometimes as a reaction to other perceived non-provable infractions. you come barrelling down collins towards swanston looking all out-of-control on your brakeless bike and shoot through the intersection on the amber,scaring peds who might be getting the jump on the lights and a cop who sees you is going to feel more inclined to stop you.

i’m not aware of anyone legally challenging a ticket here (but that means very little as i’ve not done a lot of investigation). what will inevitably happen is someone will step up and challenge/question the code and it will be clarified.

[fwiw: no law degree here, but i’ve seen this debate go on in a number of places, and have seen the results of a lot of detailed research)

8

There’s so many factors here as well. What if your chain snaps (coaster brake and fixed), what if the hub overheats, or your foot comes out, etc, etc. But I know I’d trust my legs over a coaster brake. I rode a three speed coaster brake step though in Copenhagen and it was really awkward and felt unsafe.

I’ll take my brakeless track bike over a coaster brake any day.

9

Assuming you went for the argument that you were capable of braking via fixed hub i think its wrong for any law to assume anyone could do it. That being the case, i would think anyone running brakeless would cop a fine and have to argue their case on an individual basis. If you were lucky perhaps the officer could be convinced of your talents before issuing a ticket?? Good luck
Note i run with a front brake, which means i’ve no excuse for running red lights.

10

famous last words. I’m sure they’ll have a crackdown on ‘reckless riders’ at some point

11

yeh, it’ll happen sometime. I think we just need to keep things a bit sensible (ie not draw too much attention to ourselves) and we can hopefully prolong this period of peace. The average Sydneysider is still hating on the stereotype of lycra-clad road hogs: skinny jean hipsters don’t really rate a mention around here, let alone riding brakeless.

12

so, riding shitfaced at night without a helmet or lights is not dumb?

13

no lights and helmet is totally dumb, riding shit faced happens some times and unless you act up in front of the cops they really dont give a shit

you should have stuck it out last night jono it was an epic ride in the end… some tuff hill work and some pacy and fun down hills ( i topped out at 54kph at some point ) then we brought 6 packs and got boozed on the ferry…
was a lot of fun!

14

is it true you can lose your car lisence if you are caught riding drunk?

15

yea i think so

16

yes it is illegal, i’m taking a lot more care these day not to do so because it take points of your licence and also i do plan to go to the states one day… they do not allow anyone with a drink driving offence into their country, cananda is the same that way

17

i heard a lawyer on radio recently saying that it is perhaps illegal, but not directly. it falls under some archaic laws about controlling vehicles while intoxicated, and not under the laws related to driving motor vehicles.

18

mehh…

beats walking home and faster and cheaper than a cab…

19

i get a bit wheelie and skid happy after a few brews and ride home, managed to make it with all my skin thus far but im sure its only a matter of time

20

There’s a guy who comes in to work every couple of weeks, and he always brings in the same two bikes. He’s usually pretty drunk, and almost always needs a wheeltrue. I asked him one day what he does to buckle his wheels so much, and he replied that he “was on the piss one night and had both me bikes there with me, and i hit a pole while riding one and wheeling the other” Yep, I’ve tried warning him against that, but he still does the same thing, every couple of weeks. Perhaps he takes a spare bike when he goes to the pub in case he gets lucky and his lovely lady needs some form of transport to his house?? That’s planning for you!