Raoul Delmare wrote:
>
> And it always surprises me , just a little , that apparently the term
>"coaster-brake" is the ORIGINAL term for that useful little device .
>And I do dearly love good old New Departure hubs / brakes ( one of the
>older brand names ) , even if they do require some care when they are
>reassembled .
>
> It's fascinating to read something from a time when "coaster-brakes"
>were apparently well known , and well understood , but the "free-pedal"
>was an emerging technology ! It's very interesting that "back-pedaling"
>means applying the brake , with no other meaning . I've always enjoyed
>knowing that the phrase "back-pedaling" came from the realm of early
>cycling . Example ; "Most people failed to understand why the politician
>was back-pedaling on that issue ."
>
> And that was written at a time when separate brake mechanisms were "new
>fangled but effective" . Somehow I doubt the author was referring to
>"spoon brakes" with those words !
>
> Well , O.K. Chuck , so now we know what to call our little ratchet
>mechanisms , built into our rear wheels . They are "free-pedals" .
>O.K. , fine , I'd actually enjoy calling them that , if anyone could
>understand what I was talking about ! :^) However , this has
>raised ANOTHER problem in the correct use of the exactly correct
>terminology ! If you stop pedaling a "coaster-brake" , then you are
>"coasting" . That is all fine , and clear . I think we can all agree
>on that . But when you stop pedaling a "free-pedal" , what shall we
>call THAT ??
>
> "Freeing" ??
>
> Seriously , here's a thought , when you stop pedaling a "coaster-brake"
>you have DISENGAGED both the drive mechanism , and the brake mechanism .
>You are "in neutral" . You are simply coasting , silently , with NO
>mechanism engaged . No mechanism is being used at all , other than those
>little ball bearings . ( yes , yes , I'm sure there have been plain
>bushings , and roller bearings too - but almost always ball bearings )
>
> Since the term "coasting" seems to already have been used to mean
>something slightly different , we will all need to find another word to use
>for the process of engaging our ratchet pawls for the intended purpose of
>freeing our pedals from driving power .
>
> Hey! I suggest that we call the actual device a "free-pedal" , and we
>call the PROCESS "free-wheeling" . Everyone is asked to please change
>their vocabularies immediately . :^)
Raoul, you're making this out to be more complicated than it is.
"Coasting" means, and always has meant, to ride on momentum or gravity, without pedaling.
Back in the high-wheeler days, this was done by removing the feet from the pedals, and hooking the knees over the handlebars.
When the fixed-gear safety bike came in, it was common to have "coasting pegs" on the sides of the fork so you could rest your feet there out of the way of the whirling pedals.
The term "coaster brake" is actually a compound term, reflecting the two functions of this device: It's both a "coaster" and a "brake." I believe that "coaster" was at one time the term for any mechanism that permitted the wheel to turn forward while the sprocket did not.
These days, the standard term for that is "freewheel."
> When you stop pedaling a "free-pedal" you are disengaging the drive
>mechanism , but you are simultaneously ENGAGING those little ratchet
>pawls , in a completely different manner !
No, you're DIS-engaging the pawls. They're no longer driving the bike.
Sheldon "Soi-Disant Cyclexicographer" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
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