Nowadays, you rarely see them anymore – coaster brakes on ebikes. Of course, they have always been considered a special feature and were only used in certain niche areas. Yet in recent years, their numbers have continued to decline. KTM provides a prime example of how significantly. Of the 23 model series for the 2026 season, only one, the KTM Macina City, offers a version with a coaster brake. In this article, you will learn about the arguments in favour of this brake today and the ebikes on which it is installed.
1. What is a coaster brake and how does it work?
2. What are the advantages of a coaster brake?
3. What are the disadvantages of this brake?
4. Who is an ebike featuring a coaster brake suitable for?
5. On which ebikes do manufacturers install a coaster brake?
6. Conclusion
1. What is a coaster brake and how does it work?
Some of you may have learned to ride a bike with a coaster brake installed and the characteristic metal link on the chainstay, may have ridden to school for years on an inexpensive model, or may still rely on the system where pedalling backwards locks the rear wheel and thus slows down the bike. It’s a wonderfully simple solution that you get used to very quickly.
Instead of operating a brake lever mounted on the handlebars, you pedal backwards and encounter resistance. The momentum of your movement is transferred via the chain to the inside of the rear wheel hub. The coaster brake is also integrated there. Depending on the design, brake shoes or a brake sleeve are pressed against the hub housing. The metal link – the brake torque support – which is firmly bolted to the frame of the ebike, ensures that the brake sleeve or brake shoes do not rotate with the rear wheel hub. The wheel brakes. When the braking impulse subsides and you pedal again in the direction of travel, a spring pushes the system inside the hub back to its original position. The hub turns and the rear wheel rolls again.
Incidentally, some ebike mid-drive motors such as the new Bosch Performance Line PX recognise when the pedals are moving in the opposite direction to the direction of travel and stop providing assistance at that moment. This minimises the counterforces on the coaster brake and allows you to slow down more safely. Mid-drive motors and ebikes with coaster brakes therefore work very well together.
2. What are the advantages of a coaster brake?
Easy to learn and easy to handle, backpedalling quickly became established in the bicycle industry after its invention around 1900. Pedalling backwards to come to a stop proves to be extremely intuitive in practice. Especially since you can rely on the braking effect. Inside the rear wheel hub, the brake is well protected from all weather conditions, dirt and moisture. There are no brake pads that wear out and need to be replaced. No bleeding of the brake line or refilling of the brake fluid.
Another advantage concerns its operation. This is done exclusively with your legs. This means you can keep your hands on the handlebars at all times. You can even brake the rear wheel when turning right and giving the appropriate hand signal. With a conventional brake, you would not be able to have your hand on the brake lever at that moment. People who value safety when cycling particularly appreciate this additional comfort.
The weather has no effect on the braking process directly at the coaster brake. There are no external braking surfaces on brake discs or rims that could be affected by rain or snow. Overall, a coaster brake is therefore considered to be:
- easy to operate
- easy to maintain
- reliable
3. What are the disadvantages of this brake?
Where there is light, there is also shadow. In fact, the coaster brake combines several characteristics that justify its reputation as an outdated solution compared to other braking systems. This is particularly true when compared to hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes, which are now predominantly installed on ebikes.
Coaster brakes remain just that
Two of the disadvantages are quite general in nature. Firstly, where a coaster brake is installed, there can be no rear wheel featuring a freewheel. This means that when standing at traffic lights, bringing the pedals into the preferred position for setting off requires lifting the rear wheel. When cornering, you must move the inside pedal to the twelve o’clock position for more safety before entering the turn, or you can only correct this while cornering by pedalling in the direction of travel. However, this causes acceleration.
Secondly, the coaster brake remains a brake exclusively for the rear wheel. However, the front brake is mainly responsible for deceleration on an ebike. You can blame the physics that prevail on this planet for this. When braking, your body’s inertia shifts most of the pressure to the front wheel. This relieves the rear wheel, which is why it can exert less braking force. This greatly reduces the efficiency of the coaster brake and results in a longer braking distance if you solely rely on it. In its defence, it should be noted that every other braking system naturally has to contend with the same phenomenon. 😉
Not suitable for long descents and sensitive braking
Ebike manufacturers are aware of these disadvantages. Therefore, they usually equip the corresponding ebikes with two disc brakes and a coaster brake. Especially during spontaneous braking manoeuvres and on longer descents, the coaster brake would quickly be overwhelmed as the sole brake. If you use it intensively for several minutes, the grease inside the brake could heat up and disable the brake.
Unlike other systems, a coaster brake does not have a clearly defined braking point. As a result, it is less easy to control. Instead, the rear wheel locks up relatively quickly and the tyre starts to slip. As children, you may have used this effect to compete with each other to see who could get the longest skid mark on sandy ground. As adults, many of us are less adventurous and find such skidding less fun, especially on wet or icy roads. And if the tyre skids on dry road surfaces, it causes abrasion. This means that wear and tear can also be higher on an ebike with a coaster brake.
Effect depending on pedal position and hub gear
Regardless of the surface, the braking effect depends heavily on the position of the pedals. Anyone who tries to brake with the pedals in the six or twelve o’clock position will quickly realise that this produces hardly any braking force. The effect is much greater with the pedals in the three or nine o’clock position. Things get tricky if you have to perform an emergency stop and the pedals are in an unfavourable position at that moment. In this situation, it is advisable to reach for the brake levers.
In addition to the pedal position, the braking effect is also influenced by the gear you are currently riding in. In a lower gear, the backpedal generates more braking force than in a higher gear. The system loses further efficiency if the chain is past its prime and not properly tensioned. Progressive wear with decreasing chain tension further delays the response. On ebikes with hub gears, coaster brakes and a belt drive, this phenomenon is hardly noticeable due to the more robust belt.
The extra work involved in using a coaster brake is not insignificant in everyday use. For example, if you need to remove the rear wheel of your ebike, you always have to loosen the metal arm on the chain stay and release the tension on the gear cable – both of which are quite fiddly tasks without the necessary routine. Repairing the hub itself is also more difficult.
Shimano – and then nothing else
In the case of ebikes in particular, the coaster brake has one last, rather painful disadvantage. Basically, it is necessarily linked to the use of a hub gear system. However, there are only a few hub gear systems that can withstand the stresses and strains of an ebike and are also available as a version with a coaster brake. You will only encounter two gear systems with well-known ebike manufacturers: the Shimano Nexus 5-speed (SG-C7000-5C) and the Shimano Nexus 8-speed (SG-C6001-8CD or SG-C6001-8C). With gear ratios of 263 per cent and 307 per cent respectively, they are significantly lower than those offered by other hub gears from Enviolo, Rohloff and 3X3. With significantly higher gear ratios and smaller jumps between the individual gears, these are much more comfortable to ride. Not to mention stepless and automatic shifting versions. At this point in particular, the benefit of a coaster brake seems to come at a rather high price.
4. Who is an ebike featuring a coaster brake suitable for?
We humans are creatures of habit. Accordingly, we like to hold on to things we have grown fond of. Some more than others. However, anyone who rides a bicycle with coaster brakes without motor assistance and wants to switch to an ebike may be looking for a model with the brakes they are used to. When a few basic things change when riding a vehicle that is unfamiliar to you, it can be extremely helpful to encounter something familiar in such an important process as braking.
Although the coaster brake is subject to certain restrictions, it increases safety when riding an ebike. Together with the conventional front and rear brakes that such ebikes still have, this results in three brakes. If you find it a little more difficult to maintain and service disc brakes, you still have a brake that you can usually rely on completely. This is also likely to encourage some people to make a purchase.
As already mentioned, the coaster brake lacks a little in terms of braking power and responsiveness. However, if your riding style is generally a more relaxed one, this fits perfectly. Then you don’t need a hydraulic disc brake with four brake cylinders that responds as soon as you slightly bend your index finger on the brake lever. Sometimes less is simply more.
5. On which ebikes do manufacturers install a coaster brake?
The advantages and disadvantages of ebikes with coaster brakes are not necessarily balanced in terms of number. In terms of relevance, this can vary depending on your perspective and requirements. In any case, the bicycle industry continues to stick with this system. At the same time, the typical use case can be broken down into a few scenarios. It feels like 80 percent of ebikes with coaster brakes are city ebikes. We don’t have exact figures on this. But based on what we see in manufacturers’ catalogues and at trade fairs, the proportion is likely to be in this range.
There are also other types of ebikes that often feature hub gears. These include compact ebikes and folding bikes, for example. Designed as low-maintenance bikes for urban use, they often use simple hub gears with five, seven or eight speeds. The same applies to smaller e-cargo bikes such as the Tern Quick Haul P5i RBN.
Trekking ebikes are certainly an exception. In most cases, manufacturers opt for derailleur gears, which offer a wider gear range, more finely tuned transitions between the individual gears and faster gear changes. However, if a model in the series is intended for more urban use, a hub gear with coaster brake may be fitted in exceptional cases.
Use of coaster brakes on ebikes across all frame types
Many of the ebikes with coaster brakes mentioned above feature low-step frames. In previous years, many ebike manufacturers considered this to be a women’s model. However, these rigid patterns with a division between men and women are a thing of the past. On the one hand, women have become much more emancipated and now feel at home on ebikes of all frame shapes. On the other hand, men have long appreciated the advantages of a low-step frame. Similarly, when it comes to coaster brakes on ebikes, the gender of the rider is irrelevant.
Examples of ebikes featuring coaster brakes
6. Conclusion
The decision for or against an ebike with coaster brakes is relatively difficult. General statements are not very helpful here. There are some weighty arguments against this system. Even today, ebikes are often heavier than their counterparts without an electric drive. The greater mass requires more braking energy. At the same time, many people ride an ebike faster than a regular bicycle. This also increases the necessary braking force. Neither of these factors really fits in with the reduced braking effect of the coaster brake.
On the other hand, this solution may well be the ideal choice for certain people. For example, if they want maximum potential safety on their ebike. Or if their previous riding experience has made them accustomed to using a coaster brake. Perhaps the brake is also the solution for people who, due to a physical impairment, are most comfortable with back-pedal braking.
In any case, back-pedal brakes have not completely disappeared from the world of ebikes. And it is difficult to imagine that this will happen in the foreseeable future.
Pictures: ADFC/©Kay-Brockmann; Flyer AG; Giant Deutschland GmbH; Hermann Hartje KG; Bergamont; Bosch; Mobility Holdings Ltd.; Riese & Müller GmbH; Shimano; Winora-Staiger GmbH; www.pd-f.de/©Florian Schuh