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My old lead mech said never grease a coaster brake, and after 3 burnt hubs I finally get why
Back when I was learning the trade at a co-op in Tucson, this old guy named Dale who'd been wrenching since the 70s told me to keep grease away from coaster brake shoes. I figured he was just being stubborn and set about packing them anyway because everything else on a bike gets grease, right? Three hubs later, every one of them started grabbing and howling on the first hard stop, and one actually locked up on a customer's kid mid-ride. Turns out the grease cooks into a sticky paste once that hub hits about 200 degrees, and the shoes can't bite the drum anymore. Dale never explained the why, he just said don't do it, and I had to learn the hard way with about $60 of replacement shoes and a very unhappy regular. I still see people online telling new folks to lube everything, and it drives me up a wall. Anyone else got a shop rule they were handed that made zero sense until you screwed it up yourself?
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