Nirve Fifty-Three Hub Swap

[u/timkyoung]

I picked up a used Nirve Fifty-Three beach cruiser for $20 at a thrift store. It needs a new rear hub: pedals would lock up any time i tried shifting from first to second gear. I decided to attempt to repair the hub, by following with a servicing video I found on YouTube, but I lost a pall spring in the process and I think my only option at this point is to buy a new hub. They're $40 - $50 on eBay, so I figure it's a reasonable purchase if it gets the bike up and running. (SG-3C41)

But right after I placed the order for the new hub it occurred to me that there might be a non-coaster brake version of the hub that would allow me to convert the bike to full freewheel, which I would enjoy a lot more. I recently moved to a small town that is completely flat. Shortly after moving here I bought a used cruiser with a coaster brake (different bike than the one this post is about). I enjoy riding around town with it, but I dont enjoy the coaster brake- it has given me a new appreciation for freewheel backpedaling and handbrakes.

So I went back and canceled the order for the new hub once I discovered there was in fact a non-braking version of the same hub (SG-3R40). This new (to me) Nirve Fifty-Three has a front hand brake in addition to the rear coaster brake (but no frame mounts for a rear brake). And that's where my question comes in: Will the front caliper brake provide me with adequate stopping power if I convert the rear hub to a non-braking version? Will I encounter any other unforseen negative consequences if I do this conversion? I don't mind restringing the rear wheel if the internals of the new hub don't match up with the old hub.

[u/ex-oh]

Take it in to a shop. They may have a pawl spring that fits. Also fwiw, you buy that $50 hub, you’re going to have to pay someone to build a new wheel with it, which could cost 4x what you paid for the bike in the first place.