Home of Portland's premier Unicycle Gang: the Unicycle Bastards > Articles > I Want Brakes, Dammit!
I’ve had it with all this downhill riding without the use of a mechanical brake.
I first noticed this on my first ride with bastards, on National Security Patrol,flushing insurgents from Washington Park. Riding a new 29’r for the first time ight, in the dark forest, there are plenty of cool downhill sections where I could hear the distinct squeal of the brakes of those ahead of me, then find myself atop my wheel, with my feet still on the pedals and my legs pumping far faster than I was physically able to keep up with, and disaster happens, UPD! Smack, POP, CRACK…luckily crashing into the shrubberies to break my fall,the sounds of squealing brakes becoming more distant.
On future rides I noticed a pattern developing… Soon after hearing the squealing brakes, I would find myself descending a trail at far more rapid pace than my brain could approve, a UPD would follow. It happened in a few areas in the poose, but It seemed brakes were always squealing at Siouxon.
I did go start to finish at the Dead Baby Downhill without brakes, and no UPD.
Will the ability to mechanically slow my forward progress help me to increase my overall progress on a trail? I think so, if I can use it to have fewer UPD’s, I will save valuable time in re-mounting.
Could brakes be the answer for locking up the tire and sliding down a steep trail?
I don’t know the answers, but I can’t wait to find out.
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