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Roller-brakes

Makes sure you don't get too carried away.
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Just recently, I have been getting up to increasingly stupid acts under the influence of beer.

The latest craze is drunk "roller blading"; this may not seem too silly a thing to some, but there are a few things you should know:
1. My level of experience on skates is equivalent to that of most giraffes.
2. Both my legs and one of my arms are already internally titanium reinforced.
3. The place we skate is a private drive with a multitude of invisible speed humps.

The thing that worries me the most is the act of stopping. I'm sure it used to be fun to fall over when I was a little younger, but it just doesn't have the same appeal anymore.

Basically my idea is to give roller blades/skates some kind of braking ability via a handheld lever connected with a cable. Obviously the brakes couldn't be too effective or harsh, as they would negate their purpose. The most useful application would probably be on steep hills to aid control of velocity.
silverstormer, Oct 26 2003

Seems kinda baked http://www.qwj.com/sk8s/technical.html
Even comes with a technical review. [Klaatu, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

[link]






       a sudden brake seems like a bad idea. something to slow you right down might be better.
po, Oct 26 2003
  

       //The most useful application would probably be on steep hills to aid control of velocity//   

       If this had been baked 15 years ago, I wouldn't have gotten the beautiful and sexy skar I have on my forehead. A veeeery steep (and long lasting) downhill trip it was, even after I fell down. Being drunk couldn't have made it worse. +
Pericles, Oct 26 2003
  

       being drunk is probably a good thing. you fall with such elegance and je ne sais pas etc. muscles are less tense or something.
po, Oct 26 2003
  

       Hi-end rollerblades have built-in brakes - you move one leg forward and one back, keeping all the wheels on the ground. I've seen models with internal brake pads, which seems better than the 'dangerously close to the ground' brakes described in [Klaatu]'s link.
benjamin, Oct 26 2003
  
      
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