wrote:

I have a friend who has designed some of the earo equipment and aux
brakes that were used on Lance's TT bikes at the Tour. I've been
talking to him about designing speed reducers for Marwe's. We haven't
persued it that much. The big question is "Is there a demand" for
something you could engage at the top of a hill and go down at a
slower speed. And how much would you be willing to pay for such a
thing? I think they would be very much the same as the V2 approach.
We're talking reducers not brakes. The V2 brakes are way too clunky
and heavy in my opinion. Is $50 too much?

I wouldn't find $50/pr too much to open up hills for repeats or long
descents, such as on the infamous Coulee near the Twin Cities. However,
I wonder how much extra wheel wear the reducers would produce, and how
the wheels would respond to reducers in hot weather. Marwe wheels have
become dear with the cheap dollar and production quality issues.
Alternatively, rollerskishop.com has compatible wheels that are much
less expensive.

rm