Yes--the braking systems I've seen were all way more dangerous than
than helpful. (Besides the pull-cord one, didn't someone market a
brake that was activated by crouching down? Yeah, that's safe … and if
you're classical skiing and get a particularly deep leg compression it
stands to reason everything would come to an abrupt halt.) All I'm
saying is that it seems like it might be in the manufacturer's best
interest to develop something that actually works.

In the meantime, speed reducers on big hills. Or, uh, maybe walking
when you think things might be sketchy.

kgermina

(Mitch Collinsworth) wrote in message mr.cornell.edu...
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003, Karhu Germina (or whoever this really is) wrote:

How V2/Pro-Ski/et al. can sell
these things without stock, reliable braking systems is beyond my
grasp, as is how they haven't been sued out of existence by one
litigious ******* who broke his wrist after hitting a patch of gravel.

Huh. I suppose you have a point, but there is another view on this,
too. Around the time V2 first started offering speed reducers and
those cord-pull brake things (do they still offer those?), I spoke
to Len about them and he specifically recommended NOT getting the
brake. Again this was years ago, but he said it's too easy to pull
the brake cable too hard, stop the wheel, and find yourself flying
forward with the ski no longer beneath you...

-Mitch