It's another slow day, so I thought I'd throw this out. I was riding with my 6-year-old daughter the other day and started thinking about her coaster brake. You know, pedal backward and the bike stops.
Now jump to this - I'm screaming down a hill trying to be as aero as possible and milk every ounce of speed to get me up the next one. Out jumps the gopher from a previous thread (not likely in MS), or down goes a rider in front of me, or the sharp turn at the bottom is approaching. For whatever reason, I need to brake. Why should I be forced to move my hands from my aerobars? In an emergency situation this reaction time could be the difference between joining or avoiding a pileup. Why can't I have a coaster brake?
Now jump to this - I'm screaming down a hill trying to be as aero as possible and milk every ounce of speed to get me up the next one. Out jumps the gopher from a previous thread (not likely in MS), or down goes a rider in front of me, or the sharp turn at the bottom is approaching. For whatever reason, I need to brake. Why should I be forced to move my hands from my aerobars? In an emergency situation this reaction time could be the difference between joining or avoiding a pileup. Why can't I have a coaster brake?