Put on a rubber

ACCESSORY 27: Bike Brake $3.24 @ bikebrake.com

My first thought after seeing this product on Joel Waxman's recumbent bike blog (link to the right) was, "OMG did someone just pay over $3 for a rubber band?" That's way too expensive. You could get a similar wristband for either free at a promotional event or $1 at Walgreens.

How often will I need an emergency brake? Won't I typically be on the trike and can just put my foot down? Not very and yes. However, there are times that I do need to get off the trike and the Bike Brake would be perfect. Sometimes I need to do maintenance on it and would rather not take my chances of it rolling down my driveway or into the street. It's nice to have a brake when I'm on my break. I'm also an accessory addict and fulfilling my needs for $2.99 + tax isn't too shabby.

One month later, I gave in. My velcro strip wasn't working too well. When not in use, it would be too loose and dragged onto my bell making it almost useless. It was too much of a hassle to strap it on and off. For a piece of rubber, $3.24 is way overpriced. But for a trike accessory, it's 1/2 the price of my average $8 price tag for accessories. The dollar amount was low, so I made the order two days ago and already it hit my mailbox. A++ to a great seller.

The benefit of this product over other options is that unlike a rubber wristband, the Bike Brake is tight enough to hug the handlebar w/o any slack. It stays out of the way when not in use. The same benefit can also be a drawback b/c it's definitely more difficult to engage than a more loosely fit rubber wristband. It looks like the inventor considered this and designed a couple tabs to make it more easily engaged. See the tabs in the first image of the original packaging.

Here it is engaged. It definitely holds well. I have yet to try it in action while wearing gloves. Should I have gotten a red one?