Alternative Braking System:Parachute
A few weeks ago I posted a video that I found showing some kids drag racing with their bikes from way back when. Watch the video and check out :40 seconds…the dude with the long hair had a drag chute on his bike!
I thought to myself, that having a drag chute to slow me down after a downhill session or trail ride is just what I need. Shoot I’ve been going through brake pads/rotors on a weekly basis because I can’t slow down enough due to my incredible speed!Having this problem is much like Spider Man’s powers…its a curse and a blessing.
You see, being a rider with bad-assery talent and skills, I am wicked fast, in fact, I’m straight-edge FAST. PITEW! That’s me making a laser sound, cuz that’s how I sound as I am hauling past people. PITEW-PITEW! But the bad part, or in this case, the curse of it would be my ability to stop my bike. It’s just not safe to ride fast if I can’t stop or slow down when needed. But there’s one thing I do stop for and that’s for rainbows. Any how, moving right along, let’s go back to my parachute…
I ended up calling my brother who happens to be a SSgt and HALO Instructor in the US Army . If anyone would know anything about parachutes, it would be him. With that in mind he suggested that I use a Throw-Out Pilot Chute due to its size.
Once I acquired a Throw-Out Pilot Chute, my brother showed me how to pack it.
We used one of the e-bikes we’re testing for BikeCommuters.com as our guinea pig. I tied down the cord to the rear rack and we attached the pilot chute with a rubber band.
Then we found a stretch of road to test the chute.Notice how I’m reaching behind my right leg, once I had gained enough speed and I wanted to slow down, I grabbed the chute and threw it out…thus the name, Throw-out Pilot Chute.
Chute has been deployed! By the way, you like my helmet? $7 from Wal-Mart!
Pilot chute catching some air and boy did I feel it! The force pulled the bike back hard!
I know what you’re thinking, “This RL fella is pretty darn good looking and SMART!” Thanks, but I must give some credit to my brother Randy for his parachute consultation. If it wasn’t for his expertise, this project wouldn’t have happened. Oh and I also need to give credit where its due…that long haired kid in the video Mike Dunn!
Ha ha…I love it!
Whos the smooth lookin fella on the bike???
Glad to help out little bro!
Fun stuff. Take me way back to blasting around on Stingrays. Nice leather helmet as a prize(?) at the end, too.
The perfect bike accessory for someone who also flies a Schleicher ASW-12