[DESIGNED WITH MOUNTAINS IN MIND] 

MOUNTAIN BOARDING IN THE MOUNTAINS IS ONE OF LIFES GREATEST PLEASURES.

There can be few experiences as rewarding  as riding a mountain board in the mountains. Padding up and strapping on at the top, negotiating your way down the mountain tracks /roads whatever there is.

Getting to the end of the run, sorting yourself out and getting ready for the next run.

Brilliant!

The legends of mountain boarding can perform this feat using only gravity and skill.

Being able to scrub speed off and being able to boardslide at high speed. Awesome.

We lesser mortals do not have the same in built control and  are wise to resort to artificial means to retain some control of the board and thus get to the end of the run intact.

This brings me to the reason for this page.

We have visited the French Alps 3 times for boarding holidays and each time it gets better.

The first time we went I was concerned that the brakes on my MBS Comp 26 would not be adequate so I fitted standard lever brakes to both axles. This worked well but was only a slowing down device and would not actually stop the board as I wanted.

The next step was a long and torturous one, fitting Shimano Deore disc brakes to the front axle of my Comp 26x.There was a lot of engineering involved including making brackets and discs. The end result was awesome braking power with the ability to stand the board up on the front while being held by the brake. The only downside[as with any disc system] is the vulnerability of the disc itself. Mountain roads/tracks tend to be rocky and a bent disc is not a good thing or a quick easy thing to fix.

The latest configuration [which is now available to buy] uses Magura hydraulic rim brakes. These are legendary in the cycle trials world and are known as"rim crushers" and "frame splitters" due to the large braking force they apply when used.

They are very effective but unlike the disc system they dont actually lock the wheels up, thus giving more manageable stopping power.

We used these this year on my Comp 26x and my sonsComp16.I am pleased to report that they were faultless throughout the entire holiday and the pads were very little worn .They enabled us to ride down very steep trails with confidence that better riders with lesser brakes were having to walk down.

So I have decided that the brake system is good enough to offer to you.

BELOW IS AN ARTICLE REPRODUCED [WITH PERMISSION] FROM  ATBMAG JUNE 2003

THANKS J

WRITTEN BY A BETTER RIDER AND WRITER THAN ME

ENJOY

nick.boxall@ntlworld.com     

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