2/29/08 update, Leap Day! A major manufacturer and marketer of inline skates has leaped at the chance to launch this "earth-braking" new technology. Although there are still many more hurdles to leap, this progress opens the possibility that good-quality inline skates with 4Xs (four-wheel disc) braking technology will be on the market by the end of 2008. Stay tuned!
Luckily for my students and recreational skaters who visit this site worldwide, I’ve been obsessed with braking ever since I learned how to stay safe and in control with excellent stopping skills. I have always claimed that no other method of braking can achieve shorter stopping distances than the expert use of a heel brake. I have never felt totally care-free on brakeless skates, though I have mastered the T-stop, power slides, slowing slaloms and the skater’s slow plow. To make sure my students experience the fun and fitness of skating to its fullest, I insist they practice regularly (100 times at least!) until they can instinctively brake when required.
My dream brake
Now I’m dreaming of a brake that would make skating safer and better for all:
- Easy enough for a first-day skater to learn, with no toe-raise required
- Effective and light weight enough to suit all skill levels, from novice to black-asphalt ski nut on a steep hill
- Adjustable to suit the skater’s current ability or various skating situations
- Stop in less distance than current heel brakes
- Eliminate the sissy stigma associated with heel-mounted stoppers
- Invisibly integrated into the wheel frame so it would never cause a stumble while performing crossovers
- Consistently deliver smooth, silent, and secure stopping
The brake of my dreams would never:
- Hinder any forward or backward skating moves
- Cause any type of wheel drag regardless of tilt onto the wheel edges
- Require replacement parts; it would last for the lifetime of the skates
Dreams come true!
Guess what, this is not a dream! It’s an invention that I was fortunate enough to test. About to be known as the 4XS Disk Brake System it is activated by sliding the braking foot forward so that the backward tilt of the cuff translates into disc friction within the wheel frame. (The original cuff-driven Active Brake Technology (ABT), was pioneered by Rollerblade and went on to win product of the year in 1994. I have been a tireless supporter ever since.)
I found the inventor's claims literally incredible, but once I had the prototypes on my feet, it didn't take long to prove that this system truly does result in shorter stopping distances, and so much more. This photo shows the actual skate I tested, a soft boot recreational model with a slim wishbone-shaped cuff attachment that could someday be hidden within the heel cup.
Establishing test baselines
My first goal was to test the brake’s stopping effectiveness at speed and with gravity. But first I needed to set some baselines with my own standard-brake skates. I chose two Rollerblade models. I love to instruct in my Twisters, which are actually designed for maneuverability and support for skating through cones courses. My Lightenings are a delight for long and fast rolls on the local bike path.
Since the Twisters boot and high cuff is made of sturdy plastic, I could really dig in and burn rubber. On my neighborhood hill, I measured several stops in these skates, using chalk to mark both the start and stopping points. My average for six ever-faster runs toward a marked line was 23 feet.
Next I established distances for my Lightening stops. Due to the extra tall wheels and resulting reduction of postural leverage, braking was less effective than the Twisters. My best attempts on the Lightenings yielded an average stopping distance of 30 feet.
These baseline tests by my highly qualified, brake-obsessed self showed the best-possible results from two pairs of skates designed for two very different uses.
Stopping distances are shorter
Finally, I strapped on Alex's Salomons with the 4XS prototype brake installed on the right skate (production version is expected to be more streamlined than current photos). Within seconds of standing, I experienced how easy it was to get friction by sliding my toe forward. Before beginning the actual tests, though, I first had to un-learn my instinctive toe-up habit. Every time I did that with my dream brake, I just kept on rolling!
My first few stops on the test course were tentative, because I just didn't feel comfortable without a nice, fat rubber stopper to drag. Even so, each successful stop felt like a gradual and and controlled deceleration over a short distance. As soon as I had enough trust to jam my right toe forward at the higher speeds of my other tests, my distances settled into an average of 16 feet.
Compared with the 23-foot average for the Twisters and the 30-foot average for the Lightenings, achieving consistent 16-foot stopping distances proves the 4XS technology is a major "brake-through" for the sport of inline skating and achieves the claimed 50% reduction!
Using the brake is easier
Satisfied with effectiveness, I began testing the 4XS ease of use with postures typical of many beginners: straight legs, bent forward at the waist, wide feet. Even with stances where raising the toe was next to impossible--for example with both feet equally weighted--I felt a satisfactory degree of braking when sliding the right foot just a few inches forward, which to me is a key safety benefit. I was ablt to a dial and found that friction could begin at just a half boot length forward if the skater needed that degree of control, or further out if not. All this convinced me that beginning skaters could learn how to brake and gain skating confidence with the 4XS system much easier than the stopping technologies available today.
Next, I checked speed control on a steep hill. Not only was the 4XS brake easy to engage and disengage, but it was surprisingly quiet and smooth; I didn’t have a chunk of rubber vibrating over the asphalt surface. And that revealed another safety benefit: no more little rocks getting scooped up and wedged between the brake and back wheel, bringing it to an unexpected dead stop!
No loss of skate performance
My last tests were to check for hindrances to regular skating moves. I skied down my neighborhood hill with hard-carving slalom turns, tipping both outside and inside wheel edges onto the pavement. I did crossovers and swizzles, I skated backwards and forwards, I sprinted and coasted. All “without a brake!” At least that’s what it looked like, so even folks who think heel brakes look uncool could get into this.
Spreading the word
I want to tell the world that the technology exists (with a patent available for licensing) to build not only an incredibly effective and safe stopping system, but to launch the next-generation brake that would meet every recreational skater's needs. I’ll do my best to convince the inline visionaries I know that this is the natural next step for the technology and growth of inline skating. To that end, I have prepared this list of benefits to skaters, instructors and the industry.
Now if only 4XS inventor Alex Bellehumeur could incorporate a removable version of Bruce Honaker's non-reversing wheel technology into the chassis, we would also have the skate of every beginning skater's dreams! How can I make that happen?! As soon as I waved goodbye to Alex and his wonderfully effective 4XS disc brake system, I dashed to my computer to connect the two innovators and write this story.
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