Skateboarding is extremely popular among teens of all ages around the world, but this level of popularity has also led, over the years, to a very large number of boarding-related accidents (fortunately, most of them relatively minor, consisting of just broken hands or feet). One “sub-trend” of this sport is represented by “downhill skateboarding,” which is also one of the most dangerous things one could do while riding a board, simply because braking is a very difficult thing to do.

For this reason, the people over at SkateBrake have launched the SkateBrake Kit, a very nifty system allowing skateboarders to actually brake their boards. In fact, this kit is somewhat similar to bicycle brakes, since users will have to hold on to a brake grip while riding and twist it in order to reduce the speed of their skateboard.

The kit presented by SkateBrake includes pretty much everything you need in order to modify your board accordingly. Thus, we're talking about 76mm hand cast P.U. ABEC-1 speed bearings, accompanied by 2-inch disc brake pads, 2-inch rotors, a 42-inch brake cable and the handle mentioned above. What's really worth pointing out here is that the brake cable is pretty long, which means it won't affect the user's position on the board.

Of course, downhill skateboarding veterans have their own methods of stopping a board without actually making use of a device of this type, but they're not exactly the target audience of this kit. In fact, the SkateBrake Kit is mostly targeted at new boarders, who, in general, are also the ones who are more prone to accidents.

The SkateBrake Kit sells for around 110 US dollars, which could seem to be a pretty high price at first, but given the fact that it might prevent you from experiencing some nasty accidents when riding your board down a steep slope, it's actually worth it. 


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