VibeRide is still claiming to be the world’s first longboard with a brake, which seems patently false. They’ve redesigned their original concept from a couple years ago, and this time it’s quite a bit simpler. Although they don’t give you a very good closeup of the mechanism, its looks to be the same sort of setup you see in traditional caliper brakes on bicycle, with the calipers pressing the pad out against the wheel instead of in agains a tire rim. This is aimed at the longboard market so I guess you don’t have to worry about hinging up that cable on anything. In videos they mention that it’s not meant for serious downhill use either. There’s an emphasis on beginner use, and the Switch is pretty clever in that it allows you to start with a leash, and replace it with a foot pedal once you’ve gotten the hang of it. This is the lightweight version of their original concept, which they still offer for sale. My stance on tools and setups for beginners has mellowed with age. I could see this being pretty useful for some kids or clumsy adults who wanted to get into skateboarding purely as…

VibeRide claims to be home of the world’s first longboard brake, the BrakeBoard. At first I thought this was just another iteration of the Board Brake some 10 years prior. The position of the foot lever is almost identical, but the braking mechanisms are noticeably different. BrakeBoards lever applies pressure to the inside rim of the skateboard wheel instead of applying pressure to the pavement. It turns out this original implementation also dates to 2013. VibeRide bought existing technology and revamped it. It’s more sophisticated than the Fred Flintstone approach of the BrakeBoard, but with that sophistication comes a $150 price tag for one truck equipped with the brake, a set of wheels, a paddle bit for drilling the required extra hole, and a skate tool.

The Brake Board is about a year old, actually, and was to be made somewhere in the Seattle area. I can’t find a web site for it, so it may not have actually gone into production. It’s a Fred Flintstone simple idea. One that nobody is likely to want if they actually have a little skill or gumption. Still, I could see a bunch of Mom’s out there thinking it was a good idea for junior’s daily ride to school. I’m seeing more and more grade school kids skating to school on longboards these days, even in the rain, which would be “core” were it not for the fact that I also see kids in shorts and t-shirts in the rain too. You know, this board reminds me of something. – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.