Thanks. It's a serious post. I've thought about it other times. The ideas are interesting but they don't all meet the specs, or at least what I'm thinking. I don't want to add extra weight to carry around, if it stresses out the rear wheel/spokes and then even the bike frame.

I actually use thorn inner tubes off and on. I can't tell a huge difference for preventing flats or for weight.

And I see someone actually built something like what I was thinking there.

I wondering if something -- something soft so it doesn't damage rims -- could slip between the brake pads and rim. It might not take much to get the effect I want. If the brakes can do a death grip pinch they'll stop still and probably wouldn't suddenly stop the wheel either. It would make noise though.

Otherwise maybe there's space to attach something beyond the splash guard that pushes on the tire like the wind fan clip on/"vintage" exercise bike idea.

Or even better, more secure, would be a V-shaped clip thing that has rollers. The more pinch (evenly on the rim) the more resistance.... Or replace the front brake with rollers somehow. Same idea, more pinch is more work. That would eliminate the brake pads themselves rubbing and wearing away on the rim. Or if the rollers could tension themselves for being able to spin while in contact with the wheel, then the roller/add-on would get the wear and tear instead of the rim so much.


Or use the splash guard. Stick something in (so it can fall away safely) that will rub against the wheel to add some amount of extra tension.