Originally Posted by
diabloridr
Some friends were bikepacking in Peru and experimented with dragging a large branch behind their tandem for supplemental braking on steep, unpaved descents. I thought they had a picture of this get-up on their website, but I'm coming up empty.
It worked, but I noticed they haven't resorted to this technique since.
Ha ha. Decades ago, the Sacramento Bee reprinted an article from the early days of cycling. It talked about touring on "ordinaries" (high-wheelers). In order to keep their speed down on long steep descents, they would carry a chain. Said chain would be used to attach a large branch to the rear of the bike as a true "drag" brake.