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The Rope Rider Junior is a smaller version of the Rope Rider. Although the spool portion is smaller, the arm isn't, and so the weight and size saving is less than one could expect. There is barely room for three wraps (the top pins are 36 mm. apart), and I prefer to use all three. The guide pin is shorter than on the Rope Rider, so my concerns about the rope coming off are amplified.
Warning:
The user must be careful or the rope can come off of the spool,
transforming the rappeller into a skydiver sans parachute.
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The Forrest Rope Rider consists of a 1/4-in thick, 1-1/2 O.D. aluminum tube mounted on a steel arm. The arm appears to be secured by an aluminum nut threaded on at the top. A small (3 mm) pin in the end of the tube passes through the steel arm, keeping it from rotating. The eye on the arm is huge, and could have been made smaller to save weight. An aluminum post is threaded and pinned to then tube. It acts to help hold the rope on the spool. Both the post and the arm pass through both sides of the aluminum tube.
This device looks scary. I tested it on belay because I wasn't sure that anything could keep the rope on the spool. Actually, with some care it is easy, but a momentary lack of attention could cause one or more wraps to disengage. I found that three wraps gave me the right amount of friction (I weighed 82 kg at the time of the test). Aside from the worry about it coming off the rope, it handled nicely.
Warning:
The user must be careful or the rope can come off of the spool.
The results could be non-habit-forming.
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick