An un-biased Crossbow review

[windhorny]

I flew the 12meter crossbow today for the first time. It is all it is cracked up to be! I flew the kite at 3rd ave in winds suitable for 13-16meter kites. I was a little suspiscous of the kites reputation since, usually, when something so great comes out that is truly great, people are all over it and want it asap. It seemed that people who flew it had nothing but good things to say so I wondered why the kiting community hasn't gone "nuts" over it. So basically I took off from the lower beach at 3rd which as most know whom have been there, it is severly shadowed and kites can drop like flies. The rep told me he didn't want to walk up wind and I had just gone DOWN wind in my 11 meter fuel. So he told me to launch at the lower beach, which I was very scepticle of doing as already a few kites were heading down wind. So I went on his faith and experience and went out only to find myself upwind in 2 tacks. It truly depowers and powers up like no other. I didnt fly it in nuclear winds so I can't say that handles the 30 mph gusts it claims but from the feel of it I would not be surprised if it handled more than that with comfort. But the kite did have way more power than a comparable 12 meter. Lets just say I am a diehard Slingshot fan and when I came in my first question was what colors do they come in? The bar is thicker than most bars which is REALLY nice and ergonomic. The pulleys don't get in your way. There is an incredibly easy to use safety for total depower and for total release of the kite. Jumping on the kite was a little different but after flying it myself I dont see why so many people are making such a fuss over how different it is. It is a kite with 4 line control like all the others. It just has more power/depower from the flat wing, faster turning due to the small size, and easy to relaunch.

The only thing other than learning to jump with it ,which I could see being issues, are flying unhooked, of course you could totally depower the kite as you would a little on a normal 4 liner. The kite is bad-ass! and as Veruka Salt would say " I want a crossbow and I want one now!"

Yuri

[Sander]

Nice review. I think a lot of people are interested in knowing about this kite and have heard a lot of chatter in the kite community.
First question, though, is who is Veruka Salt?
Also did you have an opportunity to try the total depower and relaunch?
The bridle is something that other 4line kites haven't had to-date, do you think it could lead to tangles or have other durability issues?
Finally, what kind of pricing have you been hearing for the 12m with bar?
Thanks,
Sander

[windhorny]

Veruka was the little whiny girl in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I didnt try the relaunch or total depower. It wouldnt effect my decision just based on the fact it has more range than any other kite alone. I dont think the bridle will get in the way because of the way it is configured but i cant speak from experience, certainly not the same issues as a foil's bridles. Also I heard from 2 people that if the kite flips inside out it will still fly normally! Hard to beleive. They go for $1200 from what I hear.

[andyandmarlys]

I have had the kite roll and the bridle got wrapped around the back side of the kite... A couple of tugs, and the bridle was free and the kite was back flying again... I don't think the bridle is going to cause problems...... It is really not much of a bridle in the traditional sense... now I have an old mastair 12 with tons and tons of bridles.... and I have never had a good time with that kite......

[VanSimms]

I just bought a 12m crossbow, and I love it, the relaunch is stupid easy, and the depower is incredible and the best part is that it is a great deal because it has the wind range of three kites.
Trust me I know the value of this kite because I worked all summer for it, and it was well worth it.

PS if you have any questions on specifics feel free to PM me.

[Anthony Conti]

This might be a stupid question but is the SS turbo deisel the SS counterpart to this kite? If so, anyone who has used care to give a reveiw? I was reading some where the the SS turbo deisel inverts. Is this possible with the crossbow?


-A

[kitekarl]

This might be a stupid question but is the SS turbo deisel the SS counterpart to this kite? If so, anyone who has used care to give a reveiw? I was reading some where the the SS turbo deisel inverts. Is this possible with the crossbow?


-A

No matter what the hype is, any bow kite can invert. Having had over 50 sessions on my xbow I only had it invert on me once after a bad crash. pump the LE and struts up hard and you're unlikely to have problems. Also, maintain firm steering line tension through turns in high wind. When rear lines are too slack through the window in strong winds they have the tendency to invert.

[andyandmarlys]

Totally Agree with Kitekarl.... All kites... especially bows can invert.... Inversions can be avoided with skill.... and really are not that big of a deal.... really easy to fix with a reride line... (pull the kite so it is flagged ..ie oldschool safety.... kite uninverts.... release the reride line, launch as normal...) Keeping some tension on the rear lines and not jerking your bar out help avoid the inversions....

If you want a kite that is more inversion resistant... try a kite like the switchblade which is a more moderate bow design, and is more stable so that inversions are relatively rare....

[Windseeker]

When I first got my TD I was a little pissed at it rotating through the lines and inverting a couple times, but now I realize it was my fault for pushing the bar out to much to fast (even with a little tension still on the lines)

Now that I have figured it out, I am loving the kite..... flys fast, jumps well and has a huge windrange... glad I stuck with it through the initial learning curve....