C-kites and slack time

[jbirdmarin]

4 line, no bridle whatsoever? sweet - that is old school. depower must be in the bar? 1:1, 2:1? I'll be sure to demo later in the spring at Crissy, keep us posted.

[adamrod]

ha ha is that old school "swim toward the kite" relaunch too? or does it do SLE style relaunch like the fuel?

[jbirdmarin]

Yeah, easy to pine for the joys of C-kiting power while forgetting the relaunch swims, not to mention the yanking straight upwards from the waist when a gale comes through...

[kitenaked]

The Wainman 6.5m Gypsy and 9m Smoke can fly without the bridles. I removed the bridle from my Smoke 2 weeks ago and it was awesome. No plans of putting it back on! The LE structure on the Wainman's is already pretty rigid and still maintains its shape and structure fine without the bridle.

We will have kites rigged with and without bridles at PismoExpo for everyone to play with.

[EvanOR]

Any well designed SLE will work without the pulley (you can take it off the Rise if you like). The feel is slightly more direct, but you give up some of the range and depower, and the ability to change the angle of attach as much as you can with the pulley. Essentially, you lose an essential part of why most people love SLE's/hybrids. Go with what floats your boat - an SLE, or a true C - not another attempt at compromise. :mrgreen: Or perhaps a mixed quiver to keep things interesting and have the ideal kite for the conditions and style of riding one does in them.

I'll have more pics of the Diablo bar in 4 and 5 line mode this week, and I will be at Crissy all week if anyone wants a demo.

[kitenaked]

No compromises on Wainman, just alot of tunability and versatility.

Good for beginners as well as those who have been kiting forever as well as anywhere in between.

***

New Blunts just arrived!!! Pictures coming... Detail is excellent!

[EvanOR]

Well, that's the great thing about demos..

Taking a pulley off an SLE doesn't make it a C, just as adding one to a C kite doesn't make it an SLE/hybrid....my guess is that Lou knows that though and that's why he's adding a true C to the line. :mrgreen:

Two very different kites, with very different feels an flying attributes - both excellent in their own regard, but definitely tailored to personal taste!

[adamrod]

wait, so how is the relaunch on the 4 line diablo? is it like the Fuel or is it "real old school style"???

[EvanOR]

Relaunch in 4 line mode is somewhere in between old school and new. If you want it super easy, then you're better off flying it in the stock 5 line set up.

12m, 5 line set up in Gold.

[eag]

I got a chance to ride that 10m Diablo yesterday. That's me in those pics.

It's been quite a while since I've been on a true C and I was pretty surprised at how comfortable it felt, even in Crissy's funky winds. It was a nice change after being on an SLE for so long. I rode it in 4 line mode, so it was a pretty simple "old school" set up with no clutter at the bar. The chicken dick had even been removed from the huge loop.

It handled the gusts really well and didn't yank me around much at all. You could ride it every day at Crissy and be happy, but the Rise is better in the gusts. Power was nice and consistent all the way through turns and loops, that sensation is missing from even the best SLEs. It pivots nicely and pulls strong when looped. Nice unhooked with good slack and not the crazy pull from unhooking my Rise. It's also fun to just let go of the bar and keep most of your power, there is only about 10" or 12" of bar throw.

Definitely not the same power per meter that I'm used to, felt about a size smaller than the Rise. Relaunch is something that I don't miss about C kites. In 4 line it took a stroke or 2 of swimming to get it to roll back and take off. With a little practice it wasn't bad, and since I the Diablo inspired some more aggressive riding I got to practice 6 or 7 times.

If I rode 3rd or Sherman more often a 10m would be good in the quiver.