Hey all,
According to the Cabrinha compatibility charts, it's acceptable to use the 2015 Overdrive bar with a 17m Contra. I just bought a standard 2015 bar to replace my 2014, it's to be used with my 9m and 12m Switchblades.
I'm interested in getting a 17m kite and although the chart seems to say I can get away with it, I'd like to hear people's thoughts on using this 2015 bar with the 17m Contra as opposed to having to also buy the Overdrive 1X L 2015 bar.
Last year you couldn't get away with this due to the length of the safety line but that doesn't appear to be an issue now.
I take it there will be a performance difference (different line lengths by 2m, i'm not sure) so turning speed would be affected etc?
Is this acceptable or would I not be getting the best from the 17m kite?
Thank you all.
Not the same brand but I interchanged between my zephyr and edge 10 on the edges bar, only at it's very bottom end I found the zephyr requiring it's own bar, I always fly my kites a bit choked ( longer middle lines / short steering lines) so it's naturally more responsive, the edges were on 24 and zephyr on 27 , your local shop should have 4 mtr extensions , if not try pirate lines.com or flexifoil
Interesting, so I can easily compensate for the line length difference.
What about the issue of bar length?
The Standard 2015 Overdrive Bar is 48-56 cm where as the Large Overdrive Bar is 57-65 cm, presumably they are expecting you to use the 65cm setting on the largest kite which is the 17m, and being at 56cm instead will mean slower turning?
Interestingly for those that don't want to spend the extra on the Overdrive and want to buy the fixed bars, they come in 45cm and 55cm. Does this mean the largest fixed bar is usable with the contra 17m at 55cm so the standard overdrive should cover it? Or are they expecting Contra users to fork out for the more expensive Overdrive bar?
I tried the 2014 bar off my 12m switchblade on my 17m contra for a few weeks but it didnt flag out all the way.
I then tried the proper sized bar (demo) and the kite had more power, turned better and of course flagged out when safety was pulled.
I bought the demo bar...
Yeah Macster those are not compatible due to the safety line issue you mention. The chart shows that, but it also shows that the standard 2015 overdrive bar is now compatible. Safety line is no longer an issue. So it's functionality and performance I'm curious about.
Thanks for answering regarding the power and turns. Although I think that situation again is different as you are using the 2014 bars and I'm talking about the 2015 overdrive bar, possibly different line lengths now although I'd have to go Google that.
but you can use a Contra Bar for any other smaller Cab kites. I use it till my 9m kite. Love the extra 2 meters of line lenght.
Ciao Jankie
