Who has converted from any hybrid/bow kites to C shaped kites in the name of performance?
I'd like to know you're thoughts, as I'm thinking about making the change in the future. I'm right into freestyle/wakestyle and although i'm still not throwing anything major, by the end of this year I plan to be passing the bar
Anyone regret going C? - limited wind range, feel gusts more..
or glad they went C? - direct feel, pull through the loops, slack rear lines when passing, no adjustment needed when unhooking...
I'm flying switchblades and they are an awesome kite and have helped me progress really quickly over the past few months. I just seem to be having these sexual desires for a C.
Right now I got my eye on Fuels and C4's
peace.
mate you will never regret going over to c kites it was the best move i ever made for my progression with unhooked tricks, i think there is alot of bs said about c kites having limited wind ranges and being harder to use. i can get at least a 15 knt wind range comfortably with my kites, the best thing you can do is demo a few kites and see which one feels right for you.
I went from a bandit 3 to a hadlow this season. HUGE difference.
The C is great for unhooking i got it because that was the way i wanted to progress also. I was starting to unhook the bandit a bit but wanted more punch off the water, and thats just what i got with the C.
The freeride, boost and float time is no where near as good as the delta however
It was gusty yesterday and I missed my bandit a lot. The C's good for unhooking but it doesn't excell too far in other fields. I'm thinking of getting another delta to cover all bases for those high wind huge boost days and for some chilled out freeriding, and using the C for the constant wind high energy days trying unhooked stuff. I think you'll love a C but maybe miss something about your switchy
From what i have read on Kiteforum, the new c kites this year have a bigger unhooking range than most delta or SLE kites, Fuels, Hadlows, Razor, Torch etc, they all have a big windrange and a lot of depower. So they shouldn't be a backwards step for you. I dont think that they are going to make you pass the bar etc easier but for more experienced kiters that know what they want from a kite are definitely worth trying out. So just get out there and try one.
If you do ditch the cabs and get the c kites, you may want to ditch the avitar pic, it suits for now but not many gays on c kites. Brokeback,lol
i went from a switchblade to a c4, best decision i have ever made. great windrange as well, had my 11m out earlier today fully powered up still and the wind was blowing 27-36 knots, massive jumps were had but i was a bit overpowered being 68kg. for proggressing in freestyle definately get a c kite. you will be doing handle passes in no time.
went from riding switchies to fuels a year ago and i m so much happier! have never missed the switchy once!
???
Why should a c-kite have better top end range than a bow?
If you look at the wind ranges from most manufacturers, they very much say otherwise.
Even if you don't trim it, I thought top end is rather a matter of the kite being designed for a low angle of attack, having a low drag profile and being more rigid. Because then you can edge it further to the side of the wind window, which doesn't seem desirable for unhooked freestyle as it's moving around too much.
Sure you can edge against a C and tame it down and still be out when it's howling.
But how quality of a session is it? Fight the kite the whole way, the waters chopped to S@#T.
I'll tell you what happens- you brake lines
If you saw Ewan and Zac kite you might be inclined to listen to what they have to say. Keep in mind though that 30kts in the tropics might not quite have the punch that it does in cooler weather.
People need to remember that the caliber of kiter on this forum ranges from Yates to RSC so opinions on what is possible may vary a little.
Hmmm, never owned a hybrid or a bow or wanted to (have ridden them though). Big eeeZeee - Give it a crack - if you want to organise to try one out PM me (fuels).
My 2 cents:
*Bows have greater range - not necessarily a good thing as it can compromise technique and I hate seeing the poo stance
*If it is nuking a Bow or hybrid is notbetter than a C - what matters is picking the right size and the riders skillz
*a lot of people on this forum are sheep and subscribe to the bows/hybrids are safer bullsh!t. Maybe in 2005, but not today. No 100% depower crap please
*Morph - good to hear
*C4 is not a true C - no arguments please
*Knut H - poo stance only gets you so far - there comes a time when you need to edge hence those kiters that are used to it will deal with it better.
*C's can boost
anyway for a begginer a bow kite will have a greater top end for sure as edging skills wont be as good and c-kites dont have nearly as much on tap depower, but when you have a really solid edge i rekon you can hold a c as windy as a bow...if not more. imo. oh and im super glad i went to a c-kite, love them to bits
@axis:
Yes, it's safe to say that the average c-kite rider can edge better than the average bow kite dude and is generally more advanced.
But that's exactly what blurs the facts about the actual kite performance.
If you give Len10 a 9m Fuel and a 9m Crossbow/Edge/Nemesis with just 10cm bar throw, would he get much more top end out of the Fuel?
If so, explanations plz..
Thanks for the explanation Ewan, that explains the slack pretty well.
But if you can generally edge a c-kite further to the side of the wind window, that would also mean superior upwind performance. Or not?
Yet you don't see them in races, it's rather the flattest kites like the Crossbow or Edge that dominate..
Even more so in upwind races I reckon.
I suppose the slack/kite getting powerless thing is just a temporary effect that happens when you load and pop.
My superior intelligence for all things kite related tells me no one is right thus far.
Tension rises to the max, we hold our breath and stay in awe, awaiting the final verdict of the master..
Greenleader won't be on till tommorow, so I wouldn't bother holding your breath.
Some hybrids / SLE's respond to edging by going to the front of the window more than others, e.g Naish Helix / Cult / Bolt compared to Rebel or Switchblade.
