Since the pandemic it seems almost impossible to get hold of some brands of Fixmykite or Dr Tuba self stick replacement kite valves ?? - in my case im looking for F-one valves (straight and L valves) to keep my older 'but just fine' kites flying.
Strangely I see I can buy Fixmykite stuff from the States so they seem to be in stock there but the postage on just 3 to 6 valves is like $120 !
When I look at the Australian Fixmykite site - every second valve on their stock list is 'out of stock' ??
Ive searched extensively to source some self stick replacement valves for my F-one kites but unless I buy from the UK or the US and pay the crazy postage then Ive come to a dead end. As far as I can see no Australian kite supplier has very many self stick replacement valves for any kite brand in stock.
Is there a work around ? Does anyone know of a secret stash of replacement valves in Australia? And before the glue sniffers get excited its the valve nozzle that fails in 99.9% of the time not the valve attachment to the bladder.
Select to expand quoteLambie said..
Since the pandemic it seems almost impossible to get hold of some brands of Fixmykite or Dr Tuba self stick replacement kite valves ?? - in my case im looking for F-one valves (straight and L valves) to keep my older 'but just fine' kites flying.
Strangely I see I can buy Fixmykite stuff from the States so they seem to be in stock there but the postage on just 3 to 6 valves is like $120 !
When I look at the Australian Fixmykite site - every second valve on their stock list is 'out of stock' ??
Ive searched extensively to source some self stick replacement valves for my F-one kites but unless I buy from the UK or the US and pay the crazy postage then Ive come to a dead end. As far as I can see no Australian kite supplier has very many self stick replacement valves for any kite brand in stock.
Is there a work around ? Does anyone know of a secret stash of replacement valves in Australia? And before the glue sniffers get excited its the valve nozzle that fails in 99.9% of the time not the valve attachment to the bladder.
Yes, it can be hard to find valves and spares for older kites.
It's also hard to make a profit selling valves and spares as you constantly need to order stock and stay stuck with unsold products.
Ordering from the US is expensive, I would avoid that. Shipping seems more reasonable on Ebay though, but still quite expensive.
I would suggest you contact Ryan AKA The Sail Doctor: thesaildoctor.com.au/ he may have your valves in stock and can post them to you.
Your second best bet is to order from Dr. Tuba, they offer Economy shipping now (using Slovak Post then Australia Post, instead of DHL). Shipping your valves would cost 12.90 Euros (about $23 AUD). If you order lots of valves, it's worth it and shouldn't have a big impact on shipping costs. Their valves sell for about 13 euros each.
Dr Tuba has made it easier for anyone to shop directly from their website. The quality of their valves is also excellent.
If you don't want to place the order yourself on Dr. Tuba, I could do it for you and possibly offer a small discount (the more valves you need, the bigger the discount you'll get). Ryan at the Sail Doctor can also order those for you.
All my Economy delivery orders from Dr. Tuba arrive in less than 3 weeks from the time I place the order.
Hope this helps
Christian - KiteBud
I've been doing a few kite repairs lately. I grabbed a few valves from fixmykite (Aus) and they worked well even though the postage is killing me.
So i started making my own valve replacements with cheap (non-stick) valves, storm sure adhesive and Tear-Aid. They seem to work just as well as the fixmykite valves.
I could stick the valves directly to the bladder but I feel safer having that extra layer of Tear-Aid.
The valves are cheap, the Tear-Aid can be souced locally and a tube of StormSure goes a long way
Hit up Moti Levy! He's still around pretty good service with warranty. Courier picks up your gear from most city locations. Reasonably priced and great communication.
www.kiterepair.com.au/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=947481072&gbraid=0AAAAADP0TN66EDJ26R-G_W0f98dGgqCKv&gclid=CjwKCAjwx-zHBhBhEiwA7Kjq63jrt3vNtZ7fx_cafuHIm_rt2FRE0vDasUm6I4_r-qyRnEKj9XDyQBoCyVwQAvD_BwE
