Select to expand quoteKamikuza said..deanrobi said..
North Clicker bar looks good, does away with external depower, all moved to within the bar, no depower rope, neat package, plenty of info and pics on other kite forums. Cabrina look like they are doing away with the chicken loop and replacing it with a speed ball style connector, plenty of innovation for 2017 after a couple of stagnant years.
You're joking, right?
The Cabrina thing dosen't grab me but i like the North clicker bar, very easy to use, like the idea of no longer having to replace the depower rope and I ride fully powered 95% of the time so it will be set and go for me
Select to expand quotedeanrobi said..Kamikuza said..deanrobi said..
North Clicker bar looks good, does away with external depower, all moved to within the bar, no depower rope, neat package, plenty of info and pics on other kite forums. Cabrina look like they are doing away with the chicken loop and replacing it with a speed ball style connector, plenty of innovation for 2017 after a couple of stagnant years.
You're joking, right?
The Cabrina thing dosen't grab me but i like the North clicker bar, very easy to use, like the idea of no longer having to replace the depower rope and I ride fully powered 95% of the time so it will be set and go for me
Any info on this bar that you speak of?
Select to expand quotePlummet said..
Any info on this bar that you speak of?
Apparently the clicker bar has a rectangular chicken-rope,
lol,
a stainless steel button that you press to release the ratchet on the lines,
and a little window (like on your electric kettle) so you can view a red string. ???
The square rope in a round hole will get sticky,
the stainless steel button will jam with grit,
and the little window will fog-up with moisture like a car windscreen on a cold morning.
Bling Bling.
google search 'North kites 2017 bar' and follow the first link to that 'other' kite forum, I dont think I should put the link up, there are some photos
Select to expand quotedeanrobi said...deanrobi said..
North Clicker bar looks good, does away with external depower, all moved to within the bar, no depower rope, neat package, plenty of info and pics on other kite forums.
Wow Dean, did you drink the Kool-Aid ?
lol
Have you used a clicker ?
Interesting design for sure. I believe Ocean Rodeo has designed and patented the system. Interested to see what brands will come out with bars featuring the system. Will test one for sure!
Select to expand quotewaveslave said..
Apparently the clicker bar has a rectangular chicken-rope
I heard triangular PU tube, so it'll unspin like the Core and Flysurfer bars do /rolleyesSelect to expand quotedeanrobi said..
The Cabrina thing dosen't grab me but i like the North clicker bar, very easy to use, like the idea of no longer having to replace the depower rope and I ride fully powered 95% of the time so it will be set and go for me
An ok idea by Cab but superfluous. The North thing is a sand-filled jammed-up disaster waiting to happen. I bet it'll be heavy too.
FFS Amsteel is what, $5 a meter? I've got 2 Cab IDS bars that need the Amsteel in the wear proof PU tube that need replacing . . . it's going to be a PITA. Be a lot easier to do on my Flysurfer. They don't even need splicing 
Why complicate things?
Select to expand quoteKamikuza said..
Why complicate things?
You ask why ?
It's all about having a design that forces you to buy their proprietary replacement parts,
so they can lock you in to their sh1tty brand.
Cabrinha and North are the worst offenders.
They hate DIY people like my goodself.
lol.
Select to expand quotewhitsun said..
Keen on a new switchblade too.
Anyone know if 2017 will be different from 2016, shape/colour etc ?
Would like to go to a foil kite, but the difference in price is a lot,
Are they worth the extra dollars verses the performance gain?
I used the flysurfer Sonic 15sqm in 10-12 knots.
It is insane the amount of power they generate, would recommend one for sure if you live somewhere the wind is light, and you have a nice stick/seashell free area to launch and land.
With a big twintip and a 15sqm sonic, you could have a blast in 12 knots for sure.
Select to expand quotewhitsun said...
Keen on a new switchblade too.
Anyone know if 2017 will be different from 2016, shape/colour etc ?
Would like to go to a foil kite, but the difference in price is a lot,
Are they worth the extra dollars verses the performance gain?
I don't know that there is much different in cost anymore (foil v lei). A few years ago sure, but LEI's seem to have slowly caught up.
Select to expand quotedeanrobi said..
google search 'North kites 2017 bar' and follow the first link to that 'other' kite forum, I dont think I should put the link up, there are some photos
Dont ride north, but that new bar is bloody good.
Wave slave, the prototype is over 24 months old.
For $1000 they would loose customers for life if this bar turns out to be a dud.
Select to expand quoteUnderoath said..
Dont ride north, but that new bar is bloody good.
Did you test a clicker bar on the water, Underoath ? ^^^
Yeah, but to be honest, I didn't bother powering up and de-powering much when I used it.
I was more impressed with the throw bar and how everything is internal. On first look it seems like less wear, but i don't know how you could monitor this over time.
If you don't bother washing and maintaining your gear or are pretty lazy at it. I'd suggest not getting this bar.
why do they keep makeing things for kooks? is that a hinge point just before the qr?!? you cant have all the power of a kite going thru that surely
so they did away with a chicken finger and added a silly plug. the plugs going to get worn and will eventually start falling out on its own. nice to see its cheap and replaceable but why do all this crap in the first place? just because some wave kiters cant fly there kites unhooked in odd chance one actually goes down the face of the kite under his own power rather then the kites and a chicken finger pops out. pretty silly if you ask me. they better have left the chaos bar alone 
Select to expand quoteUnderoath said..
Yeah, but to be honest, I didn't bother powering up and de-powering much when I used it.
I was more impressed with the throw bar and how everything is internal. On first look it seems like less wear, but i don't know how you could monitor this over time.
If you don't bother washing and maintaining your gear or are pretty lazy at it. I'd suggest not getting this bar.
Do you mean you didn't adjust the trim with the ratchet device ?
That's the whole party-trick, dude.
That and the little window.
lol.
Select to expand quoteKozzie said..
why do they keep makeing things for kooks?
The people designing this rubbish are the kooks. ^^^
This is Cabhinha's solution to dispensing with the donkey dick.
lol.
there not kooks, what they've done is brought the whole thing in closer to the rider increasing the bar throw and trim/depower they've also made it impossible to unhook accidentally (untill that stupid plug isnt worn from use and just falls out like my 7th sibling (the 6th crawled out) ) obviously some idiots who cant handle kitesurfing with slack lines and drift kept ending up unhooked. this solves that issue, so the design for designs sake is good. and it appears they left the rest of the **** alone so thats okay.
my issue with all this is, WHY?!? why cant they just let there stupid customers learn how to "handle" there bar unhooking periodically if the lines go slack ? how **** do you have to be at kiting if thats a drama? the more and more they design gear around ease of use and safety the worse the skill level of the kiters get every generation and the bloody more accidents occur. and when these safety systems become defunct or disabled by seaweed or sand or whatever its PURELY upto this lazy half assed riders ability and knowledge on how a flipping kite works in the first place to solve it.
this is exactly why self driving cars is beginning to worry me, were going to end up with a whole bunch of people who cant drive behind the wheel of a weapon.
now if you could fully handle your kite there would be no real need for this fireball system. infact i can only see it as a major hindrance.
this is just dumbing down the education system by letting more people pass the grades in the waves.
also i really do not like the look of that join just below the quick release, that needs to be the strongest part of the entire set up and it looks like the whole thing pivots and can freely move up and down hence the large hole in the side walls. that will reduce wear on the ball but now thats going to get worn out. if they made scuba diving gear like this youd have corpses everywhere
oh also the upside down hook?!?!? come on! most people use multiple kites and bars now we gotto change our bloody harness everytime?!? not to mention some harnesses dont allow you to do so. it certaintly stuffed up those who have been useing d shacles aswell hasnt it
so no not kooks. dicks, chess playing dicks. a very offensive move against there competition. begining to think there going to end up like apple where nothing else is compatible
tried to find who had the patent on the donkey dick.... got this instead 
patents.google.com/patent/CN104366535A/en?q=donkey+dick
Select to expand quoteKozzie said..
what they've done is brought the whole thing in closer to the rider increasing the bar throw and trim/depower
You think ??
It looks about the standard distance to me.
It's hard to say without measuring it with a ruler.
Possibly 10mm shorter. wow.
Middle aged cashed up men like new toys.... 
The level of riding (kiting skill) is horrible at the moment imo. It's like a fckn circus out there. Too many soft suburbanite arm chair try hards with little motor sensory skills, piss poor water sense and gear built around these kooks.
I have said this before, kiting is the modern day golf.
- Well foiling is anyway.
Select to expand quoteeppo said..
Middle aged cashed up men like new toys.... The level of riding (kiting skill) is horrible at the moment imo. It's like a fckn circus out there. Too many soft suburbanite arm chair try hards with little motor sensory skills, piss poor water sense and gear built around these kooks.
This is partly the reason windsurfing died out, gear became too specialized for punters to learn the craft. Obviously with heaps of noob equipment out there, kiting should be here to stay a little longer to outlive them dinosaurs on windsurfers.
Select to expand quoteeppo said..
Middle aged cashed up men like new toys.... The level of riding (kiting skill) is horrible at the moment imo. It's like a fckn circus out there. Too many soft suburbanite arm chair try hards with little motor sensory skills, piss poor water sense and gear built around these kooks.
didnt know you had it in you mate :D
Select to expand quotewaveslave said..Underoath said..
Yeah, but to be honest, I didn't bother powering up and de-powering much when I used it.
I was more impressed with the throw bar and how everything is internal. On first look it seems like less wear, but i don't know how you could monitor this over time.
If you don't bother washing and maintaining your gear or are pretty lazy at it. I'd suggest not getting this bar.
Do you mean you didn't adjust the trim with the ratchet device ?
That's the whole party-trick, dude.
That and the little window.
lol.
I've been testing the clicker bar for the past 12months. (never washed it out, rolled it in sand and my V1 is still working fine)
The NKB R&D team has been testing it for 24months on top of that.
Sure the depower/power system is a big part of the bar, but it's by all means, not the only feature.It will be released soon, so hang tight and get yourself a demo.Regardless of whether you ride North or another brand, you'll love the ease of use this gives you.Bring on summer.
Select to expand quoteMaxVMGRacing said...
Foil kites...Yes they are worth the extra cost.
And a good deal from your local will be very near the price of a new tube.
The new free-ride models are forgiving to fly, stable, and easy to live with. And very few situations you cant relauch especially in smaller sizes.
Much larger wind range and dont lose flying stability when very depowered like tubes do.
Leave bar connected and you setting up and launching in fraction of the time of a tube, pack up just as quick.
Why is it that with foil kites everyone seems to leave bar attached, is it somehow easier with a foil vs a tube kite?
It's convenient and more practical to leave the bar attached - reduces the risk of tangling the bridle and makes launching much faster. We usually set up and launch our kites opposite to how you would on a LEI - I personally prefer to lay the kite perpendicular to the wind, on its back,ready for a hot launch. I then simply unroll the lines as I walk upwind and then hot launch the kite. Unless it's horrifically windy, a non inflated foil kite has very little power. The whole process takes only a minute or so.
Select to expand quotegorgemay said..
MaxVMGRacing said...
Foil kites...Yes they are worth the extra cost.
And a good deal from your local will be very near the price of a new tube.
The new free-ride models are forgiving to fly, stable, and easy to live with. And very few situations you cant relauch especially in smaller sizes.
Much larger wind range and dont lose flying stability when very depowered like tubes do.
Leave bar connected and you setting up and launching in fraction of the time of a tube, pack up just as quick.
Why is it that with foil kites everyone seems to leave bar attached, is it somehow easier with a foil vs a tube kite?
because they are lazy and for most of them dont really understand there a's from there c's generally if a bridal line gets threaded thru the mixer and you havent cleared your lines properly before attaching the bar then the loaded lines can shear thru eachother destroying the kite.
clearing your lines every time is not only good practice and simple to do but also allows you to NOT be rolling your kite up with a bunch of wet lines in the center of it like a god damned salmonella dub chicken kiev
of course a riser bag / bar bag would fix this... kind of... but man your ment to be kitesurfing here, people should be embracing the niggledy bits otherwise you may aswell just jump in a boat and press the on switch and point it where you want to go. with enough repetition the most complex of things become simplified and i think that should be encouraged.
where are the photos to this NKB bar anyways i want to see if i can view the moths currently living in my wallet thru the see thru window
The new Cab fireball is the first dedicated kite to rider connection and I think its pretty slick and well tested. It does not "hinge" where you think it does, that slot is just the release mechanism.
The fireball retainer does not wear as it does not move at all, it 100% holds the fireball in place, thats its only function, nice design, easier to hot swap on the beach between 2 kiters than a chicken loop and donkey dick (provided they have the cab spreader bar - which will fit any harness) The spreader bar and specially designed hook face upwards, and lines are very unlikely to be able to get strapped in it due to the shape.
Why hasn't anyone realised we are using a hook designed for windsurfing, and the chicken loop is also a throwback to the windsurf mainline we all used to use on 2 line inflatable kites.
Hooks have caused a lot of incidents, lines get tangled in them, they smash up our surfboards, etc. Chicken loops fall off the hook, and the kiter can lose control easily and this incident alone has caused thousands of accidents.
You can still unhook with the fireball, we had Keahi at the dealer conference and he said it was easy, but even the top strapless kite surfboard riders don't always unhook now, and many don't unhook at all anymore.
Cab have come up with something designed for kiting, it covers the needs of the vast majority of kiters, for those that it doesn't work for - they can use a conventional chicken loop still. The Fireball prongo comes in 3 different lengths to accomodate all sizes of rider.
The bar will work on any 4 line kite that has single front line flagging, all you need is the cab spreader bar on your existing harness.
