Hey Kitepower,
You don't see bungees on other kites rear lines because they already have a bridle that performs a similar function. North had to do something different because of the distinct lack of bridles on north kites. Last year the bungee was designed to aid in relaunch. This year they have redesigned the bungee with one of the goals being to aid steering with slack steering lines.
MikeAUS146 said "fully depowered" which has very different connotations to "no power" that you miss quoted so I don't think he meant less power. But this system is designed for when you completely screw a bottom turn and end up riding straight at your kite and it ends up drifting through the air with no tension on any lines. I know i have never been able to steer in that position and I don't think a bridle would do the same job as a bungee in this case.
I think Mr McKitepower is trying to bag out North because it appears to be one of the only Major brands he doesn't sell 
Admit it Steve, these days the kites that all the top Brands produce are ALL good kites, not like 4-5 years ago where there were lemons around.
You're yet to convince me to buy an Ozone...keep trying though 
bungee, its just plain bungee and its there to aid relaunch.
I get what you're saying...but no one ever said that the kite "AUTOSTEERS".
We are simply saying it tightens up your lines so that you can regain control of your drifting kite a fraction of a second earlier (which could be the difference between your kite going through the tumble dryer or kiting away happily).
Autosteer is a ridiculous concept that no Kitesurfing brand has claimed....yet.
I'm quite sure we learnt in day 1 of our kitesurfing course that the kite needs rider input to steer.
Uau, so much theory. How about some time with the kite on the water? Who gives a rats ass about that, unless you are trying to find "theoretic" weak points or magical selling arguments without focussing on what matters: how it flies on the water.
I am flying the Rebel 2010 and i am really impressed with it.
Good points so far:
- It turns impressivelly well with power through the turn even in the lowend
Bad points:
- It doesn't do miracles (needs 15 knots to drag my fat ass)
Other points so far:
- Seems to have the same lowend of the Rebel09 9m but with more agility
Wow! I am sorry I asked. I have cost Australia (and Portugal) thousands in lost productivity time.
Wawando
I am with you. I am going to pump up the 09 Rebel to 10 psi and have fun.
Ive been kiting since 2002. Owned Cabrinha, slingshot and Norths. Mostly enjoyed the Slingshot Fuels for there grunt. Purchased a North rebel 12mtre 2009 start of last season after spending a few days on my mates 08 Rebel. I weight 85kg and i punished my 09 Rebel all season never had a problem, never folded up on me once. One thing was I got a bit of tennis elbow from the bar pressure. If the 2010 Octane lives up to the Hype I will probably upgrade this year mainly for the turning speed and the light bar pressure. Hope slingshot keeps there build qaulity as my past fuels where bullet proof.
Where you been at relli? Kitepower have been defecating all over north products for a few seasons now.
Flew my 12m and 9m 2010 rebels today - 12m felt much the same as last year's, bit more stable, better low end but a bit of a bitch to relaunch (less than 15kts though)
BUT...the 9m - what a beast - felt heaps gruntier than the 09, more power through turns, really agile - in fact i enjoyed it so much i nearly....
Have got to admit seems lots of different opinions flying around here. So thought i'd give my 2 cents worth. Only rebels I had any trouble with last year (was only 2 x14mtr) were fixed simply by pumping up more. They were being used in 25 plus conditions by big blokes. My wife Fiona used a 10 most of last year and I struggled to get her to ride anything else, it was supposed to be sold, but she insisted on taking it to Bali over winter. But now her new 10 Rebel has arrived (with our first shipment of 2010 Rebels) she suddenly wants to sell the 09 one. Still waiting for a ride, but need wind and Fiona wont let me ride it first (looks good but).
Have Fun George
KSA. Yep the folding thing is simply fixed with 10PSI. I have always pumped them to that so I,ve never had the problem. I have recently tried an 09 EVO and then I had my 09Rebel 7m out a couple of days ago & I realized how much I love it. I see allot of the 09 Rebels for sale fairly cheap. Good news for any1 out there to get a good current kite cheap, thanks to some bad publicity about the folding BS. I am gunna wait a bit and get a quiver.
Hi Peeps,
We received stock of new 2010 North gear today, YAY!
I hope to get out and ride the new Rebels tomorrow as well as the new WAM 6', FSF, X-Ride and Jaime.
Unfortunately bars and Vegas are still a few days away. I'll write a decent review once I get a good ride in. I'm already frothing on the new bars as we saw samples some months ago. I hope the kites live up to the hype.
Sweet! I love new gear arriving, it's like Christmas in Sept.
KH
Got to fly my new 2010 Rebel today 11m
1. Increase in power by 5% over the 2009
2. Smooth power in light wind through the window
3. The bungees are awesome for wave riding as they draw up steering line when the lines go slack allowing for steering when previously there was none, this is quite marked.
4. slightly less bar pressure
5. High depower quicker from less bar throw, i.e. More 'Rebel' for rebel lovers - not going away from the prototype that was the start of this fantastic kite - the 2007
check the review - I will update as I get more sessions: www.southcentralkiteboarders.com/North_Rebel_2010.html
BTW I did not ever have a single issue with my 2009, it was the best Rebel yet, and I did not pump it up to any pressure over 6psi. I have ridden them both (11m and 8m) in extreme conditions and really put them into serious over and under sheeting in various places all over the state, never once did it play up at all, it was a great kite, and the best build quality around.
Dazza
7m Review is up
I had some balistic wind and 6-8 ft tripple overhead waves, it was awesome, this kite was so steady and smooth, really super nice. Check the same link.
Dazza
Has anyone ridden both the 12m 08 and the 11m 2010 rebels and if so how do they compare in low end power .
i swapped from a 12 meter 08 to the 2010 10 meter , i ride mostly in waves and most days on a directional styled surfboard (underground freewave) i can get going upwind in 14 knots, im either side of 72 kilos , 2010 has no backstall issues although bar does need to be setup out of box for the kite , unless you have realy long arms the throw is too much i think for average user , lower bar pressure than 12 meter and much,much easier to relaunch (not that the 08 was hard). i find both the kites are more float then hight jumping kites ( same for the 2010 7 meter rebel for that matter) stabiliy is the same, one pump is nice, bars way improved from the 08 .
As a long standing Rebel rider (i'm not a bikie!) I have often wondered what makes bar pressure so different on different kites. My 07 12m Rebel has alot heavier bar pressure than my 09 14m Rebel. Can a kite with high bar pressure be trimmed to have less bar pressure? I tried the new Nomad and found that the bar pressure was very light throughout the entire power setting range. Loved the kite, but not quite ready to jump ship just yet!
i had a go of my mates rebel 2010 i dont normally ride these kites but i can honestly say i jizzed in my pants.
Had a nice session on the 9mtr what a nice kite to fly.
Super smooth power delivery , ate the gusts up like no tomorrow.
Turning speed was fast, bar pressure was medium.
The bar is super clean and I must say one of the best built bars I have ever seen, I love the way the safety runs through the iron heart.
As for the fifth line love it or hate , I like it and it is still the safest safety system when the **** hits the fan.
This kite jumps big and floats a long time in the air , the conditions were gusty but the kite made me feel extremely comfortable in these conditions straight away.
This kite would suit beginners through to advanced riders and I think it would personally be a great wave kite.
Build quality is top notch as you would expect from North.
Thanks Kev for the demo.
Also for those that don't know James Grundy from Kurnell is selling North, Naish ,Fluid and Air Rush as well as boards and all the rest of the gear , nice to see some descent competition in the Bay finally.
Website coming soon also I'm told.
Can anyone comment on the floating strut weakness when being washed by a wave?
I read a review where a guy had his 2010 rebel out for the second time, a wave hit it and ripped the kite where the floating strut attaches... the guy took it to a shop and the repairer showed him another rebel with the exact same problem...
Hi Jans,
Having kite damaged by a wave has nothing to do with the floating strut, it can happen to any kite.
If you dropped the kite in the impact zone jsut de-power it (let go off the bar or pull safety line depending on the brand of the kite).
It's easy to power back up and re-launch the kite later on when you are in the cleaner water.
If still in trouble just leave kite fully depowered till you are back on shore.
In this case you'll have your kite in one piece.
