I was fortunate enough to try out the pre-production Ocean Rodeo Allulla Glide today. Buckle up kids, this wing was so much better in everyway than anything I've tried(Naish, Duotone(*3), ozone, NSP, Takuma, Konrad, etc) it's almost a different animal. Massive wind range, incredible power, balance and responsiveness. Take my Money!
This site has the information formatted a bit more clearly.
www.mackiteboarding.com/ocean-rodeo-glide-aluula-a-series-wing/
What does the wing do that other wings don't do? What makes it worth $2200?
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
What does the wing do that other wings don't do?
I think it will lose $1k+ on it's first trip to gumtree, instead of $600.
I will start scouring the buy and sell section in about 6 months.
Yup that is the one. What makes it worth it? Well its ridiculously light but so stiff its absurd. The emergent properties that come as the result of this are many-instant feedback from wing, balloon like driftability, zero loss of energy from flex when pumping, ability to move it around effortlessy through the window and a wind range that
could take place of my 4&6, for starter(it was a 5m). Then there is the design of the wing itself which is just super.
Does anyone know the weight? Std construction varies from 1.8kg - 3kg.
40% off 1.8kg would be unreal, but methinks thats not feasible.
I'm all about new materials, but no info or reviews out there commenting on some really important factors (shape, power, handles, drift stability when depowered, geometry to water clearance).
Waiting
I can't post any pictures. There were two men who wore sunglasses that picked them all up(Hybrid and Full Allulla) and wisked them away.
If they are as light,tuff & well designed as there Aluula kites well we better start saving up the dollars.
Well it figures. Lighter and stiffer are the two main criteria that would amplify a wings performance even more so than kites. Design of course is important to make sure those two variables are maximised.
Select to expand quotemartyman said..
I can't post any pictures. There were two men who wore sunglasses that picked them all up(Hybrid and Full Allulla) and wisked them away.
How did the hybrid compare to the full allulla?
Select to expand quoteVelocicraptor said..martyman said..
I can't post any pictures. There were two men who wore sunglasses that picked them all up(Hybrid and Full Allulla) and wisked them away.
How did the hybrid compare to the full allulla?
The HL wing has a softer feel to it allowing it to breathe more in gusts in a way similar to a V1 F One. This is likely due to the thinner leading edge and type of dacron used in the HL. The A-series is much more direct/instant in power transfer with little flex and truly feels like a wing 2-3 sizes smaller in weight/handling/drifting. I prefer a direct feeling wing (A-series) while others may like the more forgiving feel of the HL. I was laughing holding the 5M A-series handle with the wing flagged on the beach. It felt like a 3m with little inertia. I only got a short time on the A-series myself, but it's very good from first impressions. The pressures you are inflating the leading edge and strut to are very high. When you flick the strut or leading edge it makes a "ping" sound higher than any other wing I've tried. I really like the window placement in both wings; small but useful without detracting from performance or the look of the wing. What stands out the most to me in both wings is the easy handling and drifting ability. My Takuma WR3 feels faster and more powerful than a HL but at the expense of a lot of weight and heavier feel in transition/drifting (huge difference here). Funny, I didn't consider the the Takuma to be heavy until I tried the OR wings...
Select to expand quoteCan555 said..Velocicraptor said..martyman said..
I can't post any pictures. There were two men who wore sunglasses that picked them all up(Hybrid and Full Allulla) and wisked them away.
How did the hybrid compare to the full allulla?
The HL wing has a softer feel to it allowing it to breathe more in gusts in a way similar to a V1 F One. This is likely due to the thinner leading edge and type of dacron used in the HL. The A-series is much more direct/instant in power transfer with little flex and truly feels like a wing 2-3 sizes smaller in weight/handling/drifting. I prefer a direct feeling wing (A-series) while others may like the more forgiving feel of the HL. I was laughing holding the 5M A-series handle with the wing flagged on the beach. It felt like a 3m with little inertia. I only got a short time on the A-series myself, but it's very good from first impressions. The pressures you are inflating the leading edge and strut to are very high. When you flick the strut or leading edge it makes a "ping" sound higher than any other wing I've tried. I really like the window placement in both wings; small but useful without detracting from performance or the look of the wing. What stands out the most to me in both wings is the easy handling and drifting ability. My Takuma WR3 feels faster and more powerful than a HL but at the expense of a lot of weight and heavier feel in transition/drifting (huge difference here). Funny, I didn't consider the the Takuma to be heavy until I tried the OR wings...
I agree with Can555's assessment. He was one of the guys i was trading off wings with.
Is the HL any better than a more conventional construction wing? Reading between the lines it doesn't sound like the HL is anything groundbreaking vs the A-Series, which is where the Allulla shines.
From what I can tell, the canopy construction on these wings is pretty standard, and if that's the case... fragile. Ive damaged several wing canopies, and its always a bummer, but if I paid the A-Series price I would be REALLY bummed. Maybe I'm not the market, but it just feels like theres a price cap on something that is so susceptible to damage. I would be more willing to pay a premium price if I knew it were more durable and would last longer.
Maybe someone who has used these can tell me I'm wrong here and that the lighter Allulla structure allowed them to beef up the canopy too.
Is the HL better than a conventional wing? I'd say the weight and handling traits are still better than most of the wings I've tried (Ozone V1, Naish S25, S26, Takuma WR3, Armstrong, Cabrinha Xwing, Airrush) Some competitors have better stability than the HL, but don't have the light weight or easy handling (Armstrong, Takuma especially) which is so beneficial for drifting and maneuvers. My Takuma falls out of the air much earlier running down wind flagged out compared to the HL. The strut of the HL is very small in diameter yet super stiff due to the crazy high pressure tolerated by Aluula. You still benefit from weight savings and stiffness here over a "conventional" wing. The Aluula material is many more times tear/burst resistant than dacron AFAIK. True, the canopy of the A-series and HL is just as susceptible to getting stabbed by pointy bits. Hopefully one day we see something that is stab-proof yet price and performance-friendly.
I dunno man, who cares if you put a small tear here or there in the canopy? Its an easy fix and generally won't affect performance.
A LE blowout, now that is lame. That said, there no saying you need all A series-mix and match accordingly. Or just get an HL or full Dacron. I'm not sure the HL is going to be any more than a list price Armstrong.
I think a lot of people are missing the point with Aluula. Is the majority of weight in a wing or kite in a) the canopy or b) the inflatable airframe? ( hint - correct answer is b). So Aluula addresses the airframe , makes it half as light , more puncture resistant, and a lot stiffer. That's where the main performance gains are to be made. There's potential to get more wind range per size , certainly hoping that is the case. Yeah it's a bummer to have your foil puncture your canopy , but it's not the end of the world and can easily be fixed. No one to my knowledge is promoting Aluula for the canopy, certainly not in the short/med term. If you want something other than ripstop then you might need to wait for a laminate wing canopy eg Kauper XT or Airush FreeWing Pro. My two cents. I have an Aluula kite by the way, it is awesome.
92 manufactures of wing gear out there as of last week!! release date of mid July.. be interesting to see more of the " best ever" in the next 3 months as brands release more models.
But don't puncture the leading edge or strut, as far as I know a special process is required. OR has provided instruction for certain repair shops to carry out these repairs so just don't take it to your local sailmaker.
The material sound like quite the leap forward, but they still got to get the handles, shape and sizes right. Also, for the cost of a nice road bike, what kind of leash and bag will it come with. Will I need a new pump to achieve those high pressures? Is the pump included with the wing?
Select to expand quoteGoofcat said..
The material sound like quite the leap forward, but they still got to get the handles, shape and sizes right. Also, for the cost of a nice road bike, what kind of leash and bag will it come with. Will I need a new pump to achieve those high pressures? Is the pump included with the wing?
At 12-15PSI inflated pressure a kite pump won't achieve that PSI?
So Ocean Rodeo may have to include higher psi pumps.?
Not sure what lame pump you have but the standard big pumps I've been on for years handle 14-15 np.
Pretty sure pump won't be included lol.
Select to expand quotemartyman said..
Not sure what lame pump you have but the standard big pumps I've been on for years handle 14-15 np.
Pretty sure pump won't be included lol.
Ozone pump does 8 to 10psi max. To get 14 to 15 you would need something other than bog standard kite pump.
pump gages are not accurate you all know that. My wife can't pump past 8 psi on my pump. Wing is rock hard at 8 on our pump.
Would need electric for 14-15 psi
nope, don't need electric. just get a bigpump. Besides, they only specify 12psi on the hs strut.
Beside the psi, how are the handles? the bag? and other attributes? We are in the 3rd generation of wings now, so hopefully they are not making the mistakes previous wings have made.
