Just started packing for Cabarete. Hoping my lightweight non-descript kitebag will slip under the radar at check in. Should be able to keep my bag under the standard 20kg limit.
As much as I want to test the 10m WT2 out there, I think I will have to contend myself with the 13 and the 9. I had originally vowed just to take one kite, but the 9 in it's nice rucksack bag should pass as hand luggage :)
Got an email the other day to say that the new Switchcraft bar should address the reach issues experienced by shorter riders on the CBS Evo, which will no doubt give me a great excuse to buy one!
Wednesday 30 January 2008
Sunday 27 January 2008
Sunday morning trundle and small-person issues with the JN Evo Bar
Well, not much wind to be had this morning but here's some nice pictures anyway..
I happy to report that the 13m PD2 was nice and stable even in the light winds. It was just a shame I couldn't repeat the big air of yesterday now that we had a camera!
Once I'd finished dawdling about at 5mph, my wife Clare had a play with the kite. The first thing that became apparent is that the new Evo bar is even more unsuited to those of smaller stature than the old CBS3+1.
Now I have long arms and hands like shovels and really like the new layout. However, Clare is nearly a foot shorter than me with somewhat shorter arms and smaller hands. The bar itself is therefore too thick to hold comfortably (the JN bar is chunkier than most) and the reach is far too long.
Now it is of course possible to move the stopper ball to suit her shorter arms, but that doesn't stop the trim adjuster still being miles out of reach, added to which she'd then have a very short depower throw.
If she wants to fly the JN's I think I'll end up having to modify a set-up with a thinner diameter bar, a more compact chicken-loop with a good QR and dispense with the 'alex' release altogether. (ie. connect the c-loop direct to the depower rope. This should bring the whole thing within reach.
As it stands, she looked very uncomfortable on the bar and I can't see her wanting to borrow the JN's much in Cabarete (which is or isn't a good thing, depending on how you look at it!)
Given the funky flower design, I could see a lot of girlies going for the Primadonna2, but the bar isn't ideal for the petite. Maybe all italian kite-girls are giants!
Once I'd finished dawdling about at 5mph, my wife Clare had a play with the kite. The first thing that became apparent is that the new Evo bar is even more unsuited to those of smaller stature than the old CBS3+1.
Now I have long arms and hands like shovels and really like the new layout. However, Clare is nearly a foot shorter than me with somewhat shorter arms and smaller hands. The bar itself is therefore too thick to hold comfortably (the JN bar is chunkier than most) and the reach is far too long.
Now it is of course possible to move the stopper ball to suit her shorter arms, but that doesn't stop the trim adjuster still being miles out of reach, added to which she'd then have a very short depower throw.
If she wants to fly the JN's I think I'll end up having to modify a set-up with a thinner diameter bar, a more compact chicken-loop with a good QR and dispense with the 'alex' release altogether. (ie. connect the c-loop direct to the depower rope. This should bring the whole thing within reach.
As it stands, she looked very uncomfortable on the bar and I can't see her wanting to borrow the JN's much in Cabarete (which is or isn't a good thing, depending on how you look at it!)
Given the funky flower design, I could see a lot of girlies going for the Primadonna2, but the bar isn't ideal for the petite. Maybe all italian kite-girls are giants!
Saturday 26 January 2008
Primadonna2 First Impressions
I was up at stupid o'clock this morning to catch the low-tide for a landboard session. I did toy with the idea of the hitting the water, but the frost on the car soon saw to that idea.
Arrived with it blowing about 18mph, cross-on, so the 13m was the first out of the bag.
Nice to see the new V-shaped nose line pre-fitted with the knots in the right places and conveniently tagged for high/low wind options. Setting up the old nose-lines just right was a bit of a faff.
Rigged the kite in low wind mode, with the new CBS Evo bar. Not much new here from the old 3+1 except the higher 'V' in the front lines. One nice touch is the small loops spliced into the centre line for the 5th to pass through. The higher V is supposed to help stabilise the new swept-tip designs, and once in the air you can see how - it's almost semi-sle like the way the LE is held by the two V's of the 5th and front lines.
First thing I noticed about the new kite is that it's not so easy to self-launch. Being one of the first on the beach, i was short of helpers and the combination of a swept-tip with a nearby spar, meant folding over quite a bit of kite and deploying a considerable amount of sand before she would sit still.
Once in the air, the first thing anyone from the old kites would notice is the depower. There's bags of it, yet the power delivery as you pull the bar in is very linear indeed. I'd tried a few of the early bow designs and disliked the on/off delivery, so this was very welcome.
Turning speed is not as aggressive as I'd been led to believe. There's been a lot of emphasis on the PD2 being tuned for faster turning, and I was expecting it to be a bit manic if anything. It is quicker than the old kite for sure when you crank it, but moves around very smoothly on small inputs. I found it to be a good balance, and with the light, but informative bar pressure, it was easy to tell what the kite was up to without having to keep a watchful eye on it.
Looping the kite gives a C kite type surge of forward momentum and it pulls cleanly through the loop. This kite doesn't pivot-turn like some of the bows. I personally like this, having flown C kites almost exclusively.
Boosting is easy, and big. The upward pull is less dramatic than the PD1 - more akin to say a flysurfer psycho3 or speed2, but you go higher and the float is very controllable. It took a few jumps to get dialled in, but being able to feather the power so finely proved very useful, especially in rotations where any under/over rotation could be adjusted for by being altering your hangtime at the bar. This a confidence building kite - the wind picked up to 25mph+ and I was quite happy going huge and enjoying the view!
After a while, I came in and swapped over to the 9. My 9 is earlier kite, and has already been used for magazine tests, including the recent KiteWorld review. A couple of small differences, namely the lack of a pump leash point (however, there is an additional 5th line attachment here, which works just as well), no size printed on the wingtips and no tags on the pigtails/5th line.
This was of little concern as I already knew which knots did what from the 13 and this simply reinforced the fact that the tags are a top feature, especially for beginners.
**(see footnote) My time on the 9 was short as the tide raced in and covered the beach. Much the same as the 13, except naturally smaller and faster. I did, however struggle to get big jumps fully dialled on this kite. The 9 is a very fast flying kite, it really does zip through the window, and this made redirection timing a little difficult. Moving my hand closer in on the bar helped a little (although the 9 has the same quick but progressive turning of it larger cousin) but I think I need to redirect later as the kite tended to zip forward in the window during the last few feet of landing and I'd end up coming in pretty hot.
I think the 9 will feel a bit more natural on the water and some more time at the bar will get my timing sorted.
Both kites are super-smooth, and extremely stable. You can ride straight at these kites and they'll happily follow you downwind. If I had any wave-riding ability, I'm sure these would be fab. Both are also very forgiving of mistakes. You can swing underneath, go into transitions too fast and leave the kite behind and it doesn't seem to upset it all.
Unhooked, is again an improvement on the old model. It felt more natural at all levels of depower trim. Someone more into wakestyle would probably be able to give a more in-depth analysis, but my talent ran out during an unhooked front loop with grab, which ended with both me and the kite hitting the beach! Thankfully the 5th line relaunch on the CBS is just as good as ever.
These kites certainly deliver when you send them, but the silky handling really does boost your confidence level. Some will no doubt argue that the raw edge has been lost, but these kite perform better than the old ones with improved handling and safety - in any other world that would certainly be called progress.
The Primadonna continues to occupy the role of 'a kite for all things'. It has a definite c kite feel, coupled with the improved depower from bows. This kite would be a faithful companion on land, snow and water - freestyle, freeride and waves. I'd also recommend it for beginners - esp. the 13. This is a kite you could happily learn on, yet you'd never need to sell irrespective of how good you got.
I need more time on the 9 for sure, but the 13m is definitely promoted to the position of my favourite kite.
I'll be out again tomorrow for the racekites.com meet. Hopefully I'll get the 10m WildThing2 out for a fly. The wife should be out tomorrow too, so the next report should include some pictures!
** I'm now fairly certain I had the front pigtails on the high wind setting whilst flying the 9m. Would certainly explain it being fast and flat through the window. Maybe those tags aren't just for beginners. Doh!
Arrived with it blowing about 18mph, cross-on, so the 13m was the first out of the bag.
Nice to see the new V-shaped nose line pre-fitted with the knots in the right places and conveniently tagged for high/low wind options. Setting up the old nose-lines just right was a bit of a faff.
Rigged the kite in low wind mode, with the new CBS Evo bar. Not much new here from the old 3+1 except the higher 'V' in the front lines. One nice touch is the small loops spliced into the centre line for the 5th to pass through. The higher V is supposed to help stabilise the new swept-tip designs, and once in the air you can see how - it's almost semi-sle like the way the LE is held by the two V's of the 5th and front lines.
First thing I noticed about the new kite is that it's not so easy to self-launch. Being one of the first on the beach, i was short of helpers and the combination of a swept-tip with a nearby spar, meant folding over quite a bit of kite and deploying a considerable amount of sand before she would sit still.
Once in the air, the first thing anyone from the old kites would notice is the depower. There's bags of it, yet the power delivery as you pull the bar in is very linear indeed. I'd tried a few of the early bow designs and disliked the on/off delivery, so this was very welcome.
Turning speed is not as aggressive as I'd been led to believe. There's been a lot of emphasis on the PD2 being tuned for faster turning, and I was expecting it to be a bit manic if anything. It is quicker than the old kite for sure when you crank it, but moves around very smoothly on small inputs. I found it to be a good balance, and with the light, but informative bar pressure, it was easy to tell what the kite was up to without having to keep a watchful eye on it.
Looping the kite gives a C kite type surge of forward momentum and it pulls cleanly through the loop. This kite doesn't pivot-turn like some of the bows. I personally like this, having flown C kites almost exclusively.
Boosting is easy, and big. The upward pull is less dramatic than the PD1 - more akin to say a flysurfer psycho3 or speed2, but you go higher and the float is very controllable. It took a few jumps to get dialled in, but being able to feather the power so finely proved very useful, especially in rotations where any under/over rotation could be adjusted for by being altering your hangtime at the bar. This a confidence building kite - the wind picked up to 25mph+ and I was quite happy going huge and enjoying the view!
After a while, I came in and swapped over to the 9. My 9 is earlier kite, and has already been used for magazine tests, including the recent KiteWorld review. A couple of small differences, namely the lack of a pump leash point (however, there is an additional 5th line attachment here, which works just as well), no size printed on the wingtips and no tags on the pigtails/5th line.
This was of little concern as I already knew which knots did what from the 13 and this simply reinforced the fact that the tags are a top feature, especially for beginners.
**(see footnote) My time on the 9 was short as the tide raced in and covered the beach. Much the same as the 13, except naturally smaller and faster. I did, however struggle to get big jumps fully dialled on this kite. The 9 is a very fast flying kite, it really does zip through the window, and this made redirection timing a little difficult. Moving my hand closer in on the bar helped a little (although the 9 has the same quick but progressive turning of it larger cousin) but I think I need to redirect later as the kite tended to zip forward in the window during the last few feet of landing and I'd end up coming in pretty hot.
I think the 9 will feel a bit more natural on the water and some more time at the bar will get my timing sorted.
Both kites are super-smooth, and extremely stable. You can ride straight at these kites and they'll happily follow you downwind. If I had any wave-riding ability, I'm sure these would be fab. Both are also very forgiving of mistakes. You can swing underneath, go into transitions too fast and leave the kite behind and it doesn't seem to upset it all.
Unhooked, is again an improvement on the old model. It felt more natural at all levels of depower trim. Someone more into wakestyle would probably be able to give a more in-depth analysis, but my talent ran out during an unhooked front loop with grab, which ended with both me and the kite hitting the beach! Thankfully the 5th line relaunch on the CBS is just as good as ever.
These kites certainly deliver when you send them, but the silky handling really does boost your confidence level. Some will no doubt argue that the raw edge has been lost, but these kite perform better than the old ones with improved handling and safety - in any other world that would certainly be called progress.
The Primadonna continues to occupy the role of 'a kite for all things'. It has a definite c kite feel, coupled with the improved depower from bows. This kite would be a faithful companion on land, snow and water - freestyle, freeride and waves. I'd also recommend it for beginners - esp. the 13. This is a kite you could happily learn on, yet you'd never need to sell irrespective of how good you got.
I need more time on the 9 for sure, but the 13m is definitely promoted to the position of my favourite kite.
I'll be out again tomorrow for the racekites.com meet. Hopefully I'll get the 10m WildThing2 out for a fly. The wife should be out tomorrow too, so the next report should include some pictures!
** I'm now fairly certain I had the front pigtails on the high wind setting whilst flying the 9m. Would certainly explain it being fast and flat through the window. Maybe those tags aren't just for beginners. Doh!
Friday 25 January 2008
Sore forearms
Well I spent my lunch break in a local park pumping away with some sexy new inflatable friends.
Stunning looking kites. The build quality is a step forward from the Primadonna1 and Easy Rider (and they were pretty well put together). The join between the struts and the LE is particularly nicely finished, and the kites have many great little touches, such the neoprene zip cover on the LE bladder access. The construction looks very tough, yet the kites are suprisingly light - they should perform well in low winds for LEIs.
The WT2 is notably high AR... almost scarily so, in a Flysurfer Speed kind of way. Methinks measuring the hangtime on this one might be best acheived with an egg timer.
*I'm really pleased with the initial look and feel of the kites. Only grumbles would be that old cone bags seem to have been retired (these were a handy long bag for storing your kites with the struts inflated) and whilst the LE comes with a pump leash point, neither the kite or the supplied pump comes with a leash - I ended up hanging onto the 5th line instead.
The lack of carbon spars in the new models is a real bonus when packing them away, which is just as well, as the bags have gone on a diet. However, the new PD2 bags do have much more comfy shoulder straps than JN riders have been previously used to, and there's nothing worse than a chafing shoulder strap after a hard day stomping serious wakestyle trickery (in my mind).
*It transpires that the pumps do in fact have leashes, except for the first one I got out of the bag. Typical! Also Liquidair tell me that new & improved cone bags are on the way. Yay!
New JN HP Leash
JN have brought out their own handlepass leash, called the powercord. Comes with a swivel hook attachment.
Nothing overly new here, but it will match your kite, and that will no doubt please some people (ok.. maybe just me)
Nothing overly new here, but it will match your kite, and that will no doubt please some people (ok.. maybe just me)
Good day at the office.
The morning drudgery at work was broken by the arrival of a very large parcel from JN importers, Liquidair.
(The JN record bag, is actually my old work bag - sad I know. I even have a cover for my laptop made out of a dead WildThing)
JN have changed their bag designs. All the bags now feature a toughened base (as first seen on the SemiFreddo2 bag) and the PD2 bag is now a more rounded shape with a zip opening up the whole front. The lack of rigid spars in the new kites is going to be very welcome when travelling.
Had a quick peek inside. First impressions are good. I'll hopefully pump one up at lunchtime and take a good look!
(The JN record bag, is actually my old work bag - sad I know. I even have a cover for my laptop made out of a dead WildThing)
JN have changed their bag designs. All the bags now feature a toughened base (as first seen on the SemiFreddo2 bag) and the PD2 bag is now a more rounded shape with a zip opening up the whole front. The lack of rigid spars in the new kites is going to be very welcome when travelling.
Had a quick peek inside. First impressions are good. I'll hopefully pump one up at lunchtime and take a good look!
Thursday 24 January 2008
JN Switchcraft Bar
JN have announced a new bar for 08 alongside the CBS Evo, which is adjustable in length. Not sure if this covers 2 or 3 of the current bar sizes at the moment, but I'll post more info and pictures as soon as I get them.
Incoming!
I'm currently awaiting a large parcel containing amongst other things; Primadonna2 in 9m and 13m and a 10 WildThing2.
I'm hoping to try these out on the landboard over the weekend. I'm also hooking up with racekites.com at Camber Sands on Sunday morning (27th - it's an early tide folks!) for an informal demo and review. If you're about, feel free to drop by and have a go.
The real test starts the week after, as I'll be spending 2 weeks in Cabarete with however many of these kites I can squeeze into my luggage allowance! To say I can't wait would be an understatement..
I'm hoping to try these out on the landboard over the weekend. I'm also hooking up with racekites.com at Camber Sands on Sunday morning (27th - it's an early tide folks!) for an informal demo and review. If you're about, feel free to drop by and have a go.
The real test starts the week after, as I'll be spending 2 weeks in Cabarete with however many of these kites I can squeeze into my luggage allowance! To say I can't wait would be an understatement..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
