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Hi guys, Thanks for all the infomation on the Speed 3 15m and 19m. I am in fact the distributor for Flysurfer in Singapore. KS Kaizen had infact e-mailed me regarding his choice between a Speed 3 15m and Speed 3 19m both in deluxe versions. I recommended him the Speed 3 15m in normal version with a fly radical L. I advised him that the Speed 3 19m would be too dedicated a light wind kite for his weight of 75KG. Even with the Speed 315m, he will often find himself kiting alone because every one else had packed up and gone home due to insufficent wind. Hi KS Kaizen, Its great that you do alot of research on the before making your decision. Researching before getting into a new sport is definately part of the fun especially in choice of equipment. Mike YQM - "Flying in extreme light winds is a toss up of positives and negatives" How true, how true. Definately one of the good things about being able to kite in light winds is that you get a lot of practice and can progress faster especially in our weak equatorial winds. I myself (55KG) first learnt to kite with a 16m C kite. i definately got a lot of practice :o ! "*Some* big kites in the 14m+ range handle like tanks". How true again. The Speed 3 does turn quite decently for a big kite though, especially when it's equivalent to a 17m tube. Also you have to depower (push out the bar) when you turn it and you will find the Speed 3 does turn quite fast. Also making sure the power adjuster is depowered to the minumum that you need helps makes the kite more nimble and faster. Wind finder - The past weather on wind finder is actually an archive from past forcast and not a record of past observations. Even the actual wind record from a weather station is the average for the hour. so a 10 kt reading could have several or many gusts up to 13 to 15kts for 30 seconds to a minute. The wind finder archives also do not record the first gusts before a tropical storm that last typical 15 to 30minutes and easily reach 20 to 25kts. Weather in Miri - I am not sure what the weather in Miri is like. However I suspect that they get even less wind than in singapore. (Sabah close to Sarawak is called Land beneath the wind - hmmmm ... I wonder why?) Probably because the the NE monsoon does often turn away from Borneo. Just my speculation. Demo kites - we have a Speed 3 15m demo, as well as a Speed 3 12m and a 10m, and 12m Pulse. However KS Kaizen's concern is that because he is a beginner, he will not be able to appreciate the qualtites and capabilities of the kite he is trying. Gbleck - "You might be large enough to go for the 19m at your weight but the 15m will be more fun and more versitile." My thoughts exactly. As your first kite, I think having more fun is important than the absolute lowest range that you can get. If you look at the charts that you have found, the speed 3 15m does not lose out much in the lowest range compared to the Speed 3 19m. CG Glazier - " I always use my Spleene Session 141 board in these conditions. If you invest in a 19m speed 3, be sure to get a good light wind board too." I also offered him the Flyradical L (139 x 43cm). While it is not a small board, it's definately not a "DOOR" type board. And if you read his post, he also wants to progress into some freestyle and wake style. This board will get him going into 10 kts and not hold him back too much when the wind picks up and he can learn all the basic jumps and rotations. Spleen session VS Fly Radical - he also mentioned that some people have commented that the Spleen Session is slightly better than the Fly Radical. I have not ridden the Spleen Session but I must say that it would take a very experienced rider to actually discern the difference between two good boards. Also the conditions that the boards were compared to make must be taken into account. I find the Fly Radicals longer outline with flex tips really good in our short hard chop. Most of the short wide boards made for radical free style are not really suitable for our sea state especially in SW monsoon where the chop is even more. Also there are quite a few boards that are totally rubbish! (too stiff, too bouncy, foot pads too slippery etc.. ) Fly Radical 2009 VS Fly Radical 2010 I am sure that the 2010 version is better. Flysurfer does always makes sure that the later models are an improvement over the out going models. (Why else are they coming out with the 2010 model in March 2010!! :!: .....hmmm some kite companies have already sorted out their 2011 gear!!) But as I said earlier, it would take a very experienced kiter to be able to tell the difference between two good boards. Walk of shame - Many kiters are really kids at heart. Wind or no wind, many will just go out for a ride even when the winds are light. However most of those that you say were doing the walk of shame also are (or will become) the most efficent kiters in light winds. Only by kiting in very light winds will you learn to extract every little bit of performance from your kite. This is true also for wind surfing and other wind dependent sports. S19 depowered - For most kites when you de-power too much, the steering lines become very slack and the kite becomes very un-responsive. However this is not so for the Speed 3 - all models. The kite AOA will be very small but it is still controllable. But as a beginner, please do not think that you can take a Speed 3 19 m and go kiting in 20kts or even a Speed 3 15m. Speed 3-15m normal Vs Speed 3-15 Deluxe Vs Speed 3-19m Deluxe KS Kaizen, I do have all the above kites in stock. Yet i recommended you the cheapest one of the three. Because you did mention in an early e-mail about your concern that you may not like the kiting in the long run. I would really like to sell you the more expensive deluxe versions (more profit) but I assure you that the Speed 3 15m normal version is a BLOODY GOOD KITE already. Words from a tube kiters mouth after an hour demo "This is the best kite I have ever flown!" Are kite loops fun?  my dear friend, kite loops and humongous jumps with loooong hangtime is the
stuff we all dream about! But kiting is a lot more than that. Its alot of different things to different people. Many just cruise and throw a trick or
two. Ride some small waves. Its all fun.Summary Get a Speed 3 15m normal version is good enough. A Flydoor Radical L. If you get the whole set up from me, I'll give you free instruction until you can kite safely. When you are ready, I'll teach you how to jump and later on loop the kite. |
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