brplatz - 16-4-2010 at 03:17 PM
Gentlemen,
Today I was royally spanked by my 15m Synergy, while it saved and almost killed me.
While setting up, the winds were about 15 gusting to 20, which is a good normal day for me. But the fun had only just begun.
Soon afterwards, I was cruising along getting a feel for the board, wind, kite etc, and decide to hit a jump. By far one of the best jumps I have ever
pulled off, landing smooth, probably 3-4 off the ground but 20+ forward. Unfortunately, after a very wobbly cruise back upwind to the car, I get off
and notice that my rear axle is about a foot behind the board. Seems that this jumping thing doesnt work well with the GI boards.
Ill be calling them today, and see about a replacement
If that wasn't enough I was then flying static, and decided to pull a jump. Living inland, we have some gusty winds, and as I jump The wind shifted
left and gusted to maybe 25-30 and I got launched. Straight toward my car going 20ish mph and about 4-5feet off the ground.
As I go over the hood of my vehicle I kick the fender with my right foot, so I could pop over the car and not into it, this worked, but I was still
moving. A second gust lifts me straight up about 25feet, which I gained control of the kite and set myself down slowly.
Video to come later of the good stuff.
All in all a pretty nerve racking experience.
Lessons learned: 1. Never kite with a car to the side or downwind of you. 2. Watch out for gusty winds
Surely a Humbling experience
Brian
indigo_wolf - 16-4-2010 at 03:49 PM
Yikes.... that's the second time with this board and trucks. :sniff:
I could have sworn the kingpin was stainless and should have been able to handle a 3-4 foot drop. 
Post back what you hear from GI.
ATB,
Sam
newtokiting - 16-4-2010 at 04:06 PM
wow-sounds frightening.......i guess a person could pull the top hat, but things happen very quickly sometimes......glad youre ok--ive never been able
to bring myself to fly depowers......something scary about being harnessed to that big of a kite--other people seem to love them--not for me
though.......
brplatz - 16-4-2010 at 04:10 PM
Yup, second time on the board and trucks, I'm hoping I can get GI to help me with some sort of upgrade, considering the lack of quality products at
the moment.....
Video up soon, Some good cruising, some ugly jumps, :wee:
I love depower, but you gotta be careful, I learned my lesson today.
Brian
brplatz - 16-4-2010 at 04:30 PM
UPDATE:
Vimeo vid is better
http://www.vimeo.com/10993010
Quality is kinda crap, ill reupload for better quality
B-Roc - 16-4-2010 at 06:27 PM
Sweet field. Upgrade to bionics or their spring trucks.
brplatz - 16-4-2010 at 06:43 PM
Thanks man, I love it now that they started to groom and water it.
Hopefully, as usual, GI will be cooperative, and we can work something out.
Kamikuza - 16-4-2010 at 06:52 PM
Nice spot! I'm jealous 
Surprised at the bolt snapping!
Jovver - 16-4-2010 at 06:55 PM
Love the song choice, also that hands free riding was pretty sweet!
power - 16-4-2010 at 07:01 PM
Like the car part, it's rare that there's actually proof of those mishaps so nice job there. I noticed in one of your other videos that you had made a
hybrid motor, what was the fuel and I'm assuming that was an oxygen line running into the casing?
brplatz - 16-4-2010 at 10:40 PM
Thanks guys,
The spot is great, maybe we could have some sort of meet up here sometime, weather permitting.
The inadvertent launching was definitely pretty scary, all I could think about was redirect, but I couldn't see the kite haha. Lucky for me, the kite
just hung above me and dropped me relatively slow.
Power, that is a propane burner thing I made. Check my youtube, or Platzrandd.tk
I think the details are on there, cause that was 2 years ago and I dont really remember.
Also, I am really hoping GI steps it up to support their product, considering I have done nothing but normal wear on the board, and the trucks have
broken twice on me. Pretty sure they should remove these trucks from their lineup or fix em.
I really like the GI stuff, but if I cannot put my safety in the hands of some defective product, I am not so sure.
I think some of these baby's are in order, titanium sound like it will fix my problem.
http://groundindustries.com/index.php?option=com_content&...
Brian
PHREERIDER - 17-4-2010 at 05:29 AM
go to the channel style
GI should help get you square
acampbell - 17-4-2010 at 07:38 AM
You should not need it, but if you need help with GI, let me know.
Dave Rosenfeld is the Sales Manager (864)295-3992-office
They are in Greenville, SC
bobalooie57 - 17-4-2010 at 07:45 AM
Was that board originally drilled for two different trucks? Looks like maybe larger trucks mount to other holes? Just noticed extra drill holes in
the board.
Maven454 - 17-4-2010 at 08:05 AM
Looks like it was drilled to take both the skate truck and the bionic truck.
erratic winds - 17-4-2010 at 08:12 AM
yes the prodigy comes with mounting holes for the 9" skate truck as well as the bionic truck.
brplatz - 17-4-2010 at 02:33 PM
Thanks angus, I appreciate the offer, but I shouldn't see a problem.
You guys are right, the prodigy has 2 sets of holes, so compatibility is easy.
No word back from GI yet.
Brian
indigo_wolf - 17-4-2010 at 03:45 PM
I wouldn't be surprised by a lag in the response over the weekend.
You might also have better luck with the over the phone using the number Angus gave rather than email.
ATB,
Sam
DirtDave1 - 18-4-2010 at 09:55 AM
Not for nothing, being a skater for years and running shops in the past, kingpins break as well as baseplates. It's just nature of the beast. The
kingpins are standard and can be found at any skateshop, or even hardware store for a couple $$$. Hit up GI though, its worth a shot.
brplatz - 18-4-2010 at 10:02 AM
I hear yah DirtDave, but the last time I called them, they insisted that my report was one of the first reports of broken baseplates they have had,
and told me they should take extensive abuse before breaking.
Brian
tobytobsen - 19-4-2010 at 12:40 AM
Be careful with auto-zenith inlands. I have also been loften unintentially a couple times with my VenomII's - its really scary when you are not
expecting it.
Won't use auto-zenith on land anymore, only on clear coastal winds, on land i keep it now low, just like the tube kiters do.