pastorbudwine - 5-5-2014 at 07:29 PM
I have been looking into the different types and brands of "turbo bars" and wanted to know which one is the best before i commit to buying one.
John Holgate - 6-5-2014 at 01:08 AM
I don't think there's an answer for that. Might be more like 'which bar system best suits kite X'. I have the Ozone Turbo bar and love it. But put
it on a Reactor II or Century II and it's a disaster and will drive you nuts. Stick it on an Octane/Method/Beamer/Flow/Blade and it's quite
nice.....if that's what you're after. The disadvantages are it's bulky, expensive, needs a harness and can sometimes make a kite feel a
little...mechanical. I like to sit straight in the buggy and have one hand free for filming - the bar is perfect for that but I wouldn't buy one to
static fly with.
So what kite is it for? And what are you hoping to do with it?
PHREERIDER - 6-5-2014 at 07:04 AM
definitely operators choice, not really a" mystery" type set up you want to start with. ton of tweaking to make work. handles to bar are
handicapping the kite slow , may not even respond. and definitely narrows usefulness and feel of most riggs
bigE123 - 6-5-2014 at 07:28 AM
Though I much prefer using handles I have the Ozone turbo bar when I fancy a change or to give my arms a rest, you need to get the brake tension right
otherwise you will find the kite slow on turns. I use mine on blades and NPWs without any issues, for the NPWs I have had to make a couple of
extension pieces for the leader lines to get it balanced properly. If it doesn't work, don't give up as that's what a lot of ppl do, put a bit of
time in making sure the brake to power line lengths are right for the kite.
pastorbudwine - 6-5-2014 at 04:28 PM
thanks guys for the input not for sure if I am ready just gathering a lot of info before i take the plunge, more than likely i will stick with handles
for a while before i spend two hundred dollars on a bar
John Holgate - 6-5-2014 at 10:21 PM
I was very dubious about handing over my hard earned for one without knowing how it would turn out. So I looked at a picture of one and knocked up a
copy out of some dowel, some pulleys and some starter cord. Worked a treat.
Turbo bar mock up
ssayre - 7-5-2014 at 03:05 AM
That's cool John. That must have taken a fair amount of tinkering but it looks like you had it dialed in.
pastorbudwine - 7-5-2014 at 05:15 AM
I thought about trying to convert my hq three line bar into a cross over bar seeing how it has the center pull through but didn't know what to use for
the pulleys straps and lines
bigE123 - 8-5-2014 at 02:58 AM
For pulleys something like these: http://www.cygnus-sails.com/item-Kite_Bridle_Pulley_Blocks.h...
or http://www.cygnus-sails.com/item-Riley_RM_302_Kite_Bridle_Bl...
For line you need 3-4mm static line (no stretch such as dyneema) such as http://www.cygnus-sails.com/item-marlow_excel_racing.html
There are obviously other options, but this is stuff that I use.
PS I tried converting a spare de-power bar (40cm) I had kicking around to a turbo for my fb kites.... result..... kite would not turn! The bar was not
wide enough the turbo is @50cm and that makes all the difference, so it's not just about the pulleys the bar width makes a huge difference.
BigMikesKites - 8-5-2014 at 05:50 AM
This might help. Tuning the brakes is the key to all of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&...
bigE123 - 9-5-2014 at 02:05 AM
Just thought I'd mention the bar size as ppl may not realise if they make one that there is an element of "leverage" to take in to account.