How do you guys feel about below the bar trim systems? Do you like them or not?

the only one that i have tried was on the slingshot ranger snow kite that i used to own.

Do you guys like these systems, and Why?

I just want to get a general idea of how people feel, i'm wondering if they are better when you are riding fast.

give me your thoughts

very hard to operate. the leverage point is TOO close to your body. takes quite alot strength to operate so close. letting out is easy but to pull it in, very hard.


looks cool but ergonomics are wrong

My 2cents
I have a slingshot bar and I hear what Phreerider is saying but the clean depower line is the up side. When you are relaunching the kite with the board on your feet frantically pulling in lines you don't worry about lines hanging up around the buckles. The down side is what PR said.. I do not think you could depower or power up while riding but that's me.
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my liquid force setup , below the bar, is allot more accessable than my flysurfer bar setup.

yes, it can be tougher to depower, but you dont have to reach far for the strap, like Best, and most others.

I like the fact that it is inches from my hands instead of 2 feet away. my two cents

I have both on different kites - haven't had any problems with the below the bar trim. A couple of bars have had issues from the manufacturer of being too tight to release unless you head downwind but I haven't had the problem unless the line was too close to the cleat to get a grip.
With a long throw I find the above the bar can sometimes either be out of quick reach, the strap or line can flip around and twist and in a hurry I need to take my eye off what I'm doing to locate the trim adjustment. I've also had above the bar tight in the cleat where you need to pull up and away to loosen and friends shorter than me have had problems with no way they can pull up the other direction. A strap system is nicer than a cleat.
Below the bar I simply reach down and adjust without looking and haven't had any problems. But depending on design I do like both for different reasons. One buddy that is a long time arc flier prefers the above the bar, simple strap - I can use either but with the long throw it just needs a clean design to have quick access without any tangle.

I've used many different bars and above the bar setups are my favorite. Basically what phree said; it's harder to fine tune below the bar because of the awkward angle while pulling the rope in, especially while riding.

I'm with Phreerider, below the bar is no bueno.

I'm of the short-armed variety and find the trim straps often out of reach BUT I also find the below the bar trim on my Slingshots to be all but impossible to depower when fully powered up (nothing to grab) and under power (bad angle to counter the force in the kite).

Worse - my Slingshot BTB set up puts the little knobby for the depower rope right next to the little knobby that is the safety release. Had a good 45 minute self-rescue floater session after grabbing the wrong knob.

Quote:

Originally posted by macboy Worse - my Slingshot BTB set up puts the little knobby for the depower rope right next to the little knobby that is the safety release. Had a good 45 minute self-rescue floater session after grabbing the wrong knob.

The same exact thing happened to my buddy on his Slingshot T2.

Not having to lean out the buggy to reach the trim strap I thought would be ideal, so below the bar trim was the answer but it's just too damn hard unless you head downwind to let the lines go slack. Powering up isn't so bad, but more depower needs titanic mussels. I love the active stopper ball on the Slingshot bars though.

Maybe they should put a pulley on the depower rope to take the strain.

I like the long throw Ocean Rodeo bars and found I rarely use the trimmer below the bar. Only when I am in an over powered situation and I don't need to trim that regularly on the fly. I would rather have the benefit of a long throw over being able to adjust the depower line all the time. Better for gusts as well. The QR is a push away so there is no mistaking the adjuster with the chicken loop release.

Bear-off downwind to unload the lines ...
Keeps things cleaner above the bar but from what the users have said, if you actually have to use them, they're not that good - hard to get locked in, easy to slip out ...

I'm not fan but I don't hate them. :dunno:

Love below the bar trim if it's a camcleat system, prefer trim straps above the bar.

The reason I bring this up is that below the bar trim makes more sense than reaching up when yoh are getting over powered. You would think itd be a better design but not many companies use below the bar trimming systems.

Definatly leverage is the main issue I ran into with my old slingshot bars.

We messed around with the Slingshot bar. I kinda liked the below bar trim but as noted earlier the leverage issue sucked. We played with a mod that allowed for trimming by pushing the trimmer away towards the kite. Worked okay but was a little clumsy.

For riding fast I prefer above bar. I don't like staps as the sometimes twist in the bucjle and lock up. I like clam cleats but my favorite is the old Cobra cleat. Chews the hell out of center lines but works even when covered in ice.

It looks like I am the odd man out here> I love below the bar depower trim. It is not hard to pull in the trim if you let out the bar and depower the kite first, That releases a lot of the tension the the lines before you pull in the trim. The reason I really like the below the bar trim is that it does not affect the amount of depower you have available it the bar. This is great when trying new tricks where Highly powered crashes ma happen. Letting go of the bar will still give full depower even when the trim is set for full power. I have converted all of my bars to below the bar trim.