Hi all,
I feel my kite handling skills are at a point where I'm ready for a "next" step of some sort. I've just asked a couple questions over on the ATB forum as that is one option. Obviously I'm here because I would like some info about how to get started buggying. There are a couple of factors that need to be taken into consideration though, the main one being I'm land locked not near any beaches so large grass fields are all I have to buggy on. Don't know what that translates into as far as buggy choice and how much power I will need in terms of kites. I'm petite and weigh about 124 pounds so it's not like the kite has a lot of weight to drag around, but I will be on grass. Next, I'm the only one I know of anywhere remotely close to here who power kites or even knows what a power kite is. I learned everything from Youtube and kind people on this site so again, I'll not have someone to show me the ropes. Lastly, I'm athletic and coordinated so with all my past sports I've been a quick learner so this shouldn't be such a big deal but I'm now in my mid-forties and the knees are starting to bark a little from a lot of past abuses in extreme sports. Any thoughts, especially on specific buggy equipment would be very helpful. Right now all my flying is done static, no harness- I like the hard work, but I suppose a harness may be in order to get into a buggy?
Thanks for any advice in helping me choose both equipment and
on the learning aspect...

Buggy Tutorial

Read this several times. It will answer a lot of questions you already have as well as some you haven't thought of yet. I hope the buggy works out for you. They are certainly a blast.

My knees take a bit of a beating during the working week going up and down ladders all day, so I really liked the idea of sitting down to have some kiting fun. I'm two hours away from the beach and have 40 acres of sheep grazing area to buggy on. I also learned from YouTube and coastalwindsport's 'better buggy basics' in the paddock. Home made wooden buggy, no sides and wheelbarrow tyres. Got pulled out of it quite a bit! Ended up with a Libre Vmax - super comfy and goes quite well in the grass. Providing the grass is short! Short grass, don't need a lot of power. Long grass is a pia and you do need a fair bit of power and be prepared for seeds going everywhere. Std tyres are all you need in the grass.

Managing line tension is the key and that took me a lot of hours to come to grips with. Best advice I ever got for making my way upwind or flying in light wind was steer slightly towards the kite (just a few degrees) when you were flying (sining) the kite down and pull away from the kite as you brought it back up. Any time you feel your lines starting to lose tension, steer away from the kite. Don't let the kite get behind you. And download 'better buggy basics' from Angus's coastalwindsports site.

Plenty of fun to be had in the paddocks. Mind the barb wire fences and thistles. And poo!!!

Annie, I too am new to buggy ... just got mine this spring ... same for me in that nearest power kiter I know of is about 9 hours away so I am learning on my own.
Maybe we can get someone to chime in on buggy types ... I have been eavesdropping on the some posts from the Gary Point guys on the west coast... They have a large (not huge) grass area and say a smaller buggy like a flexi scout or PL comp or xr are good 'cause they are lighter and more nimble than the big beach cruisers like an Ivanpah or MG Croozer. I went with BigMike's Frankenbuggy ... PL XR+ with some neat little upgrades like seat, rails, wider rear axle ... still fairly light (34kg) .... I went with standard tires as advice was a fat beach tire (bigfoots) don't like wet grass and side pull from the kite would make them slide .... If you ever find an ocean, standard or barrow tires probably will still let you buggy on the hard pack below the high tide line.

Anyways.... time for me to shutup and share bandwidth :piggy::piggy: ... I am sure we will both get some sound advice out of this post ..... Happy buggying

+1 for watching and learning in inland isolation.

If you could tell us where you are located we might be able to come up with some more focused recommendations on equipment and location.

As to location look for a Central Park sort of area or Soccer center. My primary riding location is like that with c. 6 soccer fields worth of space. The other consideration when assessing locations is the "wind shadow map," ie how close are the neighboring buildings/ kite catchers [trees].

The XR+ is a great buggy for maneuverability and learning, I have loved mine. As another option one of the stars of the show at NABX was the new Flexifoil beginner/ freestyle buggy that they are bringing back to the market. If you think you want the security of the current generation high siderails Van at VTT makes replacement siderails for the PL XR+ [and looks to be close on rails for the Flexi] or you can go all out for one of the three models [Cricket, Stinger [ne Scorpion], Black Widow] of buggy that he makes. I had been eyeing his products for about 9 months and got a chance to try the Stinger at NABX and they could not get it away from it and had to sell it to me :singing::wee:

Hey Annie, I'm like bigbear and new in the bug, and also bought Big Mike's frankenbuggy,... I LOOOOOOOOOVE it. It's pretty freekin' sweet. I don't have any buggy riders here in Metro Atlanta, but have met some guys within a reasonable driving distance from here on the forum. And trust me, you may already know that all the guys here are ready and willing to give advice.

so i say +1 for the PL comp xr+, +1 for the VTT rail kit, and ++++1 for the frankenbuggy,... it gives you the added security of the extra wide back axle and the higher VTT siderails and the comfy seat. But it is a heftier investment. Since you are smaller you might get all the security you need from the comp xr+ without all the added stuff to make it the frankenbuggy. I always love to buy from Big Mike too, he is awesome to deal with.

I'm really into the buggy now, and actually can't imagine going out to fly without taking the bug along with.

Thanks guys, some really helpful stuff for sure. The XR+ sounds like it could be a good fit, and yes, Mike is great to deal with- I bought my Twister from him.

Annie re the use of a harness, I would shelve that for a while, basically for your safety.

The use of Kite Killers will help in building your, strength, handling and confidence.

When learning in the bug sometimes too much can happen at once.
Wicked wind shifts, big gusts, people walking in front of you dogs etc

So, once again... Where are you located ? You might actually have someone reasonably close to you...

I'm in middle Tennessee, Nashville area.

The Nashville area is fairly flat and is good about creating parks. I have family there and have ridden at soccer fields there with pretty good room to roam about. You should get along well with a buggy there.

My GF loves to buggy. She would tell you to make sure a buggy is in your future.
May I suggest putting post in "locations and conditions" asking for buggiers in the Nashville area. Even if you have to drive a few hours to find "local kiters", those hours will be well spent. It will be much easier to learn, if you have someone to give you a few pointers.
Have fun, be safe,
S

I taught a buddy of mine to fly out here in Southern Utah but he moved to Nashville to further his music carrier, if you would like I could put you two in touch.

What part specifically of Middle TN? I know you're near Nashville, but I grew up in Memphis, and have had lots of friends over the years from that area, and am pretty familiar with it. Brentwood, Murfeesboro, Monteagle, etc, etc, etc.

I don't get up that way ever, but I'm in the Atlanta area now, and if you ever get down this way, let me know... I don't think its too far.

PKF member CombatCamp is in Alabama, but the southern part I think (Montgomery).

you can U2U me if you prefer.

Quote:

Originally posted by soliver What part specifically of Middle TN? I know you're near Nashville, but I grew up in Memphis, and have had lots of friends over the years from that area, and am pretty familiar with it. Brentwood, Murfeesboro, Monteagle, etc, etc, etc. I don't get up that way ever, but I'm in the Atlanta area now, and if you ever get down this way, let me know... I don't think its too far. PKF member CombatCamp is in Alabama, but the southern part I think (Montgomery). you can U2U me if you prefer.

I'm a TN boy myself. I've lived in Memphis, Cleveland, Knoxville (UT grad) and Johnson City (born and raised). I have multiple family members living in the Nashville area (Franklin/Brentwood).

its a way bigger state than people think, I grew up in Germantown... please don't think poorly of me.