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Author: Subject: access vs montana
scott540
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[*] posted on 6-9-2006 at 03:14 PM
access vs montana


Hey for the same money - access 10m or Montana 7m?
I know the access isn't meant to have much lift. Using it for land boarding and skiing. 5'6" 180 pounds- slowly going down from the kite flying stuff in the afternoons.

Also, what does a spreader bar do on a harness? All the harnesses I've looked at say spreader bar "optional". Don't you have to have one? They also come with a knife. I'm guessing this is if you get tagled in the water?

Man, I wish there was kite shop around here.
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[*] posted on 6-9-2006 at 04:36 PM


I'm not sure what the winds are like in WI...would imagine that you get some nice stuff coming off the lakes and would imagine that the lake effect snows are pretty nice too. With that said, remember that you'll get slightly less power with depower then fixed bridal, however, you'll have range with the depower to go fly in multiple types of wind conditions. Do you have a fixed bridal kite?

I'll try to advise based on what I've read...but don't take this as being 100% correct..am sure someone will chime in..or hope..haha

Here goes..... a 7m depowerable kite would have the equivilent pull as a 6m fixed when powered. It's decent power, but it also all comes down to what you want in a kite. If you're riding in the snow you can make jumps to go off of so that access may not be all that bad and may give you more range. The montana has lift and they're great kites. Difficult choice not knowing the winds, and your kiting background.

Your next question I can help with as I have a harness and spreader bar..ha.
If you get a harness you'll need the spreader bar...so if they say optional, that means if you already have a spreader bar you can get just the harness. If you don't then you should get one..otherwise the harness is pretty useless without it.
The spreader bar connects to the harness..basically a bar that spreads across the front of the harness (dispursing pull across your chest /waist) with a hook like piece in the middle on it. The hook connects to the control bar by means of a chicken loop (on depowerable bars) which is attached to lines that feed through the bar. On fixed bridal kites people hook into the spreader bar moreso to release some of the pull of the kite from their arms then anything else. On depowerable kites, this allows you to change the angle of attack and / or power up or depower the kite (so with the montana or access you'll need a harness and spreader bar). The knife is there to cut yourself free from the kite if for some reason you completely loose control and are in a bad situation and can not release your harness from the bar (otherwise you'll get taken where ever the kite decides to go..whether it be in the water or on land).

Confused?

Hope this helps a bit...
Joe


ps. A lot of us on here don't have close by kite shops and have either been self taught or got lucky and knows of someone else that kites. For the most part we have all gone through the similar frustrations (some far worse) as yourself. Everyone on here is more then willing to help out their best though to make things smooth for you in the learning. Just keep asking the questions.
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scott540
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[*] posted on 6-9-2006 at 05:23 PM


Thanks Joe, not confusing at all. I've got 2.5 Beamer that I've had since spring and I've been riding my board around with it when the winds are good enough. The winds here are pretty choppy so I'm looking for something better in low winds . I'm a little over an hour from Lake MI so I miss out on the good wind. Winter is much better though. Seems like the wind is always blowing, but gusty.

As for the harness, I just thought it was strange to get a harness and spreader separately but now I can see why. Thanks.
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awindofchange
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[*] posted on 6-9-2006 at 05:55 PM


Another reason the spreader bars are sold seperatly is that there are several different kinds/sizes. For most people, the standard "hammerhead" style spreader bar in the 10" range will work just fine. If you are one of the lucky skinny toothpick types (usually more for the women riders) you can downsize the spreader bar to a 6" or if you are gravity challenged like myself you can get the larger size of 12". Not really "One size fits all". (sizes are for the Dakine spreader bars, other manufacturers may vary in size).

Different styles are also a concern on spreader bars. Some are pivoting, some have setups for spinning leashes, some are spinning hooks, some have it all pivoting, spinning leash, and hook. We have quite a few riders here that have swapped to the Slingshot surefire release spreader bar. This bar has a quick release built into the hook itself which is quite nice.

So, you can purchase your harness and then get the spreader bar that will work best for your style of riding.

On a word of caution, check with the store you are ordering with because some spreaders may not fit with the dakine power clip system or vise-versa.

Hope this helps



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matthewlavin
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[*] posted on 9-9-2006 at 12:21 PM


i have a montana 7m. i've flown it in 13mph wind and it can get you going on a board, but anything less and the kite might colapse and luff near the edge of the window. it takes alittle more skill to fly the kite in lower winds. i usually can get air at about 15-20mph. the montana has lots o lift. if you are not used to the power it can be intimidating, but these kites perform better when the wind is blowing. the depower is more useful and responsive then.if you plan on boarding a bar and harness is the way to go. a little more dangerous, but the safety system on the montana works great. always wear pads though, especially as you learn. when a foil luffs or deflates it will drop in the power zone, re-inflate and pull you over the board down wind. if yuo can't get your feet out of the straps you'll hit yer knees and elbows.

m
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