So after about 2 months plus off of the buggy seat due to the busy-ness accompanying school and then nursing a badly broken toe, I finally got back out in the buggy this last Saturday. This was the subject of awesomeness for a few different reasons;

A. you may remember that in the last few weeks, since I was all gimped up with broken toe and accompanying podiatrist imposed walking boot, I rebuilt the clamp and down tube of my VTT XR hybrid bug. This was its first ride since the rebuild and I have to say I am very pleased with the result. The extra length supplied by the fix worked wonders and left me comfortable and only suffering muscle pain from the extended time off.

B. This is a new spot for me. The trouble in north GA is the incredible lack of open space for riding due to an over abundance of trees. Don't get me wrong, trees are great for helping us breath, providing homes for our furry friends, and giving the environmentalists something to hug since actual people don't like them (that's a joke, don't get offended). However, they are too often what makes the perimeter of EVERY open space around here and too frequently they are just a big fat wind blocker or barricade. This spot however is an awesome park which is essentially just a HUGE field, a little hilly, but way more open than my other 2 top spots, plus its a little further from the metro area which somehow gives it a little higher windspeed than closer in.

C. I think that primarily thanks to my recent buggy upgrades, this is the first time I REALLY felt in tune and okay with using my harness and strop. Since I'm a couple of months out of practice and since it turned out to be one of those 8.6m kind of days, after a little while riding, I essentially lost ALL grip strength in my left hand and was forced to use the harness in order to continue, and really really really loved it. i had more time strong arming it, but didn't REALLY get tuned into the ride until near then end when I put the harness on.

In the end, it was an awesome day, and I'm excited to get back out.

Heres the Vid: White Oak Park 9.13.2014

enjoy

Spencer- nice ride enjoyed seeing you smile on a couple of those runs looked good- although unless you are convinced that you want no more little ones running around the house i would strongly recommend a better placement of your stake maybe attached to the bug but not yourself. I have had several serious bruises on my gut from faceplanting with my harness hook would hate to add a metal rod as a jewel impaler. I have flown once since march and am getting ready to add the bug to the truck for some afterwork rides if the wind ever shows up
Scott

Awesome bro, glad the new spot and buggy mods worked out. I thought the same thing about the stake. I tried using kite killers last time I was out, thinking they might be a good idea if I was at an event around other people. I didn't like it, they seemed dangerous to me. It seemed like they could get caught in my wheel. Has that ever happened with yours?

Edit: By the way, I'm not trying to start a kite killer debate :evil:, but it was just an observation when I tried them out.

@ Flyguy... yes the placement of the stake was unfortunate,... it usually sits to my side. I find that its better for me in 90% of cases to have the stake on my person rather than the buggy because what inevitably happens (as in it happens every time i don't have it on me) is the wind slumps off and the kite comes to the ground, then in an effort to lift off again, I end up 10-20-30-100 feet away from the buggy finding myself in a situation where I need to stake it and reset the kite... its the nature of the JANKY wind.

@ssayre,... KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s for me are a protection of my investment in kites... I have never in 3 years had my KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s fail to do exactly what they are supposed to do not to mention there is ALWAYS some sort of kite eating tree around that will kill my kites should I let go and not have the killers on. I've heard it said before "... if you just let go, the kite will just end up on the ground about 100 feet away,.... " problem is, theres a tree downwind that will catch the kite before I do. the only time I don't use KS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s is with the harness, and if I have to bail out of the harness, its a matter of "me or the kite" so then the tree can just have it.

I want to use them for the same reasons, but I think it was a combination of my standard pl narrow axle and the unnecessary long length of my 5.3 viper handles that was causing them to be too close to my rear wheels. I probably won't be using my foils in the buggy too much anyway until I get try out some reactors.

mmmmmmm... Reactors :o:o:o

Nice video Soliver

There's something really graceful about large FBs in light wind.

Really nicely put together vid, Spencer. Looked like a darn good day.

Nice vid bro. Looks like the mod paid off.
That's a great looking buggy spot!!

Thank guys, yes it was indeed a beautiful day for sure.

@ 3shot, ...thanks buddy... yeah, the mods have really made a big difference, and I can seriously feel it.

@John, ...thanks for the compliment. Yours were some of my first favorite videos so I especially appreciate that coming from you!!!

Great spot, and they keep it mowed for you! :-)

I think the smiles were real. You definitely got a workout, looks like the wind had some fun dropping the kite at times. Love that janky wind.

Quote:

Yours were some of my first favorite videos so I especially appreciate that coming from you!!!

Were? whaddayamean were?? LOL - Just having a laugh. Thanks Spencer.

Quote: Originally posted by kiteballoon

Great spot, and they keep it mowed for you! :-) I think the smiles were real. You definitely got a workout, looks like the wind had some fun dropping the kite at times. Love that janky wind.

OMGoogle... Workout yes!!! It felt like I'd been doing nothing but sitting around on my duff for 2 months. My speed only topped out around 14 mph, so I'm pretty sure the wind couldn't have been more than 7 mph. Though it felt a little more consistent than usual.

After watching this I am desperate for some time on buggy ..... I smile thru whole video .... good job ...