New to the board here and thought I'd introduce myself.

I'm new to kiting and just picked up an NPW 4.8 kite and started flying at the beach. In the future, when I get comfortable, I'll try with skates, skis or maybe a buggy.

Been Kitewing'n on skates and skis a few winters and just picked up a pair of Rockville 12" Leap skates to try at the park with the wing. Played ice and roller hockey in my youth so I'm at home on skates and skiis.
These are nothing like what I'm used to or even thought. :puzzled:
I tried them in the driveway and can't seem to feel any "control". They have little to no response to push off or turn like skis or rollerblades. Guess you need a hill, wing or kite for propulsion and then do your best to stay parallel and steer?
They also feel like one wrong move and pop goes a knee. Yikes.

Thanks for any suggestions?

Welcome,

I expect that once you get moving with wind power you will find things come together better. I little like water skiing behind a boat ? Turning will be tricky ! At 1st just enjoy the ride. When you want to turn, fly the kite up and turn your skates upwind so you lose momentum. You may need to do that with a step or 2. Then just turn the other direction while stopped. Soon you will progress on that and start to do a step turn and dive the kite the other way without stopping. After that you will need to learn to carve out big turns.

I hear you on the leg breaker thing ! Coyote Rollerblades seem a lot more safe in that manor. I have never actually heard of it happening !

If you are comfortable with the kitewing already then it should be a great way to go !!!

Skates with 12 inch wheels and a 2 foot wheel base are going to feel much different than street skates.

I remember the first time I stood up on my skates... awkward and unstable, I rolled down the street wondering how to turn around. When I brought them to the park and launched a kite, everything clicked and made sense. The lean against the kite put me in the correct position - knees bent, hips back and shoulders forward. From then on, it felt like I'd done this for years.

Kiteskates are made for long, straight reaches not carving. You can make small carving-like adjustments by putting pressure on your downwind heel and lightening your upwind-front skate, but for the most part you will need to learn to step turn as if your skiing in 3 foot of deep powder. Just lift and move the front wheels one after the other (starting with the upwind skate).

At some point you will need to actually skate around without the kite (ie. setting up the kite and lines, etc.). To do so, get into a low position, shoulders forward and go for it like a speed skater at the Olympics. It feels weird and requires a lot of hip and gluteus maximus force, but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Avoid standing straight up or leaning backward!

I wouldn't worry too much about your knees. Most of the forces are actually applied to your hips. That said, these are not good for folks with weak hips.

More tips on http://www.doomwheels.com

Welcome to the forum and to kiteskating!

i bought some leepskate (12in) a couple of years ago but couldnt get on with them at all.(they are sat in the garage collecting dust)
but in a moment of genius i came up with these instead

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nWpKmBiABOs

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tL8jmWnoLvg&NR=1

Sweet !!!
Big Points for thinking out of the box !!

I haven't gotten on doom style wheels yet. I can see how they are a better choice for long fast runs.
The Coyotes that I have are a bit more user friendly it would seem. They felt cumsy as get out when I 1st put them on but not a feel very stable on them even though I do look a bit foolish walknig around with them on. Your beach looks hard packed enough I'm pretty sure they would run for you Carl ? You would enjoy them a whole lot more than those 4 wheel ones. Edging is different and better inline !
Craving turns and sliding off power works great with them as well!

Like other folks confirmed, once you have the kite set and are rolling I expect you will feel a lot more at home on new wheels. Trying to walk and ride around without the kite does not compare at all !!

those are cool (ULTRAQUADS)I HAVE SEEN A SET SIMILAR IN MADRID ...??? '99-2000MAYBE

coyotes by far are my go to set , jump, slide, back to front easy ,,cool smoothed out, carve turns layed out. hop-n-pop crazy.

actually kite skated circles around a guy on an ATB. ...teaching on the fly !

very versatile ....glad i got them... the doom set is just more height and length can;t be quite as caviler. but getting there.


KEEP dA ROLLIN FLOW SHOW GUYS

Clever! Very reminiscent of the "Frankenskates" by Mike Sterling way back in the day. Yours have a bit more beef!

Thanks for all the tips. I still need to get up to speed on my kite skills before flying/trying the kite with skates, so kitewing'n it for now. I've also studied the kiteskate "stance" in pics and videos (thanks doom)
Now if I can find a few hours away from work and family when there is good wind, I'll head to the park to give it a try.
Stay tuned for the ride report. :wink2:
I need a good steady 10mph wind on ice with the wing to go, so I'm guessing AT LEAST 15mph wind on land?
Also how will the skates ride on smooth grass fields? Will I have traction issues?

Thanks again.

I'm in line to learn the kitewing with blades from Dirtslide but haven't had the chance yet.

I think you are right. You will want at least 15mph. wind.
I also think if you are already comfortable with the kitewing and skates it will be by far the best way to get used to your wheels.

I posted about these a while back, but it seems relevant so I'll recap...
I've had a pair of leap skates for about 3 years now & I love kiting with them. When I first got on them though, I had a hard time with stability & ankle support. The "around the boots" bindings are worthless for kiting in my opinion. It took nothing at all to remove them & mount downhill ski boots on instead. It's been a rock solid ride ever since. Also; nix the brake, it will only get in the way.

First thing I did was lose the brake B4 ever stepping in them. Then I realised I had to move the bindings to fit my size 10.5 boot. Then realised there is'nt much ankle support. I broke a strap trying to get them tighter. I'll be mounting an old pair of ski boots B4 using them.
Thanks for the reasurance Tomas.

Had the exact same problem; I tried to tighten the straps until my toes would go numb & still not enough support. The ski boots make for an extremely stable ride. BTW here's a pic of me on them:
http://homernews.com/images/081006/9152_512.jpg
& the article that it was posted in:
http://homernews.com/stories/081006/outdoors_4b001.shtml
In the background picture I was doing about 40mph... wooohooo!

I too have a pair of leap skates and removed the use-your-own-shoes type binding. I mounted a pair of stiff-shell Rollerblade boots (minus the wheel track) using the factory mounting points... Much better! And yes, I removed the brake.

Nice photos, Tomasz.