I ordered a Rush 250 as my first power kite and though it is extremely fun to fly, it doesn't seem to offer enough pull to move my 190 lb body. What kind of wind speeds would I be looking at before noticing suffecient pull for static jumps or even just some serious pull? Nothing I've flown in yet has provided enough power, though I haven't flown into a hurricane yet so there's room for growth. Also, what size of kite would be good to move up to as a second kite? I keep hearing C kites are no good compared to bow's? Is this universally true or just for beginners?

whoa rush 250 to a c? Big jump there my friend! Rush 250, being beginner kites, wont really work for jumping, they may get you in the air in eough winds, but the landing would be very bad...:o

I would suggest getting into a good 4 line fixed bridal kite before you make the jump to hardcore surfing kite... It all kind of dempends on what you want to do tho...

If kite surfing is where you want to go, you may need to seek out a trainer, and buy a good beginner-intermediate surf kite from them... as well as some lessons

If static jumping is where you want to be, a peter lynn twister would be good, im 230 lbs and can knock out pretty mean jumps on my 5.6m... my buddy is like 145 lbs and has a good time with a 4.1 twister

If you are really comfortable with your flying skills, a twister would be a good bet, if you want a little more practice a PL hornet, or an HQ beamer would be a great kite to get some more experience on... just depends on where you feel comfortable at.

::and as far as c kites not being good... look at some of Aaron Hadlow's videos on youtube... all he flies are c kites, granted he is really good, but it all comes down to preference, some people like c's, some like bows, some like arcs (muahaha :evil: ) After some trial and error (thats why i suggested a school) you'll find what fits you!

Like Drew said, it all depends on what you want to do..

Do you want to static fly/kitejump/scud, kitesurf, kitelandboard, or kitebuggy?
What's the area like where you fly? (beach? flat lands? hills? mountains?)
What are the winds like where you fly/plan to fly? (steady? gusty? what are avg speeds?)

For static flying/jumping/scudding a bigger 4-line foil will do nicely. A good step up will probably between a 4.5m-6.5m. A kite this size will allow you to get moving in lower winds and you should still be able to hold it down in mid to high teens once your skills improve.

You mention static jumping, but then later ask about C-kites. C-kites are mainly used for kitesurfing, so were you thinking about riding on water? Flying them on land is possible, but crashing (which beginners do a lot of) Bows/Cs on land can lead to leaky/popped bladders.

As far as Cs vs Bows:

Bows are more beginner-friendly, but that's not to say C-kites are 'no good' when compared to them. If you notice, all the top freestyle* riders are riding C-kites: Aaron Hadlow on his Hadlow Pro, Ruben Lenten on his Fuel, Kevin Langree on the Naish Torch. I've read this is because of the way C-kites turn, the way they loop, and because of the way they hang in the air after wakestyle moves (mainly load&pop tricks).
*I've seen far more bows used for kiteracing than Cs.

Bows usually offer more depower/easier relaunch/better safety than 4-line C-kites. But, 5th-line C-kites also offer more depower/easier relaunch/better safety than 4-line C-kites. Some argue that 5thlines are safer than bows because of the way they flag out, and if you notice, Best and Cabrinha are mimicking the 5th-line flagging with their Redline and IDS systems. If you're just starting out and really wanting to go with a C, be sure it's a 5th-line at the very least.

Overall, the main thing I'd recommend is *taking lessons* before you move up to a bigger depower kite whether it be a C, Bow, ARC, or depowerable foil (Flysurfer). You'll probably be taught on a Bow, but the control (steering/depowering) will be the same across all 4 designs. The things that will differ between them is rigging, launching, relaunching, and landing.

Lessons and don't go from a newbie kite to a c haha thanks guys. I'll look into those twisters you mentioned Drewculous. Thanks for not hating on a newb to much.

meh, we've all been noobs at one point...
The twister is a great kite, but take it out in baby winds to get the feel of it... lifty kites generally arent good beginner kites, and the twister is kinda of lify, but you sound like you have a pretty good idea of what you expect/want from a kite, so take it slow, and youll be knocking out good jumps in no time