Hey guys I will be doing the transaction for this kite today, this will be first LEI, I did fly a friends 10m Carbrina in 12mph, and that was crazy power. What do you guys think on this deal...

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-15070.html

these are great rigs, 7m is a gonna need decent air to be fun, if you're over 180 solid 20mph+ and in my experience more like 30mph. if you are under 150 should be decent fun for you with plenty of power

yah im 175...

you're gonna need good solid air 20-30mph for fun . this will be a very quick kite for learning in those conditions. 10- 12m will be much more range and more forgiving. plus you can work with 15mph and provide you with useful learning conditions to be in.

7m with a huge board will go well but board balance skills need to be on for light air

it still will require nimble kite skills to make it go

its a good deal "if you can use it" but it could end up sitting around without the right breeze

As of right now, I am flying inland and not on water, I want to mainly get this for snow kiting, for the winter months. How much wind is needed inland to learn on safely.

Short answer, if you can get it off the ground, you can fly it, and get a taste for what it can do.

On water, you need more power than on land. Personally, I fly open cell kites in snow, but I see a lot of guys using LEIs. Matter of preference really. I would say that 7m will be rideable in over 15mph. It might fly in less, but it will take a lot of work to get moving... I think. Never flown that kite, so not 100% sure...

10-12mph for a tube but 7m will need a bit more to be flyable with out being tedious and frustrating. (thought water was the focus here ) still applies though kinda

heading into fall and winter here, there is a search function on the forum,,,,,,stand by

Ok, here is the BEST First LEI you can get,
IT called the Ozone Light XC, simply the best all around anywhere.

I've got kids riding on the water in 30 mins with these!

subject to board skills and previous flying experience, not to be confused with kiteboarding

the premium water kites are made by ozone.

Thanks but with being on a budget this is only $200 for everything. Thats why I want to get it.

7m is kinda on the small side even for snow. It would really have to be blowing to get a good ride. Personally 9M would be as small as i would go. Most of the time im pulling out my 12m. All depends on what kind of winds you get where you ride.
Why not use your quadrifoil xxl 7m?

gorge performance . com has a used section with kites starting a t $100. ACTUALLY VERY NEW GOOD KITES!!! ASK FOR BOB, TELL HIM ELI SENT YOU IF YOU WILL

http://www.gorgeperformance.com/html/kites_used.html

Dude thx...those are awsome prices....

Tranein1, you may also want to take a look at this Cabrinha:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cabrinha-Revolver-12M-Kite-Complete-2006...

trancein1, You will need to get a harness for sure with any lei. When your into the 7-12 meter range you will really want the depower when a gust comes.

you will still be able to land board in much lighter winds also

Here's my experience, as a newbie to kitesurfing and water relaunchables.

Spent a day's lesson trying to get up and riding with my old Airush 16m C with no luck - I could get up over the board but after diving the kite, I couldn't get it to stroke up and would just flop down in the water.

Next, a day's lesson with a 16m Cabrihna Crossbow SLE (first version) ... after a half dozen attempts, I was up and riding. Rode the rest of the day, from one side of the river to the other. Going upwind even a little cos I could concentrate on the board and almost forget the kite. Water relaunch was a piece of pie and it was easy to work the kite, develop power and I never felt over-powered.

Another day (yesterday) with my 16m C. Maybe a half dozen runs when the wind was really peaking and I was feeling over-powered ie. I was getting lofted a little with the kite at the zenith, and had to concentrate so much on the kite and keeping the board planing that it was a frantic experience. Real hard to work it and keep it powered. Narrow wind range - either it was crap, gravy or I was superman - thin dribble of gravy it was too.

I'm looking around for as modern a kite as I can get without spending so much that when I slam it and put holes in it, I don't get a broken heart :D I'm a big fatty though so if you're a lighter dude you'll probably have a much better time ...

... wondering how a Venom II 19m compares to SLE/LEI kites ...?

Trancein, Since you're in Chicago, I would get a 10m or a 12m bow preferably 07+

A 7m really is too small. The winds when that kite has enough pull (20kts+), usually mean crazy conditions both on Lake Michigan and especially inland.

If you want to learn kiteboarding, the 7m will be pretty useless. When the winds pick up to those speeds on the water, Lake Michigan gets some pretty gnarly conditions. You don't want to try to learn in the very short interval, overhead closeout waves.

In the winter the 7 could work but again is a bit too small. In the winter the wind usually blows almost every single day in the 10-15kt range, again a bigger kite would give you more fun.

Further more the 06 Crossbows were the first bow kites. They had a lot of stability problems such as being prone to inverts.

A modern 10-12m bow will be stable, depower more, and have better safety features. And be much more usable than an old 7m. The $200 deal might be tempting. But you can get a 07-08 bow for $400-$500 used. That kite will give you more bang for the buck...

Also please don't buy a C-kite either, complete waste of money and very unsafe.

I personally fly 7m and 11m Waroos which I like for all around. The 11m can practically be a one kite quiver for 10 kts on snow to 25 kts on water.

Check out chicagokitesurfing.com they're a very helpful crew and some good deals can be found.

Some good deals I found:
Ocean Rodeo Rise 12m
http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-15008.html

08 Eclipse Thruster 12m
http://chicagokitesurfing.com/kiteboarding_messageboard/view...

08 Eclipse Thruster 10m
http://chicagokitesurfing.com/kiteboarding_messageboard/view...

Best Guroo 9m
http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com/kiteboarding_messageboard/...

Quote:

gorge performance . com has a used section with kites starting a t $100. ACTUALLY VERY NEW GOOD KITES!!! ASK FOR BOB, TELL HIM ELI SENT YOU IF YOU WILL http://www.gorgeperformance.com/html/kites_used.html

$600 for a 05 C-kite :shocked2: Is he serious?

$200 for a Wipika Freeair, that thing should be in a museum not for sale to beginners.

Trancein1 -

Doh! I just read syuzhaS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s replies and he says almost what I did, but here you go anyway:

2006 XBows and Switchblades are nice first gen bows. The Xbow is higher aspect and flatter - a bit less stable side-side and slower to turn than the Switchblade, but faster and liftier. The Xbow, like the first Slingshot Turbo Diesels, can invert when fully depowered in gusty winds. Pump them up hard and set the depower override limit stopper a bit closer to the bar to help prevent this. The 2007's and the Slingshot Turbo Diesel 2's are also excellent kites with less tendency to invert - a little more stable and hands-off than first gen, and probably can be bought cheaply at this point. I'm used to the Cabrinha bars, but must say the Slingshot bar is a bit easier to use with the depower cleat below the bar, and without the rigid sheaths on the depower strap controls. Look at ikitesurf.com for used kites at good prices.

You might learn how to fly bows on a 7m at 175#, but it would become your high wind kite for winter in short order, especially if you are a decent skier. Snowboard takes a bit more wind. General rec for the Midwest in winter if your new to LEI: Take a lesson, then look at a two kite quiver of 9 and 12 or maybe 9 and 14. The latter might work for water as well. The depower range on these is huge. Get a decent harness - I prefer a seat harness.

krumly

Trancein1, what's your status as of now? Did you get that 7m Cabrinha?

Yah I pulled the trigger on it...

Very cool, let us know how you like it. I just bought my first LEI a few weeks back, but haven't flown it much. I'm interested to hear what you think about the flight characteristics once you get a lot of time on it. Mine scared me at first, but I think I might like it a little better than my Blaze II.

Jovver, how does that Blaze II fly? You lookin to get rid of it?

I was actually looking to get rid of it to possibly upgrade to something else. IMHO, the Blaze II doesn't fly that bad, and with the modification that was reviewed on the forum it flies even better. Granted, it is a cheaper kite, and materials aren't up to snuff as other big name brands, but it gets the job done, and it was the perfect intro kite to depower for me. Now that I am a little more experienced I want something better. If you are interested U2U me and we can work something out. By the looks of things soccerflyer, Pansh has left a good impression with you!

Jovver what harness are you using...

I only have 2 harnesses, a 2008 Mystic Force Shield seat harness, and an Ozone XC harness with the D-ring. Lately I have been going for the Mystic because I feel more secure in it, and because there are plenty of places to attach my leash. Eventually I will be able to add some sort of handle pass line on it, but that will come much much later. I recommend both of these harnesses, they are worth every penny you will pay for them. Also, sorry for the thread hijack, didn't mean to change the topic, just wanted to see what decision you made.

Quick side question??

Can you get a inflatable kite for under 200 pound?

http://www.gorgeperformance.com/html/kites_used.html

Alright so me and trancein1 flew the kite today, static.

The kites got plenty of pull and it even tried to lift me up a couple of times on about 10mph winds.

But the ghetto rigged harness we had broke ...

You're doing good to get a 7m LEI bow going in 10mph. Chicago, right? Bet 10 mph means more like you had gusts of 15-18 that were leaving you feeling 'light on your feet.' The Xbows have huge depower range you can hold it with your fingertips fully feathered at the zenith then just pull the bar in hard and have the lift.

What did you think of those curly, stiff depower strap lines? Did you push the bar past the red depower stopper ball to luff the kite? That's where it'll invert. Those stoppers can be a real PITA to snap back in place, especially in winter with gloves on. I ended up pulling the ball off and filing some tiny internal notches in the rib to make it easier to snap back on (it pushes off easier with the bar too, but so far not a problem).

Having to pump each bladder up separately is a minor headache - people make more of it than they should. 3-4 years ago it was standard procedure and you just got it done. Get a real harness and spreader bar.

Those under $200 kites at gorgeperformance are mostly big, old C kites - not the thing to learn to kite with.

krumly