buggydanny
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Libre Spirit 3.9 Review
I got a chance to try the Libre Spirit 3.9 m at the Wildwood buggy bash. I want to thank Jon Ellis for passing and Todd bringing this wonderful kite
and allowing us to try it. I totally enjoyed my time with it.
The build quality on this kite is great. It is a high aspect race kite that has a thin profile. I has internal bracing and a very minimal bridle.
There are not many bridle lines, and most of them are incredibly thin. I believe the thin profile and bridle bring drag to a new low.
I few this kite Saturday with smooth winds that started from about 12 and built to perhaps 20. The direction started around 60 degrees of onshore and
shifted to around 25 degrees onshore. These were perfect winds to try this kite in.
I usually fly jojo rm kites and found this kite to have similar flight characteristics and immediately felt at home with it. It turns very quickly
and smoothly. If flies through the window quickly and stops at the edge without overfly it. I found it to be an easy kite to fly and felt like a
jojo rm with turbo boost.
This is a very efficient kite and makes more power than my jojo rm4 (althought my rm4 may be getting a little tired by now). Move the kite around and
it comes alive; it really likes to be flown this way. Looping the kite produces explosive power (be careful). I found myself being very careful when
starting out in the soft sand at base camp not to move the kite around to much so that I would not be ripped out of the buggy.
This kite goes upwind better that any kite I have ever flown. Earlier in the day when the winds were lighter and 60 offshore I could easily go upwind.
When Dean was flying it he easily passed me upwind while I was flying my jojo rm4 (which is no slouch upwind).
Downwind this kite keeps accelerating with smooth power. I did some speed runs later in the day when the winds were at there strongest and the
direction favorable. I was getting in the mid 40's with my rm4. I went over 20% faster with the spirit! I was not hitting the limit either, I was
not a all overpowered. If there was more wind I could have easily gone faster.
On Sunday the winds were much less favorable. They were offshore over the buildings. The wind was turbulent, shifty and full of holes. I tried the
Spirit in these conditions to see how it would do. I struggled with it; these are not the conditions that it was designed for. I found the kite
hard to keep inflated in the lulls. I was getting tip wraps, but was pleasantly surprised that they can easily shaken out without having to land the
kite. This is very different that my rm's, and must be designed into the kite. It was stalling and quickly powering up making for a jerky ride.
This was not my kite and I did not want to drop it in the ocean. I soon put it away, and went to my rm4 and struggled with it instead. I eventually
drop the rm in the ocean and had a walk of shame back.
I am totally impressed with the spirit. It left me smiling for days. If you like to go fast, have smooth winds, and like to more the kite around and
not just park the kite while bugging then this kite is for you. I really want this kite; but it would not be my only 4m kite in my quiver. I would
have something more tame for the dirty wind days.
Dan
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centex_buggier
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Posts: 314
Registered: 6-4-2004
Location: Austin, TX
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Mood: Missing the Beach Winds
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Dan,
How did it compare to the rm4 in the gusty conditions? Was the rm4 just as difficult to tame in those conditions?
NAPKRA: US98
Libre Hardcore
Libre Full Race
Ozone Little Devil 1.5
Ozone Access 4 and 6
JoJo RM+ 3, 4, 6 and 10
Libre Spirit 4.7 and 7.7
Airea Raptor 5.5
Ozone Frenzy07 10
Ozone Yakuza GT 12
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kteguru
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Registered: 15-3-2009
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Quote: | I totally enjoyed my time with it. |
Thats an understatement! When you came back off your first run you were drooling all over the place with a permagrin on your face that I've never
seen before. Although when I was able to pry it away from you I have to completely agree with your review . That's one sexy looking really fast kite. I couldn't beleive how easily I passed you on the upwind leg when you
were on your RM. That spirit can go nearly dead into the wind!! For those who like the "Jojo feel" this kite is for you. It is one fast machine. I
was very surprised when you first got on it that it was powering you quite well for a 3.9 while I was still on my 8.5 blade IV,,,,, granted I was
still giving rides in the softer sand and you had made it out to the hard pack but still very impressive. I recall you mentioning hitting a speed in
the mid 50's on one of the downwind runs. I have to attribute that to the kite;-) . Ok, Ok, you get credit too...... your a top notch rider my
friend I got a look at the bridle as well and I noticed that the A row
seemed like normal unsleeved spectra but the B,C,D rows were close to invisible , super thin stuff.
Two to libre for making a sweet kite. Big thanks to everyone for letting us have a go on it!!
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buggydanny
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Registered: 17-5-2008
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Quote: |
Dan, How did it compare to the rm4 in the gusty conditions? Was the rm4 just as difficult to tame in those conditions? |
Centex
I did better with the rm4, but I have a lot of experience with it and understand how to fly it better. I still had difficulties with the rm. I think
that the rm deals with the lulls better than the libre and was better suited for the challenging conditions. However, the spirit was much easier to
remove tip raps and bow-ties (often in the air).
As I said earlier, the libre was not my kite and I did not want to drop it in the ocean, so I didn't fly it long on Sunday. I think the libre is a
fine tuned race machine, and optimized for clean winds and speed.
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jellis
Senior Member
Posts: 845
Registered: 5-1-2004
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: SOBB
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Was that the RM 4 or the RM+ 4? I was always looking for more speed, the Spirit satisfies that for me.
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B-Roc
Posting Freak
Posts: 3161
Registered: 9-3-2006
Location: Massachusetts
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I'm pretty sure Dan is flying the RMs (not the +s) and if he goes faster on the libre than he does on the JOJO than :wow: that's a fast kite.
Depower Quiver: 14m Gin Eskimo, 10m Gin Eskimo III, 6m Gin Yeti, 4.5m Gin Yeti (custom bridle and mixer)
Fixed Bridle Quiver: MAC Bego 400, JOJO ET Instinct 2.5 & 5.5, Lil Devil 1.5, Sting 1.2
Rides: Ground Industries
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buggydanny
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Posts: 207
Registered: 17-5-2008
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Jon B-Roc is correct, I was comparing the spirit to an jojo rm and not a rm+. I have only flown rm+s a few times and never in enough wind to see
what they can do. I have no reference to compare the rm+ to the spirit or the rm to rm+ for that matter.
Personally I like a highly maneuverable kite and I am always happy when I can fly a smaller quick turning kite as apposed to a larger slower turning
one. I was pleased that the spirit had high power output for its size and allow the use of a smaller kite for a given wind speed. This makes libre
spirit a more attractive replacement for my rm's as apposed to the rm+'s where I believe you have to fly a size higher kite for the same wind level.
The spirit is definitely a faster kite than the jojo rm and I truely found it a pleasure to fly.
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jellis
Senior Member
Posts: 845
Registered: 5-1-2004
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: SOBB
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Where is the Spirit now?
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centex_buggier
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Posts: 314
Registered: 6-4-2004
Location: Austin, TX
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Mood: Missing the Beach Winds
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Jon,
The Spirit arrived back in Austin today and is going to the SLP event this Friday. Next week I was planning on sending it West.
Steve.
NAPKRA: US98
Libre Hardcore
Libre Full Race
Ozone Little Devil 1.5
Ozone Access 4 and 6
JoJo RM+ 3, 4, 6 and 10
Libre Spirit 4.7 and 7.7
Airea Raptor 5.5
Ozone Frenzy07 10
Ozone Yakuza GT 12
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Taper123
Senior Member
Posts: 768
Registered: 6-1-2006
Location: Texas
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Mood: Ready for some sand!
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Kite was a blast to fly... very efficient and fast!
Thanks for the opportunity Jellis/Centex.
What do you do with your foils?
Charger 8, 12, 19
Scorpion 10, 16
And other foils...
Flexifoil Bug, CrazyFly board, MBS atb
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