While we're on the subject of 'Turbo Bars' I thought I'd post a review I did recently on the Ozone bar - originally posted on Extremekites.com.au forum. The video that shows the bar best is the same video that I've used on the Ozone Flow 3m review here.

A bit of a look at the Turbo Bar.

Brake lines go to the outside of the bar, power lines through the middle to your harness. With the load on your harness, the only pressure on the bar is from the brakes and when you add in the leverage you get from the bar, it makes the brakes quite easy to manage. But wait, there's pulleys between the brakes and the power lines - they give you a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage on the brakes. What this means is that even though you don't feel your using a lot of brake input to steer the kite, you actually are. The result is that the kite turns really fast without a lot of effort. And when you turn the bar, the slack brake line is really slack. In fact, when I took it out of the plastic (there were no instructions) and put the lines on and launched the kite, there were no brakes at all. Just long slack lines attached to the rear of the kite. Oooops, park the kite. Now you have two options here, tie some extra knots four or five inches in from where Ozone have put the knots on the outside braided spectra lines, or (as I did) make a couple of five inch loops out of 2mm spectra and fix them to the ends of your power lines. Ok, now we have functioning brake lines. Fine tune with the strap adjusters on the outside brake lines of the bar.

I have set mine up so that with the bar fully out there is the slightest tension on the brakes. This stops the outside line from getting too slack in turns. You can also pull the bar back to either increase your turn speed, or pull both brakes on together. When static flying, if I pull the bar back a bit too much, the kite simply stalls and gracefully descends back to the ground. By applying both brakes, I've created extra pull (lift) but I've made extra drag and static flying in light to moderate winds means the drag usually wins. The kite stalls. However, when buggying, the kite is seeing a lot more apparant wind and this time there's enough wind to overcome the drag and the kite creates more pull and sits back a bit in the window. Very similar to flaps on an aeroplane methinks. Of course, all this happens with handles too. Different kites are going to react differently to being flown on the bar, some will be great, some less so.

When I look at the bar during turns, the power lines are being utilized a little bit as well, but I feel 90 percent of the work is being done by the brake lines.

When flying my low aspect kites (Beamers, Flow, Imps) on the bar, they fairly shoot around in the turns, when they're on handles, they are quite slow by comparison. Because of the mechanical advantage of the bar, I'm simply using a lot more brake input without realizing it.

The low aspect stuff turns and flys really well on the bar. (see video). From a brief flight with a high aspect ratio kite, I would think there would need to be careful consideration on just how much brake you should use and it may take a bit of time and practice to get it right.

I bought the bar for one handed cruising in the buggy and I also like the fact it has identical safety systems to the bar on my Access XC. Same primary safety, same megatron chicken loop. It's slightly reassuring to sometimes have one hand free, hovering over the primary release just in case things go a little pear shaped. And let's not forget those elastic line keepers that pull out from the end of the bar. There is also the usual brake handle that you can grab to land the kite. Or pull the primary release - when you do pull the release, the power lines shoot forward a foot or so, easy to reach and re-connect.

I'd like to try a shorter version of this bar, I occasionally knock it into the top of the front forks when I'm turning and considering how fast you can turn a kite with this bar, I reckon a shorter one would work well too. I can't see why the turbo bar wouldn't work with any size kite considering the mechanical advantage it gives.

For me, it's an excellent piece of kit that I'm very pleased with. Quality is hard to fault. Sure, handles and strop have their advantages, particularly in size. But I particularly like where the primary safety is on the turbo bar and the ease and control of the brakes.

It works for me!

Since I wrote this I have found out that if you shorten the brake lines on the turbo bar by tying knots five inches in from the factory settings - you run the risk of having those knots going through the pulleys and getting stuck during a turn. Not good!! I suggest you run power line extensions instead. So far, all my low aspect type kites fly extremely well with the five inch extension lines in place.


Same video as the 3m Flow review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJvNe_QQIU

Great review thank you... here piggypiggy I have a hammer with you name on it.:evil:

Quote:

Originally posted by John Holgate In fact, when I took it out of the plastic (there were no instructions) and put the lines on and launched the kite, there were no brakes at all. Just long slack lines attached to the rear of the kite. Oooops, park the kite. Now you have two options here, tie some extra knots four or five inches in from where Ozone have put the knots on the outside braided spectra lines, or (as I did) make a couple of five inch loops out of 2mm spectra and fix them to the ends of your power lines.

Great review as always.

Quick question, is there any reason why you chose not to just add additional knot to each of the the brake leaders on the kite?

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Quick question, is there any reason why you chose not to just add additional knot to each of the the brake leaders on the kite?

At first, I just thought it would look a bit crappy. Someone else actually did put some more knots on and one of the knots got jammed in the pulleys when turning. When they used extensions on the power lines they said it was heaps better. Which had us scratching our collective heads, because surely shortening the brakes is exactly the same as extending the power lines. Anyway, 5 inches more is about right for all my low aspect stuff, but Iain from Ozone is using a Flow and Yakuza with a Turbo bar without any trim problems.

So far I know of one other Turbo bar where the brakes were 5 inches too long - maybe a few escaped from the factory not quite setup right. Still, easily fixed!

I think you might have misuderstood me. I meant adding a knot on the leaders at the kite end. This shouldn't effect the pulleys at all, n'est-ce pas?

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

I meant adding a knot on the leaders at the kite end.

er um....yes I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. But yes, I did consider that, except I have several kites that I want to swap between handles and the turbo bar so I leave the extensions on as part of the turbo bar lines, that way they fit to all my kites in exactly the same spot as the handles & lines.

But otherwise, yes - tying extra knots at the kite end is a much better solution.

Based on my experience with the Turbo Bar I would try to keep the adjustments at the bar-end, since there will likely be many of them in order to get some kites to fly well (esp. 4-line biased kites).

The idea of leads on the inner power lines instead of more knots (and leader ends flopping around) is one of those brilliant "doh" things I did not think of. Thanks John.

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell Based on my experience with the Turbo Bar I would try to keep the adjustments at the bar-end, since there will likely be many of them in order to get some kites to fly well (esp. 4-line biased kites).

But the additional walking offsets the doughnut shop runs :wow: I guess if I was swapping out a quiver of kites I can see the benefit of bar side leaders, but I am only swapping out 1 or 2 kites... errr maybe 4.... hmmmm... awww crap.

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell The idea of leads on the inner power lines instead of more knots (and leader ends flopping around) is one of those brilliant "doh" things I did not think of. Thanks John.

Yah know I almost called you last night, to add some leader lines to my last order, but I figured I had used up my call quota and was pretty sure you had already bundled the package up. I have has some less than perfect flights with the Turbo Bar, but it was generally in crap winds so I immediately assumed that was the cause. I am going to have to pay a bit more attention next time out.

ATB,
Sam

Now here's a thought - what would happen if I connected my access depower bar to a fixed bridle in the same manner as the turbo bar. bigger trim range, but no pulleys. It would be interesting to see how much of an effect the pulleys have (they spread a little bit of the steering load to the power lines) as opposed to not having them. If I get the right winds, I'll give it whirl later on today.

Breath = (a)bated...

Pins and needles deployed....

Huzzahs for the mad scientist sensibilities...

Woogly... :wow:

ATB,
Sam

Well, it does work..... nowhere near as smooth as the turbo bar. Here's the Depower bar/Turbo bar shootout on a fixed bridle!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mNxl9KZicM

Sorry for the hijack but I was just wondering where abouts in MA are you Indigo? Never seen you at Nahant or the Pope.

Nice vid comparing bars John

South Shore...

Go to PJP, Millenium, Colt State and Brenton Point.

Depending on traffic CSP is easier for me most days than heading North.

Prefer grass over sand, hence the reason you don't see me at Nahant.

ATB,
Sam