I am going to buy a kite for buggying. Should i buy one with a control bar and depower or 4 line handles. I have flown with both before.

Thank You

i realized i posted this in the wrong section but i dont know how to take it off

This section is OK unless you've cross posted it. You only need to post it in one place.

If you've flown both get whatever you are comfortable with in the buggy.

Most buggy riders still seem to be on fixed bridle kites and handles as its a clean and compact set up but more and more seem to be riding depower as well. Depends on if you like to switch kites with the wind conditions of fly one and tune at the trim strap.

People with more buggy experience will chime in with more information but if you've flown both and can buggy and have no preference for either go with what best suits your budget.

I'd guess that depower in a buggy would be great for cruising but you'll have a more connected feel with handles and you can work the kite more aggressively.

I think the safety features on a depower are better but I'm on a board and don't need to worry about whether a bar gets in the way of my sitting comfortably in a buggy.

This will be the first time ride in a buggy. I am thinking I will go with the bar because im just looking to ride, not jump and stuff. Thanks for that info.

i prefer fixed bridles for buggying... direct power and agility in the skies...

This would be a control bar right!? Or would it be handles? I'm new.

most fixed bridles are flown with handles, but you can also fly them with a bar. If you are new, I would recommend learning to fly the kite with handles first as it gives you more sense of how the kite is controlled, although it might also be a little harder (I've never flown a fixed bridle with a bar before)

sorry.. handles.. definitely handles... for earlier mentioned reasons...

Yup, handles all the way. Handles give you the most response and control, faster turns, easier launching and landing, easy reverse launch. If you are going for a depowerable kite then you are pretty much forced to go with the bar...which isn't really a bad thing, just different. If going for fixed bridle kites then I always recommend handles.

+1 for handles unless your daskirtz who likes his depowers

I fly both fixed bridal on handles AND depower. For me, it depends on how large the area I'm going to be buggin on is and wind conditions. Clean wind, gusty, etc. If I don't have a lot of room to work with and the wind is clean, fb is awesome because of the added agility of the kite and I don't have to worry about gusts yanking me out of the bug.

If I have room for long park and rides, or the wind is gusty: depower all the way. There's something to be said about flying 1 handed while relaxing as you cruisein the bug. Dakitez got me hooked on depower and man, I'm glad he did! Gusts while flying depower are not an issue really. When a gust hits, simply let out the bar and you are golden.

Either way it boils down to your personal comfort level, its all personal pref.

Hope this helps!

Rip: I'm thinking dino would have a comeback to the effect of, "most people resort to handles over depower when the bar is bigger than them" I don't know tho rip, jus guessing

Thanks everyone for answering. I'm flying on the wildwood beach near the Convention Center. I'm just looking to ride around. I think depower might be better. When the wind is clean and you fly with handles, does the added agility give you more power? What are the advantages for each one?

most, if not all, competition level riders are using handles (FB kites) with buggy.... but i'd guess most of them are also hooked into a harness one way or another (to take the strain of power) using strop line with an additional quick release (QR) system for safety factor.
like mougl said, for us non-competition level pilots it depends on lot's of things mainly area and wind conditions.
i also use both types depower and FB with no rhyme nor reason anymore really because i'm almost completely overlapped between the two types. just depends on how i feel at the particular time.
handles (FB) do provide more precise control of kite but i try to fly well within the limits of kite/wind/land size area restrictions and obstacles to keep things less "fun" but more relaxing.
flying with handles with strop/QR is nice too but i don't recommend that unless one has large uncluttered area and comfortable with actually deploying the QR under the right circumstances.
added agility is just that. no added power per se`.
you just own the added capability to maneouver kite where you'd like it to be or not to be throughout your travels. when plenty of obstacles are around it helps. FB are more powerful per square meter due to them being more efficient/having less drag then depowers with more(heavier) bridle lines and flying lines, pulleys and such. depowers just have...how to explain...a gear selection and throttle system to put it plainly so they have their benefits too but no real easy to use brakes. FB is pretty much full power all time with ability to slow kite (brake lines)
Paul

Can someone weigh in on whether or not handles or depower bars have an advantage for buggy jumping? I'm asking cause I watched bartiebat's video and she was getting awesome jumps in her buggy but it looked like that may have been due to the depower effect of pulling the bar in? Is there a way to work the AoA with handles?

Glad you asked this question pwrkteapex :tumble:

If you are wanting to jump, depowerable kites usually have a huge advantage over fixed bridle kites - regardless if they are on a bar or handles. Depowerable kites are designed to be flown on a bar only.

Quote:

Originally posted by rando Can someone weigh in on whether or not handles or depower bars have an advantage for buggy jumping? I'm asking cause I watched bartiebat's video and she was getting awesome jumps in her buggy but it looked like that may have been due to the depower effect of pulling the bar in? Is there a way to work the AoA with handles? Glad you asked this question pwrkteapex :tumble:

i may be in over my head here but here goes...
plenty of fixed bridal (near recent models) kites (med to med-high AR) have adjustable AoA. maybe it was a passing fad though cuz i see plenty of newer (med to med-high AR) kites come out without adjustable AoA.
{*personally i just set my AoA on both stlyes of kite for high wind so adjustable AoA on FBs isn't a deal maker/breaker for me.}
if i understand right....with depower kites the 'trimmer(trim strap/clam cleat etc..)' sets AoA and pulling the bar changes (on the fly) the draft (curvature/cross section of foil) to allow for a deeper draft or more shallow draft.
i'd say jumping has more to do with timing and technique than how AoA is set.
{interesting thought...if handles do simply manipulate directly the AoA of FBs what good really is an adjustable AoA? does an adjustment of AoA of said equipped FBs simply allow user to keep his/her grip/position of handles less changed when flying or does adjustable AoA affect draft?} low AoA the kite flies faster(and generates more aparaent wind{power} and too high AoA the kite stall and/or reverses. you do not have the capacity to adjust the draft of the FB foil (unless you are good with adjusting bridles and have lots of patience) on the fly like a depower kite.

Go with the type of kite you are most comfortable with for your 1st time in the buggy. It is always better to just have to think about the new ride and not worry about the kite.

As others mentioned. Serious buggy racers tend to prefer handles. Laid back single handed cruisers use depower.

While I don't have experience with it , I have to think buggy jumping with a large depower should be easier ?

fixed bridals are typically smaller, lighter and more efficient then their dwpower counterparts since they have a static flying setup. Which would be easier to jump, well either I think it comes down to preference. At the end of they day you'll be tethered in to either kite and they'll both you you off the ground.

IMHO you have way more kite control with handles since you have the added benefit of breaking. In a depower you can play with the depower during turns but it no way matches the brakes and push/pull you can do with fixed bridals. But with a depower you actually have dynamic control of the power, which you don't with a fixed bridal where it's more about kite placement. That said, I like and fly both styles of kites. It usually depends on my mood more than anything else :frog:

I've been witness to both depower and fixed jumping freestylers, they both do just fine