So I was doing some errrr online window shopping on kites and gear earlier. One thing that caught me a bit by surprise is that I was turned away from certain kites by the bar. I wondered if it was just me or if anyone else used that as a basis when choosing a kite. There are a lot of kites that I hope to have a chance at trying one day, but I kept thinking how much nicer some of them would be with a "prettier" bar. I know good function and simplicity are the most important, but.........Or am I just crazy????? :ticking:

function before form every time for me....

For me - form is secondary to function but they're a very close second.

I was nearly put off the Cabrinha kites because like all my kites, I want to match the bar to the kite manufacturer (call me anal ) but the Cab bar looked so weird with the big lump floats on the end... however, it's one of the best functioning bars I've used and I've grown to love it for it's efficient & tidy design.

Love the look of the North bars - they LOOK like quality - and they function well too.

PL, FSr, Switch bars all look fine and function fine.

Epic bar looks ok but is a dog. Naish bars look fine too - and 'clean' - but some people have mixed feelings about the below-the-bar depower...

In the end though - you'll get over it :D

The Ultimate Depower Bar from Zeeko looks very interesting to me. Very simple in form and function kind of like the ARC's. Thinking outside of the box here. I think this will be my next bar.

http://vimeo.com/35562308

I've found that when you are using the right equipment that does its job, you move past thinking about he equipment, the color scheme, all the brochure information. All you are thinking about is what its doing for you. Putting you in that zone. The color of the kite, the look of the bar, its all parking lot chatter. Not to diminish that those things are very important for a profitability and market share view. Looks brings in the cash.

Very valid points that I never really considered. In the end I guess you just use what works and you get over certain things quickly. The North Bar has been a big basis to what I looked for in other bars (its just so clean looking). The Naish is really nice, but being short, I always pictured myself tripping over the depower line when fully trimmed. Others just look kinda like they are old school almost time to get with the program. Just never gave it a thought till today. Safety is the biggest thing I guess.

Quote:

Originally posted by zero gee The Ultimate Depower Bar from Zeeko looks very interesting to me. Very simple in form and function kind of like the ARC's. Thinking outside of the box here. I think this will be my next bar. http://vimeo.com/35562308

That looks like a concept that could really take off. Fully open for the rider to find the most comfortable position to fit any style. It even looks really nice as well. Nice to know I'm not the only one who maybe thought something wasn't right because it wasn't all fancy looking.

simple = better in many cases... that said, ill buy a better looking bar over a fugly one in a heartbeat if the function and price are the same...

that zeeko bar looks awesome... ill be keeping an eye on that one...

For me... it comes down to what works. I really like the flysurfer (infinity) bars and safety system. North is very similiar. I rode an older Slingshot, and did not really care for either the safety or the way the depower worked (below the bar). I got used to it, but I was never comfortable with it.

Once you are flying though, you kind of forget about everything else... The question then becomes, can you activate the safety quickly enough if something goes south?

phunctions got to phlow. so you can get past the equipment and on to the ride, like BB said.

+1 for simple.