hi to you all and hope your weekend is going well

i'm looking at serching for my first 4 line bar kite to replace my 2.1 beach syphony 2 line

what would you all suggest i start with that will not brake the bank and that i could use for a board once i had got used to the kite and how it Handels and just so you know i'm not a large guy at 5'8 and around 9 1/2 stone

thanks

kev

If I were you I would buy an ozone turbo bar. This is a bar that can be used on pretty much any fixed bridle kite. It uses a pulley system, to steer on the brake and power lines. it also has several safety systems, and les you adjust the brake lines, effectively giving you a degree of depower.
It is widely known as the best bar for fixed bridles.
They can be bought new for £115, second hand or about £60-80. Keep an eye on eBay. (I want one too !!)

Don't bother with standard bars. Cross over bars are alright, but not as good as turbo bars. You can use depower bars, but they're heavy, and cause the kite to luff / stall.

Remember with most bars, the turbo included, you'll also need a harness.

Hope this helps.

Kite wise, with a turbo bar you can use any kite you want with it. Most people would suggest starting with a 3-4m four line to get yourself into the sport.

(I have a 3m pansh legend for sale :o and a couple of others. Let me know if your interested.)

Most kites will get you moving on a board, I woul suggest a stable, low lift kite as your first. There are tonnes out there. I would suggest Sticking to the big brands, keeping an eye on eBay an when a possibility comes up that fits in as on here to see what people think of it. There are more knowledgeable people than me! They will know more about specific kites !

Tim

thanks tim

yeah if you let me know on the prices as i have a birthday coming up lol

i had an idea of getting a cheep bar for my beach syphony and a board and use that as a starting point

i had all ready thought of starting off with a 3m one to not get ahead of myself and end up in A@E lol

kev

When you say you want to move to a bar are you saying you want to move to depower kites ? They are the kites that are designed for a bar. You need to use the bar in combination with a harness with these kites to fly them proper. These are the kite of choice for riding a board .

Fixed bridle kites are typically designed to fly on handles but can be flown on a bar. Not ALL FB kites take to a bar. ( i am not sure about the turbo bar ? ) FB and a board go together but most folks eventually move to depower.

The size of your next kite will depend on your typical winds. What wind speed is it you want to fly in and is the wind clean ( beach ) or lumpy ( inland ) .

Kev, I'll pm you the details of the pansh. Check the top right of this page, as the u2u notification on this forum is tiny !

Bladerunner, I may be completely wrong, and am happy to be corrected by aomeoe that knows more. but i'm fairly sure you can use the turbo with any 4 line FB. Although some need power line extenders. I don't have one personally, but have done a bit of research, and had a play on a friends with a flow.

Tim

I hope I didn't come accross as saying you are wrong. I have no experience with turbo bars. Only a lot of time waisted trying X-overs etc. on different kites.

I was more hoping to stress that most FB kites are designed for handles. If he is going to a bar he should know that Depower are different .

The Turbo bar works much different so I don't claim to know how it applies to FB in general.

No, it's okay don't worry !!

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner I was more hoping to stress that most FB kites are designed for handles. If he is going to a bar he should know that Depower are different.

I definetly agree with that !

Kev, you could go on a uk based forum (racekites, Kitecrowd) and see if anyone has some bar set ups you could try!

Quote:

but i'm fairly sure you can use the turbo with any 4 line FB.

Not quite. Turbo bar steers using around 70% brakes (a rough visual approximation). Not all kites like being steered like this. My 2.8m Century II did not like it and would often stall during turns....too much brake input. Same with a 4.4m Reactor II. My 9m Riot is not very smooth on the bar either.

Kites that I have flown on the bar and fly really well include the Ozone Imp, Flow & Method. Flexifoil Blade V, Beamers and Hornets are ok but prefer a little more front line input than what the bar gives.

Depower (IMHO) if the effect of changing the angle of attack on the kite, the Turbo Bar does NOT do this - there is no depower on the turbo bar. But you can stall it by using the brakes (same as handles). I do not agree with Ozone's marketing as 'depower through brakes'. That's sales 'spin' at it's finest. (read absolute B.S.)

As for a kite for the board.... I think something like an HQ Apex III 5m depower could be a really nice place to start. Will take a couple of hours to come to grips with using a depower but it's a kite you could keep for a long time...

Best value fixed bridle I've seen are the Zebra Z1's $328 AU for the 3.4m with lines & handles. Really nicely made. See Briskites.com.au You could also get a 4m Nasa Star 2 with lines and handles for around EU 270 see Born-kite.de not a depower in the usual sense, but a great little kite nontheless.

Whoah! John is right of course the Ozone Turbo bar will fly most fixed bridle 4 line kite ok but it is not a good recommendation for someones first 4-line kite. The bar requires a harness and this is not a good choice for a novice without an experienced flier next to you to guide you but even then there remain problems. To adapt the turbo to a kite you have know the kite well in the first place.

Other advice to correct is about forgetting the standard bar. Some 4-line kites do very well on a standard bar. Some kites do better on a cross-over bar but again a X- over bar may be a handful for a novice without some help.

Good idea to start with quad handles to learn the full dynamics of the kite in the window, then you will have a better time moving to a bar. You will then be setting yourself up for a smoother transition to depower I that is in your future.

Often recommended for first kite in no particular order is HQ Beamer, PKD Buster, or Peter Lynn Hornet. All do ok on bars.

EDIT: I agree with others here and should have said that about 3m size will be a good place start and will serve you well even as you progress.

I have some tutorials on my site, too, if you like.

Dear Smeg:

While I do not have the experience of most of the guys on this forum, I do have some insights that you may benifit from.

A couple months ago, I was in your shoes, just purchased a symphony beach 2.1 meter and wanted something more powerful and fun.

I monitored this site for a while and looked at what the regulars were recommending to newbies. basically a 3 meter or a 3 1/2 meter kite would be a good second kite.

Well, I was afraid that I would not be satisfied with the small 3 meter kite so I purchased a 5 meter kite. While I have managed to master the 5 meter kite without serious mishaps (irregardless of some of my previous postings), in retrospect it would have been better for me if I woulda gotten a 3 1/2 meter kite to begin with. There are quite a number of times when the wind is blowing too much for the 5 meter and the 2 meter just does not cut it. Consequently, I have a 3.5 meter on the way.

Someone told me that everybody needs a good 3 meter kite and quite frankly, I think they are correct. I have flown a HQ 350 hydra and was very pleased with that kite. I like the idea that it can be water launched and as such, that is the one that I have purchased.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Cranky

Good post Cranky!

It gets kind of discouraging trying to get the 3m message accross ! Folks read it and then go for a 5m 50% of the time. They seem to ignore the hundreds of testimonials on here from folks who have ignored conventional wisdom and regretted going big right off.

Please do post up and tell other newcomers about your experience. Just don't expect them to listen.

Hi to all and thanS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s for your advice , I had all ready made my mind up to go no bigger than 3.5 meter as I'm not gettin any younger and not a big guy plus I don't wish to get out of my depth and into A&E lol and to be truthfull I'm on tight budget ,

Kev

Bladerunner:

I do not think that the 5 meter was a bad decision, I have had quite a lot of fun with it, see some of my semi truthful experiences in my previous posts.

Smeg:

Your going to enjoy the 3.5 meter, and hang on to that 2 meter for when the wind gets up above 20 mph.

Regards,
Cranky