I'm visiting my Mother and have a perfect place to work on kites + plenty of time. Even though I can't fly my kites doesn't mean I can't fly WITH my kites :wink2:

I had planned on replacing the bridle on my Blade. It would seem the previous owner had to buy a full set to install new brake bridles on the kite. The original set is in good shape but the kite does have a tendancy to sort of lose air on the left when turning left at ultra low winds when right turns are O.K. The problem goes away when properly powered.

My Flysurfer has little stress / break away tabs that go on the kite and then larks head knotts on the bridle to attach to them I thought it would be just that easy with my Blade.

I have never replaced a bridle and think I better ask for advice on how to best go about it. :?:
ANY and ALL tips on how to go about it would be appreciated. :!:

In the mean time I think I'll measure the existing bridle to see if I can pinpoint the stretch and consider adjusting the existing bridle ??? Also I'll see if I can get the Spec measurments from Flexi ? :duh:

Thanks !

get measurements from FF if you can. If you can't either measure the other side or take the other side off the kite too and make a bridle board / jig.

The BB is simply a board as long as the longest leg of your bridle with a nail/peg on one side to hold your bridle in place. You then mark off (with another nail / peg) the termination point of the bridle leg. Now make your new leg and loop one end on the starting point, stretch to the termination peg, fold the line around and tie off with an apporpriate knot.

Reset the board for the next shortest leg and so on until you are done. This assures all legs are even and all knots are even too (mark on the board where you wnat the knots on your loops on the termination points to be so the knots are all the same too.

If you can't find a board long enough, simply put a mid peg at the end so you fold the line around and a terminating peg between that and the mid peg to assure all is equal.

That's probably a terribly confusing description but if you can follow it, you'll be good and quick with configuring and evening the legs.

K,
So I have done measurments of the bridle on the kite + 1 sides new bridle. Even the new bridle lines seem to vari by almost 1/2 inch at times ? It looks like as a general rule they gave 3 extra inches for knotting ?

Most of my measurments equal out. In some cases they are out by 1/2 to 1 inch If I chart it out it looks like the left side is most often out by one inch and it appears to be at the mostly set 1 and 3. Set 1 is consistantly 1 inch longer on the shortest 3 ,a,b, c, lines ?
So I have another question.
Just how close do measurments HAVE to end up to each other :?:
At this point it looks like I may be better off just shortening the 6 bridles lines that are longer from left side sets 1 and 3 ?

The Bridle board makes good sense. I expect I'll set one up if I go the whole re-bridle route ! Measuring while on the kite was a minor pain.

Take a few photos of the kite with bridles before you take it apart- then at least you will still have a point of reference if things get really confusing in the process. Also masking tape can make great little tabs that can be labeled to help you keep track of what's what.

Good luck!

Quote:

Originally posted by archkiter Take a few photos of the kite with bridles before you take it apart- then at least you will still have a point of reference if things get really confusing in the process. Also masking tape can make great little tabs that can be labeled to help you keep track of what's what. Good luck!

Yup,

I had to go themasking tape and label route on my Flysurfer. Someone had tossed my bar through the bridle. After trying to work it out I found it best to A: Blow the kite up for proper shaping + disconnect the bridles it appeared the bar was run through. The Break away tabs + larks heads made that much easier.
All kites should come with these amazing tabs !!!!
Just one more way Flysurfer goes the extra 9 yards !

Is it a complete rebridal kit you've got with the kite, if so it's an easy job, just very time consuming, just rebridaled a 7.5m Brooza, took about 4 hrs to complete without cutting any lines so now I have lots of spare bits.

You should get a kit with each bridal line labeled and a set of plans showing where each line should go. You start with the knot by the power line attachment point and slowly work your way out to the sail, undoing each knot until you have the old bridal off the kite. PKD uses a series of interconnected loops, so the bridal's nice and smooth, no knots to get tangled. I'm assuming most kites are similar. Then one by one you start at the kite and assemble the new bridal using the same knotting method they came apart with.

What type of line would I buy for bridles and strength?