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What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite bar?

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TheJoe
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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby TheJoe » Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:48 pm

The biggest problem here is the use of the term "de-power". Kites don't have throttles! I blame the kite companies for all the ignorance out there on this topic because it was them that have been marketing kites with de-power.

Kites are designed to fly at a particular angle while holding a set shape. Trimming a kite is nothing more than keeping the AOA, and shape while keeping the bar in a comfortable spot. If your using your trim strap to "de-power" your kite all your doing is messing up the way it handles and flies. It's the same with people over sheeting for power and not being able to get upwind even though they think they have power.

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby L0KI » Wed Jun 26, 2013 11:56 pm

TheJoe wrote:The biggest problem here is the use of the term "de-power".
Kites don't have throttles!
Kites are designed to fly at a particular angle while holding a set shape.
Trimming a kite is nothing more than keeping the AOA, and shape while keeping the bar in a comfortable spot. If your using your trim strap to "de-power" your kite all your doing is messing up the way it handles and flies. It's the same with people over sheeting for power and not being able to get upwind even though they think they have power.
Totally agree.
plummet wrote: I think there's 2 schools of thought out there.
Dudes who think a kite is overpowered once they must trim to reduce power (i'm one of them) and dudes that think they are only overpowered when they have pulled the strap fully and can no longer hold an edge.

Dudes in the later group are the dangerous people that get themselves injured/killed.
You are correct...as usual. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby Thor SFBay » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:23 am

So the other day I'm out kiting, the wind picks up and gusts require that I let the bar go almost all the way out. So I pull the trim line a few inches to get the bar back into a comfortable range... Some of you guys would actually go back in and pump up a smaller kite? Really? You call that being "overpowered"? Later in the same session the wind dies down a bit and I let the trim strap back out all the way and some of the lulls require sining the kite. In my opinion, I picked the perfect size kite for those conditions.

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby 14ToeSide » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:29 am

What is Dimitris thought since he is a Kite company? Or Momi? Lets hear it from their prospective.

I guess it's wacked or coincidence when you pull the adjuster, trimmer or Depower whatever it is and the power in the Kite drops down? Hmmmmm?

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alexeyga
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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby alexeyga » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:41 am

I'd pay to see one of these smart arses who go by "if you need to touch the trimmer - time to pump up a smaller kite"-philosophy riding on any of our local spots.

First of all - getting in and out of water is a story on its own, so anybody more or less experienced around here thinks twice or trice before taking a decision of changing the kite size.

Second - a 12-25knts day is a good day around here. But you need a 13/15/17m kite to ride the lulls and you need a 9/10m to ride the gusts, and just to make it fun - every once in a while i dies below 8knts.

Third - I've ridden in quite a few locations around the world so far, and I have yet to see a spot where the winds are consistent enough - so that you can adjust the trimmer once at the beginning of you session and forget about it till calling it a day.

Perhaps my riding style is wrong, and I should fight the gusts by edging my board harder and using more brute force to hold the kite down... but in all honesty - i'm riding for the pleasure of it and that implies being able to trim the kite to my-own liking whenever the F@#$ i want.

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby plummet » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:44 am

Thor SFBay wrote:So the other day I'm out kiting, the wind picks up and gusts require that I let the bar go almost all the way out. So I pull the trim line a few inches to get the bar back into a comfortable range... Some of you guys would actually go back in and pump up a smaller kite? Really? You call that being "overpowered"? Later in the same session the wind dies down a bit and I let the trim strap back out all the way and some of the lulls require sining the kite. In my opinion, I picked the perfect size kite for those conditions.
Yep your slightly overpowered. Trim away thats what everyone does mid session. trim and ride the session out if your not too overpowered. if you stay constantly trimmed for the entire session then you should consider changing down a kite size. .... If you do or not depends on the conditions and how much more time you expect to spend on the water.

I rearly change up or down during a session. But my sessions are usually 1-2 hours. not much point rigging another kite. I'll just ride over or underpowered and then cut the session short if its not enjoyable anymore.

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby L0KI » Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:06 am

Thor SFBay wrote:So the other day I'm out kiting, the wind picks up and gusts require that I let the bar go almost all the way out. So I pull the trim line a few inches to get the bar back into a comfortable range... Some of you guys would actually go back in and pump up a smaller kite? Really? You call that being "overpowered"? Later in the same session the wind dies down a bit and I let the trim strap back out all the way and some of the lulls require sining the kite. In my opinion, I picked the perfect size kite for those conditions.
No, I leave my strap alone and keep kiting, edging more in stronger and less in weaker.
Same as we did when bars had eight inches of depower throw.

Alexey-I kite in lake wind 95% of the time (just exactly like you) and our conditions dictate that when you make a mistake going in or coming out, it happens on limestone rock, not sand or mud or grass.

Trim until your heart's content, but when you wear out a strap or a rope, buy a new one and quit your bitchin. Nobody but you knows how you can wear out a trim strap ten times faster than Dimitri and all his team riders, and all the instructors at his dealers and most of the people posting who own the strap that you and your best buddy are both wearing out in record time.
It's a mystery!

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby BWD » Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:50 am

good question, some silly answers and some good ones.
To me it's like asking, "what is the purpose of having a clutch on a car's transmission?"
Serves many purposes!
Some brag about how much they use it, others about how little.
It is helpful, though.

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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby 14ToeSide » Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:54 am

Or why turn on the windshield wipers? Just pull off the road till the rain quits!!

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edt
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Re: What is the real purpose of having a trimmer on a kite b

Postby edt » Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:00 am

if some of you anti-trim guys had short arms maybe you would understand how useful trim is. When you kite you don't hold the bar up against the chicken loop all the time, no you hold it a few inches away for better upwind performance well what if this distance is uncomfortable. That's why it's amazing to hit the trim. And then when you want to boost large, you let the trim out. It's incredibly useful, there's no reason to be anti-trim it's like being against short people with short arms that can't move the bar as far as you can.


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