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It's there,I'm lazy,I use it. Unless it affects adversly the flying characteristics of kite.Nothing worse than mega looping a depowered poorly flying kite,behaves like shiiit

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.

You don't trim for gust but actual changes in wind speed. This is why we have trim straps and not just knots at the kite for trimming. What your describing is what it is for.

From my understanding Alex is a heavy rider and of course this piece wears out much faster than on someone half of his weight.

Cheers
Caesar

Haha people argue in such a silly way. To each his own. I have short arms and like to jump. I use my trim strap as it was a depower strap big f...n deal. Also I have had a few kites that fly like shot if the kite is 50% depowered or more so then it is time to change kites.

Problem is, that particular kite manufacturer's trimmer quits working in a ridiculously short amount of time and he's trying to convince me that it's because I'm using it wrong. Point being - there's no "wrong" - because everybody are using their trimmers to their own liking and habit.

Why not just mod the trim strap with a huge Peter lynn doona depower strap - if your wind can go from 8 - 25 ish.
Its what i did with my old Torches with a short throw and worked brilliant with funked up launch spots..

Yeh each to their own. I personally hate a depowered kite via using the strap. But I might make slight adjustments given the wind characteristics of the day. Also I ride the ozone kites on the shortest knot so I may slightly trim to open the kite up a bit when jumping big. Also sometimes in the surf I might add a bit more to really kill the kite given the throw. Depends really. But as far as fully using the depower to get through intense sessions, I'd rather change down.

edt wrote: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.

Hahaha! That is kinda funny, maybe not. (talking about the comparison, hehehe)

My RPM 10 can't be trimmed in too much. I barely touch the thing. If it gets to windy, I just pull in (don't have a smaller kite). But its really rare to find 25 + wind in PR.

But my Rally 14 can fly with similar characteristics with more trimming "Depower". I can hold my kite down to about 18kts. After that, I just pull out the RPM.

So if the wind starts off @ around 12kts(+-) I go for the 14M. If it goes up to 18kts, I trim and keep going, no need to go in. But even then, its a small adjustment to keep the bar closer, yóu know? I use my board and aoa to keep control.

If the issue is that your trim line is getting worn... perhaps you kite too much, lucky dog!

TheJoe wrote:

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.

You don't trim for gust but actual changes in wind speed. This is why we have trim straps and not just knots at the kite for trimming. What your describing is what it is for.

@TJ, do you agree that the RPM flies real different when trimmed too much? vs the Rally?

Kind of a funny thread here. Here is how I see it and explain it to new riders.

The depower strap or trim strap (what ever you want to call it) doesn't do anything to the kite at all unless you are on a fixed system similar to a pulley bar used on C kites. On a fixed line system you ARE trimming the kite based on power. On a regular system, you are adjusting where the bar is sitting in front of you. The more powered you are, the farther the bar will pull away from you as the kite has more power and the lines also cause more drag. As the bar pulls away from you, you have to adjust your body and lean forward causing you to have bad posture and loosing your edging ability. By pulling the trim stap in you are only shortening the front lines causing the bar to be closer to you. Of course you still have the same amount of power in the kite but can now edge the board better. Too much adjustment based on wind may cause you to lose turning speed.

If 2 people are the same weight with the same board but 1 person has much shorter arms, the person with shorter arms will feel as though they have significantly more power. (but they don't) Too many people seem to adjust the trim strap to compensate for line stretch instead of learning tune their equipment from time to time. I think I see this most often with people on Cabrinha kites more than any other. Not a windy day but have the strap fully trimmed so the kite doesn't stall. (learn to tune your gear)

I for one don't use the trim strap at all unless I don't have a smaller kite to rig or for a brief squall or while teaching or I didn't bring my other kites. My bars are setup perfect and I can ride hooked or unhooked without any adjustments. No backstall.