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I like the simplicity.

I worry about a riders ability to identify and pull the correct release when being dragged underwater in a big wave situation.

I also wonder how hard it is to release under load?

Is the release ball too small?

I also want to know about the little T mar release.

plummet wrote:I like the simplicity.

I worry about a riders ability to identify and pull the correct release when being dragged underwater in a big wave situation.

(Exactly why I like the Cloud CS. One movement to release all in an emergency....not two movements. Easy to identify because you can touch both at the same time. Easy to remember because you do it every time you kite. And the two movements are different..push and pull...to avoid mixing up. And it is all up front....unlike a leash release sometimes, depending on where you connect it....could be hard to find or hard to reach.)

I also wonder how hard it is to release under load?

(The force required to release under heavy load or light load is the same.)

Is the release ball too small?

When I first saw pictures I actually worried the same. I wear size 8 1/2 gloves...XXL....the ball feels perfectly sized for gripping, even when wet).

I also want to know about the little T mar release.

(? T mar)

The more I use it the more I realize that this system and all it's component parts must have undergone an amazing amount of real world testing. Each thing I thought....well, maybe that won't be ideal....turns out when I use it....it's just right.

plummet wrote:I worry about a riders ability to identify and pull the correct release when being dragged underwater in a big wave situation.

I also wonder how hard it is to release under load?

Is the release ball too small?

Flag out is push away, disconnect is pull in. So no way to misidentify the correct one, also disconnect one is closest to the body and you practice release every time you land your kite.
Size is good enough to operate but without added bulk (gloves size XL).
Pin release should work fine under load, afaik it is the same system used on cabrinha bars/leashes for years, just the ball instead of T shaped plastic.

Looks very interesting! I have two more questions.
1) If you want to rotate the bar after a loop, can you let go of it or will it be out of reach then?
2) If you rotate much more to one side, the way I understand the system, the two front flying lines will intertwine below the ring, wright? And with a lot of that it will lose its primary safety feature? Is there a way to undo that besides rotating more in the other direction?

and i have only one question. how can one wright so voluminous review about so minimalistic thing and being able to elaborate the topic even further later?

The whole minimalist bar design seems like it started with strapless surfboard riders and the BRM products also seem to favor towards strapless surf riding (although many like it for other things.) Strapless riding is usually less power in the kite compared to riding a twintip.

So for those who have used the bar, do you think it is only for surf riding? Or will it also be good for powered jumping hooked-in as well?

It's probably unreasonable, but all those plastic bits on a typical bar just make me feel safe

that bar looks too awesome to not have.

ulx wrote:Looks very interesting! I have two more questions.
1) If you want to rotate the bar after a loop, can you let go of it or will it be out of reach then?
2) If you rotate much more to one side, the way I understand the system, the two front flying lines will intertwine below the ring, wright? And with a lot of that it will lose its primary safety feature? Is there a way to undo that besides rotating more in the other direction?

reply to 1) The bar will be out of reach if you let it go. So I just rotate it hand over hand. Or kind of spin it with one hand holding it in the center around the lines as if you were hold a baton. Or with the kite up high, you can spin it as you let go, then tug the center lines down a few inches to bring it back down. I suppose one could put a stopper on it and BRM could have easily done so.....but this is what they say on the website: " I prefer no restriction on how far I can extend the bar without hitting a stopper. I feel the massive dangers of any limit on depower travel far outweigh any convenience. When just riding back and forth this is maybe not a big issue. But situations do occur where the kite is positioned much deeper in the window where far greater bar travel is needed to achieve the desired angle of attack at the kite for performance and safety."

reply to 2) If you keep rotating via kiteloops in one direction only you will intertwine the flying lines. I tested it today. The intertwining occurs above and below the ring, spread out....more above. It did a whole bunch of one direction rotations but eventually it will compromise the single line flagging due to increased friction. (My Naish bar doesn't have a swivel and the swivels on one of my other bars doesn't work reliably so I already had a habit of looping both ways...but I guess others without the habit and who might loop a lot in a session would have to make sure to do that.)

So...you're right on both points. I do think the "primary" safety feature is actually the great depower when you just let go of the bar. The rear lines are slackened about a foot more than when I let go of the other bars. And of course I don't over loop on one direction so many times, so the flagging stays intact. If for some reason it ever didn't flag...your hand doesn't need to move, it is right there between the two quick release balls.

eree wrote:and i have only one question. how can one wright so voluminous review about so minimalistic thing and being able to elaborate the topic even further later?

geez....that is what my wife complains about. Retirement gives me the time to do it, but it is just a bad habit I have...200 words when 5 words would have done fine.