New Ride Engine harness review

[Huib]

THX for the replies. It wake me up.
Tommorow I am going to pick up a 10"bar.
I looked on video to my riding style. That is not good. I can see my feet easily
That may also explain why I can not jump higher than 5 to 6 meters. I can't pop well.
Hopefully I 'll come this week with better results on the WOO and the RE!

[Huib]

Today out with the RE and instead of the 8", the 10" bar with slider
With very well powered gusty winds I had a comfortabel session.
No squeezing on my sides.
I also change my riding style and I had no problems harness riding up.
Coming from a seat harness I feel, I have use different muscles
Overall the harness gives me a lot of freedom and more comfor then any other harness I have tried.
I'll keep the harness
Very important seems to be, a right fit!

[Yodarocket31]

Can anyone speak to their experience using the RE slider bar for general freeriding/jumping/etc?

How does it feel/compare to a traditional spreader bar w/hook when doing front rolls, back rolls, boosting, and so on?

[Huib]

I have been out with the RE slider now 6 times. For me, boosting is the same as with a traditional spreader. Freeriding / making transitions is very comfortable.
I also have one question. Has anybody notice damage on the chickenloop over time? I don't see any at the moment.

[magic%20Ed]

I like to use a sock, slides easier over the rope:
http://www.nauticashop.nl/rvs-eikousen/ ... 33119.html
(6mm, otherwise it is to small to allow the loop to be pulled through when releasing)

[kooshball]

I have been out with the RE slider now 6 times. For me, boosting is the same as with a traditional spreader. Freeriding / making transitions is very comfortable.
I also have one question. Has anybody notice damage on the chickenloop over time? I don't see any at the moment.

Slow wear on CL; I am going to wax the spreader rope and see how that works. I assume that you can get replacement CL plastic tube at any hardware store; replacing it takes 1-minutes.

[Huib]

I have been out with the RE slider now 6 times. For me, boosting is the same as with a traditional spreader. Freeriding / making transitions is very comfortable.
I also have one question. Has anybody notice damage on the chickenloop over time? I don't see any at the moment.

Slow wear on CL; I am going to wax the spreader rope and see how that works. I assume that you can get replacement CL plastic tube at any hardware store; replacing it takes 1-minutes.

Maybe not so good idea if wax attracks sand

[kooshball]

I have been out with the RE slider now 6 times. For me, boosting is the same as with a traditional spreader. Freeriding / making transitions is very comfortable.
I also have one question. Has anybody notice damage on the chickenloop over time? I don't see any at the moment.

Slow wear on CL; I am going to wax the spreader rope and see how that works. I assume that you can get replacement CL plastic tube at any hardware store; replacing it takes 1-minutes.

Maybe not so good idea if wax attracks sand

Not thick heavy wax but a thin application...more like waxing a car than the deck of a surfboard. Many high end ropes come lightly waxed from the factory...it is all about getting a wax with the right hardness and melt point.

[Flyfish]

I've been using a slider for quite some time and have been using only the CL on the rope for a while. I went to the hardware store and got some tubing and put it over the CL tubing. No pics right now, but basically used some electrical tape to hold the sacrifice tubing on.
Been happy with it.

[John-B]

Had my first outing on my new Ride Engine the other day, moderately powered 9m weather so thought I’d give a little feedback.

First things first you definitely need to size up from what you’d normally get in a standard harness. I’m narrow hipped and take a 32” waist in jeans with usually some room to spare and all my harnesses have been small. My last other harness was a NP Surf Flash in small and I have this pulled about as tight as it would go. When I tried a small RE it would fit OK with just a t-shirt, but when it came to wetsuit and one of those Mystic wind hoodies it was at it’s limits and this is pre Xmas bloat! The size I have settled on is a medium with a 10” bar as this seem to give the best fit to prevent the ‘squeeze’!

So out and moderately powered on my 9m for three hours non-stop riding and I can report it works exactly as advertised. Once you size it right and put it on it just won’t budge. It literally sucked to the small of my back and stayed put with zero movement. This was very weird at first as I had grown to prefer a really minimalistic and flexible harness – primarily to allow me freedom of movement. However, this meant the harness would move – not as in spin but it would flex with me i.e. when I jumped and boned out a grab with a twist the harness would conform. The RE just wouldn’t do this and simply stays fixed which meant a little adjustment to my technique.

Now it might seem like a juxtaposition going from a super soft flexible harness to one that is moulded with a hard shell? However, the RE is just so small that it allows me the same if not more freedom of movement plus other benefits, with the main one being absolutely no ‘squeeze’. What I mean by this, and until you try the RE it is hard to really imagine properly, is that when you are powered the pull through the spreader bar will still allow the harness to compress at the sides and pull through the back to squeeze you. Actually think about the term spreader bar – it spreads the load from the kite across its width, but beyond this no matter how much thermoformed x-bracing or whatever in the shell - the amount of force through it is going to compress it. On the RE the shell and the spreader bar sort of create... a halo around you and instead of the kite pulling through you it is wrapped around and pulls the whole of you.

This ability to deliver and spread the force around you somehow manages to free you up and the steering response of the kite feels different – a bit like having power steering. It also allows you to engage your core and lower body in a different way as you are no longer having to counteract the compression forces. Normally after a session I’d not be able to do any abdominal work when training for a few days – the day after I never managed a full set, but about half and that is a half more than I’ve been able to do previously. It also really hugs your back in a nice way – you are aware there is something stiff there, but in a positive way and you can properly lean into it.

So there you have it – a harness that somehow provides power steering for your kite with added comfort for your back and core thrown in. If you can’t get your head around how different it is then you need to try it... worth the extra spend, yep in my book it was for sure.

Cheers to the guys at Ride Engine UK and FC Watersports for the advice - if you need help with sizing then get in touch with them as they were on the money with me.