Above the Bar or Below the Bar?

[kitegirls]

That is the question.

Never tried below the bar but with the strong gusty winds, surf starting to come in and the tip-toe deltoid over-extensions I'm beginning to reconsider.

[nothing2seehere]

Its a personal preference thing. Many find that below trim is more difficult to adjust in strong wind and that setting the trim accurately with some bars isn't as easy.

I'm surprised you can't adjust your above the bar cleat. Many bar systems have an adjustable cleat system so that you can bring the trim closer to your body for those with short arms (I know North, Switch, Best and Liquid force do - as well as probably many others). Which bar are you using? It may be that you just need to adjust the trim cleat and you'll be happy with your current setup.

[andy00]

I find my below the bar tricky at the top end of the kites range, i have to stop to adjust it.

[seaplus]

Pros & Cons for each but my personnal con for above-the-bar is when I'm fully depowered...all that slack line slapping around is a tad distracting. Yeah yeah...it has a Velcro connect yet there can still be approximately a foot of looped rope slapping around.

[kitegirls]

Its a personal preference thing. Many find that below trim is more difficult to adjust in strong wind and that setting the trim accurately with some bars isn't as easy.

I'm surprised you can't adjust your above the bar cleat. Many bar systems have an adjustable cleat system so that you can bring the trim closer to your body for those with short arms (I know North, Switch, Best and Liquid force do - as well as probably many others). Which bar are you using? It may be that you just need to adjust the trim cleat and you'll be happy with your current setup.

On a 2016 Cabrinha TrimLite 1x. Nonadjustable and super long reach. Which bar do like best out of the ones that you tried?

[mbevo]

i use to have a liquid force cpr below bar - at top end of the kite it's so hard to adjust that i have to sit down, put the kite on one edge, use both hands to pull the thing in. I got rid of both kite and bar soon after it was too much hassle.

Above the bar on the other hand is super easy, I have short arms but you can always sheet out and grab onto the center line and pull down to reach the depower strap, can do it while riding. Personally I don't really mind the dangling, if you have to pull in that much you probably need a smaller kite anyways.

Feel wise, the core bar has the nicest/smoothest depower pull feel (they use a bungee). But all other bars I've tried (slingshot sentinel, north, best, switch) work just fine.

[kitegirls]

i use to have a liquid force cpr below bar - at top end of the kite it's so hard to adjust that i have to sit down, put the kite on one edge, use both hands to pull the thing in. I got rid of both kite and bar soon after it was too much hassle.

Above the bar on the other hand is super easy, I have short arms but you can always sheet out and grab onto the center line and pull down to reach the depower strap, can do it while riding. Personally I don't really mind the dangling, if you have to pull in that much you probably need a smaller kite anyways.

Feel wise, the core bar has the nicest/smoothest depower pull feel (they use a bungee). But all other bars I've tried (slingshot sentinel, north, best, switch) work just fine.

Carbrinha is a bungee as well. Every time I almost drop the cash on the Core bar the twist eject kinda freaks me out. Guess I should rent one and try it out. I couldn't imagine twisting in a microsecond pinch. My muscle memory would kick in and I'd try and pull release. Also, it doesn't look that easy to reattach once ejected if getting dragged thru the water.

[dylan*]

i use to have a liquid force cpr below bar - at top end of the kite it's so hard to adjust that i have to sit down, put the kite on one edge, use both hands to pull the thing in. I got rid of both kite and bar soon after it was too much hassle.

Above the bar on the other hand is super easy, I have short arms but you can always sheet out and grab onto the center line and pull down to reach the depower strap, can do it while riding. Personally I don't really mind the dangling, if you have to pull in that much you probably need a smaller kite anyways.

Feel wise, the core bar has the nicest/smoothest depower pull feel (they use a bungee). But all other bars I've tried (slingshot sentinel, north, best, switch) work just fine.

Yep, I'm not sure what it was about the old LF bars but they were pretty much impossible to trim with one hand, I could never get the leverage on the rope for whatever reason. Slingshot was much better but still not as easy as above the bar.

I don't think I would ever want to ride BTB systems ever again, there's just no advantage to it for me. ATB is just better in every way. Most cleats are adjustable too, so if you have very short arms you can just move it closer.

[norcom]

Hated the Slingshot below the bar design. Then started riding one and I wouldn't go back to above the bar if I don't have to.

BTB is not easier to adjust if you're overpowered. They're harder to reach if you're on the wrong tack to your dominant hand and side you set it up for (unless you have the LF one in the middle)

I wouldn't go back to above the bar though. BTB really grew on me. It's always nice and close and I know where it's at. I love the bar stopper as the only thing I control above the bar. When Slingshot came out with the new bar, I really wanted it but after seeing how much more comfortable I was on BTB to my ATB setups, I'm all for BTB. Just took a while to get there.

[NorCalNomad]

That is the question. . . tip-toe deltoid over-extensions I'm beginning to reconsider.

The question is why haven't you adjusted your bar properly? Get that cam cleat closer to yourself and you'll not have that problem