Re: Ride Engine 2018 Harnesses
Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 5:01 pm
Yeah Cap, it is a great harness no doubt. I like your idea of a beefier freestyle/team build. I'm no Aaron Hadlow by any stretch but I would buy a burlier version if it were offered.
(btw, check out the straps on the Ion Hadlow/Team harness..........it looks like seat belt webbing. )
Part of my bias is I believe I got an anomaly/defective one. (which RE took care of!) The smaller tube webbing became frayed after a week. Also the printed Ride Engine graphic peeled off in the same week. The harness fit me great and was comfy but the thing just kind crapped out. Yes I know how to double back the straps to prevent slippage, but mine just didn't want to hold well.
I found the review of Mystic's Majestic X on Real's site by a user named "Coleman" to be interesting.....
Good try
by Coleman on Jun 29, 2017
First off let me say I'm biased, I started Ride Engine and invented the hardshell harness. Having this harness on the market is both annoying because its definitely a copy of my design but its also really cool to see the design entering the mainstream and pushing the sport of kiting forward. I'm gonna try to put my feelings aside and just give this thing an honest review. This is definitely a really good harness, Mystic spent over 2 years figuring out how to copy the Ride Engine harness and it shows. Its comfortable and better than most harnesses on the market. That being said they made a few mistakes.
I think a big one is that the shell's wings flex. They try to play it off as a feature but having the shell flex creates pressure points because the part that is flexing is pushing on the area directly underneath whatever part is flexing. If the wings were rigid like the Ride Engine it would distribute that pressure evenly across that side of the harness. Basically you end up paying for a hard shell but because they didn't make it strong enough where it really counts you don't really get the benefit of a shell harness.
My second critique would be their entry system. I used to ride Mystic before I started ride engine and found that if I modified their clicker bar with a sliding rope it would start releasing unexpectedly. I lost my kite a half dozen times from the harness closure spontaneously opening. My friend I won't name rides for Mystic and said he still has this issue enough that he started using a spreader bar from another brand. Also when its not exploding it seems to get stuck a lot and is generally frustrating when your hands get cold or there is much sand around.
Third the shell isn't curved in the vertical direction so it doesn't lock into the lumbar portion of your back and tends to ride up. On the other hand if your back is too flat for the Ride Engine shells or you like to slide your harness around when you ride toe side this could make the harness a better option than the ride engine.
My fourth comment is more personal than design based. They put the word "patented" all over this harness but what they have patented is the resin they are using in the shell. The design of the shell is a patent that I hold and they are infringing on. There's a million different resins you could use that would get the job done so why would they bother to spend $25k to patent the one they used? The reason is that they wanted to use the word "patented" to imply that they had a patent on the shell. Look at their marketing, they say "patented bionic core frame" not "hardshell harness with patented resin". I think this was a pretty dirty attempt to take credit for something they didn't invent and mislead consumers.
Anyhow I'd give the harness 5 stars but the wings flex so that knocks it down to 4 and then the entry system sucks so that knocks it down to 3. I'd take another star off for the deceptive marketing and infringement but that's not related to the performance of the harness so I'll leave it at 3 stars.
I'd have to dispute a few of those claims in the review. Again I'm aware that harness fit is truly subjective. No two people are built the same. So not sure it's even worth a retort but the Mystic does NOT create pressure points. At least not on me. When properly tightened down it feels very comfortable and doesn't ride up even when sending it on big jumps. Someone did a thread on riding their RE loose. I didn't comment, but I feel like this harness might be a better option for that application as well. The lack of lumber pad makes the harness still feel comfortably even when not totally snugged down. I did this yesterday while riding.
Secondly the claim on Clicker bar 4.0 jamming, not working or exploding open seems a bit of a stretch. Yes Mystic had issues on past variations on the Clicker system, (of which I've used and friends have owned) but this system works as advertised. I'm not sure how you could jam it short of burying it or packing it with sand. The system closes and locks with a definitive click, and opens via two fingers squeezing the latch. I can't envision a scenario accidentally hitting the release mechanism while riding. Oh well, but seems a bit of playing on prior issues associated with the brand.
Nothing against Coleman or RE, (I have ZERO ties to Mystic) but this review seems beneath them. Not necessary. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all........Imitation can breed innovation too and I think that's what Mystic has done. Make a few tweaks to the harnesses or offer a Team build that gives an option for buyers. You did the legwork I believe you're due the credit. Don't be salty because someone knocked off the hardshell concept and hit a few of their own bullseyes with it.
(btw, check out the straps on the Ion Hadlow/Team harness..........it looks like seat belt webbing. )
Part of my bias is I believe I got an anomaly/defective one. (which RE took care of!) The smaller tube webbing became frayed after a week. Also the printed Ride Engine graphic peeled off in the same week. The harness fit me great and was comfy but the thing just kind crapped out. Yes I know how to double back the straps to prevent slippage, but mine just didn't want to hold well.
I found the review of Mystic's Majestic X on Real's site by a user named "Coleman" to be interesting.....
Good try
by Coleman on Jun 29, 2017
First off let me say I'm biased, I started Ride Engine and invented the hardshell harness. Having this harness on the market is both annoying because its definitely a copy of my design but its also really cool to see the design entering the mainstream and pushing the sport of kiting forward. I'm gonna try to put my feelings aside and just give this thing an honest review. This is definitely a really good harness, Mystic spent over 2 years figuring out how to copy the Ride Engine harness and it shows. Its comfortable and better than most harnesses on the market. That being said they made a few mistakes.
I think a big one is that the shell's wings flex. They try to play it off as a feature but having the shell flex creates pressure points because the part that is flexing is pushing on the area directly underneath whatever part is flexing. If the wings were rigid like the Ride Engine it would distribute that pressure evenly across that side of the harness. Basically you end up paying for a hard shell but because they didn't make it strong enough where it really counts you don't really get the benefit of a shell harness.
My second critique would be their entry system. I used to ride Mystic before I started ride engine and found that if I modified their clicker bar with a sliding rope it would start releasing unexpectedly. I lost my kite a half dozen times from the harness closure spontaneously opening. My friend I won't name rides for Mystic and said he still has this issue enough that he started using a spreader bar from another brand. Also when its not exploding it seems to get stuck a lot and is generally frustrating when your hands get cold or there is much sand around.
Third the shell isn't curved in the vertical direction so it doesn't lock into the lumbar portion of your back and tends to ride up. On the other hand if your back is too flat for the Ride Engine shells or you like to slide your harness around when you ride toe side this could make the harness a better option than the ride engine.
My fourth comment is more personal than design based. They put the word "patented" all over this harness but what they have patented is the resin they are using in the shell. The design of the shell is a patent that I hold and they are infringing on. There's a million different resins you could use that would get the job done so why would they bother to spend $25k to patent the one they used? The reason is that they wanted to use the word "patented" to imply that they had a patent on the shell. Look at their marketing, they say "patented bionic core frame" not "hardshell harness with patented resin". I think this was a pretty dirty attempt to take credit for something they didn't invent and mislead consumers.
Anyhow I'd give the harness 5 stars but the wings flex so that knocks it down to 4 and then the entry system sucks so that knocks it down to 3. I'd take another star off for the deceptive marketing and infringement but that's not related to the performance of the harness so I'll leave it at 3 stars.
I'd have to dispute a few of those claims in the review. Again I'm aware that harness fit is truly subjective. No two people are built the same. So not sure it's even worth a retort but the Mystic does NOT create pressure points. At least not on me. When properly tightened down it feels very comfortable and doesn't ride up even when sending it on big jumps. Someone did a thread on riding their RE loose. I didn't comment, but I feel like this harness might be a better option for that application as well. The lack of lumber pad makes the harness still feel comfortably even when not totally snugged down. I did this yesterday while riding.
Secondly the claim on Clicker bar 4.0 jamming, not working or exploding open seems a bit of a stretch. Yes Mystic had issues on past variations on the Clicker system, (of which I've used and friends have owned) but this system works as advertised. I'm not sure how you could jam it short of burying it or packing it with sand. The system closes and locks with a definitive click, and opens via two fingers squeezing the latch. I can't envision a scenario accidentally hitting the release mechanism while riding. Oh well, but seems a bit of playing on prior issues associated with the brand.
Nothing against Coleman or RE, (I have ZERO ties to Mystic) but this review seems beneath them. Not necessary. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all........Imitation can breed innovation too and I think that's what Mystic has done. Make a few tweaks to the harnesses or offer a Team build that gives an option for buyers. You did the legwork I believe you're due the credit. Don't be salty because someone knocked off the hardshell concept and hit a few of their own bullseyes with it.