globerider kites :-)

[Guest]

got a GK Lift 11,5 & 14,2 about two weeks ago - I loved the 11,5 from the first moment, I had to get used to the 14,2 for about one hour and now I is my kite!
My weight is 68kg an I wil get the 8,8 too. I rode naish X3 and the Wipika AMP but I have to say that I found my kite now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
greez
neil

[Gerard]

Globerider kites are great kites, bomber consrtuction too.

Gerard
http://www.chicagokiteboarder.com
Globerider Chicago

[PH]

Aloha
Excellent to hear. It's awesome that so many people love the kites.

I have been on GRK's for 6+ month now and am super stoked as well.

Keep on kiting.
Aloha
Fabs

http://www.hawaiianwind.com

[Gpet78]

I also have the GK lift 14.2 for 2 weeks and i agree it is overall a very good kite but the low end performance really sucks. On the other hand the high end performance is unbeleavable.

I am 85kg and ride an 167cm TT and the kite starts upwind and small jumps at 12+ knots but you need to move the kite a lot. To lock the kite at 11-10 oclock you need at least 14knots. I have not found the high end yet but 22 knots feels really comfortable so i guess the high end must be over the 25knots.

Also another negative point is that the kite is not very rigid which is obvious in gusty winds. I dont know if this affects performance a lot since i know other high performance kites that do this too(eg Scoop 14.3) and perform great.

The advantages of the kite is the very smooth power through the whole window, very effective depower and the most important great verticall lift and hangtime.

What do you thing abou the low end performance or it is just me...

[PH]

Aloha
I have never flown any kite which is "great" in the low end.
If there is no wind, well, ther is none.

The low end of the GRK is just about average. Yes, the High end is excellent.
That's why I don't use the 14 and went streight for the 17.
Sometimes, I should have the 14, but the 17 holds real well untill I have to use the 11.
I use a pulley bar on all of the kites, which make them turn like a dream, sometimes almost too fast....need to make a shorter bar for the smaller kites.
The 14 should be ridden witht the 17 stock bar.
Backlines should not have any slack.
Some oversheeting might accure if you have a very long chicken loop.
All you need is ca 10 inch.max.
That's why I went to the Pulley.

To hold the kite @11 o/clock, depower the kite and it just sits there and poulls you upwind.
Works for me like nothing else I tried.

All the best,
Aloha
Kite safe
Fabs

[GK]

I also have the GK lift 14.2 for 2 weeks and i agree it is overall a very good kite but the low end performance really sucks. On the other hand the high end performance is unbeleavable.

Gpet, you might want to try flying the 14.2 on a fixed 4-line bar in light winds. either a pulley bar or just use the GK bar out of the chicken loop. Tighten your sheeting adj. strap so the kite flies forward faster and it will generate much more lift/pull. Flying fixed 4 also eliminates any jellyfishing.
You may have to lenghten the safety leash a little so you can stretch your arms out.

[dt]

From what I have read here, Globerider kites seem like excellent kites but I would be a little reluctant to by them because of resale value. (I know "kite resale value" is a bit of an oxymoron because used kites aint worth shite but for the sake of argument....) I worry about resale value because I worry that Globerider will eventually be kind of a has been like Wipika and like I suspect Takoon will be soon.

I think Wipika used to tied for first place with Naish in kites and then they had the Airblast delam problem and Bruno left and now I rarely see a new Wipika kite. None of the local dealers sell them. Wipika did a fantastic job of replacing the delam kites but still I think they have much smaller presence here and I think it would be tougher to sell a used Wipika because newbies might not have heard of Wipika. By the way, who is designing Wipika kites now?

[GK]

#1. Refraining from buying a high performance piece of equipment for the reason of resale value is pretty rediculous. Especially when that equipment is so highly rated. If something works its worth its money, even upon resale.
#2. Consider for a moment who might have been the driving force in the design team of Wipi and Takoon. Mat Pendle and Bruno Zinai were both members of these teams and they are now the designers of the GK LIFT, which surpasses both previous brands in performance.

Globerider is moving forward with two ranges for 2004, the LIFT 2 and also a lower AR range. They already have protos in production which will be avialable for viewing and testing at the Sept. SurfExpo in Orlando.
Globerider is here to stay!!!

[dt]

Does anyone know why Bruno left Takoon?

[GK]

Bruno L is still Takoon. Bruno Zinai was the designer of the original Skoop, he moved to Globerider when Mat Pendle started the company.
I'm not sure who is designing for Wipi now.