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Niall Barrett
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RRD Religion

Postby Niall Barrett » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:44 am

The new RRD religions arrived at SOS in Fremantle Western Australia, 2 weeks ago, unfortunately just as our summer thermal breeze season here nears an end, but northern hemispere forum readers may be curious to know what they are like before their season begins, as it has been hard to find an online review.

To give you my perspective I am dedicated surfboard riding wavekiter and i generally prefer strapped and hooked in with down the line off the lip aerials manoeuvres what floats my boat.

There was a lot of hype about a 'dedicated wave kite' at least 6m ago, but when the kite failed to materialise people were starting to wonder was it all just 'piss and wind', but then those of us lucky enough to get a quiver rom the fisrt batch to arrive in Australia 2 weeks ago have been well impressed, and I do not apologise for pimping such a great wavekite as it may just be the advance that a lot of dedicated surfboard riders have been waiting for.

How does it fly?
This is not touted as 'do it all' kite, but as a dedicated wave kite and it's all about the turn......... incredibly quick and smooth with no stall, no jerk, and quicker around the corner than a type 9, which is saying something. It is absolutely the fastest turning kite I or I expect anyone else will have ever used, and it may take a bit of getting used to if you have been riding slow kites til now. The 11.5 turns nearly as quick as the 9m type 9 and faster than most 7m kites. This opens the door on performance riding in 12-15 kts. When you're on the 7m its so quick you forget just what you can achieve to start with. A section looms downwind and where previously you would have been waiting for the kite to come around you have already snapped around and bashed the lip on the religion.

The struts and LE are big and solid [it takes a lot of pumping but is one pump as with all RRDs] and the whole thing feel absolutely rock solid in the air. It has been reinforced to take a hammering if you drop it, with big Dacron cross reinforcments on the canopy. Consequently, combined with it's bold square low aspect shape this kite is going to really stand out from every other kite at your local.

If you do more park and ride style, It drifts back beautifully as you ride downwind, but is always just sitting there waiting for bar input. The power level as it is thrown across the window is constant and smooth and easily killed with depower, keeping the rider in control, but by the same token it would not satisfy someone wanting massive boosts. Upwind is much improved on the type 9 and is on par with the Obsession and most modern kites. The bar pressure is really light coming off the type 9 and I expect those who have suffered elbow tendonitis will welcome this, but for me it takes a little adjusting not to be able to crank down on the bar for balance or any extra squirt of power.

The RELIGIONS are not grunty size for size and alot of the quoted area is in those big foward sitting square tips for turning speed. I would suggest one compares the religion more with a C kite [and to look at they are really a low aspect bridled C] than a bow, on a size to wind range comparison, so the 11.5 would have equivalent wind range to most 10s in a more bow shape.

For Perth WA kiters John and Andy at SOS have demo kites available and If you see me at Scarbs I am happy to give people a go.

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J-GAR
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Re: RRD Religion

Postby J-GAR » Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:50 pm

Niall.

Nice review.

I have ridden the 10m Religion a couple of times in the waves and what a great wave kite. Your review is spot on.

I did find the low end to be decent though, maybe just a tad bit less than the 10.5 Obsession.

I believe the first quivers for purchase are coming soon in March to the USA. Can't wait to get my 6m and 9m.

John

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Niall Barrett » Fri Mar 05, 2010 4:09 pm

I am now really loving these kites.

It's my third week but we had a big trough last weekend so I am spending as much time on the water as I can last few days. I am so excited about where these kites are taking me I can hardly sleep with my head dreaming up possibities. I am totally used to the light bar now and everything is happening smoother and more vert than before. The upwind is so good I am actually riding twice as many waves, my arms arent getting tired but i am getting some serious skinwear from my boardies as I can't seem to get out of the water til it gets dark or the wind dies.

I take back what i said about grunt as I am finding a lower light wind limits by throwing it up and down at the edge of the window. Its so fast it generates heaps of power this way. Yesterday i was out on the 7m in 30kts plus, overhead waves, in complete control [well almost] and loving it. Today it dropped back to 20kts as the session wore on and i was still fanging upwind.

Check out what some of the local riders are saying at this link. Some close ups of the kite and bar too

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topi ... C_ID=63093

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Andyfly » Sun Apr 11, 2010 3:44 pm

Hello Everybody! :D
Wow!
so many nice comments about this kite!

I just got it lately… right when my trip here in the Philippines started to be more waves-oriented…
Had a look on the post Niall pointed on seabreeze.com.au… seems I have to be really careful about what I will write! … there’s some arguing about riders writing to push their brands…
Anyway… the following, are my ideas… and believe they are true or not… there’s not much of negative in it…

For sure (and nobody that had a go with this kite probably disagree…) is a totally different kite from the rest available now :idea: … A SLE C kite, agreeing with Niall’s description. Massive tips give to the kite plenty of response plus a big leading edge and a new bridle system make it stay more into the power. All that ends up in a totally different way of flying that really match with what is needed for riding waves down the line without too much kite movement :D
As pointed already is amazing the way it just stay in the air delivering power during the riding… no need to steer it to much when power is missing, just a little touch on the bar will fix immediately the lack. I have to admit that the first time I tried I had problem to get used to it :oops: , trying to do a lot more than was needed… trying to make it fly the way I was doing with the Obsession.
I don’t want now say that Obsession is not good anymore for wave riding, I still love it… at all! but Religion… make life easier :D … that’s it.
I can totally understand all those comments from riders that are improving so much… it is a very reliable friend during your moves in the waves, and doesn’t ask too much to keep delivering his power.

What I really love, especially for my kind of wave-riding style, is the huge power it can deliver when in the light wind condition you do start moving it… especially when you are coming down from the wave with the feeling that you have not enough power to go back and hit the lip, there is when it totally amaze me: if you have this kite attached to your bar: just send it back, and before it’s even half way the power on your body is enough to make you think that is time to bring it back, results: you hit the lip with so much power :thumb: , due to the kite position still in the power zone, that the spry is double the size of the wave!
Maybe this short clip can give a better idea of what I’m trying to describe, is about a very light wind day:

Image

With proper wind it can really stay around the power zone, without having that kind of wide side-window to side-window flying that will make you have an hard life with timing and inconstant power delivering.
This clip should better explain what I mean:

Image

Following are my 3 favorites quality of this toy:

- Fast reactivity :thumb: :
as soon as you pull on one of the bar side it starts transferring plenty of power without delay, this mean that in those kind of moments you really need some more power (going fast downwind to reach that section of the wave that you need to be at; fix a mistake you made not transferring the right pressure on the board at the right moment, and so on…) the Religion will give it to you immediately with just a little action on the bar… meaning: no need to steer the kite all the way on the opposite site, just a little pressure and the kite will change is angle and start flying and pulling without any delay. No need to loop with proper wind… And if you do loop it you can ride a wave even when you are struggling to ride back upwind! (as in the clip…)

- Wide wind range :D :
Easy control when over-powered… but still good in light wind. I’ve the 10… and I go out with it as much as I would go with 10.5 OBS2 in light wind, if less, just a little… actually for wave riding especially in low wind condition I prefer more the power that this kite can deliver during direction changes and loops.
About the hi-end… when I can ride waves with good power with my 7 OBS2 the Religion 10 can still do the job… last time I went out with some other rider one guy came asking why I was still with a 10 when he was happy with is 7… my answer was… that it was still fun…

- Solidity :thumb: :
solid than everything else I have ever been flying:
the structure is compact and rigid, you have this feeling even before it’s inflated: a strong kite. Once ready you can see easily that even the worst self landing on a bad surface will not easily damage your kite, plenty of dacron around the leading-edge-tip areas; much more around every panel, it all give you the feeling you can try a little harder… had a really bad crash in a two meter heavy shore break… to late in getting out, the lip sucked the board and myself down at the very last second… very bad for my body and the board… we both got smashed on the send! as soon as I was standing on the shore, no tension on the lines anymore, I realized the kite was having the same treatment from the same wave 20mt ahead… I still feel pain thinking back at the all picture! but… nothing bad happened: the kite was there on the shore, plenty of sand and water on top, and the guys on the beach, as well as me to tell the truth, couldn’t believe the bladders didn’t blow-up and no any rip was on the material…
And more… few days ago I twisted a little my knee loosing control of the board on bumpy water at full speed on a stupid small wave… strong pain at the moment… didn’t want to keep going… had to make a self landing right on the dry reef, couldn’t walk on that all the way back to the beach… well… the kite is still all in one piece… no rips, no scratches…
I’m traveling around the Philippines since 6 months now, the most of the time I’m alone… plenty of spots with reef and very little sandy beaches for landing… Feel way happier now with this armoured-kite :D

I’m very curious about how good it could be for teaching :?: : water-relaunching is so easy,
no need at all to grab the side line: it just rotate on its self and fly up by using the bar… depower is plenty (with the stopper all the way far…), smooth and predictable. I’m sure it would give an easier time to the students… and for sure to the kite school owner!

It does go easily up wind!
Definitely this kind of “more into the power zone flying” make wave-riding really enjoyable: you have not to wait for your kite to end his race on the other side of the window when changing its run. it just turns and stops in the power making your life easier during the riding. When talking with the RRD guys in the meeting in Corsica for the 2010 French Market (at that time, Sept09, there where only prototypes ready) the idea of a kite that could fly more inside the window was sounding very good to me: faster turning speed, less answering delay, less stalls…
but…. going upwind??? that was my concern: would have it be able to go upwind easily wile staying so much inside the window??? but… don’t ask me how… it does go upwind… no problem at all for that :thumb:

What about freestyle???
for sure it gives is best in the waves:
- steady, predictable and with plenty of power available at every moment on the bar in offshore wind…
- very fast in on shore wind to make you go back to the lip without spending time waiting for stalls or delay during its turning…
But all this doesn’t mean that it’s not going to work at all for freestyle… I love the way it loops and the constant power it deliver, don’t really mind to use those quality during my transitions with my directional…

Of course… Obsession is the one for my twin-tip, but in case I’m in a spot with a good flat water inside and waves on the reef, and I am too lazy to pump-up two kites but starving enough for both conditions with both kind of boards, (especially when I’m alone and self-landing is too tricky to risk twice…) there I go: Religion is the one for both sessions…

Bar Pressure on the 10: I reckon is a little more than 10.5 OBS2,

Negative points:
don’t know… I’m sorry for the ones that are going to think that is something I have to write…
but I don’t really see any of them… luck of grunt for someone: when I need more… I just make it move! Maybe the bag for some other? well, as far as it keep and protect my kite… for me is fine…

Here a movie about this discovering trip; you can see a little of both, Religion and Obsession, in the waves… pay attention on the window width during the kites movement for the wave-riding…

Image

That’s all… and, as always, there’s not better truth than… trying!

Mabuhay (a great life…) to all :bye: ,
Andy

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Bowman » Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:24 pm

What about unhooked performance ?

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Andyfly
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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Andyfly » Mon May 03, 2010 11:55 am

Bowman wrote:What about unhooked performance ?
Do you mean... riding waves unhooked?

anyway...
here where I'm wind is always very gusty... :evil: strong or light that's how it always is...
not the best for unhook in the waves...
need a lot of work on power adjusting... :angryfire: evreytime...

As soon as I'll have a better day I'll try...

Following is a link to a clip of action in a really light wind day:

Image

bye :bye:

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Bowman » Mon May 03, 2010 9:24 pm

Both, riding waves and freestyle as well.....

Nice video btw. :thumb:

Cheers,

Nico

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby jjjlaudenslager » Tue May 11, 2010 2:19 am

I wonder if Niall, J-GAR, Andyfly or anyone else who has tried the RRD Religion in waves, can compare with same size Slingshot RPM, Epic Renegade or Wainman __ in waves?

Maybe a comparison as inclusive as this between a 6m RPM and 6m Renegade:

viewtopic.php?t=2363142&p=641035

If this link doesn't work, search for "short test SS RPM 6m vs Epic Renegade 6m", on Google, Kiteforum or somewhere.

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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Aiste » Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:59 am

Here's what we wrote few months ago after trying Religion for the first time in La Ventana, Mexico http://www.spotas.lt/?p=471&lang=en

I find the review interesting because an experienced windsurfer compared riding Religion with the windsurfer. Due to its responsiveness, speed and direct feel.

Now I have two of these - 6 and 9 - enjoying every second of the ride

cheers!
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Phil
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Re: RRD Religion

Postby Phil » Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:33 pm

Last WE I had a go for a 2 hours ride in 12-20knts with a 10m2 Religion.
I was not comfortable at first in the lower wind range, the tendeancy to oversheeting and stop in the air when moving the kite in the lulls was pretty annoying.
When the wind picked up a bit I trim the kite a little and the oversheeting issue was gone!!
No more complaint... I enjoyed the ride until my body gave up.
A very nice kite for sure, but a bit technical in the lower wind range (at least for a first session with it :cool2: ). To be honest I had the same problem with the North Fuse this winter when trying it for the first time. I Probably need some time to adapt to the different depower range of each kite (I ride Naih kites 90% of the time, Cult & Charger).

I am definitely looking forward to more time with the Religion in solid wave and wind condition :bye:

Phil
Have Fun & Ride Safe


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