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Finally got to ride my newly acquired 2013 16m Crossbow. I was able to pick up this almost new kite at a fantastic price so I grabbed it. For a long time I have wanted to grab a high aspect kite and see what the hype is all about. After about a 2 hour sesh today I started to get a feel for the kite. Wind was from 8 to 18mph. weight 185lbs, riding my awesome new Crazyfly cruiser pro 146x48. First off I am convinced nothing happens in anything below 10mph. I have seen everything from big Foils , turbines, and fat ladys to name a few. And even If it does you are not relaunching. 10 to 11mph seemed to be the bottom for me.( just enough to maybe get going with downwind start)
Kite works well with anchor self launch, really comes to life around 12mph, 13 to 16 is the sweetspot, I still felt fine up to about 18mph.
The kite flew great! You can see how much more forward in the window it flies, upwind was excellent. It moved through the air a little faster than I was expecting also. another surprise was the bar pressure, It felt fine to me.
In the end I was very pleased with my first day on this beast. I think its the perfect kite to ride in light conditions when you know the wind will stay light. I know lots of folks prefer not to ride kites over 12/13 because they can still ride with a surf board etc, but there is something to be said for a bigger kite that is truly powered at 12 to 15 mph.
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matth wrote:Finally got to ride my newly acquired 2013 16m Crossbow. I was able to pick up this almost new kite at a fantastic price so I grabbed it. For a long time I have wanted to grab a high aspect kite and see what the hype is all about. After about a 2 hour sesh today I started to get a feel for the kite. Wind was from 8 to 18mph. weight 185lbs, riding my awesome new Crazyfly cruiser pro 146x48. First off I am convinced nothing happens in anything below 10mph. I have seen everything from big Foils , turbines, and fat ladys to name a few. And even If it does you are not relaunching. 10 to 11mph seemed to be the bottom for me.( just enough to maybe get going with downwind start)
Kite works well with anchor self launch, really comes to life around 12mph, 13 to 16 is the sweetspot, I still felt fine up to about 18mph.
The kite flew great! You can see how much more forward in the window it flies, upwind was excellent. It moved through the air a little faster than I was expecting also. another surprise was the bar pressure, It felt fine to me.
In the end I was very pleased with my first day on this beast. I think its the perfect kite to ride in light conditions when you know the wind will stay light. I know lots of folks prefer not to ride kites over 12/13 because they can still ride with a surf board etc, but there is something to be said for a bigger kite that is truly powered at 12 to 15 mph.
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Sounds awesome! What did you ride before you got your new 2013 16m Crossbow?

I had an Ocean Rodeo 15m flite. Nice kite, flew well, good relaunch. Not as good upwind and I would say I needed around 12mph to get going on the OR. Was not a fan of the bar and the two valve system either.
I was only able to get that one sesh on the Cab before the season ended here in Mass. But it felt great , will post more in the spring after some more flying time.

I've got a Flite 17 and a XB16 too - totally different kites. I saw your Flite 15 for sale and wished I could have grabbed it...

Find the 17 and the 16 have a limited range, as they start pulling you downwind when they power up; but the Flite is more agile, and better for riding with a directional. The XB is fine for free ride but is REALLY slow...

... I actually prefer the OR bar to the Cab bar too