mariojay wrote: ↑Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:04 pm
Hello, my name is Mario and I'm the designer of DYNABAR and other JAY company equipment.
Some of you remember the effort we made in 2008 to bring to market the Sliding Hook System SHS and after 9 versions and 5500pcs sold
we are trying to understand why this solution is not yet well accepted by all kiters despite thousands of happy customers.
Since 3 years ago the market leaders didn't consider SHS as a valid option to bring to market, but in 2014 Mystic and DaKine designed a
"sliding hook on webbing" solution. It was not bad for us to have no-competitors, but we knew that competition was the key-factor to let
spread this technology.
2014 was also the year RideEngine started to produce custom Rigid Shell Waist Harness RSWH equipped by DYNABAR as an SHS option.
Rigid harness limits body compression due to harness strain caused by pull load.
In 2015 JAY designed PowerBand and WingedPad, a solution to upgrade any soft harness to a no-strain RSWH harness.
Finally 2017 is the year almost all brands producing accessories have a RSWH equipped by a SHS in their catalogue: Mystic, Dakine, ION, ProLimit, RideEngine, JAY and Brunotti.
Today the kite harness technology 2.0 is here and every kiter should consider to use it.
First I remind the benefits of a SHS
Easy to walk on the beach, specially when you are beginner
Less stress to back muscles and less back pain.
Reduced body compression
Reduced waist harness ride up
Increased hip movement using a seat harness
Better up-wind angles
Improved wave riding style, specially in strong winds
Easy toe side in waveriding and foiling.
A must in snowkiting esing ski and directional snowboard.
Second let's identify the target for SHS:
100% wave
100% freeride
100% snow
1% freestyle
Let say 91% of the kitesurfing community should use a SHS.
Third, RSWH and SHS technologies
RE started the challenge and they use fiberglass-carbonfiber-resin composite as shell keeping a standard harness construction,
they also designed a SHS with dyneema rope slider as DYNABAR. Rigid shell distributes load on the back and limit body compression
due to kite pull.
JAY introduced first ABS in 2014 and FlexTech 2.0 in 2015, both designed to limit compression without limiting body movement.
in 2017 JAY designed also a new assembly technology who allows to easily replace wear out or broken parts.
DaKine, Mystic and ProLimit introduced new thermoplastic composites the shell is made of, the harness construction technology
is almost the same as RideEngine, Same dyneema rope slider for the SHS.
My experience is that a rigid shell harness combined by a SHS is the best purchase a kiter can do, but other technical details,
like the composite flex and the construction quality, should be carefully kept in consideration before the purchase.
Forth, why you see few kiters using an SHS?
What a pity for all of you who missed a SHS during last 9 years...
My personal answer is that only when the market leaders start a wave in one direction than all the customers have to surf it.
My suggestion is "starting from tomorrow a rigid shell harness equipped by SHS is a must to have in your kite equipment",
but I'm involved in the business and my suggestion should be taken carefully.
Finally if there are questions I will be glad to answer them from my professional experience point of view.
Cheers