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Bow or C kites which jump the best

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konakiter
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Bow or C kites which jump the best

Postby konakiter » Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:42 pm

I been kiting for quite some time now, but i want a kite that has the best jumping performance, which kites has the best jumping capabality and what are the charactoristic differences in there jumps??? :D

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Postby gumball » Tue Nov 29, 2005 10:34 pm

For the last few days, I've been trying to figure that out. I've jumped pretty big on most bow type kites, and the Warooout jumps them all by a long shot. So for the last few days I've been riding the Warooand the Nemesis Pro back to back to try and determine which jumps better. End of the day, they both go huge but they are very different jumps. the Waroowins the hang time and "glide" time easy but the Nemi Pro wins on absolute height by maybe a foot or two on average, it's very close.

Today I was on the Nemi Pro 10m and the Waroo9m and here's a picture of me from this afternoon on the 9m in 23-25 knots. (As a point of reference, the slider in the background is about 7 feet tall - 2.2m)

Image

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Peter_Frank
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Re: Bow or C kites which jump the best

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Nov 29, 2005 10:39 pm

konakiter wrote:I been kiting for quite some time now, but i want a kite that has the best jumping performance, which kites has the best jumping capabality and what are the charactoristic differences in there jumps??? :D
Under powered conditions, I would definitely say a Bow kite is the better jumper !

Regarding differences:

Bow and C jumps the same height, under perfect conditions (for the C kite).

A C kite has more "kick in the ass" on takeoff.

Bows has more hangtime, normally - and because of this, spectators THINK you jump higher, and it definitely feels so, when you are in the air.

It is much easier to make high jumps almost every time, with a bow kite, and you can jump high and long, when you are powered, no matter whether you are halfway powered or full powered. In low power conditions you jump like shit though...

With a C kite, you need perfect power, and lots of skill - to be able to hold your edge and take off perfectly.
But once you are skilled and experienced, you can jump just as high with a C kite, no doubt. And MAYBE even higher, with a performance C kite ?

Just not every time you jump - because it is so much harder to get everything right with a C kite.

With a Bow, you just JUMP !

C kites are better at making air jibes / transitions though, is my experience.
You can generate more power burst, just when you need it :thumb:

Thats how I see the differences.

Kindly, Peter Frank.

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Postby Guest » Tue Nov 29, 2005 10:48 pm

I agree with the above (Gumball's) comments relating to Bow vs. C. There is one minor flaw though...

The comparison between bow and C-shaped is often not comparing apples with apples.

Let's say it's blowing 25 knots and you are of average weight (75kg). Most riders would probably pick a 9, 10 or 11 C-shaped kite in these conditions.

A bow rider will either pick something between a 9 and a 12. Remember, the projected area of C-shaped and Bow kites of the same flat size is very different. The 9 Bow is more like a 11-12 C-shaped and the 12 Bow is more like a 14-15 C-shaped.

So by the pure laws a physics, the Bow will jump higher and stay up there longer (it has more power and more loftiness).

I would assume that when you do a like-for-like comparison (i.e. a Bow 7 and a C-shaped 9-10) they're probably pretty similar when it comes to jumping hight.

I hope that helps.

MHD

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Postby not annonymous » Wed Nov 30, 2005 7:20 am

I only tried a bow kite once but...

The timing and feel for bow and c kites is very different. I suspect once you learn one it is very difficult to learn the other.

Bow kites jump much like the flysurfer kites I learned on and normally fly now. The one time I tried the crossbow 16 it was jumping very well for me and it felt good.

I tried an LEI for six months and I still can't seem to get good jumps on those things.

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KiteKarl
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Postby KiteKarl » Wed Nov 30, 2005 7:28 am

Jumping technique is very different between the two. With sent jumps on a c kite you are actually sweeping the kite through the apex twice and so get more height. With a bow you're just getting it to the apex and pulling the bar in. One of the main reasons that you get more hangtime on a bow is that you don't need to downloop it like you do on a c kite to control your landings.

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Postby FarQueLot » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:21 am

Since we are comparing apples to mongoose's will report my experiences
will admit to having only underpowered time crossbow 12 but liked it well enough especially for wave riding.
Have had more time on a gksonic11 and it feels better as far as bar system and ease of use. Find you have to be flying the kite a lot more rather then just putting the kite where you need it. Like the 13m Fuel a lot for being simple,just point the kite there and then play with your carving.
Have also used an 13m Venom Arc and reckon that out jumps them all and feel a lot safer if I blow the landing, they are perfect on a suicide leash.
Can use this kite in 14 knots to 30 knots+ and feel a lot more secure because the kite virtually un-luffable, and is easy to fly almost hands free.
Have found some people like bows, some don't, and most don't try an Arc, They boost bigger, longer, land hard or soft your choice,learn all my new tricks on an arc, and if a C is sweet then i can do them on those.
They stay upwind easier have more potential than any other kite compered to so far form 14mNaish/Cab 13m Fuel 12m norths 11 fuels 10m LF 8m yarga
My method has been evaluating kites agaist these bench marks and found I was able to jump more often and higher, play with waves try some moves then get back to where I wanted in one tack mostly whilst others where holding ground and able to jump mainly in gusts. Have seen really good Arc fliers boost bigger and smoother than most of the best guys on many brands.
This was done over many sessions say14/15.
If it is rainy or bullet gusts, making it hard to keep board speed: Arcs suck and use a LEI mainly 9m Fuel in these conditions.
Scary stuff I know but what if it's true? I would put my money on the Arc rider for overall boost time per session, and ability to stay upwind,pull more tricks and not be as knackered.
just my humble observations .
F

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Postby ScottM » Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:04 pm

I've found for me that bows are probably going to be better for myself. I found adapting to a switchblade was cinch and in 10mins I was jumping just as high with way more hangtme than my nitros.

I think that bows allows a rider of lesser skill and/or edging ability to make more consistantly higher jumps. I find on my C kites by the end of the day when I have jelly legs, jumping is much less consistant.

Also with the C kites the acceleration is pretty violent at times meaning that sessions have to be cut shorter. I'm sure bow style kites are the future and as they become more refined many of the 1st generation issues will be engineered out!

Scott M

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Postby sq225917 » Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:47 pm

jumpoff. jumpoff. jumpoff.

lets have head to heads videos guys.

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Peter_Frank
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Postby Peter_Frank » Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:55 pm

Okay sq, a typical jump, with my Nova, some weeks ago: 1.9Mb wmv

To illustrate a "flat kite jump" 8)

The major difference, is that you get more hangtime "at the top" of the jump - which makes it look very different from a "C" jump...

Kindly, Peter Frank


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