transitioning from bindings to foot straps

[Royce]

There are a few boards around that you can do that on. One of my personal favourite twin tips is the RRD Assymetrical Twin tip. You can screw on yer bindings and then scew on yer footstraps straight afterwards. I have ridden this board alot and even though it is last seassons model ( meaning you can get it cheaper ) it is still is my favourite twin tip. I don't think there is a middle point though. Its either one or the other. Not many people adjust easilly from bindings to footstraps so I think going back and forth might be frustrating.
R

[Guest]

Royce,

thanks for the info. So are you saying that when you go from bindings to footstraps one should get on a bigger board?

I heard it is going to be windy today in PR!

[Royce]

I think so. There is a whole diferent style of riding with footstraps especially now. Its called dangling, where you do more of a pop up jump and rely on the kite hanging above you for hangtime instead of really whipping the kite around in the air it just pretty much sits there. You have to be really well powered to generate the hangtime. To do this you need alot of speed and good edge control If the board is too short you cant load up with too much speed or you skip out. I am sure you can get away with the little board but if you are going to change your whole style to one or no footers then get yourself something that holds the edge when you are totally maxed. Also a little bigger board will give you some more flotation and margin for errors. It will be good in PR today for sure....well I hope.
Try as many boards as you can before you buy something. Some big boards are the same weight as some of the smaller ones, Feel very similar in the water, go faster and hold the edge better. Good hunting.
R

[Guest]

Royce,

thanks again brah.
I was under the impression that you could hold down more power with a smaller board. My fear in using such small board was really that I would lose too much on the low end.

Have fun in AXA tonight!

[Royce]

You know sometimes you feel like you know who yer talking to and a phone call would be alot easier. Who the hell are you?

[bigair from Michigan]

[quote]
...try to quickly point your toes like you are leaning way back to get your weight as far as possible over the rail."


Pointing your toes puts pressure on the downwind side of the board and releases pressure on the heel side, that is exactly what you don't want to do in a gust when overpowered. Whether it's straps or bindings your edging and upwind ability is greatly increased by moving your heel position toward the upwind side of the board

[Dwight]

On 2002-10-04 15:55, Anonymous wrote:
Dwight,

Thanks for the input. What size was your JL vulcan II? How much do you weigh? Mine is 137 by 15 and I weigh 185. I bought some of the slingshot assym footsraps with the base plates. Some thought I would need a 139 by 15 and 1/2 or I would be nursing the board too much. Also, I notice that most riders with footstraps have more fins than the standard 4 that a JL allows.
Do you think a different board would benifit me?

Thanks!

My JL was 140 x 15". I hated mine. It was one of the first he built with no carbon. It flexed so bad, it had zero pop. The tail just gave out when loaded. The tail's flex made the board wash out under normal riding. Before that, I had a vulcan 1 in all carbon that did none this weird stuff.

I have tried a lot of boards. 15" is my favorite width for my 184 lbs. Length is not that important to me. 150 goes upwind better, but 140 is good enough too. If anyone cares, short is in. Martin Vari has Wave Trays in 110, 115, 125, and 137 ALL 15" wide. Wave trays ride 9cm shorter than the numbered length. This is because of the flipped ends. The wave tray rockets upwind like a board much longer than it's numbered size. This is one it's magic performance advantages. The flipped ends allow them to get away with straighter than normal rockers. It also has a parallel template.

All Undergrounds are designed to be ridden straps or bindings with the same fins. I converted all my undergrounds from bindings to straps with no loss in performance.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dwight on 2002-10-05 04:32 ]</font>

[Guest]

well there is a bit of a difference in opinion on this topic obviously. Im 105 - 110 Kgs and WT 147 or a WT 142. I have riden both with footstraps and bindings. There apears to me to be no advantage whatsoever in going for a bigger board just cause you are changing to footstraps, in fact its a joke to suggest it. Try the new widder footstraps it gives you more control (not quite as much as a binding) yet you can get you foot or feet out to do board off manouvers.

[Royce]

Dear annony "mouse" I am definitly not joking and if you go to your next contest on yer little board and the wind drops whatta ya gonna do? Sink? For someone of your weight to tell me he rides such a small board i just hope you live somewhere really windy or you are shooting yourself in the foot. Go look at the post about big boys can fly about 5 or 6 posts below this one and then tell all those big guys they are joking too? Tell me what the advantage of a small board is to the average rider??? Reduced wind range, more critical landing, more critical take offs, and I sink faster when the wind drops. There is a correct size board for all riders. NAishes Twin tip don't even start till 140. Robbie himself rides a 5 foot board and the no 1 guy in the world weighs about 170 and rides a 4'8 directional. As I said for the style of riding that is in for now bigger boards with alot of fin make it easier. Do you get more leverage from a small board or a big board?/ Think about it before you answer and then tell me something else...how come you think you can hold a bigger kite with a smaller board.... Less resistance to the kite maybe? Martin Vari weighs around 150lbs, sails in 25 knots every day and when he competes he has every size kite imaginable. Go to a big contest and you will see no one that weighs more than 175lbs riding boards that small ( unless its really windy like the gorge ) look in the latest kiteboarding magazing at the article on the top readers choices and you will find alot of guys ride bigger boards than you are reccomending. Think about it and tell me the advantage of a small board over a bigger ( like 5 or 10 cm difference) one?
Of course just my opinion.
Aloha Royce.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Royce on 2002-10-05 15:08 ]</font>

[Dr Surf Australia]

Royce, have you tried some of the latest Underground Wave Trays?

You may find that the different design features on the WT's change your ideas somewhat. As Dwight has mentioned previously and as Martin Vari is using in a derivative sense, the Underground boards have the ability tto extract a greater range of performance from a shorter board.