Postby eag » Fri Sep 09, 2011 6:11 am
2012 Cypher 9m review.
190lbs, mid to high 20's wind. 5'11" OR surf strapless and briefly on a slingshot twin. I have been riding 5 years about 80+ days per year.
Disclaimer: I have been riding OR gear for years and know the guys well.
I have had Rises for years and last year had a quiver of Razors. I got to borrow the 9m Cypher today as I still didn't know what I was going to ger for 2012. That decision has been made and it's the Cypher for sure.
I thought it is the best OR kite yet for sure. It is very stable and smooth, that is the most noticeable thing. The depower is not as good as the rise and it is not as fast as the razor, but it is way smoother and nicer to fly than either. I found the Razor to be such a burst of speed across the window that it was sometimes hard to modulate, but the cypher is super intuitive and easy. It is faster than the rise and is still a very fast kite.
It handled being overpowered like the Razor. I had to drive hard against the kite and couldn't just sheet out to let off power. Beginners and those in super gusty spots will still want the Rise. I crashed it and relaunch is super easy and automatically goes to the edge of the window.
I was lucky to ride a long tanker wake today and unless you are manic with your wave style I think this is the best wave kite. It drifts downwind so much better than any kite i've been on and the power through the turns is smooth and predictable allowing easier board placement. Downlooping through turns doesn't have the power of the razor, but in a good way for me. I can imagine that it will kiteloop smoothly and with a bit less yank than the Razor. It was too windy to unhook, but i'm guessing it will just sit still and drift as you go down the line.
I did get to do a few twin tip jumps and it jumps in between razor and rise. Not as much yank as the razor, but better hangtime. I'll let someone else write about the unhooked freestyle performance.
I like to ride waves, I like to do old school tricks and kiteloop tricks and I like to play on my strapless board. For me this is the best kite in their lineup. Smooth and predictable while still being fast and powerful.
Where I take issue with OR here is the sizing. How do I have a 3 kite quiver with no 8m? I'm happy to have 7,8,10, but 7,9,10 makes less sense and just 7,10 will leave me with a big hole. I may just have to get 7 and 9 only and make it work.
8m, 8m, 8m, 8m, 8m, 8m, 8m,
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