I will be getting a quiver of 2012 OR Razor kites but I am thinking of adding one kite specifically for unhooked stuff on good days with the right training conditions. Before I always had a Diablo for this in my quiver for which I need a replacement soon. The Cypher looks very interesting for this. Looking for some input from experienced riders who tried this kite.

Mainly interested in how it performs unhooked. The shape seems pretty solid and I like the fact that the kite is designed to fly a bit more of the back lines.
How stable is it?
Any backstall in the kite?
How is the pop?
I am also interested to hear whether it does generate a nice constant pull and if it creates a good the dead moment after the pop (as this is often a bit tricky with many SLE kites.)

Anybody lucky enough to have tested the samples or protos yet?

Samples are going out within 2 weeks i think.

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,

7m to 10m should be fine if the 10 is fast enough. question though; if the venturi and the "steering bumps" on the leading edge are so great why does the "best" kite they make not have them?

best for me, other local guys are sticking with Rises or Razors

Wait What... are you the man behind the Notorious XX Mash Up? If so - huge props to you my man. Great album.

To answer your question, we designed all of our 2012 kites to be the "best" at what we built them for, the Cypher was designed from the start to be an unhooked, ultra stable kite for the park, wake style riding or unhooked wave riding. As such, it was designed to fly extremely well off the back lines and not need the Venturi to help prevent stalls. Equally, the FST wing tips are designed to improve overall depower and turning speeds of the kites it is featured on. The Cypher was designed to be an ultra predictable, stable kite - perfect for handle passes and unhooked riding, both of which do not call for the benefits offered by FST Technology.

If you are interested in the Venturi and FST Technologies I suggest you take a look at the other kites in the line up:

- Freestyle / Hooked in Wave - Razor
- Freeride / Big Air - Rise
- Light Wind - Flite

Cheers!

John

Thanks for the review, EAG. Could you (and Evan and JZ?) comment a little more about the depower? The smoothness and power through turns sound perfect for me, (after riding rises since 2008, I feel like I have to have something that has a more positive feel through turns, but my one test on a razor found it a little to spiky and explosive for a geezer like me), but for our wave conditions having enough depower on the bar to allow the kite to stop pulling on the wave would be nice -- and I am in my first dozen sessions or so of riding strapless, so depower is good there too. Were you using an OR long-throw bar and were still not able to depower in the gusts?

When do we get to see Jeremie riding it? I always look forward to his videos.

i agree....7m and 10m is the perfect 2 kite quiver. not sure why you would ever need an 8m if you have a 7?

anyway, sounds like an interesting design