Rotating footstrap for directionals

[kenyona]

I recently bought a 2012 Slingshot Celeritas 5' 11" and fitted a rotating footstrap from Sportsgear Solutions http://sportsgear-solutions.com/ and it is brilliant.

It really stops the twisting loads that can occur in the front knee when wave riding.

I've used it in England, Belgium and Wales in the last month, in a range of conditions from small chop to over-head waves. See below for a few shots in mellow 3 - 4 foot waves.

The strap rotates smoothly over the dome of the deck every time and it is aways comfortable sailing frontside, back-side, regular or wrapped. It makes gybing pretty easy too. A really great product.

It is also impressive to see Sportsgear Solutions supply a dedicated screw and slide set for Slingshot FastTrack.

[robertovillate]

I've had the same "Plug & Turn" system mounted (front foot only) on one of my small directionals (5'3") for the last 1-1/2 years and have ridden it super hard in every set of conditions, lots of boosting, etc. The system works great and has not had any problems with breaking or jamming, nothing ...works great!

I ride my other directionals strapless quite often but when I want a board with straps I love this system because I can adjust my stance while in the straps really comfortably or can switch my stance and "duck" the forward foot on either tack when I want to go upwind.

The whole thing is surprisingly light weight and so far I have not seen any disadvantage to having it on the board.

.

[Johnny Rotten]

I had one on for about a week, kept smashing my toes on it while trying to learn to gibe.
Gave up went strapless haven't put the straps back on in over a year.

If you insist on riding with straps,it gets the job done WAY better. But ask yourself why am I riding with straps?

Had one issue, the adhesive on the EVA foam stopped adhering and fell off in high temperatures (32+ degrees)

[robertovillate]

If you insist on riding with straps,it gets the job done WAY better. But ask yourself why am I riding with straps?

Agree, strapless is always preferred - but there are days when the chop makes it more fun to ride hard with straps....and sometimes it's fun to boost big in the waves with a small surf/directional too. Just different tools for different situations - nice to have the option some days.

[henningsurf]

Nice to get some more reviews out. We got a bunch of nice mails from customers, but there are many that just don't use the forums.
Kitesurf UK and Kiteworld Mag published a nice review too.

About the pads: some of the heelpads did have less adhesion than usual (glue slipping the pads bottom), but it is an easy fix with contact glue on the plates surface and the pads.

The Plug&Turn is easy to mount / demount and as mentioned very convenient for certain conditions.
The main part of kitesurfer still rides with straps and it is of course easier to maintain control and enjoy huge jumps as riding waves on the same session. So many people are not pro's and just want most fun out of their session, when finally getting out. ...different gear for different riders.

The setup is shown here http://youtu.be/RftJV1BuuNI

Have fun
Henning, sportsgear-solutions.com

[FredBGG]

Rotating straps can be dangerous.

Say your back foot comes out and you fall with your front foot still in the strap.

The board will rotate freely until it reaches the end of the rotation range and then all the momentum gets transferred into your knee.

I would not recommend these on a heavy board, but even on a light board if you are being tumbled in a wave the forces can be very strong.

kind of like a sliding hammer...

[youtube]http://youtu.be/LY93VZ-VO2Q[/youtube]

You can pull on a baring with all your force and it won't move a millimeter.
Two knocks with a sliding hammer and it pops. Same goes for your knee's and ankles.

Keep in mind that you often fall with significant fast rotation movements.

[henningsurf]

Sorry Fred, I do not agree on the described risk.
If you keep the stopper features as delivered, then it stops after 55 degrees turning and in addition your foot will also twist within the strap approx. 20-30 degrees.

So falling forward you can point your toes towards the tail of your board and then you already have had much more time to get out.
I have use this setup for over 2 years and pushed the crashing in so many different ways. When ever there was a problem, then it appeared on my fixed backstrap as loosing the front strap gave me no time to react.

As decribed in the instruction: you can choose to remove the stopper and your board can actually make full turns. I have of course tested this too - for many sessions.
If you want this level of safety you just have to fix the bungee in place once in a while.

This product has now been on the marked for over 2 years and lots of experience has been collected in many customer mails. I feel pretty confident that it does not create new problems compared to fixed straps and I would like to change your postulate to "Kitesurfing can be dangerous..."
Hope all this sound reasonable and for those who seek the ultimate safety and freedom it can only be riding strapless. "Everybody should choose its tools for fun."

Regards
Henning

[SupaEZ]

Rotating strap........Sliding hook spreader bar.....Reel leash.....Heel bungee.....GO-Joe....etc........

.........................Useless gizmos IMO...........is it just me .......or not who concur

............................ ................................................................................

[FredBGG]

Sorry Fred, I do not agree on the described risk.
If you keep the stopper features as delivered, then it stops after 55 degrees turning and in addition your foot will also twist within the strap approx. 20-30 degrees.

So falling forward you can point your toes towards the tail of your board and then you already have had much more time to get out.
I have use this setup for over 2 years and pushed the crashing in so many different ways. When ever there was a problem, then it appeared on my fixed backstrap as loosing the front strap gave me no time to react.

As decribed in the instruction: you can choose to remove the stopper and your board can actually make full turns. I have of course tested this too - for many sessions.
If you want this level of safety you just have to fix the bungee in place once in a while.

This product has now been on the marked for over 2 years and lots of experience has been collected in many customer mails. I feel pretty confident that it does not create new problems compared to fixed straps and I would like to change your postulate to "Kitesurfing can be dangerous..."
Hope all this sound reasonable and for those who seek the ultimate safety and freedom it can only be riding strapless. "Everybody should choose its tools for fun."

Regards
Henning

Full rotation with no lock. That is a very good option....

It's also true that you have more time to get out if the straps have rotation...

But if you are using the lock after a 55% rotation the board will have enough momentum and loads of leverage to severely twist your leg when the free rotation suddenly ends.

Anyway I do like the idea of being able to remove the lock

I might get a set....

[robertovillate]

(Fred) I've been riding with a Plug & Turn on my front foot on one of my smallest diectionals boards (quite often - several hundred sessions - sometimes in really big conditions) and honestly I've never felt that this product adds any increase of injury. In fact I might even say it decreases the possibility of injury during normal riding because it allows for a more natural and ergonomic stance and minimizes strain on your foot/ankle/knees that a fixed in-line strap can sometimes cause. My straps are snug but not so tight that my feet can't easily pull out when I need them to.

I'm no "spring chicken" and avoiding injury/undue strain on any body parts is a huge priority for me and I would never use a product that I thought would be more likely to cause injury.

I think a lot of people thought the Dynabar was a gimmick at first but a lot of people have discovered how well it works, so to poke fun at something without ever trying it is pretty short-sighted IMO - consider that when Bruno Legenoux sailed by all the windsurfers on the first inflatable kite many people shook their heads in disbelief and doubt. At at one point "chicken loops" and "QR's" were considered unnecessary gimmicks by some. Like the Dynabar this rotating strap/pad product may not be for everyone, and it might not be the kit you want in every situation. But I can assure you that if it didn't work really well for me it would have been removed from my board a long time ago.

I think it's safe to say that without new ideas and open minds things will not improve in general.

It really is a whole seperate subject, but some products mentioned are defo dangerous and I won't use them- any type of leash for sure - but even then a few people still use them and might have their own justifications for it. Go-Joe? not a bad idea and defo safer than a leash IMO...and if a beginner gets some good use out of it there' nothing wrong with it, but still important to learn upwind body dragging ASAP.