Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Forum for kitesurfers
heinzbush
Medium Poster
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:59 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby heinzbush » Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:42 pm

Hi All,

just wondering if anyone could get their hands on the 2014 17m Cabrinha Contra or Best TS?

I am looking for a kite that I can have fun with in lightwind (freeride and jumping around, not racing) and I'm about to pull the trigger on a Turbine or a Cloud... would be great to hear how the Contra or TS compares to those or the other usual suspects (Naish Fly, Dyno, Zephyr, Fat Lady, etc.)

Comments, thoughts, suggestions are welcome...

User avatar
davesails7
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2220
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:36 pm
Kiting since: 2006
Weight: 75 kg
Local Beach: Virginia Beach
Style: Race
Gear: ML B3
R1V2 11. VMG 13, 15, 18
OR Mako 130x35
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 22 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby davesails7 » Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:21 pm

What is your weight and what type of board?

heinzbush
Medium Poster
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:59 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby heinzbush » Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:35 pm

I need it for me (95kg) and my gf (65kg)... I need it for my TT (138), my Mako King (165) or my directional (Cab S Quad)...

so basically "a bit of everything"... I just want a kite with really good low end that turns fairly fast (for its size) and that also jumps a bit... So, mowing the lawn in flat water or ocean with some jumping around...

I could get a great deal on the new Contra, that is why I'm asking if someone played with it already...
... or to be save, I just go with the Turbine since it is a "proven LW machine".

User avatar
davesails7
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2220
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:36 pm
Kiting since: 2006
Weight: 75 kg
Local Beach: Virginia Beach
Style: Race
Gear: ML B3
R1V2 11. VMG 13, 15, 18
OR Mako 130x35
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 10 times
Been thanked: 22 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby davesails7 » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:37 pm

I don't think you would be at all disappointed with the Turbine. Great all around lightwind kite.

If fast turning is something you are after, then you should stay away from the higher aspect ratio kites like Dyno, Edge, Cabrinha Velocity etc. These give you marginally better low end, hangtime, and upwind ability, but sacrifice turning speed. If you're riding a raceboard or going for airstyle only, these are a great choice.

Not sure about the new Contra. It's supposed to be a more freeride oriented version of the Velocity race kite. How much of a change, I don't know. I'll be interested to hear from someone who has tried it out.

heinzbush
Medium Poster
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:59 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby heinzbush » Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:45 pm

Thanks for the input! Will see if I also can fly some of the usual suspects, but doesn't look like it currently and need the 17 as a backup for an upcoming vacation...

markymarc
Medium Poster
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 11:19 pm
Kiting since: 2009
Weight: 80
Local Beach: Katwijk aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Big Bay / Dolphin beach
Cabarete
El Cabezo
Zandmotor / Wijk aan Zee
Sprecklesville
Style: freeride boosting big air / big waves
Gear: Duotone Jaime SLS 2022 136 cm
Cabrinha Switchblade 7,9,11 2021
North Whip 2014
Cabrinha Contra 15m 2014
Brand Affiliation: none
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby markymarc » Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:11 pm

Same question here! Want to go for Freeride and Low end but....Basically don't want to go above 13m, but doubt on Cab Contra, Cab Velocity or North Dyno?

Weigh 80 kg's and would appreciate some advice. According to German kite mag low end of Velocity is better than of Dyno (slightly) but turning speed of Dyno is better (slightly)..

Any inputs on the Contra?

Thank you.

heinzbush
Medium Poster
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:59 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby heinzbush » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 pm

just in case you haven't seen it:

Dyno:
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/348/

Velocity:
http://gleiten.tv/index.php/video/actio ... /page/348/

The velocity video is only available in German... but basically they say it was their highest performing kite of their tests in terms of lowend and upwind performance.

Cabrinha states the same lowend for Contra and Velocity - however by looking at the the shape and the other info, I would assume that the Contra compromises a bit of lowend in return for faster turning, ease of use, sheet & go, freeride...

Maybe kinda like Ozone Edge <-> Zephyr = Cab Velocity <-> Contra

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby Kamikuza » Wed Aug 28, 2013 12:33 am

Ocean Rodeo Flite. I love mine . . . Better than my XB16 is almost all areas. Going back to a Cab bar with no stopper ball sucks too :)

markymarc
Medium Poster
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 11:19 pm
Kiting since: 2009
Weight: 80
Local Beach: Katwijk aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Big Bay / Dolphin beach
Cabarete
El Cabezo
Zandmotor / Wijk aan Zee
Sprecklesville
Style: freeride boosting big air / big waves
Gear: Duotone Jaime SLS 2022 136 cm
Cabrinha Switchblade 7,9,11 2021
North Whip 2014
Cabrinha Contra 15m 2014
Brand Affiliation: none
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 7 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby markymarc » Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:10 pm

Thank you Heinzbusch...

Useful links! Didn't see them yet... I think I need to go for the Velocity in 13 or the Contra in 14 or so..

Thanks again.

matth
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2135
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:18 pm
Local Beach: Revere, Nahant, Chapin, West Dennis, Hardings , Kalmus, First Encounter, Dog, yerril, Wing
Favorite Beaches: Wing, West Dennis, Kalmus, Chapin, Revere, Nahant, Dog, Horse Neck, Good Harbor, Yerrill
Style: Freeride
Gear: 7m Slash, 10m Pivot, 10m Slash, 12m Pivot. Firewire Vadar, Duotone Profish, Crazyfly Raptor ltd
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 81 times
Been thanked: 100 times

Re: Lightwind Freeride - new Contra, new TS?

Postby matth » Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:59 am

I also have a Ocean Rodeo Flite(15m). Very happy with it. Gets me(185lbs) going around 12mph with light wind TT. Kite has good speed , lots of low end power , excellent relaunch, and has good depower. Not so crazy about the bar, like my Cab bar much better. I really think OR needs to introduce a more refined bar. It works fine just not as slick as others on the market.
After spending the last two years watching a lot of lightwind kiting I have come to a few conclusions.
First is not much happens under 10mph, higher aspect kites seem to fly better in light wind but are slower and do not relaunch as well, and foils are not the magic flying machines people claim.
Check out the Flite , its a very good kite and they are well priced .


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: alekbelia, andylc, arjas, Baidu [Spider], basti52406, cglazier, DanielorDani, Google [Bot], grigorib, IvanoKite, nothing2seehere, Peter_Frank, PullStrings, purdyd, SolarSet, Ulrik, vladi elthve, WS79, y2kBug, Yahoo [Bot] and 377 guests